tea-drinking stamper

I lay in bed the night before my stamp class thinking about this design. I really wanted to use the Buffalo Check background stamp and I just love the Country Home stamp set, so I brought them together for this card. Yes, it took some fussy cutting, but the ladies at my stamp class don't mind that part of the craft. I still have quite a few doilies left from last year's catalog and this was the perfect design to use some up. Notice the rhinestone in the upper right hand corner. I colored that with my Dark Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blend. What a perfect complement to the card! Products Used: Country Home photopolymer stamp set (14), 147679, $21.00 Buffalo Check rubber background stamp, W 147797, $20.00; C 147794, $15.00 Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146981, $8.50 Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 100730, $9.75 Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad, 14088, $7.50 Memento Ink Pad, 132708, $6.00 Cajun Craze Combo Pack, Stampin

A man from our former church was diagnosed with a brain tumor and I needed to send him a card right away. This one came together quickly and easily. The sad thing is that he has been the caregiver for his wife who is legally blind and losing what sight she has left. Admittedly, when I first saw this particular wood texture design my thought was, "How would I ever use this?" But I love it! And now wish I hadn't used all the sheets up using the reverse side. Products Used: Lovely As a Tree rubber stamp set (6), W 128655, $28.00; C 127793, $20.00 Flourishing Phrases rubber stamp set (18), W 141531, $49.00; C 141534, $37.00 Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 100730, $9.75 Basic Black 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 121045, $8.50 Wood Textures 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (48), 144177, $11.00 Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad, 147111, $7.50 Stitched Shapes Framelits (12), 145372, $30.00 Layering Squares Framelits (19), 141

Admittedly, I have been neglecting my blogs lately. Life is busy. Vacations. Bible study start-ups. Family birthdays. Plus some sewing. Here's a purse I made and gave to my daughter for her birthday. Actually, it's called a "Glam Bag". Loved making it and I am itching to do some more sewing now.

When designing cards for my August stamp class, I was anxious to play with my new embossing folder. I also wanted to show the different effects of colors for the same card. In the process, I also changed the layout somewhat of one of the cards. Here are the three cards: This is the card we actually made at class: The lighter cards are made with Very Vanilla, Powder Pink, Soft Sea Foam and Granny Apple Green, while the darker one uses Crumb Cake, Berry Burst and Call Me Clover. And the rose and leaves in this Distinktive set are so realistic and dimensional just in the way they turn out when inked. And I have to admit that we did have to fussy cut the flower and leaves, but I enjoy the process of fussy cutting even though some of my customers do not. Products Used: Healing Hugs rubber stamp set (9), W 146527, $29.00; C 146530, $21.00 Crumb Cake 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 120953, $8.50 Berry Burst 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 144243, $8.50 Ver

I am making a conscious effort to use that gorgeous designer series paper I so readily purchase! Choosing my paper before actually designing the card allowed me to choose my colors accordingly. Originally I wasn't sure I was going to like the new core color, Mango Melody, but this paper made me love it! I purchased the Botanical Tags Thinlits without the stamp set because I think they are so versatile. I really thought I wanted to make a bookmark with them (and I did make one as a gift for those who placed orders at my stamp class). But I thought the birds fit very nicely with the flowers on the paper. I also decided that with two birds, this card would make a great anniversary card, even though this one is a birthday card.  Products Used: Best Birds photopolymer stamp set (13)147136, $21.00 Mango Melody 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146989, $8.50 Night of Navy 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 100867, $8.50 Garden Impressions 6" x 6" Designer S

All you need is some gorgeous designer series paper, some ribbon and a greeting to punch or cut for a simple yet extremely elegant card. The vanilla and gold ribbon on this card is retired (I believe it was a two-pack from Sale-a-Bration), but any there are several ribbons you could use in our current catalog, including Burlap Ribbon, Gold Metallic-Edge Ribbon, Crumb Cake Classic Weave Ribbon, and even one of the ribbons from the Tea Room Ribbon Combo Pack. Products Used: Label Me Pretty rubber stamp set (6), W 143858, $23.00; C 143861, $17.00 You're Inspiring rubber stamp set (8), W 145805, $27.00; 145808, $19.00 Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 144246, $8.50 Very Vanilla 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 101650, $9.75 Nature's Poem 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (12), 146338, $11.00 Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad, 147116, $7.50 Tranquil Tide Classic Stampin' Pad, 147146, $7.50 Pretty Label Punch, 143715, $18.00

