Stampin' with Kids

A lot of my friends and customers are truly shocked when I tell them that I not only let my 5-year-old stamp with my supplies, but I let my 2-year-old stamp with them too! In fact, he's been stamping since he's been 8 or 9 months old - he saw his big sister doing it and wanted to join in. I figured, why not? The ink is non toxic, washes off (eventually - depending on color) and is great for mastering those fine motor skills :)

Do I let them use MY stamp sets? The ones my customers use? Heck ya! Why not? Half the time my customers get them dirtier than my kids do. And really, who cares? If they're being enjoyed, that's all I care about! Dirty blocks don't stop the stamps from working ;) As for inks, as you can see below, Charlie has his 'own' inks so he can mix and match colors as he pleases. And they ARE SU! inks... a number of years ago there used to be a 'Stampin' Kids' line and I bought them before they were discontinued. My 5-year-old has graduated to be allowed to use two SU! ink pads at a time ;)  But when she wants to muck around, she uses the Stampin' Kids inks too.

Tips & Tricks: 

*Don't worry too much about mess - in the grand scheme of things, stamping is one of the less messy crafts you could be doing with your kids.
*If you really don't want to share your stamps, get your child his/her own stamp set and an ink pad or two - you won't regret it!
*My daughter makes all her own birthday cards for her friends. Think about how much time and money this will save you in the long run ;) So what if sometimes the cards say 'Get Well Soon'... 
*Now that my daughter has been stamping for a while, I LOVE the fact that she's getting into techniques like 'Rock and Roll' and 'Two-Step Stampin''.  I love having this creativity to share with her.
*I get more stamping done since both my kids stamp too. I just set them up at their own station when I want to get something done and it keeps them occupied for half an hour to an hour. Even my 2-year-old!

So get out there, give your kids some stamps, some ink and let stamps bring out their creativity!

Sailing Away Into the Open Sea

I know, I know, I know... The Open Sea again. But cut me some slack, I only have 'til August 31st to use it because then it's not current anymore and I only like to showcase current stamp sets on here. I'd hate for you to fall in love with something you can't buy anymore ;)  So, for one last time, The Open Sea.

Today's card is for the Mojo Monday Challenge. I love this sketch and I hope that the ladies at my monthly Fast & Fabulous class love it too since we'll be making this card :)

Tips & Tricks:

*Stamps with random text, like the nautical log in The Open Sea, make excellent backgrounds.
*When you don't want a bow but want to give your card a 'ribbon-like' effect, use our new Baker's Twine. It's inexpensive ($3.95 for 25 yards) and you can wrap it around several times to get the look you want.
*Want the look of brads for less?  Use the Basic Jewels - Pearls or Rhinestones.
*I love how beautiful the Nautical Expedition DSP coordinates with The Open Sea stamp set.  Get them 'til August 31st only. Visit my Online Store to order yours.

Hope you've enjoyed this last sample of my favorite stamp set from the 2011 Summer Mini. Next up, the 2011 Holiday Mini!  Don't have one yet? Email me to get yours (if you don't already have a current demonstrator). 'Til then, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Soft and Fabulous Florets

Quick post for today - I'm busy busy busy :)  But it's Thursday and that means a Pals Paper Challenge. Today we were challenged to 'soften the edges' and 'take the edge off'. I just love how soft the flowers are in Fabulous Florets and wanted to showcase this gorgeous stamp set, found in both the Summer Mini AND carried over the the 2011/2012 IB&C. Best of all, we'll be making this card at my monthly Fast and Fabulous card class!

Although I do often think of my own card designs, I got the idea for this card from my upline, Marlayne Hardy, at a super fun Stampin' Meeting!  I love these meetings because I get ideas for my business, class ideas and technique ideas. Best of all though, they are SUPER FUN!!!!!!!  Always a great time. If you'd like to join me at these meetings, join my team, Creativity Ink! There's no commitment and the Starter Kit is a great deal! Best of all, you can do whatever you want with your business - go full steam ahead like me or join to get the awesome 20% discount, preorder opportunities and perks only demos get.

Tips & Tricks:

*If you don't want to do a bow, but want to do something other than a plain strip of ribbon tie a knot in it!  I love this look, nice soft edges and still adds that 'je ne sais quoi' :)

*Glitter - don't be scared of it!  So it may get all over your workspace - it will add a bit of inexpensive bling to your card that makes it all worth it!
*I love how this year's In Colors work so well together, especially Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade and Pool Party.
*Ruffled In Color Ribbon... need I say more???

