Craft Store Junkie

Nestabilities: Tip #7: Decorative Edges on Cards

2008-11-25T22:37:00.001-08:00

You can make a beautiful, embossed edge for your cards using your Nestabilities. The extra long rectangles work best for the long edge of a card but if you want to put an edge on a mat or other card element you can use a smaller Nestie.

Position your die on your card with the lower edge under the raised cutting edge and the top of the card (fold) on top of the flat side of the die. This way you will only cut on one edge. Tape in place with removable tape so it doesn't shift when you cut it out. Put into your die cutting machine as usual.

You can also emboss your card edge (using the tan embossing mat) to give it a nice finish. You'll notice that you get an impression of the other edge of the die on the top of your card. There are a couple of things you can do with this. One, cover it up with another layer of cardstock or patterned paper or two, use it in your card design.

Here's my finished card. I chose to cover up the impression on top for this card.

Supplies: Cardstock (Papertrey Ink - kraft, white; Stampin' Up), Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye), Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms - mice; Whipper Snapper - sentiment), ink (Adirondak, Ranger), Copic markers, ribbon (Stampin' Up!), jingle bell, die cuts (Nestabilities)

Nestabilities: Tip #6 - Add decorative elements to boxes and bags

2008-11-24T21:47:00.001-08:00

I love using my Nestabilities dies to add decorative elements and accents to gift bags and boxes. Tonight's project is a 2,5,7,10 box. I won't go through the full tutorial because I've done a very similar box before in the Cuttlebug Mania post.To make this box you will need one piece of 8.5x11 cardstock, scraps of cardstock for tags and other accents, acetate and ribbon. Add stamps and other decorations to your hearts desire. IN this particular box, I put the cardstock through my Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder, inked it up with white craft ink and then added some clear embossing powder.

The first place I'll be using my Nestabilities is on the flap that will become the box closure. I want to give it a decorative edge so I pass it through the die so that I'm only going to be cutting one edge. Make sure that only the part of the box you want to cut is on top of the cutting edge of the die (the raised outline of the die). Then run it through your die cutting machine as your normally would. You can emboss the edge if you like.

This is what my flap looks like after it has been cut. You can do this with any die that is large enough to slip your flap or card edge through.

The next place I'm using my dies is to add a decorative window to the front of my box. I select a die (Label 2) and place it on the inside of the box where I want the window to appear. Tape it down with removeable adhesive so it doesn't slip out of place when you put it into your diecutting sandwhich. Again - make sure that only the area you want cut is on top of the raised die cutting edge. I folded the rest of the box behind the die (on the flat side) to make sure that I didn't accidentally cut through multiple panels.

Here is what the window looks like after cutting. You can put a piece of clear transparency or acetate behind the window to allow your box recipient to see the treats inside.

This is the finished box. I also made a little tag from my Nesties to add to the box closure. Fill it with holiday treats and you're ready to go! A very simple, but fun gift to give to a co-worker or neighbour.

Supplies: Cardstock (Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!, Bazzill), Stamps (Taylored Expressions), embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Diecuts (Nestabilities - scalloped oval, label 2, scalloped rectangle, classic square), Copic markers, acetate, ribbon (Papertrey Ink), eyelets, ink (Stampin' Up!) embossing powder.

Nestabilities: Tip #5 - 3D Embellishments

2008-11-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

So, I did not forget that I was in the middle of ten great things to do with your Nesties. Unfortunately my week did not yield me as much creating time as I thought it might...

Anyway, let's forget about my little hiatus and get back to making great things with out Nestabilities! Tonight's edition is 3D accent and embellishments. This is fun and easy to do with your Nestabilities dies.

You will need to cut about 8-10 oval or circle diecuts from your Nesties. Use a smaller size because these will be going on a card. I like the look of the scalloped dies but you can use the classic regular dies if you like. Don't bother embossing them because its not important for this technique.

You will need to fold or score each diecut through the centre. You can use a scoring tool like a Scor-pal or scoring blade or just fold them in half and crease the fold with a bone folder.

You will have a pile like this when you're done. If you've scored on the wrong side (like I did above), don't worry because you can just fold it back the other way. The fold should be so the right sides of the paper come together.

Using a strong adhesive like sticky strip, red tape or glue dots, adhere the wrong side of one panel to the wrong side of another panel, matching them up (this is where its actually easier to use a scallop die because you can tell if they are matched up properly). Continue in this manner until you have used up all your folded pieces.

You should have two "free" panels left when you are done. Put adhesive on these panels but do NOT glue them together. Instead, place the two panels flat onto the card or other item that you want to embellish. You may want to "fluff" up your panels a bit once you're got it down to make sure they are even.

Here is a finished card using this technique to mimic 3D ornaments. You are only limited by your imagination for this - use them to depict anything that the shape will lend itself to - think beach balls, pumpkins, the sun, the top of a tree...skies the limit. You can alternate colours of cardstock for a different look as well.

You can't mail this card as the image will not flatten out to go into an envelope, but its a nice card to hand deliver to someone.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), patterned paper (SEI), brads, stamp (Whipper Snapper), Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Instead of laying this flat on a card, you can also make a free-hanging ornament using this technique. Diecut 16 or more scalloped circles with your nestabilities. You can use any size you want - the diameter of the circle will be the diameter of your ornament.

When you have reached the halfway mark of attaching your diecuts to each other (in my case - 8), attach a loop of ribbon the backside so that it is enclosed in the ornament as you continue around.

When you reach the end, attach the adhesive as in the card above, but this time, glue the two free panels to each other to form a full circle. I added a small tag and tied to the ribbon in a knot at its base to make this very simple ornament.

Supplies: Glossy cardstock (unknown), Stamps (Stampin' Up! - So Swirly wheel, Whipper Snapper - sentiment), Inks (Tsukineko, Stampin' Up!), embossing powder (clear, silver), ribbon, diecuts (Nestabilities - scalloped circles, Quickutz - tag).

Nestabilities: Tip #4 - Window Cards and Embossed Cards

2008-11-16T15:42:00.001-08:00

We've all seen those wonderful window cards or embossed front cards that you can purchase at your LSS or big box craft store. As much as I love them, they never seem to come in the size, colour or style that I want. But not to worry...you can use your Nestabilities to create your own window and embossed card bases in colours and styles to match your own designs.

Take your card base and place your Nestabilities die of choice in the position where you would like to have your window. A lot of people have special techniques for getting the die and cardstock into your diecutting sandwich without shifting them, but I say use a removable adhesive. It will hold everything together until you are finished cutting.

When it comes through the diecutting machine your cardfront will look something like this.

If you want to emboss around your card window, select another, slightly larger die, and centre it around your already cut window. Use your removable tape to hold it in place on your paper. To emboss the card front in a Cuttlebug diecutting machine you need to use the following sandwich:
1.
Plate A.

2. Plate B.

3. Die flat side down with card base on top of it (they should be attached with the tape but make sure that the die is on the bottom of the cardstock with its flat side on plate B.

