Stacey Stamps

Christmas Box

I want to feature some of my favorite projects that I have offered in classes over the years. I hope this inspires you as you are looking for projects to make for Christmas this year. My first featured item is my acetate box using the Punch Pals set to decorate it.

This is made using Real Red and whisper white cardstock, write-on transparency, wide Real Red gross grain ribbon, white craft ink, real red and glorious green ink, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, dimensionals, aquapainter or markers to color, and sticky strip. I even stamped on the ribbon with white craft ink.

I made over 2 dozen of these last year and also had a very successful Christmas class featuring this project. I do suggest using "lighter" candy than Hershey's kisses. This looks really great with peppermints inside the box.

Look closesly at the medallion picture. This is all using the Punch Pals set and layering using different inks and punches. This is a great technique to use with any stamp set.

Pattern for this project is available on this post.

 

Mr. Twigster Christmas Card

One of the sets debuting in the Holiday Mini Catalog is Mr. Twigster (111772 $13.95). It's a nice little set with a snowman, accessories and a Christmas tree. I only used the tree on this card. Items in the mini catalog will be available from October 1, 2008 - January 18, 2009.

I was inspired by a card posted by Anne-Marie Bouthillette (ambouth) in her Splitcoast gallery. This card uses a few easy techniques. The first technique uses strips of cardstock to make your own striped paper.) I used glue stick to adhere the cardstock to the very vanilla base.) I also used markers to color the tree. Since Stampin' Up! doesn't have Baja Breeze marker, I used a blender pen and an ink pad to make my own.

Stamp Sets: Mr. Twigster and Doddle Jumbo Wheel
Ink Pads: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
Markers: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: 5/8" wide old olive gross grain ribbon, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, glue stick, snail adhesive, corner rounder (bottom corners of base)

I am a big fan of Stampin' Up markers. They have a brush and fine tip in exclusive SU colors. For more information about Stampin Up markers click here.

Wow Flower Swap Cards

The new Wow Flowers stamp set  reminds me of the 70's. I love the flower - it's "groovy." You can get alot of looks with this stamp set.

This card is made by Brenda Keenan. You can see more of her creations here. She said that she cased it from Mary who is "DramaQueen" at splitcoaststampers.com.

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Turquoise Gross Grain Ribbon, dimensionals, scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8 circle punches, Paper Piercing Tool

Here is a card that I got in a Splitcoast swap at Convention called 10 minutes to terrific. All cards needed to be completed in under 10 minutes. It is made by Jen Holtschlag (who is Jewelchicdesigns at Splitcoaststampers.com)

Stamps: Wow Flowers, Seasonal Icons
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Pastels, Ice Rhinestone brads, scallop punch, turquoise gross grain ribbon, 5/8" chocolate chip gross grain ribbon, 1" & 1 1/4" & 1 3/8"circle punches 

Here is a card that I received from Glenda Travelstead.

Stamps: Wow Flowers
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" circle punches, silver brad, paper crimper

The next card I received from Tammy Neperud from Grafton, Wisconsin.

Stamps: Wow Flowers, Heard From the Heart
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White & all new 6 in colors
Ink: Whisper White craft, basic black
Accessories: 1" circle punch, paper piercer, old olive brad

Have you been enjoying my swaps from Convention?

More Swap Favorites - Flower Cards

I received this card from French Canadian demonstrator Sonia Poliquin. She has used the Garden Whimsy set to make this gorgeous flower. She also used circle punches to make the bee. Isn't this just stunning! She also used the gel pen and markers to make a dotted border all around the card.

Stamps: Garden Whimsy
Inks: White craft, Summer Sun
Markers: Black
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Real Red, Basic Black
Vellum
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Mat Pack, Small and Large Oval Punch, 3/4" & 1" circle punches, stylus (to draw veins on the vellum)

Here is a great flower card made by demonstrator Sara Magnafichi. She is from Des Plaines, Illinois. It's amazing how by cutting out an image and layering it makes it look so full.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Fabulous Flowers, Fundamental Phrases
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Rose Red, Basic Black
Cardstock: Rose Red, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8" gross grain ribbon, dazzling diamonds glitter, 2 way glue pen,

Birthday Cards

This is day 2 of sharing great samples I got at Convention.

Here is a card I got at the Splitcoaststampers dinner swap. What a great birthday card it is. Great to give to a male or female, young or old. It was made by Kathleen Hopperstad. You can see more of her artwork on her blog here.

Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Polka Dot Background
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Tango Tangerine, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Tango Tangerine, Black, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Boho Blossom Punch, silver brads, black gingham ribbon, key tag punch, dimensionals, scissors.

Here is another great birthday card that I received. This one is from Marge Evens. It is a great quick card. You could make up a dozen of these just to have on hand. Again a great card for a girl or boy. Just stamp the candles in the background on white paper. Stamps the candles in white on black paper and then layer them on top. Adding the black candles really makes this card.

Stamps: Big Birthday Candle
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, So Saffron
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White craft, Only Orange
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Black Gingham, dimensionals

Check back tomorrow for some more great swaps!

Dream de Jour

I received many great swaps while I was at the annual Stampin Up convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. My swaps will all be on display during my Open House on Sunday, September 14th  but I want to share with some of my online friends - so this week I will be sharing some of my favorites here.

This first card was made by Karen Barber. To see more of her artwork visit her blog here. 

Stamps: Dream de Jour and Posy
Inks: Black Craft, Baja Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun
Cardstock: Black, Baja Blue, Kraft
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, scallop punch, 1/8" handheld hole punch, Blender pen, Prettie Kit, White Gel Pen, Black Gingham Ribbon

The next card was made by Colorado demonstrator Sharon Madsen. It features the grid technique using your scoring blade. She also cut out the square image and went around the leaf. It's stunning how that little bit of leaf adds to this card.

Stamps: Dreams de Jour, Serene Spring
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Shimmery White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze (reinker), Kiwi Kiss (reinker)
Accessories: Blender Pens (to make markers with reinkers),Chocolate chip taffeta ribbon, glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, gold brads, Paper piercer, mat pack, scallop edge punch, dimensionals, Fiskers scorer, scissors.

The last card was made by my upline Judi Carpenter. She gave it to me this week. This card features the Big Shots Top Note die. I think this is one of the most versatile dies and certainly made my must buy list!

Stamps: Dream De Jour
Wheel: Bella's Border
Cardstock: Black, Kiwi Kiss, Ruby Red
Ink: Old Olive, Basic Black
Marker: Old Olive, Ruby Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Old Olive Brads, Black Gross Grain Ribbon 

I think you can see how versatile this stamp set is.

Check back tomorrow for some more favorites!

Party Hearty Swap Cards

Salt Lake City is full of Stampin Up demonstrators and they are all madly swapping cards. Here are some swap cards made by some of my demo friends from the Chicago area. They both used the new stamp set Party Hearty.

This card was made by Lynne Miller. It has 3 layers on it. I have also shown it to you open. She used her circle punch to pop out the middle of the "B" so that the giraffe could pop through. What an adorable children's birthday card.

The next card was made by Wanda Johnson. Check out her blog to see some of her other creations. She also used the new Party Hearty stamp set which will be available in the new catalog debuting August 11th. She also used some of the new in colors and glitter. This stamp set makes great birthday cards for people of all ages.

Luggage Tag - Stampin Up Style

One of the items they tell us to bring to Convention are tags to put on our new Convention bags. Imagine 5,000 people all carrying the same bag. Biffsbee on Splitcoast made an adorable tag for her Convention bag so I decided to make some for myself and my room mates. These use the new Bella Rose Designer Series Paper and Pink Pirouette cardstock (which I ran through my printer). I put our names on one side and our cell phone numbers on the other side just in case they should get lost. I loved it so much, I made a set for my carryon and laptop case.

Now you can make one too. Just cut your paper 3 1/4" x 2 1/4" and then decorate both sides. I used these self-sealing laminating pouches. You decorate and then seal them. They come with a plastic cord to connect your tags to your bag. Quick and great looking. I found mine at Target but you can get some at any office suply store. They come in a package of 5.

Imagine making luggage tags for every traveler on your Christmas list!

3 D Flower Card

Here is another card that I am making for a WOW card swap for Convention. I wanted my flowers to really pop from this card so I made them 3 dimensional.

I used the large flower from Doodle This stamp set stamped on white with the new blue - Pacific Point. It is cut out and the petals were rolled under (using a pencil). They were then attached to the back of the flower and attached with glue dots. The center is a 1/2' circle punched from the new Bella Rose Designer Series Paper. The flowers are on dimensionals and attached to Bella Rose paper layered on top of Kiwi Kiss cardstock edged with the new scallop edge punch. The back layer is stamped with Pacific Point ink with a doodle stamp from the Doodle This stamp set. Wide old olive gross grain ribbon is used to decorate the card.

