New Year's Resolution: be better about posting! For now, this year's card creation and Merry Krimble!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Fröhliche Weihnachten & Holiday Cheers!
New Year's Resolution: be better about posting! For now, this year's card creation and Merry Krimble!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Bones & Boxes ...
Ever find yourself behind on getting a gift? In my case, it's usually I know what I want to get or to make but have just run out of time. That was the case here recently so, rather than just say "Oh, I owe you ..." I made a matchbox gift to include my IOU note.
For this matchbox, I used the same BigShot Matchbox die as before and wrapped the package with some vintage binding ribbon. Not only was it a fun way to pass a note, it also started getting me in the Halloween mood ...
I like using double-sided designer papers ... they automatically create a complimentary lining inside the box.
All wrapped up and ready to go ...
More view o' the paper design ...
Personalized with a gold zig-painty pen.
Not only are these boxes fun to make, they're quick, too. A thumbs up in my book!
For this matchbox, I used the same BigShot Matchbox die as before and wrapped the package with some vintage binding ribbon. Not only was it a fun way to pass a note, it also started getting me in the Halloween mood ...
I like using double-sided designer papers ... they automatically create a complimentary lining inside the box.
All wrapped up and ready to go ...
More view o' the paper design ...
Personalized with a gold zig-painty pen.
Not only are these boxes fun to make, they're quick, too. A thumbs up in my book!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Stamp Garage is Back!
Wahoo! The Stamp Garage is back to functional! It's not 'done' (what ever is) but the floor is 95% complete, the counters are resting neatly on leveled & bolted tool chests and some new cabinets and there's even a splash of orange paint.
Take a look for yourself ...
First, finishing work to get the tool chests, floor & counters in place.
Ta-da! Once again, a workable stamp garage!
It's time to get some arts & crafts goin' again and kick off some new classes.
Take a look for yourself ...
First, finishing work to get the tool chests, floor & counters in place.
Ta-da! Once again, a workable stamp garage!
It's time to get some arts & crafts goin' again and kick off some new classes.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Construction and Catalogs ...
Slow ... that's the progress on the studio.
The goal is to get the stamp garage "functional" again this weekend. I sure hope so! The new catalogs have arrived and I have things to make!
The goal is to get the stamp garage "functional" again this weekend. I sure hope so! The new catalogs have arrived and I have things to make!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Urban Oasis Matchbox
Earlier this month I gave a Stamp Party for my friend, Debbie, of KaiKaibEaN Photography to help her raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (she rode 100 miles around Lake Tahoe with Team in Training!) The party was loads of fun and it was great to do some stamping again. Of course, finding my supplies and a place to prep the projects was a bit of a challenge in my 'under construction' Stamp Garage ... but I did it! After shoving some things around and re-stacking some drawers, I managed to expose a wee bit of flat surface.
Once I created the projects for Debbie's party (a 3x3 mini book and a card to feature a photo), I decided to take advantage of the newly exposed flat surface and try out my new Matchbox die for the Big Shot. Love it! Here's the lil' gift box I created using Urban Oasis Designer Paper and In Color Baja Breeze card stock (both from the retiring list)
Step One ... lay out your designer paper and/or cardstock on the Matchbox Bigz XL die and turn the crank to run the die through the Big Shot. One step to get all the pieces you need to create your matchbox.
Step Two ... fold the box. The die creates all of the score lines for you so the box is easy to fold and no adhesive required!
Step Three ... create the outer sleeve of your box. Again, all the score lines are created by the die. I used one piece of sticky strip along the edge to create the box sleeve.
Step Four ... Wrap with a bit of ribbon. I used Baja Breeze double stitched ribbon (also from the retiring list) to create the 'belly band' around the box, again sealing with a small piece of sticky strip. A tip: If you're finishing off the box with a stamped topper (next step), tape the ribbon together on the top of the box. The topper will cover the ribbon edge and everything will look neat & tidy.
Step Five ... Prepare the box topper. I used the label pieces that were cut out using the same Matchbox die (box, sleeve and 3 labels - all in one die)and the coordinating Matchbox Messages stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. To make sure the stamped greeting lined up perfectly, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. I didn't photograph each step so will try to describe the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig steps ...
