Sara Jane's Studio

For your Valentine

2012-02-12T18:09:05-05:00

At our January Stamp Club we had fun making three kinds of Valentines- one is a card, and the other two make a great presentation for some sweet treats or a small gift.

The first is a 4" X 4" square card, perfect for a special valentine. It uses Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Creative Elements and Valentine Love stamp sets, and the Lace Ribbon punch. You also need a piece of Blushing Bride and Very Vanilla cardstock, and ink pads in Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede. You'll also want to grab some sponges to distress some edges, and the Color Spritzing tool, together with a Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker.

Start by stamping the large flourish image from Creative Elements with Cherry Cobbler ink on the Cherry Cobbler card base. Then trace the image with the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details. Stamp the butterfly from the same stamp set with Cherry Cobbler on a scrap of Blushing Bride cardstock. Fussy cut the butterfly, and then apply the Dazzling Details to the wings as desired. Set both of these aside to dry while you work on the other elements.

Punch out a strip of "ribbon" with the Lace Ribbon Punch from Blushing Bride, and distress the edges with Soft Suede ink. Cut the "ribbon" in half, lengthwise. Stamp the frame from Creative Eelements using Soft Suede on Very Vanilla, then stamp "LOVE" from the "Valentine Love" set in the center, and cut very close to the long edges of the image. If you have the Color Spritzing tool, you can add a little more distress to the sentiment by spritzing on Soft Suede ink, very lightly. Adhere one half of the lace ribbon to the back of each long edge of the "LOVE" sentiment.

Once your butterfly is dry, attach three small pearls from Basic Pearls embellishments. Adhere the lace ribbon element to the card using SNAIL, as shown, and then add the butterfly using a Stampin' Dimensional, bending it's wings up to let it fly.

Yes, it's a teeny bit fussy, but isn't it beautiful?!?

Sweet Hello

2011-06-18T20:29:39-04:00

Recently I needed a batch of thank you cards, and didn't have any suitable ones on hand. I had had some surgery that required me to be house-bound for a couple of weeks. I couldn't drive the first week, and wasn't supposed to go to work for two more weeks, but I compromised by working from home for one of those two weeks. Sooo many folks offered their help, and came over to visit me and help me with shopping and little things around the house. They also helped me to entertain my new Golden Doodle puppies, Tia and Jasper!!

Of course I had to write thank you cards. As I mentioned, I did NOT have a stash on hand that were suitable for the purpose. BUT I did have a package of the Simply Sent kit from Stampin' Up! called "Sweet Hello". These were perfect for my needs.

The kit is shown below:

It includes 8 cards preprinted with the pretty flourish, and the blue border. Separately you have little fabric flowers that have adhesive backs, and of course 8 envelopes are included. You can add any sentiment that you like. I chose "Kind Thanks" from the "Thank You Kindly" set, and stamped it in Old Olive to match the green flourish design.

So it made my task of writing and sending multiple "Thank You" cards managable and enjoyable, and allowed me to say (at least a little bit) that I made them, too!

If you like this design, you need to hurry to place your order, because this particular kit will retire with the 2011 catalog on June 30, 2011. (But never fear: there are 3 beautiful new Simply Sent designs coming in next year's catalog.)

For Dad

2011-06-16T22:40:03-04:00

I don't know about you, but masculine cards always seem to be a challenge. I find that with the right colors (neutral or jewel toned) and geometric embellishments (here, star brads) you can hardly go wrong!

This card was inspired by something I saw on SplitCoastStampers, but I ended up taking it in a different direction. It started with an embossing folder designed by Tim Holz ("Patchwork"), and I took the opportunity to play around with applying ink directly to the embossing folder.

I used Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla cardstock, and ran it through my Big Shot with the Patchwork embossing folder. (See below for more ideas on how to use ink during this process!) The image was trimmed, mounted on Basic Black, and then on a card base that is Early Espresso. The ribbon is 5?8" grosgrain in Early Espresso, and the copper colored star brads were from my stash.

The sentiment is from SU (All Year Cheer II -retired), stamped with Early Espresso on Very Vanilla, and then "antiqued" with Soft Suede and a sponge. I cut a piece of Soft Suede slightly larger than I needed, tore the edges, and then sponged them with som Early Espresso. I did the same with the Basic Black matte, but instead of inking, I gave it a little spritz with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.

And then I added the little gold crown from my stash. Just a little teeny bit of bling!

