stampingvideos

A bit about Shelli and Stampin Up

It's been quite awhile since I have posted.  Sorry to those who have been checking my blog often.  You may want to just add your name to my email list so that when I do post, you will get emailed instead of having to check in to see if I have posted.

I have so much to share with you and hope to start making more videos soon.  If you would like to be emailed when I post, all you have to do is add your email in the little box near the top left hand of my page and then click on the 'Get email updates' box below it and then follow the steps.  You can remove it at any point as well.

I have mentioned in other posts a little about Shelli Gardner (CEO of Stampin Up) as she is an amazing person with a passion for stamping/art and life in general.  Liz passed along a link to me today which I thought I would share with you as Stampin Up has created some videos and is sharing them on U-tube now.

Here is the link:  www.youtube.com/stampinupvideo .   Check out the video below to learn a little about Shelli and a bit about how she started her amazing business.

Hope you are all getting a little taste of spring where ever you are (wasn't winter just a tad too long this year!).   Karen

The new Catalogue is here, the new Catalogue is here!

Hi everyone.  Just posting to let you know that everything is fine, the past few months have been busy and tiring (as probably the same with many of you)...sick kids, busy at work, migraines and a dear friend from work who ended up in a coma (she has since come out, but will be in ICU for at least a month)...when I put my kids to bed lately, I am the first to fall asleep...as night is when I make my videos, that hasn't been happening much lately :-)  I do intend to start again soon though...maybe as soon as I get my Christmas cards out the door...Eeeke, I hope I am not the only one sending them out so late!

Some of you have been asking where I purchase my supplies from.  I sometimes forget that not everyone has heard of Stampin' Up!, so I thought I would share a bit about it in this post.  Why do I like Stampin' Up! products so much...because they are awesome!  The stamps are sold in versatile sets and they are just beautiful!  All the cardstock, markers, ink pads, etc are all color coordinated so it makes anything you create with them look great (I taught cardmaking at Michaels a few years ago and it was a real struggle for me when the inks used to color the images and the ribbon used didn't match the cardstock...they just didn't look as nice).  Everything from Stampin' Up is of exceptional quality...the cardstock, the stamps and especially the punches.  I own almost all of the current punches because they are so easy to use that my 3 year old and 6 year old punch their own items!   After making the card below at Liz's I had to order the 'Love You Much' bundle which includes the stamp set, designer paper and three heart punch you see pictured here!

I also just LOVE the Stampin' Up catalogues and mini catalogues that come out...I just received my copy of the Spring and Summer one a few days ago and it's wonderful!  It's full of the products you can buy, but also filled with wonderful examples of cards, projects and scrapbook pages and some quick tutorials as well.  I also like the person who runs it all.  Shelli Gardner (co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up) is down to earth, honest, sincere and one amazing person (click on her name to view her personal blog and you will understand what I mean)...she runs the company with passion, intergrity and a deep caring attitude.

The final thing I want to mention about it, is how to order.  Some of you have mentioned that it's a bit frustrating that you can't order directly from the company but must find a demonstrator to order from and I realize that some of you are from places where you aren't able to order it from yet.  For those of you that can, sometimes locating and meeting a demonstrator might be the best thing that can happen! 

It was in my case...my demonstrator Liz, as some of you might know from some of my other posts, is just phenominal!  Going to her classes and her club night once a month is one of my favorite nights out :-)  It's fun, you get to learn new things, laugh with others, make new friends, eat snacks and make some beautiful cards and projects to boot! So if you live Edmonton Alberta or nearby and are looking to try out a class, check out Liz's site and email her if you are interested.  This is one of the cards we created at her club night this month, LOVE IT!   It uses the  'Love You Much' bundle which includes the stamp set, designer paper and three heart punch (see the top of this post for the picture of it).

If you aren't nearby, check out Stampin Up's Canadian site HERE and the US site HERE.  When you go to the site, you can click on the top right to 'find a demonstrator' near you.  You can also download a copy of the current catalogue by choosing 'Our products' and 'our current catalogues'.  You can now also order product from many demonstrator's online as well. 

Ha ha, this was suppose to be a really quick post...now you know why I get very little done...for a fairly quiet person I have quite a bit to say when I feel very strongly about something, which is more often than not :-)  Anyways, hope this helps some of you who were asking!  Hope to post more videos soon!

Fireworks Celebrate Card

Happy New Year! 

