Stamping Smiles

Stampin' Up! Punches March 2010 CD Calendar Pot of Gold by Stampin' Smiles

Have you found your pot o' gold at the end of a rainbow?  I'm still searching, but until I do, I made my own with Stampin' Up! punches!  Almost as good as the real thing, don't you think? 

The pot o' gold is one of the punch projects included in my Made with Punches Punch Book Class in Your Mailbox.

The class is the first of a series of ten.  Ten punch projects for each class! 

Supplies needed to duplicate my March CD Calendar:

 

Order the Stampin' Smiles Made with Punches Punch Book Class in Your Mailbox now!
 

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Up! Inspired by Nature: Wedding Thank You Card Design by Stampin' Smiles

On a budget?  The happy couple getting married soon is.  I was asked to come up with an idea for a wedding by a pond with cattails and budget constraints.  The Stampin' Up! Inspired by Nature stamp set was the clear answer!  

Look at how pretty this simple card is!  The thank you card uses the Whisper White Note Cards with Envelopes for only $.5.95 for 20!  Not only is the price right, the cards come cut to size, 3-1/2" x 5", and scored!   What an incredible time-saver when it is already crazy going through all the wedding preparations. 

The green of my cattails is from the Inspired by Nature stamp set stamped with Garden Green Classic Ink.  The brown, fuzzy part of the cattail was created with the Word Window Punch, Soft Suede Card Stock sponged with Soft Suede Classic Ink.

The bride is wanting to have a small gift bag at each table setting.  Not knowing exactly what size or style of bag she is thinking of using, I pulled out a plain, white lunch sack to give her an idea.  I tried stamping right on the bag.  It did not come out well.  The bag was bumpy so my stamp images was not consistent.  Stamped on the Whisper White card stock and then added to the bag dressed it up.  The small strip of Soft Suede card stock trim really set it off (and, again, budget conscience because my first instinct was to use Garden Green card stock).

The top of the lunch bag was trimmed down with my Tabletop Paper Cutter and then scalloped with the Scallop Edge Punch.  I wish I had the Polka-Dot Soft Suede Grosgrain Ribbon.  Wouldn't that be pretty?  Instead, I had to use the 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon.  Not bad, but sure would love the Polka Dot!

Oh!  And, the Thank You stamp, could be acquired by the bride for free during Sale-a-brationwith only a $50 order.  It is from the Thank You Kindly stamp set and is one of the free 2010 Sale-a-bration free product choices!  Now we are really talking budget conscience.

Card dimensions and color:  Order the Whisper White Note Cards with Envelopes.

The other supplies you will need for the two projects:

My Inspired by Nature card would be appropriate for so much more than a wedding.   Order the Inspired by Nature stamp set online now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net!

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Up! Spring Song Card Idea Variation by Stampin' Smiles

My last post showed the card I designed for my upcoming Fast & Fabulous card class.   While most of my stampers do not enjoy watercoloring, I just love it.  It is probably my favorite technique.

Wanting my mother's birthday card to be more colorful (she looooves hummingbirds!), I took the same design as my Fast & Fabulous card and did just a bit of watercoloring.

The colors used to watercolor are Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron and Mellow Moss.  I took the Happy Birthday greeting from the Well Scripted stamp set found in the 2010 Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog.

Click here for all paper color and dimensions.

Does watercoloring float your boat?  Or, like most of my stampers, do you prefer to avoid it?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Smiles Spring Song Card Idea: Fast, But Still Fabulous!

My mother loves hummingbirds.  For that reason and more, I had always wanted this stamp set but kept putting off purchasing it because I thought it would have to watercolored.  While I absolutely love watercoloring, most of stampers do not share the same love for it. 

The time for putting off adding it to my collection was over!  Who can resist getting a stamp set she has been longing for when it was one of the free Sale-a-bration products?  Not this girl!  (Little happy dance).

So, wanting to use the beautiful Stampin' Up! Spring Song stamp set in my upcoming All Occasion Fast & Fabulous cards class, I set out to see what I could come up with without watercoloring.  And, this is it.  A monochromatic card with just a touch of color.

My card uses the monochromatic theme.  Monochromatic is just a big word to describe the same color ink, card stock and accessories plus a neutral color.  Monochromatic can also mean shades of one color.

I stamped the hummingbird and flower image stamp in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink on Very Vanilla card stock.  Then layered the Very Vanilla card stock on Bravo Burgundy card stock, again on Very Vanilla card stock to rest upon on the Bravo Burgundy card stock card base.  The multiple layers keep the card from being bland.

Are you thinking I watercolored anyway?  I promise I didn't.  Classic Ink is not waterproof.  When water/moisture touches it, it will smear/run.  I quickly colored in the flowers only with my Blender Pen.  How?  I used the Blender Pen to pull the color from the stamped lines.  As you can see in the picture, the outline image looks as deep as it did before I stole some ink to color in the flowers.  Pretty cool!  This technique works understandably best with dark ink colors.

