Saturday, January 23, 2010

Beating the winter blahs with Stampin'

Well, today, faced with gray, gray weather and a decided disinterest in doing much of anything, I changed out my "SNOW" door decoration for the turquoise butterflies from our Decor Elements line. They look awesome, and remind me that, indeed, spring is just around the corner.



Come beat the blahs with me this afternoon! I still have room for three for stamping from 1 to 3. Three cards, $5, Valentine themes. Plus demos of some great gifts!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Thinking of You...

I was sitting down to do some basic correspondence today, when I realized I was fresh out of "Thinking of you ..." kinds of cards. So I created this one:


This is primarily a punch and die-cut card, with just one stamp set--Fundamental Phrases--used. One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is the freedom it gives me to have all these lovely tools in my tool box whenever I want to play!

Tools used: Circle punch, Circle Scallop punch, Modern Label punch, Embosslits Fluttering Wings die for Big Shot, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Cardstocks: Whisper White (base and tag), Very Vanilla (butterfly), Green Galore (Grass and stems), and InColor colors Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede.

I used a faux suede technique to make these fluffy sunflowers. I punched out the circles and circle scallops, then spent some time with my bone folder "stripping" the fibers of the card stock (much like you would to make a curly ribbon with scissors). I carefully peeled the card stock apart, so I got two circles from each punched circle. The interior side is fuzzy, like suede. Scrunch it up, and you get even fluffier flowers. But I liked this simple look.

Don't forget to register for the Valentine Stamp Camp, coming soon!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Relief for Haiti, Stampin' Up! style


From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you buy will be donated American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product NameItem #Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended)118571 $18.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount 117010 $26.95

This is a beautiful set, and it's a great way to help make a difference to the people of Haiti. Contact me today to place your order.

Amy

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Creating a Gate

I love this layout, which I spied on my cousin Sara's blog this week. So I decided to try it out on a card:
Materials: Soft Suede and Crushed Curry cardstock; Vintage Vogue stamp set; Basic Black and Creamy Caramel Classic Ink Pads; Circle Fire Rhinestone brads; Fundamental Phrases stamp set; Modern Label punch.

As I finished it, I thought about how easy it would be to turn this layout into a gate card, which involves having two flaps meet in the middle of the front of your card. So I created this:
Materials: Old Orchid and Very Vanilla cardstock; Vintage Vogue and Four Square stamp sets; Rich Razzleberry and Creamy Caramel Inks.

Gate cards are really simple to make. Start by cutting your card stock lengthwise, so that you have a piece of base cardstock 4.25 by 11 inches. Turn with the 11 inch long side facing you, and score at 2 and 7.5 inches. Fold on score lines, and adhere your next layer of paper to the front of each flap, like this:
Next, cut your center piece, which will hold the card shut when you're finished, and place your next layer, embellishing that piece, as you go. A plain gate would look like this:



Finally, adhere your gate to the left flap of your card, being careful that you only use adhesive on the left half of the back of your center piece. Below is the finished sample; I've embellished with more Vintage Vogue stamping, Rich Razzleberry and Creamy Caramel Inks, and two flowers embossed and die cut with the Flower Burst Embosslits die for the Big Shot. (Ignore my smudgy sentiment on this sample, please.)
There! Creating a gate is an easy way to breathe new life into your card designs.

Peace!

Amy

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Sale-A-Bration Starts Today!


Stampin' Up! offers an amazing sale every year called Sale-A-Bration, and it starts today! For every $50 you spend, you receive free product, including stamps, punches and more, from the Sale-A-Bration catalog OR a free stamp set, up to $15.95 in value, from the main catalog.

It's also the perfect time to become a demonstrator. You receive a big discount on the starter kit AND a free stamp set up to $47.95 in value from the main catalog, in addition to your free Sale-A-Bration product. It's a fabulous deal--and exactly why I became a demonstrator almost a year ago!

Today we also introduce the Mini Occasions catalog, which features fun products just in time for the spring holidays, and introduces our new punch design. I'm thrilled with it! And you can see samples of projects made with the new Vintage Vogue set in the Mini on this page.

Check out my web site today to place your order, or contact me to set up your personalized workshop.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The Iris Technique Tutorial

This is a simple technique that can yield some real WOW factor for workshops and cards. It's based on an old Eastern paper-folding craft, and is ideal for using the Stampin' Up! designer papers. Since it uses so little of these papers, crafters can get a lot of bang for their buck. It can also be used with ribbon or cardstock.

