A Peek Into My Stamping Room

Espress-oly Wonderful!

My hubby came home this morning asking me to make a birthday card for a lady that he works with.  Its kinda funny because when I was growing up, this lady and her family lived right next door to me and my family!  Helen takes care of the coffee fund for the guys at the plant making sure there is coffee to drink, cups and all the extras!  So I thought these images would work great!  The image is from DRS Designs called Coffee Trio.  The sentiment is also from DRS Designs and its called Espress-oly Wonderful.  I used some October Afternoon patterned paper and paired it with Dark Chocolate and Aqua Mist from Papertrey Ink.  The bottom edging is from Spellbinder™ Scallop Edge Frameabilities™.  I cut/embossed using the Classic Squares Lg Nestabilties™.  The coffee cup image is stamped onto a Petite Oval Lg. and matted behind is the Petite Scalloped Ovals Lg.  I paper pieced the cups and added some stickles to the coffee!  I stamped the sentiment onto a tag cut/embossed from Ribbon Tag Trio 2.  The ribbon is Aqua Mist Grosgrain from Papertrey Ink.

I think Helen will really like this card.  I made it 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" square so there would be plenty of room for all the guys at the plant to sign it.

Hope you are having a great week!

Glimmering Color Challenge

On Tuesday, the challenge on Splitcoast is the Color Combo Challenge.  This week, the combo is:  Kraft, Vanilla and Bravo Burgundy.  Well, much to my surprise, I didn't have any Bravo Burgundy so I substituted Scarlet Jewel from Papertrey Ink.  I also had fun using some new stuff that Sparkle N Sprinkle was nice enough to send the Spellbinders Design Team.  The glitter is fantastic! 

 

I stamped the Large Filigree Snowflake image from DRS Designs using Versamark.  Then I used Heat and Stick powder, heat set it and then added my glitter - then heat set again.  I love to use Heat and Stick powder with glitter because it keeps the glitter on so well.  No glitter floating around in the envelope!  I stamped the Glittering/Twinkling Christmas Greeting using Merlot Chalk Ink from Colorbox.  After it dried, I cut/embossed using the Petite Ovals Lg and then layered it onto a Petite Scalloped Oval Lg.  I am almost out of that beautiful satin ribbon from Stampin' Up!  Its retired so I will have to look around for something similar!!  I don't really think you need the ribbon, though.  Without the ribbon, this would be a great card to mail!  Hope you are having a great week!  Things are pretty good here.  Just busy with everyday stuff!  Talk to you tomorrow!

Petite Ovals vs. Classic Ovals?

I have received alot of questions about the difference between Spellbinders™ Nestabilities™ -  Petite Ovals and Classic Ovals.

Here is a picture of them side by side:

On the left is the Classic & Scalloped Ovals Lg.  On the right is the Classic and Scalloped Petite Ovals Lg.  Its easy to see the difference when they are side by side.  As you can see the Classic & Scalloped Ovals Lg. are more of a rounded oval.  The Classic and scalloped Petite Ovals Lg. are long and skinny. 

Hope this answered your question about the Classic Ovals and the Petite Ovals!

Stay tuned for a tutorial on Foil Embossing!

2 Sketches 4 You!

This week, DRS Designs is sponsoring the challenge blog, 2 Sketches 4 You!  How fun is that?  2S4Y is run by my friend and fellow Spellbinders Design Team member, Kazan Clark and her friend Laura Davis.  Its a fun sketch this week and I challenge you to participate!  You could win some really great DRS Designs stuff!  Free stuff is always good!

I made 2 cards for this sketch challenge:

 

This card uses the Large Script Merry Christmas stamp embossed in Gold embossing powder.  After I embossed the sentiment, I cut/embossed it using the Labels 4 Nestabilities.  The background I stamped and colored in the Triple Holly stamp using my Copic Markers.  I tied some ribbon around the sentiment die and I was done.  It was a quick card to make!!

I hope my second card makes you laugh!

 

Funny, huh?!!  I love that sentiment!  Its a new release from DRS this week!  I stamped the Santa Hat image all over my card base and colored it in.  Then I stamped the Santa In Your Stockings sentiment, cut/embossed it using the Curved Rectangles Nestabilities and mounted it onto a red Curved Rectangles Nestabilities.  I stamped, color and cut out the little santa hat and add some Crystal Stickles on the fur part! 

I hope this sketch will inspire you to participate this week!  Get busy and win a $15 gift certificate from DRS Designs!

Plum Christmas Card Mini Tutorial

To make the Plum Christmas card, you will first need to cut/emboss a 3 1/2 x 12" piece of white cardstock.  These are the supplies you will need to cut any Grand Border die template when using the Wizard&trade.  The Grand Cut Mat Kit has everything you need (2 Master Mats, Magnetic Spacer Mat & Tan Embossing pad) to cut all Spellbinders™ Grand 12" Border die templates in the Wizard™. 