This is my version of fireworks for a New Year's card (or a birthday card or any kind of celebration card)...it was messy but kind of fun to create!   I call it the 'PMS technique' :-)

The 'for you' tab pulls out to reveal a message.  The colors are Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black and Whisper White. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Karen

Snowman Tic Tac Holder

I have taken some time off from work to be with my family over the holiday and will be taking a break from blogging as well.  Thanks to all of you who come and visit my blog.  I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!  See you back again in the New Year!

This is what Liz made each of us in her Stamper's 10 groups...so cute!!  It's a snowman Tic Tac Holder...I just love it!  She mentioned that she got the cute idea from Splitcoast.

The Stamp set:  Punch Pals  Cardstock:  Whisper White, Riding Hood Red

Ink:  Basic Black ink pad, markers:  Basic Black, Real Red, Garden Green, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue

Accessories:  Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Colour Spritzer Took, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch.

 

 

 

Poem to go with it: 

He's cute, cuddly, and full of good wishes.

He wants to give you these snowman kisses!

3" x 4" piece of Real Red

Score  and fold at 1 3/4" and 2 1/4"

Round all 4 corners

1 5/8" x 2 3/4" Whisper White

Round 2 corners on the right

Stamp and color image, punch out  bottom piece with 3/4" circle punch.

Adhere ribbon to front and then adhere white piece on top. 

Adhere Tic Tac's inside on right hand side with sticky strip and sentiment on opposite side if desired.

 

DS Designer Paper Snowflakes

I have watched videos on how to make these paper snowflakes but most of the snowflakes were quite large and the way they were cut seemed like a lot of work.  I then came across a wonderful video by Monica Gale which showed a smaller, more delicate snowflake and a much simpler way to create them. 

Monica used glue dots which works great but if you are making quite a few you might want to try tacky glue if you have it instead.  I put some tacky glue on top of a margarine lid and then let it sit for a bit so it became more tackier and then used a toothpick to transfer the glue to where I needed it and then held it for a few seconds to adhere the pieces together.  I used 5 squares that measured 3" by 3" to make the one pictured above.

They were pretty simple to make as her video was quite easy to follow although adhering them all together was a bit fiddly...it worked, but mine just doesn't look as nice as it probably should :-)  I just looked at the video again noticed that she has a stamped piece she adhered over the the middle of the snowflake...ahhh, that's what mine is missing :-)  Give it a try!  You can view Monica's video HERE.  Thanks for stopping by!

Alanna's Beautiful Tag Punch Snowflake card

Last year in Liz's Stamper's 10 group we had homework and brought it to class to share with everyone else.  I can't recall if this was homework or it this was something Alanna made on the fly but it's just beautiful!  It's a technique that uses the small and large tag punches to make a star, a snowflake or even a flower. 

I have tried it and made the snowflake part...it was easier than I thought...designing the rest of the card around it however, was not, so it sits in my ever growing 'to do' pile :-) 

Thanks Alanna for allowing me to share your beautiful creation! She is a super fun person as well as talented (she is one of those people that sparkles and always keeps conversation lively and fun :-) 

If you have the punches (from Stampin Up) and would like to see how to create similar cards, check out the wonderful written tutorial at Splitcoast HERE.  Thanks for stopping by!

Silhouette Reindeer card

Yes, another of Liz's beautiful creations...actually Liz mentioned that she CASED this card (CASE - copy and selectively edit) from another beautiful card on Splitcoast created by Lisa which you can see HERE.  I just love them both!...I never really noticed the reindeer before but it's part of the 'Winter Post' stamp set from Stampin' Up!  Love the little deer!

Liz made this card for each of us in her Stamper's 10 group and she also gave us instructions on how she made it, but do you think I can find the instructions when I need them :-)  I'll have to check back with her tomorrow and add them then.  I emailed her and she replied so quickly!  Liz is so good.  Here are her instructions: 

Stamp black trees and reindeer on glossy CS.

2.    Stamp moon with Versamark and clear emboss.

3.       Mask snowy hill with torn paper.

4.      Brayer the sky using Baja Breeze for the bottom and Night of Navy for the top.

5       Mat, embellish, and complete.

 

Stamps:  Winter Post, Lovely as a Tree, Dots are Hot (for the moon).