4. Three pieces of cardstock cut to roughly the same size as your plates.

5. A piece of tan embossing sheet (rubber sheet - Spellbinders makes these in 12x12 and 5x7 sizes).

6. Plate B.

This will allow your die to emboss but not cut through the cardstock.

Once you have ran it through the machine your window should look something like this. This tends to work best with a heavier cardstock but experiment a bit to see what works best for you.

Here's a finished card with the embossed window style.

Supplies: Cardstock (Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink), Stamps (Stampin' Up! - presents, Amuse Artstamps - sentiment), Ink (Stampin' Up!), markers (Stampin' Up!), red twine, Nestabilities (long rectangle and long scalloped rectangle).

You can make all types of window cards including repeat window cards. You may have seen the Sizzix Movers and Shapers dies that allow you to make repeat window cards. You can achieve a similar look with Nestabilities with a little patience and some measuring. First select a die that is large enough for you chosen stamp.

On the inside card front, lightly mark with pencil where your windows will be cut. I trace around the inside for easy placement. Put your die over the first window and run through your diecutting machine as with the first card. Repeat for each window.

When you're finished running it through the machine four times your card will look something like this. You can do this with any shape but it tends to work better with the smaller dies. Try different patterns and layouts for a one-of-a-kind card.

Here is the finished card. I chose to repeat the same image four times but you can also put a larger image behind the four windows to make it look like a paned window.

Supplies: Cardstock (Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Stampin' Up!), embossing folder (Cuttlebug), ribbon, diecuts (Nestabilities: Label One, Scalloped Rectangle), Ink (Adirondak, Palette, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (Amuse Artstamps - tree, Close to My Heart - sentiment).

If you want to emboss your card front without cutting a window, follow the steps for embossing on card one and just skip cutting the window first. The sandwich again is Plate A, Plate B, die (flat side down), card front (right side down), 3 sheets of cardstock, tan embossing mat and Plate B. Your card front should like something like this once its gone through the machine.

This is my finished card using just an embossed card front. The embossing adds a touch of elegance and makes a very simple card stand out in a crowd.

Supplies: Cardstock (Prism), diecuts (Nestabilities - Long Rectangle, Quickutz - flourishes), punches (snowflakes), stamps (Technique Tuesday - sentiment), glitter (Glitter Ritz), scor-tape.

Nestabilities:Tip #3

2008-11-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

In edition to matting your images with Nestabilities diecuts you can also create amazing frames for your images by combining two diecuts together before cutting and embossing.

To make a frame with your dies, position two dies together in your diecutting sandwich. You can use whatever combination you fancy. In this photo I've used a square die with a scalloped square die. Take a piece of removable tape (I use Scotch brand in the blue container) and lay it across both dies to help keep their position when you put your sandwich together.

After you run it through your diecutting machine you should end up with a frame like this. The larger the outer die is compared to the inner die, the thicker the frame border will be.

Here's a really quick and simple project you can make using frames made from your Nestabilities. You will need a frame, a diecut made from the same die as your outside frame, a piece of white or cream cardstock slightly smaller than the frame, a piece of ribbon (about 7") and a stamp which will fit on the white cardstock.

Stamp and colour your image. Glue the white cardstock to the back of the frame using a thin layer of glue on the outside edge.

Fold the ribbon in half and attach both ends to the back of the white cardstock.

Glue the remaining diecut to the back of the frame to create a sandwich which will enclose the ribbon ends and hide the back of your stamped cardstock.

Embellish your ornament as desired and you have a very simple and quick project that you can finish up in no time!

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink), diecuts (Nestabilities - Scalloped Square - large, Quickutz - photo corners), Stamps (Stampingbella), Copic markers, glitter (Glitter Ritz), Ink (Adirondak), ribbon, pearls (K & Company)

Nestabilities: Tip #2

2008-11-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

All my lofty plans for yesterdays entry went out the window when my daughter decided she didn't want to go to bed last night... In any case, tonight's "Why I love my Nestabilities" episode is all about matting!

Matting is probably the most common way you will see Nestabilities used. Their fabulous design makes them and ideal background for your stamped images or even photographs if you're a scrapbooker. Because they "nest" you can put several layers of graduated sizes together to make an interesting backdrop for your stamped images. For the best layered effect, use a combination of large and small sets. Don't worry that you have to go out and buy them all at once though - start with one size and build you collection from there. When I first purchased Nestabilities I bought only the large dies, then I added the small sets later.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (Whipper Snapper), Copic Markers, ribbon, epoxy tag (Making Memories), ink (SU! - white craft, Adirondak), Diecut (Nestabilities Scalloped Square small and large, Classic Square)

Here's another card that uses layers of the same shaped die in different sizes (in this case the large and small label dies). To add some dimension and visual interest I've cut out two smaller poinsettias and popped them off the background. To create different levels in your images, use one layer of dimensional adhesives (such as pop dots) for one image and a double layer for the other.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (Savvy - poinsettias, Stampin' Up! - sentiment), ribbon, Ink (Stampin' Up!, VersaMark), Diecut (Nestabilities Labels Small and Large)

You don't have to always use the same shape of die to mat your image. This card matches a Classic Square diecut with a Long Rectangle die cut. To add some texture to the long mat I ran it through an embossing folder. The label is also by Spellbinders.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (Elzybels from Amuse Artstamps, Sunshine Designs - sentiment, Stampin' Up! - background snowflakes), embossing folder (Cuttlebug - snowflakes), embossing powder, brads, Copic markers, diecuts (Nestabilities: Classic Square, Long Scalloped Rectangle, Label)

You can mix it up by layering completely different shapes together. Here I've used a Classic Scalloped Oval with a Labels One die. The ribbon slide is also a Spellbinders die.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (Paper Salon), Ink (Stampin' Up!), markers (Stampin' Up!), flock (Doodlebug), diecuts (Nestabilities: Label One, Scalloped Oval, Ribbon Slide), ribbon, clear snowflakes (Heidi Swapp), rhinestones (Hero Arts)

You can also layer your dies horizontally or vertically across your card rather than one on top of the other in a stack. The background mats are all the same size but I've alternated red and white die cuts across the length of my card to mimic the look of a candy cane.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink), Stamps (Sunshine Designs - candy cane, Stampin' Up! - sentiment), punch (Stampin' Up! - tab), Bella Baubles (Stampingbella), chalk, Copic markers, Ink (Palette, VersaMark), embossing powder.

There are endless ways to use Nestabilities to mat your images...experiment a bit and have some fun!

My Favourite Things...Nestabilities

2008-11-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

I've been neglectful of my poor blog this past week. Crazy work schedule and teething babies have unfortunately conspired against my creative pursuits...

Anyway - I'm back and I thought it might be fun to feature some of my favourite tools from time-to-time. I'm starting with Nestabilities from Spellbinder and over the next few posts I'll show you ten fun and fabulous things you can do with your Nestabilities.

The first time I saw these fantastic dies I was blown away and knew I had to have them as part of my tool collection. They are a great addition to any paper crafter's tool kit. Why, you might ask?

1. They are very easy to use - they work in almost all die cutting systems. The new packaging even has instructions for using them with different die cutter machines such as Cuttlebug, Revolution and Sizzix.