I found that I liked this card so much, I made another one right away to give to a good friend of mine.

The playtime associated with this card consisted of trying out different ways of applying ink to the embossed image. Three examples are below.

This look was created by sponging on Early Espresso ink, with a light hand, after embossing. See how the edges of the raised portions are darker? Plus it's somewhat uneven. Not right or wrong, or bad or good, it's just what you get.

This one was created by applying Soft Suede ink with a sponge directly to teh embossing folder itself, prior to embossing the cardstock. Why hadn't I thought of that before?!? The folder is plastic, so it is easily rinsed under running water when you are done. In this case, the ink is applied much more evenly, and the edges of the images are not darker.

And this one, not surprisingly!, is a combination of the two techniques. I inked the embossing folder, then embossed, and then used a sponge to wipe on a darker ink. This is the piece that I used for the card itself.

So, have fun with it!! Try multiple colors, try applying it evenly, or unevenly. Just play!!

Amour

2011-02-14T08:08:00-05:00

I think this card would make a great Valentine for that special man in your life. It's interesting but not girly, and the image of the Eiffel Tower and the word "amour" (which, of course, is "love" in French) are perfect to convey your Valentine sentiment.

This design was made using the Artistic Etchings stamp set, and the Mostly Vintage Stencil. The cardstock colors are Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.

I started by sponging the image from the stencil with Crumb Cake ink towards the right side of the white cardstock. Then I added, randomly, the images from Artistic Etchings with the same color. Some were "stamped off" - meaning I inked the stamp, stamped it once on a piece of scrap, and then stamped it on my card without re-inking. The second image is fainter, and gives you another design tool.

I stamped the circular image in Early Espresso ink on the upper left corner of the Early Espresso mat used for the Eiffel tower image. The Eiffel tower itself was stamped in Soft Suede. The edges of both stamped images were distressed with the Cutter Kit. (Yes, you can do it in other ways, but the distressing tool makes it SOOO much easier!)

The ribbon is the new 1/8" taffeta, which I ended buyin in every single color! "Amour" was stamped using Early Espresso ink, just above the ribbons.

Don't you agree, it's the perfect card for the perfect guy?

Blue Valentine

2011-02-13T22:08:08-05:00

This is the Valentine that I gave to my best friend this year.

The design is shown in the Holiday Mini from 2010, and spotlights the Filled with Love stamp set. It is on a 4" square base of textured Baja Breeze cardstock. The red is Riding Hood Red. I used the largest and the smallest heat punches to cut out two of the hearts; they were mounted on the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

And since I did not have any blue brads of the right hue, I added three small drops of Versamark Reinker directly to the card (under "Be My Valentine", covered with embossing powder, and then heat embossed. It was a good substitute in a pinch!

ChalkBoard Calendar and Memo Station

2011-02-08T15:10:58-05:00

Where, or where does the time go?!? Here it is already February, and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I love making Valenine's and can't wait to get to them - but for now, I wanted to share a ChalkBoard Calendar and Memo Station that I just put together.

I've beem wanting to do this for a while. I bought a metal base from Strano Designs - it's a generous 18" square, they call it their Swag Inspiration Board - and they can be gotten on sale for $9.95. They will hold magnets, and you can use a dry erase marker on them. You could also use a piece of galvanized metal from one of the big box home improvement stores, or you might find something at a big box craft store.

I added one of Stampin' Up!'s Decor Elements that has a chalkboard finish, so I can change the calendar dates for each month.The chalkboard base is the medium-sized Curly Sign, which is 12" square. I applied it very easily according to the instructions that come with each applique. (For a short tutorial, click here to see the application of a large element to a glass jar.) On top of it, I direcly applied the large Decor Elements Calendar. Now, you can see that my application was a little cock-eyed....The most challenging thing about this project was trying to get this on straight!! You really have to be cautious, because you only get once chance for application - once a piece of the applique touches a surface, it is pretty much committed. I'm still trying to decide if I can live with this, or if I need to remove it and start again. :)

I'm going to make the months from the Full Calendar stamp set - I've only done February, with the rest soon to come. It's basic stamping, with a strip of magnet tape on the back to hold it to the board. Of course I am planning on making a little box to keep all of the months in it - I'll share it when it's done!

Here's my new calendar and note station in it's place- which right now is a window.

I'm going to have to find a new location as soon as the nice weather hits!!