The "Iris" in this technique refers to the window through which viewers look at the pretty papers you've layered behind it. Much like the iris of your eye reveals the soul within, the philosophy goes, the window of the Iris technique reveals the soul in the paper.

Literally any shape can be made the window. The Big Shot Movers and Shakers dies, for example, could make really interesting windows. In fact, my first attempt at this technique used the basic tag opening:
I quickly figured out, though, that using simple punches could create a window opening. This tutorial uses the Circle Scallop punch, Very Vanilla cardstock, and assorted scraps of the Tea Party Designer Series papers. For the back, I used Razzleberry cardstock, cut with my Top Note die on the Big Shot.

Step One: Punch your window out of the front of your card stock.



Step Two: Lay a line of SNAIL adhesive around the outside edge of the window on the BACK side of the cardstock.







Step Three: Using short, narrow strips of designer series paper, cover the window from the back, overlapping each piece, with the side you want visible from the front facing down. I used the scallops on the scallop circle as my initial guide, just covering two scallops at a time. Repeat your pattern as you overlap each piece of paper. I used three different, light, contrasting pieces of DSP for my circle.









Continue overlapping until you cover all but the very center, or IRIS, of your window. Tack each layer of paper down with SNAIL. (You could also use a non-tacky glue or adhesive to help you place the pieces until you get a feel for the technique.)

You can take advantage of the Iris to place pretties, embellishments, or other fun things in the very center. It's a spot for a little "tease." In this case, though, I opted to just use a contrasting colored cardstock to back the entire piece.

This is, of course, the secret. Trim your edges, then cover the entire back with a second piece of cardstock.

Step Four: Cover the back of your cardstock with another piece of cardstock. In this case, I used a Top-Note Die cut out of Rich Razzleberry card stock.

When flipped over, the rich, deep color peeks through the iris in the window on the card stock.









Here is the finished iris. Accent, trim, and embellish as you'd like.













I decided to give it one more try, using the Square Scallop Punch as my window, and Green Galore CS as the base. I used the same DS paper for my irising. I think the contrast works much better here:

I finished this with a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad in the center, "Hello" from the Fundamental Phrases Stamp Set, stamped in Green Galore Ink, using the modern tag label. This little guy is just 3.5 by 3.5 inches, backed by another full square of the same colored cardstock.

Give irising a try!

All samples and images here were created by Amy Lauters. Sentiment and papers courtesy of Stampin' Up! All rights reserved. Feel free to share the link to this tutorial far and wide. (With thanks to the Man of the Place for taking some of the images when my hands were needed elsewhere.)

Friday, January 1, 2010

A Simple, but Effective Technique

It's called Iris Folding, and it's used to create sometimes intricate designs inside an "iris" or window, in a card front. I witnessed the results last spring, when a student of mine gave me a beautiful iris'ed card as a Thank You at the end of the term, and I wondered how it was done. Cue my sister-in-law, Bridget, who gave me some marvelous paper-folding and crafting books for Christmas this year. (Trust me, there are more techniques to come!)

I'll be putting a full tutorial together tomorrow, but for now, here's a tease of a simple card you can make with some spectacular results:

Stamp set: Vintage Vogue (just the sentiment)
Ink: Creamy Caramel
Papers: Very Vanilla and Green Galore cardstock; Tea Party Designer Series Paper, several scraps; Eggplant cardstock for interior (seen only in smallest part of the iris in the picture above).
Circle Scallop Punch

What I really like about this technique is that it can use up all those little scraps of designer series paper that pile up as you work with larger pieces. I hate wasting pretty paper, and this can use up all those little scraps to make something beautiful. It's recycling at its best!

New Vintage Vogue Set

I'm so in love with the new Vintage Vogue stamp set featured in the new Mini Occasions catalog! You will love it, too. It has a French baroque feel to it; it just begs to be used with black ink and bright colors.

I've made several different card fronts featuring elements from the set, but here are two of my favorites:
This one uses the Vintage Vogue set, SU Classic Black Ink Pad, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Gray cardstock, and Circle Fire Rhinestone brads.







The next one makes use of the leftover frame from the use of my Top Note die for the Big Shot. I loved the leftovers--they make perfect frames for quick scrapbook pages. I decided to use this Real Red scrap frame, left over from Christmas projects, to make a sample Valentine:

Vintage Vogue set, Real Red cardstock, Basic Greetings Hostess Set, Scallop Oval Punch, Whisper White cardstock.


The set just has a touch of old-fashioned elegance that makes it a must-own for your stamping toolbox.

Look out for more samples and tutorials this year!

Peace,

Amy