2. They are very light weight, small and easy to store. I can store between six and twelve of these dies in one CD case. Can you imagine translating that many die shapes into punches? The storage alone would be overwhelming.

3. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes - with usually five to six sizes of each shape in a package. They coordinate with one another so you can make double and triple mats.

4. Not only can you die cut the shape - but you can also emboss it! What versatility.

10 Great Things You Can Do with Your Nestabilities

#1: Make interesting card bases.

You can use your Nestabilities to make great card bases. There are a couple of ways to do this.

You can use a large Nestability die to make a card base. The Megabilities are great for this purpose. Here I'm using the largest of the long rectangle dies.

Die cut you paper, emboss if you desire and then fold your card in half. The card base is about 3 1/8" x 3 1/8" square.

Another way to make a card base with your Nestabilities is to place a pre-scored card over your die with the fold just below one edge of your die. I use removable tape to tape the card in place so it doesn't slip around when you make your Cuttlebug sandwich. Both layers of the folded cardstock should be on top of the die.

Run it through your die cutting machine and you have a great card base with a unique shape. I tend not to emboss these cards as the embossing won't go all the way around the front of the card (because of the gap at the top).

You can make card bases using any of your Nestability dies. Here is one using a large scalloped rectangle die.

And here is another using a large scalloped circle die.

Nestabilities are very easy to store. As mentioned earlier in the post, the majority of mine are stored in CD cases - usually two sets per case. I line the cases with adhesive magnetic paper and then pop the dies inside.

My larger dies (Megabilities) are too large to fit into CD cases so I've covered a hanging board with magnetic sheets and stick them up there. They hang over my craft desk so they are easy to access.

Here are a few simple cards I made using the card bases cut from the my Nestabilities.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzil, SU!, Papertrey Ink), Stamps (Technique Tuesday - Decoration an Rejoice sentiment, SU! - snowflakes, Amuse Artstamps - elf and Merry Christmas sentiment), ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder, embossing powder, Copic markers, ink (SU!, Adirondak, VersaMark)

Tomorrow I will showcase another fun way to use this great tool!

Ice Cream Penguin Christmas Card

2008-11-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

I was very fortunate to receive a gift subscription of the Technique Junkies newsletter this year after they used one of my tutorials/techniques in the November issue. In any case, I thought it would be great to take advantage of the fabulous projects and techniques in the newsletter and try out some new tricks.

This Christmas card uses the "Cuttlebug Highlight" technique from the November issue. I sparkled it up a bit by added some warm highlight glitter to the white ink while it was still wet.

This is a pretty simple card but I always love the traditional white, green, red combination for Christmas. Its also the first time I've used my Argyle embossing folder! I know...its not traditionally Christmas but I think it works here.

Supplies: Cardstock (SU, Bazzill, PTI), Stamp (Whipper Snapper), embossing folder (Cuttlebug), epoxy tag (Making Memories), ribbon, die cuts (Nestabilities), Copic Markers, ink (SU! - white craft, Adirondak - pitch black)

Christmas Countdown: Card Party

2008-11-04T22:16:00.001-08:00

A few times a year I host a little card-making party/card class with some co-workers and friends. I always do one for the holiday season and my next one is coming up fast! Next week in fact. I've started putting together the card kits for the class and thought I would share the designs I'm doing for this year.

This is a technique that I've shown before - the masked glitter background, but I thought it might be worth repeating as the possibilities with this technique are quite exhaustive.

I went to my LSS today to pick up a very specific item - large chipboard snowflakes. Darned if I could find them but I'm glad I asked the ladies there because they suggested that I use the diecutting machine and make my own. Well, I guess I've been living in the dark, because in all the years I've been papercrafting, I've never used the big Ellison diecut machines in the LSS. In any case, I bought a bunch of grungeboard (if you've never seen this stuff -check it out - very cool) and cut myself a bunch of nice snowflakes. I was very impressed.

The grungeboard has subtle patterns embossed into it so its pretty fun stuff. You can ink this up with your stamp pad or paint it as I did to give it some colour. Colour it to match your project - its quite versatile that way. I'm using Adirondak dauber painters. Once you've painted them, leave them to dry while you work on the rest of the card.

For the glitter masking you will need a piece of cardstock about 2.75 x 5.5 inches and some double sided adhesive tape to cover it. This is scor-tape. You can purchase it from the Scor-pal online store. Put the tape onto your cardstock and press it down. Leave the cover on for now.

Cut out your mask images from another piece of tape cover using punches or die cuts. I'm using a variety of snowflake punches and small circles from my hole punch. Its important to use the tape cover for this step so they don't stick to your tape.

Peel off the tape cover and lay down your design using your cut out shapes. DO NOT TOUCH THE TAPE with your fingers!!! If you do, the oils from your hands will make it not so sticky. Use tweezers or other tools to place your images. You do not need to press them down - just lightly place them on the tape background.

Lay down your first layer of glitter. This will be your background colour. I'm using silver Glitter Ritz glitter. Once you have your background colour down, brush off the loose glitter using a makeup brush and pour back into the jar. Then peel off the next layer of images to put down your second colour.

I'm using Gunmetal Glitter Ritz glitter to create a shadow effect behind my snowflakes (which will be the foreground colour). This is quite subtle but adds a bit of dimension to your background. Brush off excess as above and peel off your final layer of images.

The last layer I put down was white Glitter Ritz glitter. Here is how the final background looks once the excess glitter has been brushed away. Be sure to burnish your glitter by rubbing your finger over the entire surface. That will really make it shine.

Make yourself a base card of 8.5x5.5" cardstock folded in half. Trim your glittered background to 2.5" and add a navy or dark blue cardstock mat to it (3x5.5"). Glue to the card front. Use glue dots to attach your large snowflake and then use a pop dot or foam square to attach another snowflake on top. I added a few spots of glitter to my large snowflake with a glue pen and then a clear rhinestone to the centre of the small snowflake. Add a sentiment and you're done!

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzil - swiss dot white, SU! - nearly navy), Grungeboard (snowflakes), glitter (Glitter Ritz), stamps (Sunshine Designs), punches, double sided adhesive (Scor-tape), paint (Adirondak), Ink (Adirondak).

Christmas Baking:Cherry Bonbon Cookies

2008-11-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

November 1st marks the beginning of the Christmas baking season for me. I tend to give away a lot of baking at Christmas. I have fond memories of baking with my Grandmother and my Mom and its a tradition that I hope to carry on with my own daughter.

I start baking in early November and freeze it until its time to give it away in mid December. Most cookie recipes will freeze quite well for up to 3 months. You can even bake and fully ice cupcakes and freeze them. A thaw overnight in the refridgerator and they are just like fresh baked.

I will share with you some of my Christmas recipes over the next few weeks as I "countdown to Christmas". I always start with an old staple - this year it was Tollhouse Cookies - the classic chocolate chip cookies. That recipes already on my blog so I'll share tonight's recipe: Cherry Bonbon Cookies. These are really easy to make and have an elegant look to them so they're perfect for that special cookie tray.