Gratitude in Silver

2010-12-23T09:23:00-05:00

Here are two more uses of the Day of Gratitude stamp set suitable for the holidays, or even just a winter momento or gift.

This first version uses the largest image from the Day of Gratitude set stamped in silver, and embossed in silver, on brushed silver cardstock. It was then cut to a 3-1/4" circle. I added a large clear rhinestone brad in the center, and some smaller self-stick rhinestones around the outside.

The bling at the bottom is a combination of elements from the retired Pretties Kit, and some beads from my stash.

The purple ribbon is also from my stash of goodies.

The image was mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals on a second circle, approximately 3-3/4" in diameter.

The second version of the same design uses white craft ink and white embossing powder on the same silver cardstock. I finished it with little self-stick pearls. It reminds me of a doily....

I may have to try this one again, using all white: cardstock, image, and ribbon. Oh, if you can see the little specks of bright color on the white image, below, it is some iridescent glitter that was mixed in with the white embossing powder.

I think this would be great as a gift tag, which could then be used year after year as a decoration on a Christmas tree. And it would be great for January or February birthday, too!

Gratitude Cubed

2010-12-22T09:05:00-05:00

I knew when I saw the large image from the Day of Gratitude set that it would be great for so many things beyond a fall-themed card or decoration. Here, it's stamped in blue and turned into a pretty ornament or decoration for gift packaging.

I stamped the largest image from Day of Gratitude six times with Marina Mist ink on Whisper White cardstock, and cut each image out right along the edge of the image. Gently, I scored each one, four times, across the base of the outer "petals" (see below).

A snowflake, either punched out or made with the Northern Frost die strip, was attached to the center of each image using a small, blue Square Ice rhinestone brad.

Then I started putting them together.

I used Tacky Glue on two petals, and adhered it to two petals on a second piece. I put four pieces together to create a cylinder of sorts.

The last two images were used to create the cube. I incorporated a piece of the 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Marina Mist in one corner before closing it completely.

It's pretty and elegant, and suitable for gifting. And not hard to make!! Try it in red and green, or even white on white (using embossing powder on the image). It will be pretty no matter what you do.

Seasons Greetings

2010-12-21T08:43:00-05:00

OK- this card is not quite as simple as yesterday's, but it's not too bad. Kind of gives the feeling of a close up look at at Christmas tree with the ornaments all clustered together.

Pear Pizzazz and Always Artichoke cardstock make the soft green combination here. The Pear Pizzazz was textured on the BigShot using the Perfect Details texture plate, after stamping the sentiment from Many Merry Messages in Pear Pizzazz. (If I had it to do over again, I would use Always Artichoke to stamp the sentiment.) The whole background was also spritzed the Pear PIzzazz ink using the Color Spritzer tool.

Most of the ornaments are from the Tags til Christmas set. The largest is in Tempting Turquoise, then punched with the ornament punch. The smallest is Always Artichoke ink on Always Artichoked, and punched with the small oval punch. "dec 25" is stamped in Real Red and punched out with the large oval (5/8" on the short diameter), and Christmas was trimmed out of one of the stamp images, mounted on Real Red, and then punched out with the 1" circle punch. The small snowflake is from Jolly Bingo Bits, stamped with Pear PIzzazz on Pear Pizzazz, and punched out with the 3/4" circle.

Only the small, dark oval is adhered directly to the card. The rest of the ornaments were mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals. The "dec 25" uses a real piece of thread as the hanger, and the others were drawn on with Pear PIzzazz.

To finish it off, I used tiny dots of a red glaze pen on the small Always Artichoke ornament, and some silver Stickles on the largest ornament.

Seasons Greetings!!

Peaceful Season

2010-12-20T08:32:00-05:00

I have a hard time designing simple cards. As a result, when I find one, I am quick to copy it so I can save it in my creative memory. This is one of those cards, made using the Peaceful Season hostess set from Stampin' Up!

Isn't it beautiful? The holly is from Bells and Boughs, stamped with black StazOn ink on watercolor paper, and then watercolored with Pear Pizazz, Old Olive, and Real Red. The sentiment is from Peaceful Season, stamped with Old Olive in the center of the card.

Beneath it all, is a strip of trim from the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die for the BigShot. A tiny bit of bling sets it all off in the form of self-stick rhinestones.

Love this card.

