New Holiday Catalog & My Top 15 Picks

Yeah- finally the new Holiday Catalog is active and the link is live on my blog!

This catalog REALLY has me excited!!!!!!!.....it is jammed full of super new products!

Usually  I do a "top 10 favorites" post, but this time was wayyyy too hard- so here are my top 15:

1.  Page 3- Ornament Keepsake Bundle- #129950- price $52.95- this is a combo pack of a stamp set and coordination framelit dies to cut them with- and saves you 15%!

2.  Page 6- Core'dinations Cardstock- #127848- price $9.95- this is kraft core cardstock that comes in three great colors and is sandable to reveal the inner core!

3.  Page 6- Stampin Sanding System- #129367- price $5.50- new sanding system so you never have to buy the throw away blocks again- this uses sandpaper!

4.  Page 7- Holiday Frame Embossing Folder- #127820-price $9.95- one word- AWESOME!

5.  Page 7- Joyous Celebrations Stamp Set- #128069- price $19.95- great Christmas stamp set- I am going to use it with the holiday frame embossing folder!

6.  Page 9- Frosty Friends stamp- #128117- price $14.95- CUTE!

7.  Page 11- Make A Mitten Stamp Set- #127943- price $21.95- gotta have it and the punch!
                 - coordinating Mitten Punch- # 127824- price $21.95 (notice how I squeezed two items in here)

8.  Page 14- Watercolor Winter Stamp Set- #129727- price $22.95- classy two step stamping!

9.  Page 16-Scentastional Season Bundle-#129946-price $40.95- save 15% buy the stamps and the framelit dies as a bundle!

10.  Page 19- Winter Memories Stamp Set- #127937- price $24.95- this is my most favorite of all items!

11.  Page 23- Illuminate Glimmer Watermark Pad- #126857- price $13.95- LOVE IT!
12.  Page 23- Dazzling Details Silver Sparkle- #127845-price $3.50- gotta have it!
13.  Page 27- Googly Ghouls Stamp Set- #128063 - price $15.95- fun Halloween stamp set!
14.  Page 27- Googly Eyes- #127539- price $2.95- adhesive eyes for stamp set above.
15.  Page 30- Paper Piercing Pack- #127857- price $10.95- AWESOME- matches ornament keepsake bundle and more!

Weekly Card Challenge Submissions- guest stamper Carole A.

Here are some weekly card challenge submissions by guest stamper Carole A.

Great job!  Thanks so much for sharing!

If you would like to receive my weekly sketch challenge email, simply email me a quick note and each Monday you will receive one card sketch and one scrapbook sketch.

If you are willing to share your cards and scrapbook pages, email them to me and I will post them on my blog to inspire others.

Do you remember this challenge on June 26?

Shel's Note:  This is a perfect example of how you can take a sketch and adapt it to what you have....for instance if you do not have a circle or scalloped circle for the focal image- just use what you have......if you do not have an umbrella stamp, simply use something else!  Your cards are your own creations, and sketches are designed to inspire you to create- there is no need to copy each and every detail- let your creative juices go!

Do you remember this challenge on July 6?

  

 Shel's Note:  I love the perspective here.....many people would not attempt this if they did not have a backgound stamp, embossing folder or paper with writing as in the sample... always think outside the box.......and the pretty crocheted flowers (retired) from Stampin Up! make this a quick and easy card!

Do you remember this challenge on July 8?

Shel's Note:  This is my personal favorite...it is so vibrant and summer like- love the layering of the scallop square under the squares the images are stamped on.  Fun!

Well I hope these have inspired you - if you would like to receive the weekly challenges simply contact me. 

Thanks for sharing! 

