Stamp-a-Technique Class

Our monthly classes are this week and we're doing a Stamp-a-Technique class this month featuring "glam and glitter"! All the details about times and such are in our newsletter which you can view HERE.

Here's one of the cards we will be making at the two classes today and at Thursday's class as well. This card features the "Faux Diamond" technique and the Fresh Cuts stamp set from Stampin' Up!

The entire surface of the stamped image is covered with glitterized embossing powder. It's easy to make your own... just combine a small amount of dazzling diamonds glitter w/ a small amount of clear embossing powder and you've just made yourself some glitterized embossing powder! Obviously, glitter is a bit difficult to photograph, but trust me... there's a lot of sparkle on this card!We're also making two other cards that I don't have photos of, but they are awesome! Hope you can join us and we're looking forward to seeing those of you who are already signed up! =)

Using the new "Mom" set...

From Adriel:

We ordered the new "Messages for Mom" set from Stampin' Up! recently and a couple of days ago my mom and I both played with it and had some fun and laughs. I like creating with my mom. =)

This set has a ton of text in it, which I like for the reason that a lot of the sentiments can be used for other occasions and other people besides just "Mom", but they also fit well with the fancy "MOM" image that comes with the set. It doesn't come with very much else... one flourish image. This can be difficult if you're trying to use the set all by itself, but I used it along with the new "Vintage Vogue" stamp set and loved how the two sets went so well together! =)

For my card:

- I used a Kraft CS base and the size is just slightly under 3-1/2" x 5"... I think it's like 3-3/8" x 4-7/8"... I did that because it fits in the note card envelope better.

- I stamped an image from "Vintage Vogue" in Taken w/ Teal ink along the top and bottom of the card base.

- I stamped the "Mom" and the sentiment in black craft ink (on a strip of Kraft CS layered with Taken w/ Teal CS) and embossed w/ clear embossing powder. I didn't use a Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp these... I'm just that good... no, not really! LOL! We bought the set as clear-mounted, so it was very easy to see right where I was stamping and that is my secret! =)

- My black gingham ribbon ruffle was done by applying a strip of Sticky Strip on the back of the bottom of the sentiment panel. I just pressed and gathered the ribbon as I went.

- My flowers are embossed, even though I didn't have craft ink in Taken w/ Teal! Here's how: I inked up the floral image first with versamark. I then inked up the image again with Taken w/ Teal classic ink, directly after the versamark. Then I stamped this on my cardstock, which I then sprinkled with a mixture of clear embossing powder and dazzling diamonds glitter and set with the heat tool. So cool... you can pretty much emboss with any color that way, without needing to have craft ink pads! =) The flowers were then cut out carefully, punched with the 1/16" hand punch and attached to the Kraft CS strip w/ clear rhinestone brads.

It was fun to make... I'm going to make more (if I have time). ;-)

Don't forget about the color challenge that we're hosting! You can get all the details about it HERE!

Have a wonderful, creative day! =)

Supplies for Mom card (all SU unless noted): Vintage Vogue stamp set, Messages for Mom stamp set, Kraft CS, Taken w/ Teal CS, Whisper White CS, Black craft ink, Taken w/ Teal classic ink, Versamark ink, clear embossing powder, dazzling diamonds glitter, heat tool, Sticky Strip, Clear rhinestone brads, Black gingham ribbon (not SU), stampin' dimensionals, adhesive.

Heart to Heart Cards

From Adriel:

Here's a couple of the wonderful cards we will be creating at the Heart to Heart card making class today at Tumbleweed Rec. Center. Info regarding time and registration can be found in this month's newsletter HERE. =)

My mom, Heidi, created this adorable lollipop Valentine card! I love it! =)Supplies (SU unless noted): Kraft CS, Real Red CS, Very Vanilla CS, Sending Love Specialty DSP, Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, You & Moi stamp set, Chocolate Chip classic ink, Real Red classic ink, Versamark ink pad, Clear embossing powder (not SU), button (not SU), Corner rounder (not SU), Fine Crochet thread (not SU), Stampin' Dimensionals, adhesive (not SU), Lollipop(not SU).


This card I made uses a variety of circle punches and DSP to create a fun Valentine card. =)
Supplies (SU unless noted): Pretty in Pink CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Real Red CS, Very Vanilla CS, Sending Love Specialty DSP, Chocolate Chip ink, Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Love You Much stamp set, Fundamental Phrases stamp set, Scallop Edge punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch, Heart to Heart punch, Word Window punch, Mini glue dot, Stampin' Dimensionals, Adhesive (not SU).

Don't forget about the color challenge we are hosting! You can get all the details HERE! =)

Have a wonderful day!

Another Beautiful Card

From Adriel:

I'm writing the post for this entry, but I can't take credit for this beautiful card... my mom made it. She did such a beautiful job on it and I love her color combo... gorgeous!