Cherry Bonbon Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
48 maraschino cherries (stemless, in syrup

Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Preheat oven to 350•F.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add milk and vanilla. Mix the flour and salt together and add 1 cup at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Shape dough into one-inch balls. For uniform balls, use a small cookie scoop (it resembles a miniature ice-cream scoop).

Flatten the ball on the palm of your hand and place a cherry in the middle. Pinch the dough around the cherry and re-roll it between your palms to form a ball again. Place balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silipat mat and bake for 18-20 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned. The tops will still be quite pale. Cool cookies on wire racks.

Combine the icing sugar, melted butter and cherry juice together and mix until smooth. You can drizzle over the cookies with a fork, or put the glaze into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain piping tip. Alternatively you can use a zip bag with tiny bit cut off the corner. Pipe the glaze over the cookie and let set.

Enjoy!

Christmas Madness is Upon Us...

2008-11-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my Halloween countdown went a little sideways, due in part to a teething baby. We had four molars in two days - so there's little wonder why she was having such a tough time of it! So, now that Halloween is over - its time to start the Christmas festivities!!! I know in the US there is still Thanksgiving before the real Christmas crunch begins, but here in Canada, Christmas begins the day after Halloween. In fact, while I was doing some last minute shopping last night in Walmart, they were already installing the Christmas displays where the Halloween candy had just been...

Before we leave Halloween though, I though I'd share this photo of my daughter dressed for Halloween. We dressed her up last year as well but she was only two weeks old so the costume just swam on her. I've discovered that trying to shoot good pictures of a one-year-old in costume is a difficult task - but this is one of my favourites. The hat stayed on for about 20 seconds...although she did learn to say hat last night. Of course, she keeps dropping the h sound so she sounds French Canadian... 'at, 'at, 'at!

My first Christmas project is this little pyramid box filled with "Candy Cane Seeds"...otherwise known as peppermint candies. I had caught the triangle box tutorial on Splitcoast this week. Beate always does such a wonderful job with her projects but I was looking for a box that was a bit more pyramid shaped so I adapted a template to make this little box. You can fit two of these boxes on a sheet of 8.5x11 cardstock with loads of room to spare. They will hold a small amount of hard candies or Hershey's kisses.

I printed the box on some candy cane themed cardstock I had, cut out a window and backed with acetate and then added the stamped image mounted onto a scalloped circle. The image is actually the Candy Cane Penguin from Whipper Snapper, but I only stamped a part of it for this project. I pierced the top of the box with a piercing tool and added a small jump ring to thread onto the sentiment and then I tied a ribbon through it.

This is the poem attached to the box:

I once knew a gardener who could grow,
bright tasty candies right out of the snow.
I asked him to share his secret with me,
and this is what he said quite readily:
“To garden in the winter is difficult you see.
It takes lots of care and a very special seed.
I'll give you some to grow your own treats.
You'll soon reap a harvest of candy cane sweets”

As always, if you would like the box template, email me at graphixgirlliluAThotmailDOTcom and I will send it to you. One of these days I actually get them uploaded...

Supplies: Cardstock (Reminisce), Stamps (Whipper Snapper), Diecut (Nestabilities), ribbon (Papertrey Ink, Poppy collection), acetate, computer generated sentiment.

Halloween Countdown - Day 6

2008-10-23T20:11:00.001-07:00

Tonight's project is a fun way to use those Spellbinder dies that you've been collecting. No stamping tonight (although you could decorate with stamps if you so desire).

For this project you will need a small container of some kind with a flat lid. I'm using a little clear top, round metal tin. You can buy these about 30 to the case from Wilton - they are usually in the wedding aisle at major craft stores. These are about two inches in diameter. Any flat top container will do.

Cut and emboss several scalloped circles from orange cardstock. You could also use a scallop circle punch. The circles should be slightly smaller than the top of your box.

Use a scoring tool to score down the middle of each circle. They should fold so that the right (top) sides come together.

With adhesive - attach each half circle panel back to back to back. Leave two ends free (i.e. - don't glue them into a full sphere).

Decorate your container how you desire and fill with treats. Then, take the two remaining panels and glue them flat down onto the top of your container. Add a stem and a die cut or punched leaf to finish of your pumpkin container. You may need to "fluff" up your pumpkin a bit.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, SU, PTI), Patterned Paper (Pressed Petals), Diecuts (Nestabilies - scalloped circles, Quickutz - leaf vine), ribbon, container (Wilton).

Thanks for visiting!

Halloween Countdown - Day 5 1/2

2008-10-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

So my darling daughter went to bed extra early tonight which actually gave me the opportunity to complete more than one project...yeah!!

Here's a little Halloween project for those times when you might want to give a little something to celebrate the holiday, but you just don't want to give candy... Maybe you have a co-worker without a sweet tooth (I'm sure they exist). Maybe you have a family member who's diabetic.

Anyway, here is a little gift card holder - great place to put a five dollar coffee card or a movie card to go see the latest and greatest horror flick just in time for Halloween!

The sleeve slips right over the holder so you can decorate it as you like and it just comes right off - no need to break or tear anything to get at the "treat" inside. Decorate it however you like. I've used a 2" strip of Halloween print paper to form the band and then added a purple ribbon and a tag with a stamped image. A little bat brad adds a finishing touch to the tab.

If you would like pdf of the template for the gift card holder send me an email at graphixgirlliluAThotmailDOTcom. Two will fit on an 8.5x11-inch size piece of cardstock.

Supplies: Cardstock, Patterned paper (Carolee's Creations), Stamp (SU! Batty for You), Punches (SU! and Paper Shapers), ribbon, brad (Making Memories), Ink (SU!).

Halloween Countdown - Day 5

2008-10-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, my days are a little off as I've missed some here and there - but since this is my blog - I make up the rules as I go along!

This is a really nifty little project, very simple but fun to give to people. I've often made these for Christmas project but thought it might be neat to make a little Halloween version for a change.

You will need a pop-top can of some type. I like the little ones that snack size servings of canned fruit come in. I buy them by the case at Costco (my daughter loves canned peaches). They are about 4-6 oz size cans.

The secret to this project is to open the can from the bottom (not the pop-top). You must, must, must use one of those can openers that does not leave a sharp edge but separates the can lid from the can where it is glued on. They are sometimes called smooth-edge or safety edge can openers. There are a bunch of different companies that make these. I bought mine at a discount kitchen supply store for about $10. They are really nice if you have young children because they don't leave behind any sharp can lids.

Peel off any labels from the can. Make sure that you clean and dry the can very well before starting this project. Fill it up with whatever treat you fancy. Leave a little space at the top so the lid will go back on properly.

Use a glue like Crystal Effects or other clear drying glue and spread a little around the rim of the can bottom. Put it back on the can and press it down. Put something heavy on top if it needs a little help to stay down while it dries. Now walk away.... Go watch tv, play with your kids, make a card, do the dishes, whatever... Come back in 24 hours.

When you come back you should have a can that looks just about like a can you purchased at the store - minus the label. Now you have a blank canvas to decorate however you would like!

