Travels ...

There's a good reason I haven't been posting new projects recently ... I was spending time in Oaxaca, Mexico. So, until I get back to a bit of crafting, here are some pics from the trip.

Halloween Candy Wrapper Treat!

I'm a big Halloween fan so I was excited about these candy wrapper treats from Stephanie Leider at the Luv2Stamp group meeting earlier this month. I modified mine a bit more with the Spider Web embossing folder from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalog (embossing, webs & Halloween ... yeah!)

I'll be showing how to make these candy wrapper boxes & use the embossing folders at my Halloween class this month. Yeah, Halloween!

The Stamp Garage ...

Thought I'd share a shot of what the Stamp Garage looks like on one if its less-messy days ... I did a bit of cleaning and organizing before hosting a "Cars & Crafts" event for our FIAT Club and, happy to say, the space has stayed relatively tidy!

New Colors!

It's been awhile but I finally got some time in the Stamp Garage. The first project - cleaning up a bit so that I could find my supplies & play (yes, it has been awhile ... the place was a mess). Happy to report, things are slightly more organized now and I'm ready to start creating with all the great new Stampin' Up! colors that arrived this month. I can already tell Early Espresso is going to be a go-to color for me.

Project pictures will come later ... for now, a taste of the new colors ...

New Bold Brights Palette
(from bottom left corner: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Real Red)

The In Color Palette
Twill Ribbon shown but also available in card stock, ink & markers to match, too!
(from top to bottom: Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush)

Collection of the New Ribbons

Now to start using all the new goodies!

Flowers for Mother's Day ...

I've been wanting to make some fabric flowers for awhile and Mother's Day seemed like the perfect opportunity. One minute it's a bag decoration, the next it's a clothing accessory!

I'll be teaching how to make these flowers in my May craft class. What a great way to use up fabric scraps!

Quick Alien Birthday Card ...

Quick card ... quick post. I made this lil' note card to go with the belated birthday gift I sent to our nephew in Hawaii.

Stamp Set: Greetings, Earthling (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Versamark
Technique: Heat Embossing (black detail embossing powder) and good ol' fashioned coloring (colored pencils & pens)

Beyond Heart Boxes for Valentine's Day

Who says Valentine's day has to be all about hearts and flowers? I decided to play with some of my Big Shot dies over the weekend and created 3 different treat boxes that will happily hold candy treats for Valentine's Day or tote a lil' something for a friend "Just Because"

• The top 'bag' uses 'Fancy Favor' die. (Stampin' Up! exclusive)
• The box on the right uses the 'Box #2' die. 
• The milk carton on the left uses the new 'Mini Milk Carton' die from the new Occasions Mini Catalog. (Stampin' Up! exclusive)

All the boxes use designer paper from SU's  'Shades of Spring' (also from the Occasions Mini)

I'm thinking the box might be perfect for holding a lil' treat for Mardi Gras ... hmmm.

Clear Mounted Stamps: Mounting Tips!

Well, I didn't do too well with my goal of more frequent posting. Here were are in February already. So, catching up on a few things: the new Occasions Mini Catalog has arrived and Sale-A-Bration is here ... meaning, free stuff! What's also exciting is that Stampin' Up! is now carrying clear-mounted stamps. The wood-mounted stamps are still available ... just means we now have a choice.

I bought a couple sets to try out the clear-mounted stamps and the first thing that impressed me was the packaging. The stamps come in a slim case (much like a DVD case) and images of the stamps are printed on the spine. If you're looking at a way to save space, clear-mounted stamps are the way to go!

 

  

The clear-mounted stamps are made from the same rubber with foam backing that is used in the wood-mounted stamps. What's different is how you mount the stamps. Instead of permanently mounting the rubber images on wood blocks, the images cling to acrylic blocks. One set of acrylic blocks is all that's needed no matter how many clear-mounted stamps you have.

Here are steps to mount your clear-mounted stamps:

Step 1. Pop the rubber stamp images from the sheet of die-cut rubber.

Step 2. Peel the white paper backing from the back side of the rubber image. This exposes the gray foam that clings to the acrylic mounting blocks.

Step 3. To mount your indexing images, first peel back the opaque white paper from the front of the indexing image sheet.

Unlike wood-mounted stamps, the indexing images (pictures that show you what you'll be stamping) are mounted on the foam -- not on the mounting block. 

Step 4. Place the clear side face down, exposing the semi-transparent paper on the back of the indexing sheet. Starting from the split in the paper behind the image (there's a slit in the middle of each image backing), carefully peel the backing paper away to expose the sticky side of the indexing image.

Keep the image in place. Do not remove it entirely from the sheet.

Tip: Use the tip of paper-snips (scissors) or a needle to hold the image in place if it wants to pull away. This is much easier than using your finger which will stick to the image.

Step 5. Place your rubber stamp image, grey foam side down, onto the sticky back of the indexing image. Try to align the rubber stamp into the shape exposed when you peeled the semi-transparent white backing away. Press to adhere the indexing sheet to the foam backing of the rubber stamp.

Step 6. Pull the rubber image away from the indexing sheet. Turn it over and you'll see the indexing image mounted onto the foam!

 

To use your new clear-mounted stamp, simply press it for a few seconds to an acrylic mounting block. Great thing is, the stamps also cling to the inside of their storage case making it easy to see what's inside!

And, as someone who's always crunched for space, it's exciting to see how many clear-mounted stamps fit into such a small space!

Hope the mounting steps helped you get started with clear-mounted stamps. Have fun!