Here is yet another card sample for the nature cards we (mainly she) was/were working on a couple of weeks ago. Mom made lovely lollipop flowers and they "pop" out at you, don't they? Really pretty... did I mention I really like this card? ;-)

Beautiful job, Mom! =)

Soft Butterfly Card

From Adriel:

Wow! It's amazing to say, but it actually isn't raining here (at the present moment)! It has been just raining and raining... I don't think in all the years I have lived in AZ that it has rained for so many days in a row like this. It's definitely been a lot of water and the kids were so happy to go outside and play today. =)

A few days ago, I told you about cards we were making for the gift shop of a nature park near us. My mom made most of the samples for this, but I didn't have any pictures of the cards she made. The other day, I spent most of the afternoon taking pictures of our items, including her nature cards.

This card she made is so beautiful! She used such soft colors and the style is so elegant! I'm designing one of our SAS cards for March after this card, I like it so much! =)

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! =) Supplies for this card are listed below...

Supplies (all SU! unless noted) - Almost Amethyst CS, Perfect Plum CS, So Saffron (or Barely Banana) CS, Whisper White CS, Finial Press Textured Impressions Folder, Circle Scissors Plus, Scallop Circle #2 Die, Boho Blossoms punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Perfect Plum marker, So Saffron marker, Almost Amethyst marker, Mellow Moss marker, silver brad, small circle punch (size?), button (not SU).

Another Valentine SAS Card

From Adriel:

We had a great time Tuesday at our afternoon and evening classes! Everyone's cards came out wonderful and it was a great time.

Here is the card my mom designed for this class...

Isn't it cute? She punched the smallest blossom from the Boho Blossoms punch out of Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and adhered them in the shape of a heart. Fun idea! My daughter was watching me edit the picture today and she said that would be cute to do with small punched hearts and I think she's right!

We've got one more class left tonight and that's a wrap! Looking forward to seeing those of you who will be attending. Have a great day! =)

Holiday Happiness

From Adriel:

Awhile ago, I was inspired by some colors I saw in a combination together and wanted to make a Christmas card with those colors. I sat down and tried out different colors before deciding on this color combo: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pink Passion and lots of white!

Patterned Pines, the new hostess set we recently earned, made fun little trees for this card. I inked them up individually and cut them out. I dimensioned the trees over an Old Olive strip that I did some faux stitching on... okay, not my strength. I need some practice on faux stitching and getting the stitches even. (Kristina Werner makes it look terribly easy!)

I used a medium dot stamp from a random stamp set... I think we've got 2 or 3 of those dots from different sets! Anyway, dotted the bottom of the card in the various colors. Finished the card off with a sentiment from an old set called "So Many Sayings" and little tiny rhinestones on one of the trees.

Had fun, enjoyed myself and made something new! =)

Too Long...

From Adriel:

It's been too long since I've posted something on here! My problem is I don't have pictures of new projects... I'm going to go dig around in my photos and see if I can find something to share... be right back...

Okay, I found something! I intended to share this a couple of weeks ago and never did! So, here we go!

My mom was creating cards a couple of weeks ago for the Cracked Glass technique class we are teaching soon. Of course, I had to try my hand at it! =) I used the pretty new set "Charming" from Stampin' Up! and did the cracked glass technique on just the punched accent of my card. For those of you unfamiliar with the cracked glass technique, you basically apply several layers of special embossing powder (Glossy Glaze enamel) and then you apply a cold pack to it or put it in the freezer. When it is very cold, you can quickly crack it and it has this neat effect of "cracked glass". You can go back over the cracks with ink to add to the antique look. Anyway, neat effect and fun to try! Here's a link to a tutorial on SplitCoast.

I like how this card turned out, but after I made it into a friend card I looked at it and wondered why I didn't make it a Christmas card. It looks more like that to me. Don't know! =)

We doing our Tropical Stamping Bunco tonight! I worked on the tag directions this morning and am looking forward to our evening with some of you!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day! =)

Holiday Gift Tags

From Adriel:

Now it may seem a little early (okay, a LOT early!!) to be thinking about holiday gift tags. You're right, it is. But we have to stay ahead of the game! We've got a holiday gift tag class in November (I think... or is it October?). We try to make our projects ahead of time so we know how many supplies to order and also for pictures and such. In addition, it's wise to make these projects ahead of time so that you can work out all the details and design, blah, blah, blah...With that being said, I worked on the project for our gift tag class. I've been eyeing the cute box with tags in the SU catalog. I found some directions that produce a box that is very similar. I had to tweak the acetate lid a bit, because it didn't fit properly, but I don't remember my changes at the moment. Perhaps I can share those a bit later. =)

All in all, it makes a cute little set. The multi-colored stamped images, however, are not going to be conducive for a class setting. I'm going to have to re-design the actual gift tags that go in this box. But at least I have the box pretty much figured out and the whole set made a cute picture. =)