New Stamper Suggestions- Tutorial

What are the best things for a beginner stamper to have?  Some of the basic supplies a new stamper needs are stamps, ink, card stock, and tools.Stamps As much as we may want it all, we have to start somewhere! For new stampers, I suggest a versatile set, like the Easy Events stamp set.  It includes images and greetings for a variety of occasions. Plus, the Easy Events stamp set is ideal for your friend to test out simple techniques like colouring, or stepped-up techniques like watercoloring.  Card Stock Not all paper is created equal! Most of us have learned by trial and error that there is a difference.  Help your new stamping friend avoid the frustration and expense of poor-quality card stock. She’ll appreciate the crisp images she can achieve with our ultra-smooth Whisper White  or Very Vanilla  card stock.  Pair the Whisper White or Very Vanilla card stock with an assorted pack of card stock from one of the Colour Collections and the Neutrals Collection, and your friend will have the basis for many beautiful creations! Combo Packs Another versatile option is the In Color Ink pads and cardstock combo packs.  You get the five in color ink pads and a combination pack of coordinating cardstock.  Ink One of the ink pads I recommend most is Jet Black StazOn. The quick-drying, permanent black ink is versatile for many images and perfect for a variety of techniques that new stampers will want to try.  Another great ink pad to consider is the VersaMark pad. Since   VersaMark is a clear ink, it creates a slightly darker watermark-type effect when stamped on most any colour of card stock.  A Colour Collection of Stampin’ Spots is another budget-friendly option for beginning stampers who like a lot of colour options. Each Stampin' Spot Colour Collection includes anywhere from 8 to 11 ink pads that are 1” square in size.  Tools It seems obvious, but it is important not to forget the basics like a Paper Cutter and  adhesive.  Once you have those basics, consider fun and functional tools like our great punches. A couple of circles different same sized punches like the oval and scalloped oval are all a good choice.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Scrapbooking - July 2012 Class- Pinwheels

This is the third and final page we made in July Scrapbooking Class:

The girls learned how to make fun pinwheels to give a 3D effect to their pages.

Only a few days left to get Reason To Smile stamp set for only $5.00

During July, if you purchase $60.00 worth of merchandise, you are able to order the Reason to Smile stamp set, in wood or clear, for just $5.00! 

This is a two step stamp set- meaning you can simply stamp the outline images and color in, or you can use the other stamp and stamp in the color.  How fun!

This set has a retail value of up to $25.95- that is over 80% savings!!!!  Get yours today!

Scrapbooking- July 2012 Class-Inspired by Nature

This is the second page we made in July's Scrapbooking Class:

This page features stamping with the now retired Inspired by Nature stamp set.  It also features the butterfly embossalit.

Scrapbooking- July 2012 Class- Making 3D Flowers with Punches

Here is the first page we made in July's Scrapbooking Class:

The girls learned how to make these amazing flowers using punches, and the leaves are from the "Little Leaves" sizzlet die from Stampin Up!

The girls were amazed at how easy these flowers are to make.

Holiday Mini Sneak Peek

Today I am going to share with you a sneak peek from the Holiday Catalogue that will be out on August 1st.

There are LOADS of amazing new stamps, tools and products in this catalogue.....it is the BEST mini yet!

One item is a set of new framelit dies.

Now I can't actually show you the dies, or talk about the price until August 1, but I can show you what I cut.

Here is the shape of the dies:

But wait!  It is actually a " two-fer"!  

If you turn the die and apply it to your paper a little differently, you get this shape: 

Pretty cool huh! 

Tutorial- Tree Tips

Tree Tips:

After you have stamped a tree image and allowed the ink to dry, and you are ready to colour the  image, to get added depth and dimension, do the following: 

1.  Use an aqua painter and ink pad to lightly colour in the tree foliage with a light to medium green shade. Allow to dry. 

2.  Add additional depth by LIGHTLY  thumping the brush end of two different shades of green  marker over the top of the just coloured foliage… it will add depth and dimension- and it is fun!

Try it- your gonna love it!  

Bye for now! 

Tutorial- Tips and Tricks - always better when shared.....

Tips and Tricks

Today I thought I would pass along a couple tips and tricks I've seen and heard. Tips are great but somehow get overlooked or not passed on. So, here are a couple for you to enjoy. Maybe you already know about them but maybe there is one here that is new to you. 

First, a simple feature of our markers that I never knew until last year. Our Stampin' Write markers have two ends, one is a pen and the other is a marker. Every time I used them I'd uncap one end, look at what I had and then recap it and open the other end because 9 times out of 10, I needed the other end. Well, I don't do that anymore. A genius in the design department made a line on each end of the marker. There is a thin line on the pen side 

and a thick line on the marker end. Simple and so useful!

Next tip still on markers. Did you know that you can refill our markers? If you use them a lot and they start to get empty, you can bring them back to life. Just use tweezers to pull the marker end off. I know, this may be difficult to do but trust me, as long as you're careful, you ARE NOT going to ruin your marker. 

Once the marker end is off, you use the same color re-inker to drop color into the barrel of the pen and replace the marker end. I let mine set a while on its side and it was good as new. Remember to always store your markers on their side, never on their end.

Third tip is for storing stamps. I realize this one could be filed under OCD but I enjoy my stamps more when they are nice and organized. I'm sure it's no surprise to you that the wood stamps often come in a box that is ten times too big for the set. Then they flop all over the box turning on their sides bumping into each other like a stamp mosh pit. Well, when it comes to wood, I put the stamps in all nice and neat and then fill the empty space with crumbled paper. This won't work with clear stamps so to keep the clear sets organized, I keep the big rubber piece the stamps originally came in and pop the stamps in and out when I need them. This is also a great way to quickly see if a stamp is missing from a set.