Measure the can from rim to rim and cut you paper to that width. Wrap it around the can and secure it with a glue dot or other adhesive. Decorate as desired. Here I have added another band that has been stamped with a spider image (SU wheel), a tag and sentiment and ribbon. I've also added some ribbon to the pop-top ring on the top of the jar. Your recipient will get a pleasant surprise when the open the can to find it full of candy...and not peaches.

Supplies: Cardstock (SU!), patterned paper (Carolee's Creations), Stamps (SU!, Papertrey Ink), ribbon, Ink (Palette, SU!, Ranger).

Halloween Countdown - Day 4

2008-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my daughters 1st birthday this weekend with a Halloween-themed bash. It was a great party and we were happy to celebrate the special day with family and friends.

These are the cupcakes I baked for the party and here is a hilarious photo of my daughter eating the cupcakes. I guess this is that quintissential first birthday party picture with the kid shoving the cake into her mouth. It was really funny though. Not sure if I'm going to get that orange icing out of her clothes though...

Tonight's project is a really simple and classic box - the 2,4,6,8 box. This is a great Halloween treat box because you can get two boxes per 8.5x11 sheet of paper and it fits a perfect amount of candy. You can decorate these however you want or even leave them plain in an assortment of Halloween colours. I like lime green, orange, purple and black...

Take a piece of 8.5x11-size cardstock and cut in half so you have two sheets of 8.5 x 5.5" cardstock. Score lines at 2, 4, 6 and 8 inches then turn 90 degrees and score at 1.5 inches.

Cut out the tiny corner piece and cut the short length up to the horizontal score line.

You can decorate the box however you would like. Add stamped images, patterned paper, a background stamp, glitter or whatever catches your fancy. I like to add a bit of texture to my boxes by running them through my Cuttlebug embossing folders. Its best to pick a folder that has a repeatable pattern. This is a new Halloween themed folder.

Keep sliding the folder down until you've covered the cardstock. Make sure that you orient your paper in the folder the way it will be in the final project. The horizontal score line will be at the bottom of the box. After you've finished embossing and/or decorating, fold along the remaining score lines.

I decided to add some colour to the box by putting a band of contrasting Halloween themed patterned paper across the top of the box. The paper is 1.5" wide but 9" long. Make it slightly longer than the box because it will shrink up a bit with the score lines. Glue it to the top of the box and fold along the scorelines again.

You can leave the box enclosed or you can add a viewing window to the front to see the treats inside. I find that the Stampin' Up! punches work perfect for this. If you bring the punch in from the side where the very short tab is (the one you cut the notch from), the punch will be almost perfectly placed in the centre of the panel. Use any punch you like - circle, square, tag, etc. Do not throw away the negative because you will use that later.

Add a piece of clear transparency behind your punch space to make a window. Then use a strip of red sticky tape along the narrow tab, fold the box around itself and stick it together.

Using a couple of additional pieces of sticky tape, fold the box bottoms up and stick them together.

Now that the box is formed, pinch the front and back together, gently folding in the sides of the box. You can put packaged candy directly inside the box, but if you are using loose candy as I did, I would suggest that you put them in a food safe pinch bag. A 2x3-inch bag will fit perfectly in this box.

You can use a hole punch to punch a couple of holes in the top of the box through all layers. I find that this works best with a Crop-o-dile because it can be tough to get through all the layers of cardstock. I add a couple of eyelets at this point as well.

With the leftover negative from your window, make yourself a tag and attach it to the holes at the top with a coordinating ribbon. And you're done!

Halloween Countdown - Day 3

2008-10-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today's project was inspired by a Halloween clipart project from Martha Stewart. I liked the concept - just not the design so I redeveloped the template to use as a base for a stamped project. Here's how you do it.

Print the template onto a cardstock (8.5x11) in a colour of your choice. There are two boxes per sheet. Please email me (graphixgirlliluAThotmailDOTcom) if you would like this template. I'm having a tough time uploading documents to my website right now but I promise to update my templates as soon as I can.

Cut around solid lines on template and then score all the dotted lines. It doesn't matter which way you score them - they should bend easily either way.

If you like, cut a piece of patterned paper to cover the bottom part of the box. It should be about 1 7/8 by 3 inches. Glue onto the bottom (left side of template) just below the first fold line. Cut any excess away from the edge and let dry.

Stamp an image onto a piece of white cardstock. The image should be about the size of the top portion of the box (the part with the curve at the top). Its okay if its a bit smaller or larger - just make it roughly the same size.

Colour your image. I've used Copics here but you can colour with your preferred colouring medium.

Put some glue on the front of the very bottom panel and then fold on the score lines back and underneath to form a matchbox like shape as seen here.

Put some glue on the front of the right panel and sandwich the left and right panels together to form the shape in the image. The right (longer) panel will cover the bottom of the box shape at the bottom as well.

If you like, take an ink pad and smoosh it across the surface of the panel to make a distressed background. Cut around the stamped image that you coloured earlier and cut around the edges of the image. Adhere dimensional adhesives (pop dots, foam squares or similar) and stick onto the front of the panel.

The box at the bottom will hold a mini chocolate bar (I've used a miniature Aero bar) and then you can stand it up so it becomes a treat box and a decoration! Cute, huh?

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzil, PTI), Patterned Paper, Stamp (Whipper Snapper), Ink (SU!, Palette), Copic Markers

Halloween Countdown - Day 2

2008-10-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

So, before I get to tonight's Halloween project I wanted to post a photo of my little girl who turned the big numero uno today! It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since she came into our lives. I'm so happy to see her grow and change every day - she truly is a joy.

We're having a big birthday for her this weekend but we had a little family dinner and cake tonight and I gave her one gift to open. Actually, we had a hard time getting her to open the present because she spent about 10 minutes playing with the curly ribbon that was attached to the bag. Here's a photo of her playing with her new airplane.

I think she was very excited to have her own "little people". They have them at her daycare and she loves to play with them. Mind you, they spend about half their time in her mouth...

So, tonight's Halloween project is a very, very simple one. I can usually put together a couple dozen of these in an evening. These little slider boxes hold three Hershey's nuggets. About two weeks before Halloween I like to put a basket of them near our door for guests that might stop in to say hi. I sometimes take them to work as well to give out to co-workers. Three nuggets is a nice treat without being too much candy (though, can you ever really have too much candy...).

There are about a million nugget box templates on Splitcoaststampers (okay...maybe not a million...). They come in all shapes and sizes so you can make these as big or as small as you like. These are about three inches long. You can find the template I've used for these boxes here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84914. If you are planning to make a lot of these, cut out all your box pieces first and put them together assembly line style.