I know I've been very quick today, but I hope I've still inspired you. Most of all, hope to see you at my Fast & Fabulous Class next week!  'Til then, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Trifold Shutter and Embedded Image Tutorial

I had my bimonthly Saturday night stamper's group this past week-end and we did a lot of embossing with new embossing powders. We also used some new accessories as well as some stamps that are sailing into the sun when the Summer Mini ends on August 31st.

The first is a Trifold Shutter card using The Open Sea stamp set. We embossed the sailboat with the new Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. I love these new colored embossing powders, they really make an image 'pop' on a card. I also wanted to try the new Pewter-colored embossing powder (sneak peakfrom the UPCOMING Holiday Mini!!!). I love how it is just a smidge thicker than the Silver embossing powder. It will be great for the Faux Metal Technique.

 

Isn't the Trifold Shutter just a great looking card? Best of all, it folds down to a 4" x 5-1/2" card! It's very easy to make, too:

1) Cut a piece of card stock to 12" x 5-1/2".

2) Score on the long side at 2", 4", 8", and 10"

3) On the short side, cut slits at 1-1/2" and 4" from the 2" score line to the 10" score line.

4) Fold the 2" score line to make a mountain and the 10" score line to make a valley.

5) Alternate the folds at the 4" and 8" score lines as pictured.

6) Decorate as desired.

We also did the Embedded Image technique. I love how easy it is and next time I plan on combining it with the Cracked Glass technique.  

The Embedded Image Technique is very easy!  Here are the steps:

1) Stamp and image or background stamp on your card stock. Here I stamped the larger flower stamp, 'Create' and 'No. 3' from Creative Elements.

2 ) Cover the entire surface of the stamped card stock with VersaMark ink and emboss with Clear embossing powder. Let cool and repeat to create a nice, smooth surface. Make sure your VersaMark ink pad is nice and juicy to make sure that the embossing powder sticks well and you get a good layer of it on your image.

3) Choose a coordinating image. Stamp in VersaMark OVERTOP of the clear embossing powder in a contrasting color (here I used Cherry Cobbler). As you emboss the contrasting image, it will embed itself into the clear embossing powder creating the cool look pictured here!

Tips & Tricks:

*The Nautical Expedition DSP is perfect for men's and little boy's cards. As is The Open Sea stamp set. I'm so sad they're leaving us with the Summer Mini - get your while you can!

*Use a Bone Folder to fold your score lines evenly and crisply.

*The 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon is perfectly sized to fit through the little slits of the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch. How cool is that?

*I didn't use an Embossing Buddy to prevent the Cherry Cobbler embossing powder from sticking to the clear embossing powder in my embedded image so I have speckles throughout that look pretty neat. If you don't want this to happen, make sure to use the Embossing Buddy.

Hope you've enjoyed these two quick tutorials. Contact me for more info about joining a Stamper's Group and learning advanced techniques. In the mean time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Enjoying the Summer Mini While We Still Can!

It's August 22nd and that means we only have 9 days left to order from the Summer Mini. Yes. 9 days. There are some sets I'm really going to miss... we all know how much I love The Open Sea, but I love Summer Splash just as much. It's fun, fresh and perfect for scrappin' those summer memories.

For this week's Mojo Monday Challenge, I not only used Summer Splash, but I made a card with the Scalloped Square Die. A customer asked me this week-end how it's done  and I thought I would give you a quick tutorial here. Take a piece of card stock 8-1/2" x 4-3/4" and fold in half. Place on your die making sure that the fold is not touching any of the cutting blades of the die - you want to cut through only three edges of your card (see photo below). Run it through the big shot like you usually would and voila - you've got a scalloped square card!

Tips & Tricks:

*Want to cut out fine details like the mouth on my turtle friend? Use a sharp, fine-tipped pair of scissors like Stampin' Up!'s Paper Snips.
*The 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon is great for cards with fine details. It's thin enough that it doesn't take over the card, but adds that bit of details you want
*Try mixing and matching two colors of ribbon for added effect.

I have my monthly Fast and Fabulous Class coming up on Wednesday August 31st, the last Wednesday of the month. We'll be using stamps and accessories in the Summer Mini to bid farewell to it. If you're in the Ottawa area, be sure to join us - we're going to have a lot of fun! For now, hope you've enjoyed my tutorial and card, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!