I played around until I came up with my pretty little decoration at the top of the card.  It is the Modern Label Punch in Bravo Burgundy card stock folded in half.  I used my Crop-a-Dile to easily punch through the three layers of card stock so I could add some Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.   A simple knot and there you have an elegant accent.

My card stock dimensions and colors are

Bravo Burgundy:  3-3/4" x 4-1/4", 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and scrap piece for punching

Very Vanilla:  3-1/2" x 4" and 4" x 4-1/2"

The supplies you will need to duplicate my card:

Order the Bravo Burgundy card stock and stamp pad as part of a $50 order and get the Spring Song stamp set for free!  But, don't delay!  Sale-a-bration is only through March 31, 2010.  Order now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net!
 

And, don't forget the Stampin' Smiles February Bonus when your order reaches $50 or more!

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Smiles: How to Use Elegant Trio Decor Stencils to Make 12" x 12" Scrapbook Pages

Have you ordered any of the Decor Stencils?  If not, is it because you are not sure how to use them?  I decided it was time to order a set when I saw the new offerings in the 2010 Definitely Decorative Insert and am happy to show you just how easy they are to use.

First, let's have a look at the 2-page layout I made with them for 12" x 12" scrapbook pages.   Did I hear an "aww"?

 
I just loved the size of the flower in the Elegant Trio (all three pictured below) and thought how perfect it would be for 12" x 12" scrapbook pages.  The layout is simple.  And, my scrapbookers loved it.  The Bold Brights combination of Pink Passion, YoYo Yellow and Gable Green was a big hit.  I took the colors from my Color Combinations book.  If you are interested in my Color Combinations book, send an email to shelly@stampinsmiles.com.  They are available to order with the 75 different color combinations. 

Using the stencils to fill my pages was easy.  You simply lay the generous stencil over your paper and start filling in the color.  I used Sponge Daubers.

I started with the Pretty in Pink to fill in the inner flower first.  Always start with your lightest color.  It is always easier to cover light colors than dark ones.

I then filled in the center with YoYo Yellow with a Sponge Dauber.  Then, as you see in the picture, I added my Pink Passion.  I made the ink around the tips of the flower darker than the rest of the petals.  It looks like I used to colors, but it is just shades of the same color. 

Of course, my favorite part was using the smaller, inner flower for my "O" in DOLL.    On a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock I used the flower stencil to make the smaller flower and cut it out with my Paper Snips.

Writing of the DOLL in the title, the rest of the words were made with my Sizzix Big Shot and Timeless Type Junior Alphabet in Pink Passion card stock.  What an incredible time-saver my Big Shot is!

Did you notice the pretty border?  I used my new and FREE Sale-a-bration product the Scallop Trim Border Punch to make it.  You, too, can get it free with any $50 purchase from the Occasions Mini Catalog and/or Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog!

Oh, I almost forgot, I also used the pretty border stencil from the same stencil set, Elegant Trio, to jazz up my YoYo Yellow card stock a bit.  I do not have the entire stencil showing.  I like how it looks like the photo mat on the first page is resting upon a holder.  The second page I positioned it so just the long scroll showed but not the tips.  That allowed me to keep the photo mats balanced pretty evenly on the page. 

The three stencils included in the Elegant Trio Decor Stencils are pictured here.

My scrapbook layout card stock colors and sizes are

Pink Passion:  (2) 12" x 12, 1" x 4-1/4" and scrap to die-cut letters

YoYo Yellow:  (2) 8-1/2" x 11"

Gable Green:  (2) 1" x 11" and (3) 4-1/4" x 6-1/4"

Whisper White: (2) 3-1/4" x 11"  and scrap piece to stencil and cut out small flower

The list of supplies to duplicate my pages:

Try the Elegant Trio Decor Stencils yourself by ordering them now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net!

Love to place an order NOW but new to online ordering?  Click here for step-by-step directions with screen shots of each step.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.
 

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Smiles: Priceless Valentine's Day Card

The beautiful Valentine's Day card uses the Stampin' Up! Priceless stamp set, but that is not why it is priceless to me.  It is because my very sweet downline, Karen Wilson, made and sent this card to me.  I may make hundreds of card designs a year as part of my job, but it always a thrill to get a card in the mailbox someone made just for me.  Wouldn't you call that priceless too?

Karen thought the card was simple, but in its simplicity lies its beauty!  She stamped the swirl from the Priceless stamp set in Real Red ink on the Whisper White card stock punched out with the Full Heart Punch.

The white swirls on the Real Red punched heart was embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.  As well as, the LOVE from the Fundamental Phrases stamp set on the left bottom of the card.  She used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop the red heart up from the white ones.  Very pretty!

My favorite part of the card is the Whisper White Organza Ribbon bow with the half white pearl from the Pretties Kit.  Nice touch!

Let someone know they are priceless to you and order the Priceless stamp set now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net!  A list of all the supplies to make this card follow.

The card dimesions are

Real Red:  4" x 8" and scrap piece to stamp and punch heart

Whisper White:  scrap pieces to stamp and punch two hearts 

Love to place an order NOW but new to online ordering?  Click here for step-by-step directions with screen shots of each step.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.
 