The sandwich you use for the Poinsettia Border Grand is:

White Master Mat

Magnetic Spacer Mat

Poinsettia Border Grand die

Cardstock - 3 1/2" x 12"

White Master Mat

Feed the sandwich thru the Wizard™.  Be sure to hold on tight to these mats as they go thru the Wizard™.  The Wizard™ has alot of pressure and they sure do shoot right out if your not careful (don't ask how I know this :P)  LOL

Here is my die cut but not embossed.  The sandwich to emboss in the Wizard™ is:

White Master Mat

Die template with cardstock inside

Tan Embossing Mat

White Master Mat

Feed this sandwich thru your Wizard™ and you will have such a beautiful result!!

Remove your cardstock from the die template.  See how beautiful it is?  I just love this die!  If you find that your cardstock is sticking in your die template, there is a great trick I learned to help with that.  When you start building your sandwich, put a piece of waxed paper down on top of your die underneath the cardstock you want to cut.  If you do this a few times, your cardstock will start coming out easier!

 

Cut your cardbase to 4 1/4" x 11" and fold in half.  You will also need another piece of white cardstock to layer your beautiful poinsettia die cut onto.  Cut this layer to 5 1/4 x 4".  Lay the die cut onto your layers as shown in the picture.  Lightly mark where you want to cut your die cut.  I cut mine where I had the most poinsettia flowers.  Its totally up to you.  Of course, if you are really careful, you could probably get 2 cards out of your die cut!

To get my flower petals to stand up alittle.  I just use my dry embossing stylus and carefully pick up the petals and run the stylus underneath each petal. 

I stamped my sentiment and then adhered the poinsettia border onto the card.  I added some half-pearls onto the middle of the poinsettias and that is it!  Here is my complete card. 

 

Don't forget that the Poinsettia Border Grand die template is only available until November 30, 2009.  Plus this die can easily be used in other machines like - Cuttlebug, Big Shot, Quick Kutz, etc...  You will just have to cut/emboss half of the die and then turn it around and cut/emboss the other half.  Its simple!  Remember that the sandwiches for cutting Spellbinders™ die templates are listed in every package!

Hope you have a great weekend!  I am so fortunate to be the Mom of such talented girls!  My 2 oldest girls made the All-District Concerts bands and the concerts are this weekend!  We will all have so much fun!  My hubby and I watching/listening to the girls and the girls learning/playing with all new kids.  It will be great!!

Did you know.....

There are only 49 days until Christmas?  Wow, that kinda snuck up on me.  What about you?  Have you started on your Christmas cards?  I have a few made but I better get cracking if I want to get them done before Thanksgiving.

Today is my day to blog over at the DRS Designs blog.  Please check out the DRS Designs blog to see both cards.  I think either card I made would be fairly easy to mass produce plus they look very nice!  Here is one of them:

 

For this card, I used some of my stash of buttons.  Buttons are really trendy now, aren't they?  They do add that extra "something" to a card!  This image is from DRS Designs called Ornaments Galore.  Its an easy image to color and the buttons just go great, don't they?  After coloring in with my Copic Markers, I used a white gel pen for the highlights.  The patterned paper is from Papertrey Ink and the Zig Zag Velvet Ribbon is from May Arts.  I used Labels 8 Nestabilities™ for the main image and the mat behind it.  I find its easiest to stamp my image first, position my die where I want it with repositionable tape and then cut/emboss.  That way, everything is right where I want it!  The sentiment is part of the Christmas Card edger stamp.  I just inked the words using an Old Olive marker and stamped.

I have had alot of requests for a tutorial showing how I made the Plum Christmas card shown here.  It sure isn't hard but I have a small tutorial planned for tomorrow so be sure to check back.

Sketch Challenge Wednesday

Today's sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers is pretty neat!  I love to do the sketch challenge so I decided today's would be a great way to "warm up"!

 

The image is called Santa with Reindeer from DRS Designs.  Its one of my favorites for Christmas cards this year!  I also used some new patterned paper I got from Papertrey Ink the other day.  I love the color combo in this paper.  Its very non-traditional, isn't it?

Hope you are having a great week.  Check back tomorrow for my DRS Designs blog day!

Plum Christmas!

Over at the Moxie Fab World there is a challenge called Plum Crazy.  I need to make a couple of sample cards for my local stamp store so I got busy!  Here is my Plum Crazy card!

This card was fast and easy to put together thanks to the Poinsettia Border Grand die from Spellbinders.  Its a 12" die but I only used about half of it.  This card was pretty fast and simple.  Hope you are having a great week!

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Papertrey Ink; Cardstock - Razzleberry from Stampin' Up!; Pure Luxury Pure Ivory Base Weight Cardstock - Gina K. Designs; Poinsettia Border Grand from Spellbinders™ Paper Arts; Build-a-Brad & Pretties Kit from Stampin' Up!; Dark Peony Colorbox chalk ink