CS:  Glossy White, Night of Navy, Baja Breeze

Ink:  Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Versamark

Accessories:  Clear EP, brayer, navy grosgrain, silver cord

Punch Pals Penguin card

I had mentioned in my last post that at Liz's class the other day we had created a few items along with the beautiful wall hanging (see post below if you missed it).  One of the items was this really cute Penguin card.  Some day I am hoping to come up with a formula to make cards like this...not too simple, not too hard, just right...where all the bits and pieces come together and look pleasing to the eye :-) 

This cute little Penguin is from the Stampin' Up! stamp set, Punch Pals, as well as the snowflakes and the presents that are stamped as the background on the card.  The words were stamped with VersaMark and then embossed with white embossing powder.  A bit of red Gingham ribbon was added around the black piece to finish it off.  After making one I wanted to make more of them to send out at Christmas...of course I don't have that stamp and it's a little too late to order it now :-)  Guess that means I'll have to take my own advice and try and find another stamp set that might work.  It will be interesting to see how easy/hard that really is!  Thanks for stopping by today :-)

Elegant Edible Wall Hanging

I was at Liz's Stamper's 10 group last week which is always a highlight during the month for me.  We all talked, laughed, ate and stamped...what could be a better night out! 

Liz (Elizabeth Freiter) is an awesome demo and a great friend.  You will meet her on video soon.  We all loved two of the items she showed us that we were going to make and then were totally wowed by this one! 

She designed it with thought in mind that everything, other than the mints, would be Stampin' Up! product and she did it...with elegance and beauty!  I mentioned she should send it in to Shelli's December Creative Challenge and she said yes so I am sending it for her as she is super busy right now. 

To make this beautiful wall hanging, first stamp the letters using the 'Lovely Letters' alphabet stamp set with Riding Hood Red ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock then punch them out using the 1 1/4" circle punch.

Punch out 2 scallops with the Scallop Circle punch using Riding Hood Red cardstock and adhere the letter piece on top of one of the scallops.  Then sandwhich a York peppermint inbetween the two scallops and adhere. 

Adhere each of them to the 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red candy cane striped grosgrain ribbon using Tombow Adhesive and then adhere the ribbon bows on top of the letter scalloped pieces with a glue dots. 

 

 

The top and bottom pieces are actually pieces cut from an 'On Board Essentials' frame and sponged using a sponge dauber and Riding Hood Red ink (how smart is that!) 

Then use the Crop-A-Dile to punch 2 holes in the chipboard, thread the rope twine (from Holiday Mini) through, and tie knots in the ends and it's done.

Just a side note...you can always use Stampin' Dimensionals instead of the chocolate peppermints...that is what I did because I ate mine before I even got started :-)

 

I am also entering another design of hers in this wonderful card that she designed during one of our classes (we were working on a project using the Big Shot and she just came up with the card...just like that!  Oh man, someday I want to be able to do that :-)  It's a fairly simple card but packs 'WOW' power...gotta love that! 

The cardstock used is Riding Hood Red and Whisper White (can you see the score lines she added...very pretty!).The Snow Swirled tree was stamped with Riding Hood Red ink, Riding Hood Red striped ribbon with a piece of White Grosgrain attached was added to the side and one of the words from the 'Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip' cut using the Big Shot was added near the bottom.  Love it!

Sock Snowman for Shelli's Creative Challenge

Aren't these sock snowman and snow woman adorable!!  I saw one last year around Christmas at my hairdresser's house and loved it, so I thought I would share them with you. I think I might make one (or two or more) to give to a few people this year.

As for these snowman/woman, you don't really need a lot in the way of supplies...a roll of bathroom tissue, a sock, a 3" styrofoam ball and then whatever you want to make his/her face (I made each nose with a piece of rolled up Pumkin Pie cardstock coated with Crystal Effects) and whatever other embellishments to decorate with and voila, you have a very cute gifty thing that's really easy to make.  It's a great craft for kids to do as well (they don't need the poem :-)...my girls are going to be making them this weekend. 

 The poem made me laugh when I saw it last year (I am not sure who wr I did mention it on the video in case you want it.

So if you happen to make one of these snow people that is different than mine and you would like to share, drop me a comment in the comment section of this post with a link to your post so we can all get some great ideas to make them with!

These are pretty easy to make but if you want a visual you can view the video below.  Thanks for stopping by!

Pull Out Shadow Box Card and video

It's been a month or more, so I am now posting the video for this card for everyone.

I called this a Pull out Shadow box card, it may have another name but I haven't seen it anywhere else yet so am not sure.  I was first introduced to this unique card about 4 years ago by Karen Duke who is such an amazing teacher and nice person to boot!