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Smiles Best Wishes & More "Just Say Snow" 12" x 12" Scrapbook Pages

Have you ever used just one stamp to create your background, accents and even part of the title?  That is exactly what I did with the snowflake from the Stampin' Up! Best Wishes & More stamp set.  The stamp set images, card stock colors and dimensions, and ordering instructions will be at the bottom of this post.

On the bottom half of each of the Bashful Blue 12" x 12" pages I stamped the snowflakes in Bashful Blue.  Tone on tone is probably my favorite background technique.  It is easy but adds so much to a simple design. 

I love when I see where an image was used to replace a letter of a word.  I was so pleased with myself when I thought to use one of the snowflakes for the "o" in snow.  It isn't all that brilliant, but for need-to-be-organized-and-tidy brain, it does not come naturally.  Therefore, the bit of pleasure from the simple substitution. 

Nine snowflakes were stamped in Bashful Blue on Whisper White card stock.  Then they were all trimmed with my favorite pair of scissors - the Paper Snips.  Every one needs a pair of Paper Snips!  They make all the cutting out a pleasure and not a chore.

The buttons in the center of all the cut-out snowflakes were made with my Sizzix Buttons #5 Sizzlits Die.  For only $4.95 and some scrap Bashful Blue card stock, I had buttons, buttons and more buttons for all my scrapbookers.  And, the beautiful part is, I still own the Sizzix die and came make hundreds of more buttons! 

The buttons look fantastic without adding hardly any bulk to my pages.  Did I mention the Sizzix button die is only $4.95.  I love a bargain, and that is surely one of the best!

Do you like naked buttons?  I discovered I have an issue with buttons attached without some sort of thread.  Threading these buttons does not take a needle and thread either.  With my Tabletop Paper Cutter, I can cut the smallest slivers of card stock and use to "thread" my buttons.  How cool is that?  They "thread" can then always coordinate.  That works well for my needs-to-be-organized-and-tidy brain.  Can you feel the sense of peace?

The title for my snow pages was stamped with the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet in Bashful Blue on Whisper White card stock.  I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig so I could stamp each letter twice for a deeper color.  It worked like a charm! 

Stampin' Dimensionals were used behind each layered snowflake accent.  It has never ceased to amaze me how much a little dimension adds to a project.  Have you given any of your projects a lift lately?

Here are the images of the two stamp sets I used:

 

Card stock colors and dimensions:

Bashful Blue - (2) 12" x 12"

Sage Shadow - (5) 4-1/4" x 6-1/4" and (9) 1-3/4" x 1-3/4"

Handsome Hunter - (5) 4-1/2" x 6-1/2", 3-3/4" x 6-1/4" for title and 2-3/4" x 3-3/4" for journaling box

Whisper White - 3-1/2" x 6" for title, 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" for journaling box and scrap pieces to stamp and cut out snowflakes and make your own "thread" for the buttons


The list of Stampin' Up! stamping supplies used to create my scrapbook pages:

Make your own Just Say Snow scrapbook pages by ordering the Best Wishes & More stamp set now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net!  And, don't forget, when you order $50 or more by March 31, 2010, you will receive your choice of a free Sale-a-bration product!
 

You will also receive the Stampin' Smiles February Bonus with any order of $50 or more.

Please do not hesitate to ask questions!
 

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!

 

Stampin' Smiles Occasions Mini Extra Postage 3" x 3" Baby Shower Card

Did you notice the Insured to Bring a Smile stamp
in the Extra Postage stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog?  Since I am Stampin' Smiles, I just had to purchase the stamp set. :)  There is a picture of a stamp set at the bottom of the post.

Now that I had this adorable stamp set, I thought the Handle with Care stamp would make a very cute baby shower card.  The Handle with card stamp punched out pretty well with the Curly Label Punch.  I then layered it with the die-cut from my Mover & Shapers Curly Label Magnetic Die.

I stamped the image in Bashful Blue and then again in Brocade Blue.  I cut out the Brocade Blue oval with my handy dandy Paper Snips.  Cutting is so easy with the Paper Snips.  A Stampin' Dimensional behind the oval gave the card a lift.  Okay, pun intended.

I used the free Sale-a-bration Scallop Trim Border Punch (love free!) to punch the edge of my card.  To make the scallop border stand out more, I added a strip of card stock to the inside of the card.  I really like the look.

The bow holes were made with the Double Rectangle Punch.  The Double Rectangle Punch lets the ribbon lie nice and flat for an attractive presentation.

My card dimensions and colors are

Bashful Blue:  3" x 6"

Brocade Blue:  scrap piece for Curly Label Mover & Shapers Die

Whisper White:  1/2" x 3" for small inside strip; scrap pieces to stamp, punch or trim by hand

 

 Order the Extra Postage stamp set now on www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net.  When your order reaches $50, you can get the Scallop Trim Border Punch for free!  Free is good!

And, don't forget the Stampin' Smiles February Bonus with any order of $50 or more.

Please do not hesitate to ask questions!
 

Stampin' Smiles,

www.stampinsmiles.stampinup.net to order Stampin' Up! products 24/7!