Fourth tip could save me millions! How many times have you glued down a piece of paper only to see that you stuck it on crooked? Even if your quick, when you peel the two papers apart, damage WILL be done. You probably have to scrap the papers and try again. Well, if you use dental floss, you can separate the papers with minimal damage. You just slide the floss between the papers from top to bottom and they'll separate. This only works with the snail adhesive and not the liquid glue or sticky strip and I'd recommend waxed floss. So go ahead and put a pack of waxed dental floss in with your other stamping supplies. Just think of what an ice breaker it will be at your next class, club or stamp camp. 

Last tip is another storage tip. At Stampin' Up we sell the empty DVD type cases. They are the same ones as the clear stamps come in. When I first saw them I wondered what I would need them for and dismissed them. WELL, there is a super creative demonstrator that suggested that we use them for storage.

Here are some supplies that fit nicely into those empty cases...dimensionals, markers (you could store an entire family together), jewels and pearls, sticky strip, bone folder and scissors, blender pens, gel pens or replacement blades for your paper cutter to name a few

Hope these tips help! 

Tutorial- Faux Shaving Cream

Try this easy technique to give added depth and dimension:  

FAUX SHAVING CREAM tutorial

Supplies needed:

. Stampin' Around bold wheel
. Stampin' Around handle
. Bold stamp set
. Classic ink
. Card stock

1. First, ink a wheel with a solid-texture image (see Figure 1). For example, you would want to select a bold wheel rather than a wheel with a line art image; the more lines on the wheel, the finer the texture in the image. We used our Bodacious wheel on the samples shown here.

2. Next, ink a bold stamp like those from our Bodacious Bouquet or Headline Alphabet sets (see Figure 2). Don't worry about making sure that the stamp is evenly covered.

3. Once your stamp is ready to go, kiss it with your wheel by swiping the wheel on the stamp (see Figure 3). Twist your wrist as you tap, or use a side-to-side motion if you swipe. The key to creating the marble swirl is in this movement.

4. Finally, stamp your image on your project (see Figure 4).

Idea to note: When you use faux shaving cream, try experimenting with two-colour combinations.

 Ink your wheel for a beautiful look that incorporates the colours in your project, like we did on our Many Thanks card.

 A combination of Bashful Blue and Old Olive tie this project together. 

A spectrum of three colours also works well: try adding another colour to one of our Dynamic Duos for a terrific trio.

 For example, ink your wheel with both Rose Red and Regal Rose ink and apply it to a stamp inked with Pretty in Pink. 

You can also achieve a lovely marbled effect with only one colour. To do this, kiss your stamp with an uninked wheel as we did on the Joy card and You Colour My World page.

S

Tutorial- Blender Pens- five applications- Product Talk

Blender Pens are essential tools in my craft room , and I wanted to share five different  ways to use them.  They are wonderful for coloring images in a number of ways.  Here are some examples.

There are five techniques I use with Blender Pens: 

1.  Stampin' Write Markers &Blender Pens- use a combination of direct to paper and maker applied with a blender pen for a realistic image with depth. 

2.  Stampin' Pastels  Blender Pens- pick up the color from the bottom of a pastel with the blender pen and color you image. 

3.  Watercolor Pencils & Blender Pens- color image with watercolor pencils, the smooth it out using the blender pen and watch the colors become more vibrant. 

4.  Ink Pad and Blender Pens- squeeze some ink on the inside lid of your stamp pad.  Use a blender pen to pick up the color and color your image. 

5.  Ink Pad and Blender Pens- use the blender pen and pick up some ink to repair a poorly stamped (blotchy, not enough ink) image.

If you don't have blender pens in your craft stash, I strongly suggest you invest in them- this is one tool I would not be without! page 178- item #102845 $12.95 for 3 pens.  

t use it that often because theWatercolor Pencils aren't true to Stampin' Up! colors.  For the most part they're a nice collection of colors, but if I want something that's going to match my card stock and inks, I choose the Markers instead. 

If you don't have Blender Pens in your toolbox, I strongly suggest you add them. 

Tutorial- Stencils- With Stampin' Up Punches

Stencils Using Stampin’ Up! Punches

Did you know that you can make quick and easy stencils with certain Stampin' Up! punches and cardstock?

To create a stencil, select a punch that will provide a nice negative image in a piece of cardstock, for example the Stampin' Up! Bird Punch.

Place the negative image on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock and start applying ink with a dauber to create a positive image of the negative one.