Placing the clear plastic square into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the plastic.
Then, I placed the plastic over the cut out label to see exactly where I wanted to stamp the cardstock. Without moving clear plastic, I place the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig firmly against the lower left corner of the plastic and then move the plastic away exposing the carstock label. Finally, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig again, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the exposed cardstock label. Voila! Perfectly aligned stamping.
Then, to create a bit of dimension, I used a couple Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the stamped label to another die-cut label.
Box Topper!
and ... The Finished Matchbox!
Mmm ... lil' gift boxes for all. Happy Crafting!
Once I created the projects for Debbie's party (a 3x3 mini book and a card to feature a photo), I decided to take advantage of the newly exposed flat surface and try out my new Matchbox die for the Big Shot. Love it! Here's the lil' gift box I created using Urban Oasis Designer Paper and In Color Baja Breeze card stock (both from the retiring list)
Step One ... lay out your designer paper and/or cardstock on the Matchbox Bigz XL die and turn the crank to run the die through the Big Shot. One step to get all the pieces you need to create your matchbox.
Step Two ... fold the box. The die creates all of the score lines for you so the box is easy to fold and no adhesive required!
Step Three ... create the outer sleeve of your box. Again, all the score lines are created by the die. I used one piece of sticky strip along the edge to create the box sleeve.
Step Four ... Wrap with a bit of ribbon. I used Baja Breeze double stitched ribbon (also from the retiring list) to create the 'belly band' around the box, again sealing with a small piece of sticky strip. A tip: If you're finishing off the box with a stamped topper (next step), tape the ribbon together on the top of the box. The topper will cover the ribbon edge and everything will look neat & tidy.
Step Five ... Prepare the box topper. I used the label pieces that were cut out using the same Matchbox die (box, sleeve and 3 labels - all in one die)and the coordinating Matchbox Messages stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. To make sure the stamped greeting lined up perfectly, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. I didn't photograph each step so will try to describe the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig steps ...
Placing the clear plastic square into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the plastic.
Then, I placed the plastic over the cut out label to see exactly where I wanted to stamp the cardstock. Without moving clear plastic, I place the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig firmly against the lower left corner of the plastic and then move the plastic away exposing the carstock label. Finally, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig again, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the exposed cardstock label. Voila! Perfectly aligned stamping.
Then, to create a bit of dimension, I used a couple Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the stamped label to another die-cut label.
Box Topper!
and ... The Finished Matchbox!
Mmm ... lil' gift boxes for all. Happy Crafting!
New Catalog Countdown!
I keep checking the UPS tracking site ... Boxes are scheduled to arrive tomorrow full of new In Color cardstock, stamps, accessories and my preview copy of the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (officially avail July 1) ... countdown! Plus, the boxes will include a few things I picked up from the list of SU! retiring goodies. (If you haven't seen the list of retiring stamps & accessories yet, be sure to check them out -- June 30 is the last day to get these items. You can get the lists of retiring stamps and vinyl wall decor elements on my promo page and I've posted the retiring accessories list.)
I'm hoping to get the Stamp Garage put back together enough that I can have a new catalog open house and show off the new goodies -- fingers crossed.
I'm hoping to get the Stamp Garage put back together enough that I can have a new catalog open house and show off the new goodies -- fingers crossed.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Crafting Under Construction ...
Hello! Well, ok, not much crafting actually - just lots of 'under construction.' It's been far too long since my last blog post so thought it was 'bout time for me to show everyone why I haven't been doing much stamping & crafting lately.
You see, back in February, my creating area looked like this:
But, in early March, we cleared the counters and shoved everything to the side in order to make way for a few improvements. Of course, shoving things around meant no more space to create.
This is what the entrance to the Stamp Garage looks like at the moment ... like I said, not much room for stamping.
The first delay was waiting for the flooring to arrive. Of course, it was on back-order. But, the cork flooring is now here and waiting to be installed.
