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Showing posts from July, 2010

Presto Patterns

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Do you ever wish you could pick the color of your designer paper? Well, that's just one advantage of our new Specialty Designer Series Paper, Presto Patterns Specialty. When you pull it out of the package it is all white, although you can see a pattern on it in the white. But you make the design pop when you add the ink of your choice with our new Smooch Spritz, sponges, sponge daubers, Aqua Painters, or an inked brayer. You could probably use markers or blender pens, as well. I used the brayer for this card. The card itself is Pear Pizzazz run through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Concord Crush card stock frames the Presto Patterns Specialty paper which was covered with Pear Pizzazz ink using a brayer. The "friends" piece is stamped with Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz inks using one of the images from the Just Believe stamp set (W 11948, $33.95; C 120453, $25.95). Stampin' Dimensionals behind the image and an Antique B

Hobie Cat

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This is my husband's absolute favorite card. I think my son-in-law will like it too, since he owns a Hobie Cat and that's what this sailboat looks like. It's another of the cards we made at my brayer class yesterday. Have you seen Stampin' Up's new Patterns Designer Series Paper Stacks? They are wonderful for several reasons: (1) I can envision using every design; (2) the stacks come in tablet form; (3) there is one tablet for each color collection and includes every color in that collection; and (4) each pack contains 40 sheets! The strip I used on this card is Poppy Parade from the In Color Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack. To create the rolling sea, I tore a piece of scrap paper and covered the top part of the 3-1/4" square of Bashful Blue card stock. The scrap served as a mask and the torn edge gave me the uneven effect of waves on a rough sea when I brayered (did I coin that word) Marina Mist ink over and below it. I then turned the scrap over and move

Emergent Color

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Here is a fun card we made at today's brayer class. The ladies were so surprised at the way this card was made. They couldn't believe I could cut out the flowers so perfectly and decided there must be a punch. But they were excited when they learned how I actually accomplished those cute little flowers. Although "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set is retired, you can use this same technique with any solid or semi-solid stamp set, such as Petal Pizzazz (page 102 in the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog). The first step is to cover a piece of Whisper White card stock with lots of small, pastel images. I used Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Bashful Blue. Then stamp the solid image with Versa Mark, heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Finally, use your brayer to cover the whole piece with a dark color, such as the Always Artichoke used here. I inserted soft subtle brads to finish off the flowers after attaching to the So Saffron card stock. With the verse stamped in Always Art

Deboss and Use the Brayer

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Here is one of the cards we're making at my brayer class tomorrow afternoon. I dry embossed the Manhattan Flower (Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 114517, $7.95) on Whisper White card stock, rolled Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait inks across the back side with my brayer and then cut the flowers out. The Pear Pizzazz card stock was cut in half the long way before running it through the Big Shot with one half inserted in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976, $7.95). I stamped "From the Heart" (Watercolor Trio stamp set, Summer Mini Catalog, W 117050 $22.95, C 120084 $16.95) on a scrap of Whisper White with Peach Parfait ink and punched it out with the Modern Label Extra Large punch (119849, $16.95). Using my Crop-a-Dile (108362, $29.95), I punched holes and set silver eyelets on each side and then ran linen thread (104199, $4.50, 15 yds) behind the label and around the top of the card, tying a small bow on one side. Stampin' Dimensionals help hold the la

Happy Graduation

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Stamps for graduation cards are not something we use every day, so it's nice to have a simple yet inexpensive greeting to incorporate into a celebratory card. "Happy Grad" is one of the individual stamps that Stampin' Up now offers. This one is found in the Summer Mini Catalog (117006, $8.95). This Basic Gray card has another layer of Basic Gray textured with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976, $7.95) in the Big Shot Die Cut Machine (113439, $99.95). Stars both punched and stamped celebrate the graduate's accomplishment. In addition to Basic Gray, the card stock in this card includes Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White. This is one of the cards I stamped at the Spring Stampin' Retreat organized by Aly Schilling. Although the stamp set and the striped Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon are no longer available, you could cut out the stars in the Classic Stars jumbo wheel (111254, $8.50) and layer them with a white brad. You could also run the wheel ac

Box of Cards & More

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This box is made from really old designer paper--it was only one-sided. I have a tendency to hang on to things I like instead of using them. Well, with the color renovation, I decided I really had to use up or part with many of my supplies! But the box and all the goodies inside can be made with any card stock and designer paper. In fact, I'm going to offer a class on how to make this box of cards and more in August. Below, you can see the box opened with two different sized cards and some tags inside, as well as a miniature address book. You could make all the cards alike, varying the greeting on the front, but I never take the easy method! When I teach the class, however, we will make them easy. This picture shows a few of the cards and tags I made to go inside. The main colors used for this set were Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss and Chocolate Chip. If you remember when Cranberry Crisp was available, you'll know how old this designer paper is. I had stocked up on so much of th