For more details, read further... =D

You can check out the tutorial for the box and lid HERE at Valerie's blog. As I said, I made some changes to the lid. It was too tight, I thought. I just added a bit more give... easy enough. =)

I made the box out of SU Kraft CS and the acetate I made out of some transparency sheets (had some lying around) that you can buy at an office store. The lovely red ribbon is sadly (sniff, sniff) retired Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon from SU with vanilla trim. I'm sure we'll put it to good use for the holidays and miss it immensely when it's gone! =( All of the tags I made are from the SU Hostess set "Christmas Punch" that coordinate with the punches the sell. So cute and easy to create with! =)

Almost forgot to mention that the white "twine" I included with the gift tags is a fine crochet thread that you can find at a local craft store. I've wondered about that myself and read a response somewhere about it and bought some the other day. It does the trick and it's better than embroidery floss... too thick in my opinion. ;-)

Anyway, that's my sharing for the day. I hope you enjoy your Monday and the rest of your week. =)

Razzle Dazzle Misting

From Adriel:

A few weeks ago my mom tried a new technique with stamping called "Misting w/ Markers". We're going to be doing a class in October called "In the Mist" and so I played around with the technique and loved the results! I think this technique is my new favorite! =) The results remind me of watercolor or something and I love the effect. Here's a card I made using the Razzle Dazzle set and the Misting w/ Markers technique. It adds droplets to the image that make it look so unique. I used Crushed Curry Textured CS and just had fun with the bright, bold colors!

Anyway, this is one of the cards we will be creating with our students for this class. If you'd like to join us, you can register for the class through Breaktime HERE. The class is called "In the Mist". We're going to have a great time and I know that this technique will bring out "ooohs and aaahs"! =D

Kayla's Turn

From Adriel:

Of course, the Kayla girl has to have a turn sharing her Build-a-Bear card! =) Again, I can't move my pics... very annoying (wonder if it will ever work normally again?). Anyway, Kayla made this card as a "window card". She said she had been dreaming about making one. (I guess she's already a card-making addict!) I had to help her with the coluzzle and cutting out the square, but she did the rest. She dimensioned the white cardstock behind the frame. She even embossed the bear! I'm not kidding you, she's really into card-making! =D

We had a nice lunch today and I have to correct myself... the place was called "The Olive Mill" not "press", like I thought. We ate lunch outside... it was a bit too warm, but they had misters and we sat fairly close to those so it was alright outside. The food was different, but it was tasty and that is fun to try something new and have it be yummy. =) Forgot the camera, so no pics! Sorry!

My mom and I are just busy working away at our little business! Yesterday I created a couple cards for a class in November... I know that seems far away, but having it done ahead of time gives you time to keep creating and is also nice for ordering. Because we order most of our supplies through Stampin' Up!, we have to have our projects planned at least a couple of weeks ahead of time to allow for delivery of our supplies. We have a white board with the upcoming classes over the next few months listed, and it really helps to plan and create. My mom is a pretty organized person and I'm blessed to be working with her, because I'm not naturally organized. I really do appreciate organization and I just need to practice it more. =)

I guess the only other thing to add to this post is that we have been included in a fun treasury on Etsy called "Funky Fresh and Fun". Be sure to check it out by clicking HERE! =)

Have a wonderful Wednesday! =)

I've Been Creating!

From Adriel:

In the last post that I authored, I was expressing my feelings of missing being creative. Well, I've had some time this past week to do some creating and I've really enjoyed it! My mom and I have a fun event planned for our stamping friends next month that will include smoothies, gift tags and Bunco! All the details are going to be in September's newsletter, so look for that on our blog soon!

I've been working on an assortment of gift tags and have just been playing around with some ideas. The one above I made using the new set, Charming, that will be available to order on Sept. 1st out of the Mini Catalog. I really like this set and the mini medallion that I used on this tag. I have more tags to show you, but blogger is acting up again and won't let me move my pictures around. They all get stuck at the top! I'll have to save the others for another time. Anyway, happy Saturday to you and thanks for stopping by! =)

Enjoyable Class

From Adriel:

We had a great time stamping with our stamping friends this past Thursday at our afternoon and evening classes. The response to our celebrate summer cards was very positive and our ladies enjoyed getting creative and making those "yummy" cards! It was fun and I enjoyed seeing everyone, especially some of those whom I hadn't seen for a couple of months. =)

We'll be seeing a lot of our ladies again this coming Tuesday for our special Stamp-a-Technique class where we will be doing brayering. I haven't done all that much with brayering, so this was fun to try something new and create for. Here's the card I will be teaching.

I used a circle template and brayered ink over the card stock and then stamped with a couple of the stamps from Circle Circus, along with some sponging. I don't usually stick to such a limited color combo, but it really worked nice for this card and I like the results. =)

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a nice day. =)