It's a really unique card to give someone, especially at Christmas as you can add a photo of the kids or the family instead of a stamped image (see card below).

I also love this little bow as it's perfect for smaller gift boxes and items like this card (I found the bow in a book I took out from the library...sometimes the older books have great stuff!).

I found these two items took a bit of practice, so you might want to use printer paper (or DS paper you don't like so much) to get the hang of them.  Also to let you know that the second way I show on the video (the paper folding way) is much more precise than using the dimensions, but I had both so I thought I would show both.  Have fun!

Pull Out Shadow Box card video

Small Gift Bow video

Pull Treat Holder

 

This is a very simple little treat holder to make and so much fun to play with...and to give away as well of course. 

It uses a 6" x 6" piece of cardstock (alter the dimensions and score lines if you need it larger or smaller) and is scored at 2 3/4" and again at 5 1/2", fold the scored lines, punch a hole at the top, add a stamped image piece to the front, then add ribbon and your treat and it's done! 

Super easy and super cute!  If you like a visual, check out the video below (it also shows how to emboss the edges of the stamped image... Liz showed me this a few years back...very cool:-)  Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Mini Envelope without a template

Sorry for reposting this, but I have added a video at the end of the post now.  I found a few templates for mini envelopes on the net, but they didn't print out well and a few people asked so I thought I would create one without a template.  See the video below on how to do that.  Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in the US!

We have been having a bit of a time dealing with colds (mine is now just a really annoying cough, doesn't work well with video :-)  We also had one of our little dogs get really really sick so we have been spending time nursing him back to health...he is surprising us by springing back so soon, we are all very happy :-)

Just thought I would share with you the cards I finally made for the Operation Quiet Comfort on Splitcoast.  Of course the card I chose to make more of was one I had made at Liz's so I didn't a lot of what I needed (don't you just hate that :-)  I decided to do what I always mentioned to do and so I pulled out some different stamps:  Embrace Life, Lots of Thoughts and Small Script and some different paper:  Close to Cocoa and Berry Bliss designer paper and made the same card but with different stuff. 

If you changed the colors and the theme, this would make a great card to send at Christmas as you could put a magnet on the back of the little note to be used as a fridge magnet (liz's idea), or you could put a picture of your family or kids instead of a little note and have that as a fridge magnet.  If you don't have a Big Shot to make the little envelope, just google mini envelope template and see if there is one on-line or try creating your own.  This card was Liz's design and I just love it!  Thanks Liz!  If you want the dimensions of the card, check out the other post HERE.  Thanks for stopping by...am hoping to be back to regular posting soon as I have so much fun new stuff to share!

 

Christmas Card Sketch

This was a card that Liz designed and made.  I just love it!  It's simple yet beautiful.  I thought this would make a great sketch card for those of you (like me) who struggle with creating cards from scratch.  Stamp an image on the left with some ribbon or whatever accessories you want to use and then a piece of Designer paper on the right and  a greeting on top of it (embossed or not).  Use different colors, different stamps, change the card to sit the other way...make it your own style as it's just a starting point.

In case you wanted to know, she embossed the tree on glossy white cardstock using a mixture of white embossing powder and irridescent ice embossing powder and then brayered over it with the cotton candy spectrum pad (emboss/resist stamping technique).  If you don't have a spectrum pad and want to make your own, take a peek at this video.

 

 

Sketches are very popular these days as it gives a starting point to create a card or a scrapbook page without having to start from scratch.  Usually you start with a sketch and then create the card, I did this one backwards as I wanted to give you an idea of what the sketch would look like as well.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Explosion box

I just love these little explosion boxes...they are great little boxes just on their own with a greeting on the inside, or you can add someone's favorite tea bags or a little cello with candies and chocolates, etc and it makes a cute little gift to give a neighbour, co-worker or teachers.

These little boxes have been around for quite some time.  The first time I  made one was in a class taught by Karen Duke about four years ago or so (it was the first cardmaking class I took and what a fantastic first class I experienced!!).  We also made them in one of Liz's classes and I taught others how to make them when I was teaching cardmaking at Michaels last year.

They are so easy to make and there are so many ways to decorate them, simple or fancy!  The bottom of the box is 7 1/2" x 7 1/2" and scored at 2 1/2" and 5" both ways and the lid is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" and is scored at 3/4" on all sides.  Check out the video for all the rest of the details.  Thanks for stopping in!