Holiday Ideas from the Archives

2010-12-18T09:46:36-05:00

If you need some last minute ideas for gifts and packaging, check out these posts from the Sara Jane's Studio archive:

Food Gift Packaging - made simple with a little cardstock, die cuts, and ribbon
Gift Card Holder - made special
Fabulous and easy jewelry from Style Stones (by Clearsnap) - This link has links to lots of examples
Matchbox Momento Keepers - perfect for mom's and grandmom's
Elegant ornaments - glass ornaments filled with mica pigment powder are absolutely radiant!
A small, quick gift box (bag?)
Button necklaces made easy
The perfect pumpkin can become the perfect Christmas tree ornament - and so easy for kids to make!
Domino jewelry is always a hit
Easy gift card - perfect for a bottle of wine that you take to your hostess
Here are all the links to the 2007 series of the 12 weeks of Chritmas - twelve more ideas, oldies but goodies!!

There you go - a few more ideas for those creative juices that are flowing!!

Quick Teacher Gift

2010-12-13T10:50:00-05:00

This was a project that I did with my Stamp Club this month; it's a giftable mug with a companion coaster.

This cute project makes up REALLY quickly, and makes a great gift for someone: a teacher, an administrative assistant, or someone else that you want to thank for their services over the year. This particular design is from the Candy Cane Christmas Decor Elements set - I bought one in Real Red and one in Old Olive, and mixed the two on this mug. The mug itself came from the dollar store - and it really was only $1! The Decor Elements sheet has many images on it, and you can get 11 gifts from it (hint: use three mittens on one mug - they wrap around the whole mug)- so the cost for each mug would be only $1.35. (There is also a large tree image which looks great on a plate for cookies!!)

The coaster is made using the 4" scallop square Bigz die, and the Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric. You sandwich a piece of white felt or cotton batting between two squares of fabric, tack the corners, add a button, and you are done!

The tag is made from the Cute Christmas stamp set; the images complement the images in the Decor Elements sheet.

Fill mug with candy, or little bundles of spice to make spiced cococa, and you have a lovely little gift. The recipient can use the mug to hold candy or pens & pencils on their desk, and they can use it to drink from. Just be sure to tell them that is it NOT dishwasher safe. (But it can go in the microwave!)

For you, the readers of my blog, you can download the instructions for the mug here, and for the coaster here. The instructions for making spiced cococa are included with the mug instructions.

And of course, change up the images and the fabrics, and you can make a wonderful gift for any occasion!

Happy Holidays!

Easy Christmas Decorations

2010-12-11T10:49:49-05:00

I have some large windows on the front of my house that just beg for holiday decoration. Last year, I used the snowflakes from the Stampin' Up!' Definitely Decorative line of vinyl appliques. This year, I tried the Vintage Ornaments, and love the look!

I bought two sets, one in Real Red and one in Chocolate, in the Medium size.

Above and below: Combination of Decor Elements, from the inside of the house.

Above and below: Vintage Ornaments from the outside.

You can see that the Chocolate elements don't show up as well from the outside (even in person they don't). And at night, even on the inside, they are harder to see than the red.

But overall I call this a success for holiday decorating this year, and I'll be looking forward to exploring next year's offerings.

There is also a 17"-diameter wreath in the vinyl applique, and I"m thinking of putting it on the front door. What do you think? Too much?

Happy holiday decorating!!

Year of Collage - December 2010

2010-12-01T09:46:00-05:00

December has arrived, and I bet January will be here before we know it, too!

This month's Year of Collage calendar uses the colors of Christmas, but with a non-religious theme, so hopefully it appeals to many folks.

The background uses Stampin' Up!'s cardstock color Kiwi Kiss (retired). The background paper with the musical theme was from my scrapbooking stash, and then I found two handmade papers, on in red and one in green, both with gold accents. The pocket is made from a piece of vellum. The holly in the corner and the gold border are both what Artchix Studio calls "German Scrap" - and the holly, which was originally gold, was colored with Copic markers (alcohol based - water based markers will not stick to the coated surface of the "scrap").

I stippled the month with a combination of SU's Kiwi Kiss and Garden Green inks, and mounted it on a tag made from Kiwi Kiss that had been stamped with "script" in gold ink. The fibers in a combination of bright green/gold, dark green, and red provided the finishing touches!!

You can see all of the other months in the series by clicking here. Watch for my class offerings so you can make your own!!