When I cut out the box templates I also cut a strip of coordinating patterned paper that is about 1/2" narrower and slightly longer than the lid template. I glue the paper down and then score both sheets together. Its important to make the patterned paper slightly longer as it will shorten up a bit when you score it. You can decorate these boxes any way you like. I've added a simple ribbon and a Making Memories epoxy ribbon tag but I've also put on stamped tags, stickers and other embellishments over the years. Its a pretty small surface so you will want to keep decoration to a minimum. Inside, wrap you nuggets in a coordinating Halloween paper (3"x1" strips will cover a nugget), or use a mailing label stamped with Halloween images.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Patterned paper (Carolee's Creations, Reminisce), ribbon, epoxy tags (Making Memories)

Halloween Countdown - Day 1

2008-10-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

For some reason I've been getting a lot of subscribers to my blog lately...which is odd since I've been such a negligent blogger! Anyway - I took it as a sign that I better do some blogging tout suite so here I am...back at it.

Since Halloween is one of my all-time favourite holidays I thought I'd do a little mini Halloween countdown and try out some holiday treat boxes and other Halloween goodies for the next two weeks or so.

Last year I made 200 treat boxes to give away to the neighbourhood kids. I had a lot of time on my hands as my daughter decided to show up two weeks late. Everyone said I should kiss my papercrafting days goodbye as I'd never have time after the baby came. Well, my little girl turns one tomorrow (hard to believe) and I am desparately trying to prove those naysayers wrong!!!

Anyway, here's Halloween treat box number one. This is a fun little box, suitable for holding a few mini chocolate bars or other treats (it can hold about 1 cup of candy). The template fits on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock and the fabulous thing about it is that it takes just one little 3-inch strip of sticky tape to hold it together. The rest of the box stays together with built in tabs! Options for decorating are endless. In this sample I cut a little round window in the front so you could peak through at the candy but you can leave it completely closed as well.

I used a Stampin' Up! wheel with VersaInk on black cardstock and then embossed it with white embossing powder. While the powder was still hot and sticky I added some Glow powder to it. It gives it a slightly greenish tint but the cool thing about it is that it glows in the dark. I couldn't really capture it on camera - but trust me - its cool.

If you would like a pdf of the template for this box, please email me at graphixgirlliluAThotmailDOTcom and I would be happy to send it. I'll try and post it later this week.

Supplies: Cardstock (Papertrey Ink - kraft, Stampin' up! - black, pumpkin pie), Stamps (Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink), punch (Martha Stewart, Stampin' Up!), embossing powder, Patterned Paper (Doodlebug).

To Unmount or Not Unmount...That is the Question.

2008-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I spent a good part of this summer unmounting my collection of wood mounted stamps and thought I might share some of that journey with you. Why did I do it? Well, I will say it wasn't an easy journey for me. I have toyed with the idea of unmounting my stamps for quite a while now but I have always loved the feel of a wood mounted stamp so I've resisted. Reality set in though as my scraproom began to be over run by wood mounted rubber stamps. Frankly, I just got tired of having my stamps in multiple places. I had my wood mounts in one set of drawers, my Stampin' Up! sets on another shelf, my clear acrylic stamps in CD cases on yet another shelf and my purchased unmounts (such as Stampin' Bellas) in binders. Not too mention the odds and sods such as Gel 'a tins and Paper Salon sets in metal tins and my Technique Tuesday clear sets in binders. It just became too much to look all over the room to find stamps - particularly if I was mixing and matching from different sets and companies.

So why unmount? I can give you a few good reasons:

Unmounted stamps take up considerably less room allowing you more room for more stamps! (or whatever else you want to fill the space with).

Unmounted stamps can be stored the same way that clear acrylics are allowing you to consolidate all your stamps in one place (in binders, CD cases or however else you might want to store them).

Purchasing stamps unmounted can save you a considerable amount of money over wood mounted stamps and more and more companies are offering this option now.

Unmounted stamps are easier to place accurately using a see-through acrylic block.

There are several systems you can use to store and use unmounted rubber stamps.

You can remove the cusion completely and use double sided adhesive or a tacky glue like Aleene's Tack It Over and Over (available at many craft stores) to adhere them to an acrylic mounting block. I'm not a big fan of not having a cushion so this option wasn't one I opted for but I know many people have had great success with this method. The advantage is that it they take up even less space then cushion mounted stamps and the overall cost is much less expensive then using a cling mount system.
A second option is to use a tradional cushion mount (with adhesive on both sides) and a vinyl cling film like the type used to make window clings. You can purchase vinyl cling film at some office supply stores and specialty art supply stores. The cling film will adhere to an acrylic block
Option three is to use a loop and hook tape system such as the Halo system. This system uses Velcro strips to mount the rubber stamps to an acrylic block.
Option four, and my choice, is to use a cling mount such as EZ Mount. This is a foam cushion which is sticky on one side and matte on the other. The matte side will "cling" to an acrylic block for stamping.

I get my stamps from a variety of companies but I want to give you a couple of examples of how I went about unmounting my stamps. Here is a typical sheet of stamps from Stampin' Up! This is a new set so fortunately it came already die cut, eliminating the need to cut out the stamps from the rubber sheet.

Just pop out the stamp and you're ready to "unmount"

Pull back the rubber from the cushion mount. You can usually get it started by inserting your fingernail between the rubber and the foam cushion. I find that the Stampin' Up! stamps peel back from the mount quite easily. You may get a bit of sticky residue left on the rubber. Just rub it with your thumb or finger and it will come right off.

After removing the cushion you will have a thin piece of etched rubber ready to be put on EZ Mount.

The process is similar for a purchased wood mounted stamp. This stamp is from Whipper Snapper Designs (which now offers a cling mount version of their stamps).

Pull back the rubber from the cushion mount. If you find the rubber is particularly stubborn in coming off the cushion, try putting it in the microwave for 5 second intervals. The heat of the microwave will loosen the glue and make it easier to remove. Some brands of stamps are particularly stubborn and may leave significant residue or even pieces of the foam still clinging to the rubber. If this happens, use a product like Goo Gone to get loosen the adhesive and rub the residue away.

Here is the stamp after being removed from the wooden block. Every manufacturer is slightly different in how they make their stamps. Sometimes the rubber is quite thick and other times it is very thin. This doesn't make any difference when unmounting your stamps.

This is EZ mount. It comes in 8.5 x 11 sheets and has protective sheets on both sides. One side is sticky - very sticky. This is where you put the backside of your rubber stamps. The other side is the cling side which will adhere to your acrylic block. Peel away the cover from the sticky side.

Start putting your unmounted rubber onto the sticky side of your sheet of EZ Mount. Put them as close together as possible but leave some room between them. You can fit a larger number of stamps onto one sheet of EZ Mount. Here I have put two Stampin' Up! sets and four Whipper Snapper stamps and I haven't even used the whole sheet yet. If you can't fill the whole sheet, don't worry - you can save it for later. The adhesive is very, very sticky so be careful when handling it.

After you have adhered all your stamps remove the other protective cover to reveal the "clingy" side. You will now need to cut out around each stamp, staying very close to the edge of the rubber. You can use a pair of scissors such as Kai scissors, but my preferred method is to use a hot knife which cuts through the foam cushion as if it were butter. Because EZ Mount is so sticky it can be a bit of a pain to cut with regular scissors. A couple of options if you don't have a hot knife/tool are to put a little Neat washing up liquid on your scissor blades or to sprinkle some talc onto the space between the stamps to "de-stickify" the rest of the sheet. Make sure you cut off your excess before you do this or you won't be able to use it again.