I'm getting more and more comfortable with the Waterfront stamp set as I keep playing with it. So versatile! That's part of what makes it so much fun. I wanted this card to feature that set yet not consume the whole card front, so I grabbed Gray Granite card stock, cut it to make my card and stamped the Hardwood background stamp on the front in the same color ink. And it's so much easier to use the Stamparatus with background stamps! I have discovered that it is always easier to design my picture by beginning with the mountains. Others may go about it differently, but that's what works for me. Stamping more than once before re-inking gives dimension to the mountains. I did the same thing for the water, giving it a more natural appearance. Living above a lake as I do, I am constantly amazed by the shifting shades on the water's surface. Although I used Very Vanilla card stock for stamping, you can't really tell because I lightly sponged Balmy Blue across th

The stamp set, You're Inspiring, came out in last year's Occasions Catalog and I was thrilled to see it reappear in our annual catalog. I don't know about you, but I have always struggled to line up stamps when using them to create a border. Either they don't quite meet up or one is slightly angled from the other. But the Stamparatus helped me eliminate that problem. I found it necessary set my paper slightly lower than the top edge, actually setting it on the half inch line.  I then set the stamp to extend just beyond the edge of the paper. After stamping with Soft Sea Foam Ink, I lifted the plate from it's hinge and moved it down two notches to stamp again. Perfectly straight! Don't forget to anchor your card stock with one of the magnets or it might mess up your alignment. When I designed this card, I really wanted the soft, subtle background. Plus I'm having fun playing with the new colors and finding great combinations. I was playing with Soft Sea

I love the scene on this stamp. However, I'm always looking for alternative ways to use stamps that appear to need coloring. I do color them, but I also like to design quicker cards. That said, this card was not as quick as I had intended simply because the ink takes so long to dry when used on vellum. Great care must be taken to avoid smearing the ink on your image. We made this card at my July stamp class when I featured the Stamparatus.  We used Early Espresso ink to stamp onto Soft Sea Foam card stock, removing the plate and moving it down for each repeated line. I love the fact that there are grid lines on the Stamparatus so I could perfectly align the stamp. A great card to send to the men on your list! Products Used: Peaceful Place rubber stamp set (6), W 146686, $30.00; C 146689, $22.00 Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146981, $8.50 Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146988, $8.50 Vellum 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (20

I was so sad to see Island Indigo leave our color families, although I love all the new colors.  Since I also had a lot of very pretty designer series paper left from a couple years ago that included the returning Mint Macaron, I decided to design a card around those products. You'll see I used the pretty lacy ribbon from when Mint Macaron was one of our in colors. The dsp is used inside two of the jars while the butterflies are stamped and colored.  This card was my way of demonstrating the technique I shared in a previous post where I made a template by cutting shapes from a piece of card stock. I then cut the jars and lids for my class attendees so they could practice the technique. I placed the stamps in the cut-out spots and then picked them up with a plate on my Stamparatus. Each lady was then able to ink the stamps and stamp all items at once. The Mint Macaron jar lids had to be done separately. The butterflies and the lid with holes in the top came from the Ronald McD

I recently inventoried my teas and discovered I have 31 different flavors of loose tea in my cupboard, most of which are black teas with a few rooibus infusions. I always prepare a specialty tea for the customers who attend my classes. Since they seem to look forward to it, I decided to make the gifts for my August class tea bag holders. My tea is loose, so I needed to make my own tea bags to hold the loose tea. Every item in these gifts is retired.  Gifts are a great way to use up discontinued items.  I used 12" x 12" textured card stock in Pink Pirouette cut into 4"x 12" strips after scoring the opposite direction every four inches. You can see how I cut the final flap at an angle so I could insert the tea bag in the resulting pocket. The stamp set I used is current (Jar of Love) and the contrasting ink is Berry Burst. What a fun way to share one of my passions with those who share my passion for stamping!

I try to give a little something to my class attendees and I made these sweet jars that hold Dove chocolates for the July group. I saw them somewhere on-line when looking for projects to make with my Stamparatus. They were also an opportunity to use some of my old ribbon. After making them, I had a template for a card we made at class. The technique was designed for making a quick job of multiple cards.  I cut each of the jars from a piece of card stock. I then laid the template on my stamparatus. After cutting all the jars and lids from Whisper White card stock, without stamping and therefore without having to line up each jar with its coordinating framelit. This also enabled me to squeeze more on a sheet of Whisper White. I then laid the stamps inside the template and picked them up with the Stamparatus plate. Don't forget to hold the template in place with the magnets provided. Products used: Stamparatus, 146276, $49.00 Jar of Love photopolymer stamp set (37), 141587