I'll also be getting new counter tops. These were purchased on eBay (from a chem lab so they should hold up to stamping and such just fine). The plan is to refinish them.
We've mapped out the additional cabinets going into my work area (including space for a sink) ... but first: painting.
The painting is currently underway ... a splash of color under the cabinets.
Mmmm ... orange.
So that's what's been going on here. I'm hoping to return to stamping, crafting, and classes this summer ... as long as construction continues to progress!
You see, back in February, my creating area looked like this:
But, in early March, we cleared the counters and shoved everything to the side in order to make way for a few improvements. Of course, shoving things around meant no more space to create.
This is what the entrance to the Stamp Garage looks like at the moment ... like I said, not much room for stamping.
The first delay was waiting for the flooring to arrive. Of course, it was on back-order. But, the cork flooring is now here and waiting to be installed.
I'll also be getting new counter tops. These were purchased on eBay (from a chem lab so they should hold up to stamping and such just fine). The plan is to refinish them.
We've mapped out the additional cabinets going into my work area (including space for a sink) ... but first: painting.
The painting is currently underway ... a splash of color under the cabinets.
Mmmm ... orange.
So that's what's been going on here. I'm hoping to return to stamping, crafting, and classes this summer ... as long as construction continues to progress!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Coffee & Creativity ...
Happy 2009! Oh, sure, we're 6 weeks into the new year so I'm a bit behind with my New Year's Wishes - but Happy New Year all the same.
January was busy with getting back into the swing of work after the Holidays and wrapped up with the arrival of the new Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer 2009 Catalog. I was thrilled to see a new coffee-inspired stamp set!
So, of course, when it came time to make swap cards for next weekend's stamp gathering - I turned to the coffee set "Sip by Sip" and used this as an opportunity to also try out the new Stampin' Up! Texture Plates for the Big Shot.
I stamped the "3 cup" image multiple times in Basic Gray classic ink on Very Vanilla cardstock ... a bit of an assembly line approach. I colored the cups for the final cards but like the simple gray & vanilla look, too ... gives me ideas for future projects.
After coloring the cups with Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise markers, I punched out the cups using a 3/4" Circle Punch.
I added a lil' depth to the card by placing the punched cup images on the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. (You can see a bit of the texture in this shot, too.)
Ta-dah! A stack of cards ready for next week's card swap. The card fronts are mounted on Basic Gray and Cameo Coral cardstock. I rounded the corners using the small corner rounder punch.
Time to enjoy a cup!
Stamp Set: Sip by Sip
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Cameo Coral
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Stampin' Markers (Tempting Turquoise, Coral), Punches (3/4" Circle, Small Corner Rounder), Big Shot, Texture Plate (SU! Backgrounds 1), Stampin' Dimensionals
Happy February! Here's to finding some stamping time.
January was busy with getting back into the swing of work after the Holidays and wrapped up with the arrival of the new Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer 2009 Catalog. I was thrilled to see a new coffee-inspired stamp set!
So, of course, when it came time to make swap cards for next weekend's stamp gathering - I turned to the coffee set "Sip by Sip" and used this as an opportunity to also try out the new Stampin' Up! Texture Plates for the Big Shot.
I stamped the "3 cup" image multiple times in Basic Gray classic ink on Very Vanilla cardstock ... a bit of an assembly line approach. I colored the cups for the final cards but like the simple gray & vanilla look, too ... gives me ideas for future projects.
After coloring the cups with Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise markers, I punched out the cups using a 3/4" Circle Punch.
I added a lil' depth to the card by placing the punched cup images on the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. (You can see a bit of the texture in this shot, too.)
Ta-dah! A stack of cards ready for next week's card swap. The card fronts are mounted on Basic Gray and Cameo Coral cardstock. I rounded the corners using the small corner rounder punch.
Time to enjoy a cup!
Stamp Set: Sip by Sip
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Cameo Coral
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Stampin' Markers (Tempting Turquoise, Coral), Punches (3/4" Circle, Small Corner Rounder), Big Shot, Texture Plate (SU! Backgrounds 1), Stampin' Dimensionals
Happy February! Here's to finding some stamping time.
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