Here are the flowers from the side. They make a nice 3 dimensional element and they can be mailed.

Acetate Double Matchbook Card

Convention WOW Card Swap

Here is one of my swaps for a WOW card swap hosted on Splitcoast. I did not create this card style. This is really 2 cards. The outside card is an acetate matchbook style card. Inside that is a cardstock card that opens in the opposite direction.

I used the new Bella Rose Papers, Red Riding Hood, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White Cardstock and Red Riding Hood ink. The stamp "Thank You" is from the new Fresh Cut stamp set debuting in the new Idea Book on August 11th. I also used the new scallop punch, ruby red brads, and old olive wide gross grain ribbon. The acetate is a write on transparency sheet.

The ribbon and "thank you" are on the outside of the acetate. The Bella Rose papers and scalloped pink are on the second layer which is made from Red Riding Hood cardstock. The red riding hood cardstock is scored 1/2 inch in from the left. (This makes it easier to open.) On the inside I placed a sheet of whisper white cardstock so it would be easier to write a thank you note.

Convention Swap - Big Flowers

Here is another swap card for Convention. It is a case from mudflapmamma's gallery over at Splitcoast except that she used the new set Wow Flowers. I don't have that set but I do have Big Flowers so I decided to give it a try.

You can do the same thing. If you find a card that you love, but you do not have the stamp set, look for one in a similar size. many times you can change the set just based on the image size.

The flower images are stamped randomly on Kiwi squares which are then layered on vanilla cardstock. The sentiment is stamped on the bottom in Kiwi and then a chocolate chip wide gross grain ribbon is tied around the cardstock before it is adhered to the chocolate chip cardstock.

Stamp sets: Big Flowers, Hugs & Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss (new in-color), Chocolate chip
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip

It makes a simple, elegant card.

Halloween Cards - Swaps for Convention

I love Halloween cards. I don't know why. I only have a few people to send them but I do love making them. I can't justify buying a stamp set just for Halloween so I am always on the look out for something I already have that will make a Halloween card.

Last year at Convention, I really enjoyed receiving Halloween and Christmas swaps so I thought I would make up some Halloween cards to swap. These cards use no stamp sets. They just use paper.

Paper used: Green Galore, Orchid opulence, Only Orange, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink Used: (to sponge edges) Green Galore, Orchid Opulence

Punches used: small oval, 1/2" circle, 1/4" circle, 1/4" square, 1 3/8" circle (to make half smile)

Black Marker and scissors

Now you can also use these designs to cover candy bars. These are regular size candy bars which go on sale around me in a 6 pack for under $2. You could hand these out to trick or Treaters. Sadly last year no one came to my house. So if you live around Decatur, Illinois consider Trick or Treating in my neighborhood!

Now if you are going to Convention, would you swap with me?

Viola - Stamp Camp Swaps

Some of my friends call me crazy to do so many swaps. But one of the reasons that I do so many is because I receive some of the greatest stuff in return. So I decided to share with you two great stamp camp swaps that I received as part of the Splitcoast sponsored stamp camp swap (Session 2). Both use the Viola set. And if any of you rushed out and also bought the "From the Kitchen " set after I shared my cookbook, you'll also have another project to use with it.

The first great swap is from my roomie Beckie Cox (waving at you). She made this great chipboard piece. It would be great for you to hang up in your kitchen. She took chipboard and painted it with chalkboard paint. Then she stamped the chef from Viola a few times on different colors of cardstock and then layered them. She adhered them to the painted chipboard. She then stamped "Bon Apetit" in white craft and embossed it on the board. She used a piece from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit and some red gingham ribbon as a hanger. You can see why everyone loved getting this swap.

Another stamp camp swap that featured the Viola set was from Laura Leunberger. She used this set to make a recipe CD case. Here is a picture of it shut. If you open this up, your recipes sit inside the CD case.

On the back of the case she had the following poem typed up on white cardstock:

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump
May your potatoes and gravy nary a lump
May your yams be delicious
May your pies take the prize
May your holiday dinners stay off both thighs.

Now before you ask - You can not just use CD cases you buy at Walmart! You must buy CD cases that open up 3/4 of the way. Then they sit nicely on your counter. And then they must close all of the way. You can buy them at www.calendar-case.com. They are called CD calendar cases. (You can also make great calendars with them!)

If you own "From the Kitchen of" stamp set, you could decorate the recipe cards inside the case. Laura ran these recipe cards off of her computer in Microsoft Word.

Tomorrow, I'll start sharing some of my swap cards for Convention.