After you have cut out your stamps they will look like this.

EZ Mount comes in two formats - regular (grey, thick cushion) and thin (black, thin cushion). I mount the majority of my stamps on the regular, grey sheets but for very tiny stamps and sentiment stamps I prefer to use the thin mount type. Here's an example of the thin mount used with a sentiment stamp.

After you have attached your cling mount cushion to your stamps, the next step is to store them. There are several ways to store cling mounted stamps but probably the most popular are in CD cases or in binders on laminated or special purpose cards. I use a combination of both types of storage depending on the stamps. For CD storage be sure and purchase the regular style CD cases - not the thin ones. You will need to remove the black liner from inside the case.

After removing the liner, put your stamps inside. The cling foam will stick to the CD case. Check to make sure that your stamps are not being squished by any part of the case when you close the lid. You will need to start them about 3/4 inch from the inside edge to avoid the lip of the front cover. There are also four little tabs at the top and bottom which hold the CD case cover. Make sure that your stamp is not directly under these. Pressure on the stamp can damage the image.

With few exceptions I have found I can usually fit an entire Stampin' Up! set in one CD case.

Next, you will want to make an index card to put inside your front cover which shows you which stamps are in the case. Cut a piece of cardstock 4.75" x 4.75". Stamp all the stamps in the case and slip under the tabs of the front cover.

Close your case and you have nice storage for your newly unmounted stamps. The CD case takes up considerably less room than a traditional Stampin' Up! case and can be kept in any storage solution designed for CDs.

As a final step, I make a label on my label maker with the stamp company and name of set. This is a 6mm label size which fits perfectly on a CD case.

Here is how the majority of my stamps are stored. This shelf, which is about 24" by 48", contains more than 1000 unmounted stamps. The remainder of my stamp collection is in two three-ring binders. I hold large collections in the binders because it just didn't make a lot of sense to store those in CD cases.

Here is a close up of the CD cases. All the stamps are stored alphabetically by company and the clear and rubber unmounteds are stored together in the cases. This makes it really easy to locate a particular stamp.

Here's an example of a binder storage. These sheets are made by Sunday International. They are essential a heavy, laminated sheet which is three-hole punched to fit in a binder. You can also make your own sheets but laminating cardstock. I've even seen people make sheets by covering a piece of cardstock in packing tape. I use binders to store large collections or to store extra large stamps that don't readily fit in CD cases.

To maximize the CD storage, I will store multiple single stamps in one case. In order to keep track of the stamps I number them when I stamp them on the index card and on the back of the index card I list each stamp in the case. The CD is labelled with the stamp company's name (in this case Amuse Artstamps) and then each case is given a number (such as Amust Artstamps: CD 1). Its easy to add to your collection and when you fill up one case you can start another.

In addition to unmounting your wood mounted stamps, there are a lot of companies that offer unmounted stamps either exclusively or as an option. More and more companies seem to be offering this option every day. You will find that these stamps come in a variety of different formats. The stamp here is from Sunshine Designs and comes diecut and already mounted on cling film so you simply have to put it into your CD case, stamp the index card and you're ready to go! Other companies that do this include Lizzie Anne, Magnolia Stamps and Magenta. Some companies offer stamps on sheets already mounted onto a cling cushion. Cornish Heritage Farms offers many of their sets like this. You simply cut out the stamps using a sharp pair of scissors and you're ready to go.

Other companies offer "raw" rubber stamps without any cushion, cling or foam mount. This example is from Stamping Bella. The stamps come cut out without any cushion. Other companies offer full sheets of rubber stamps without any foam or cushion. This is a very economical way to purchase stamps. Many companies are beginning to offer the option of wood mounted or unmounted (either raw rubber or cling cushion mounted) which is a really great trend to see. Whipper Snapper Designs has begun offering unmounted stamps. Cornish Heritage Farms and Magnolia frequently offer the option or wood mounted or not. I'm sure we will see many more companies go this route in the future.

To use your new EZ Mount mounted stamps, simply peel them off the CD or binder sheet and mount them onto a clear acrylic block. I keep a variety of sizes of blocks on my desk in a basket, ready to use when I need them. My favourite blocks have lines etched into them so that you can line your stamp up straight - especially important with word and sentiment stamps. This block is made by Inkadinkado but there a number of different companies that make blocks. Have a variety of sizes on hand and make sure to use the smallest block possible for the size of your stamp. Tap on the ink and away you go!

Unmounting stamps isn't for everyone but its worth thinking about, especially if your stamp collection is rapidly outgrowing the space you have available. If you have a very small collection, frequently sell your stamp sets or just really, really love the feel of wood, unmounting may not be your best option. If you're unsure, try it on for size with a set or two. You just might fall in love with your stamp collection all over again...

Go Glitter or Go Home

2008-09-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Just a short post tonight. I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging (and crafting of course!) so I will try and post more regularly. This card was done for yesterday's Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS which was to create a glittered background with a background stamp and glitter.

I decided to use a Stampin' Up! wheel rather than a background stamp on this card. I wheeled on the design with Versamark ink and then sprinkled it with Heat and Stick Powder. After heating that I added the glitter (Glitter Ritz Regal Red).

I love this little "Deer Friends" set from Stampin' Up! I have the Halloween version of this set and I've used it a lot so I was dying to get this one. I received this as a gift from a lovely friend and I'm just adoring it.

Supplies: Cardstock (Stampin' Up!, Bazzill), Stamps (Stampin' Up, Paper Salon), Ink (Versamark, SU! Riding Hood Red and Kiwi Kiss - love 'em!), glitter (Glitter Ritz), ribbon, Nestabilities, rhinestones (Heidi Swapp)

Masking with Tilda

2008-09-15T22:16:00.001-07:00

I picked up my very first Magnolia stamps today and thought - what a good opportunity to demonstrate masking. I love these little stamps because they come with lots of neat "accessories" so you can create your own little scene with them. I bought a bench and a fence and you can stamp the Tilda stamps so that they are sitting on one of them. To do that, you need to use a masking technique.

The key to masking is to remember to stamp the image that will appear in the foreground (on top) first. The image in front (Tilda) will be stamped first and the image behind (the bench) will be stamped second. Here's my Tilda stamped and ready to be masked.

Next, stamp the image you will be masking on the masking medium. I'm using Eclipse tape but you can use any number of masks such as Frisket Film or even a post-it note. The key with a mask is that it needs to be very low tack so that it will stay flat when you're using it but won't damage the stamped image when you lift it off. Don't worry if your stamped image isn't perfect - it won't be a part of your final project.

Cut out your mask just inside the outline. Its important to have a good pair of sharp detail scissors or an Xacto knife to do this. Don't cut outside the outline or you will have a halo effect when you life off your mask.

Cover your original image with your mask. I haven't cut around the head in this image because the other stamp I will be using doesn't go up that far. I made a little booboo on her cuff so I just stamped a second mask and layered it.

Next you will want to stamp your image that will be behind your previously stamped image. Here's the bench stamped without the mask. I don't want to stamp right over an unmasked stamp or it will look like the bench is going right through the girl.

Stamp right over your mask where you want the second stamp to appear.

Then lift your mask off and you have a nice stamped image of a girl sitting on a bench. Don't throw away your mask because you can use it over and over again with the same stamp. I store my masks right with the stamp so that its easy to find.

Here is my final card.
Supplies: Stamps (Magnolia, Papertrey Ink), Copic markers, ribbon, Cardstock (Stampin' Up!, Bazzill), Patterned Paper (Cloud 9 Designs), Prima flowers, Bella Baubles, ink (Adirondak, Palette), Nestabilities

Baby Turns One! Birthday Party Invites

2008-09-11T21:21:00.001-07:00

At the risk of being labelled weird (or worse), I want to admit up front that these are probably not your "traditional" birthday party invitation for a baby turning one... That being said, I love how these turned out and I'm so happy to be able to throw a Halloween themed party for my little cuddlepumpkin.

Because my daughter was born in mid-October, and Halloween happens to be one of my favourite holidays, I felt fully justified in putting together a Halloween party to celebrate her first birthday. After all, before I know it she'll be old enough to pick out her own theme and I'll probably be knee deep in Dora the Explorer or Disney Princesses or Soccer Stars (who knows what she'll be into...) and I won't have any say in the matter. Until then, its Halloween baby!

This is such a cute stamp from Stamping Bella. The pumpkin costume is flocked with Doodlebug Crushed Velvet. I used this in my last card (way back in August...) and I just can't get enough of this stuff. What's great about it is that while its thick and soft its also translucent so the black detail lines of my stamp still show through. Its really hard to show just how neat this stuff is in a photo but I would recommend giving it a try if you find some at your local LSS. I'm looking foward to using this on some Christmas cards - I think a red flocked suit on Santa would be fun, fun, fun!

I also had a good excuse to pull out my new Cuttlebug folders for this card. I love the new releases - there are some fantastic designs.

Supplies: Stamps (Stamping Bella, Paper Salon), embossing folder (Cuttlebug), punch (Martha Stewart), cardstock (Bazzill, Stamping Up!), ink (Adirondak, Stampin' Up!), flock (Doodlebug), Copic Markers

Here's a photo of my soon-to-be one-year-old. She's a ball of energy and just about as nutty as her mom (according to her Dad...). My husband likes to mess up her hair and take goofy pictures of her.

Flocked and Torn Halloween Card

2008-08-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have that experience of going into a craft store and finding some nifty new product and then wondering to yourself "am I ever going to use this if I buy it"? So that was me today. Crazy day, needed to blow off some steam, went to one of my LSSs while waiting for my pizza and there I saw it...Doodlebug flock. Now, I've bought flock before but I'd never seen any in the beautiful assortment of colours that Doodlebug has put out. I had to have it. Four, five, six colours went into my basket. On my second trip through the store, some came out. Can't be greedy now...what if I don't like it... I settled on orange, black and lime green since my up-and-coming projects are mostly Halloween...

Anyway, long shopping story short, I really love this stuff. Its not like any of the flocks I've used before. Its fine and soft to the touch and leaves a beautiful texture on your project.

Here's my first attempt at using it. Forgive the blended colours - I'm experimenting here. Actually, it works with this card because I kind of have a grungy thing going on here. This card was also for today's "Ways to Use It" challenge on Splitcoast which asked us to use torn paper.

For the flocked bits I laid down a piece of double sided adhesive and then put diecut bats over top of it. I flocked with the orange first, removed the bats and then flocked with the black. The flock does adhere to itself a bit so its not a completely clean background but I like the texture it creates on the card.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper (BoBunny Press), Stamp (Inkadinkado), ribbon (May Arts), Flock (Doodlebug), Diecut (Quickutz - bat), ink (Adirondak, Ranger)

Paper Pinecone Update

2008-08-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of folks have asked me for some more detail on building this little paper cone so I thought I would create a diagram to show how each row should be pinned. This diagram is as if the project were flat. There are four triangles to each row and the top point of each triangle should be lined up with the seam between triangles of the row above it. Pin only the bottom two points and leave the top point free to form the "spikes" of the cone.

I hope this helps to clarify a bit more. It took me a couple of tries to figure out how to make these ornaments.

Halloween Paper Pinecone

2008-08-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween is by far one of my most favourite holidays. In fact, its second only to Christmas on my list. It has been made all the more special by the fact that my daughter was born mid-October. For her first birthday I'm planning a Halloween themed party and I thought it might be nice to make some decorations for the house.

I've made these lovely little paper pine cones before as Christmas tree decorations. They actually make quite nice gifts as well. There are very easy, and inexpensive but they do take a little bit of time to complete. I thought I would try a few using Halloween themed paper and colours rather than my traditional Christmas.

What you will need for this project: two sheets of 12x12 paper in contrasting colours (you can also make it a single colour if you wish), sheer ribbon (1/2" - 1" wide - about 1 yard), 3" Styrofoam balls, applique pins (short little pins), thimble, stamps to decorate as desired.

Step 1. Cut your two sheets of paper into strips 2" by 1". It is important to use paper-weight patterned paper and not cardstock weight.

Fold one side down, and then the other to form a triangle with the seam in the middle.

This part takes a bit of time but eventually you'll end up with two piles of little triangles. I do this in front of the television to cut down on the boredom factor of folding dozens of tiny triangles...

Using the applique pins, attach your foundation layer of triangles (seam side down) to the top of the Styrofoam ball. Put two tip to tip like so and then...

Add two more to make a square.

Pin the corners of each triangle down onto the foam ball. The corners will slightly overlap.

Then take four triangles from your contrasting colour and place them over the foundation row, pinning the bottom corners and leaving the top corner free. The tip of the new row should be lined up with the seam of the foundation row.

Your completed second row should look like this. Notice how the free points "stick out" from the foam ball on this row.

Continue adding rows in this manor - overlapping the row above and lining up the point of the new triangle with the seam between triangles of the row above it.

When you are about halfway down the ball add your length of ribbon. pin down each end on opposite sides using the applique pins (this could be three or four pins per side depending on the width of your ribbon). Make sure you leave enough ribbon loose at the top to form a loop for hanging.

Continue adding the triangles until the entire ball has been covered and only the loop of ribbon is free at the top of the ball. I find it gets harder and harder to push in the pins as you get closer to the end (as they are going through several layers of paper at this point). Use a thimble to save your fingers from wear and tear.

I added a little Halloween tag and a black ribbon tied in a bow at the base of my ribbon loop and voila! A handmade Halloween ornament.

Supplies: Paper (K&Company, Sandylion), applique pins, styrofoam ball, ribbon (May Arts), stamps (Papertrey Ink - Halloween Sweets I), nestabilities, cardstock (Bazzill)

Its stinky hot here tonight so I'm glad to be trapped in my craft room (in the basement). Its 87 degrees upstairs and the humidity is really high so you start to sweat just sitting around watching TV. As much as I love a sunny day, I'm hoping for some slightly cooler weather tomorrow...