Today, we are creating a belly band!!! Using the So Detailed Thinlits, you can make a belly band or just a focal point on the front of your card! You may remember me showing off this card here which is just the focal point! Today, I’m showing you the belly band!
You can see how both of these cards look fairly similar. The card on the left is the one I posted before with the band across the front only. The card on the right has the belly band sitting on top. It will slide over the card securing it closed. The recipient would slide off the belly band and open the card.
I started with a Soft Sky card base and added a piece of Falling In Love Designer Series Paper to the front! Using the flowers from the So In Love Stamp Set, I stamped a few onto the designer paper all over the card front. I used Soft Sky Ink. I did more little flowers on this card since the focal point will be slid off when the open the card. Next, I die cut the little belly band in Very Vanilla with the So Detailed Thinlit Dies. I, also, cut a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock measuring 1-3/8″ x 4-1/4″. Using my score blade on the Stampin’ Trimmer, I scored the tabs on the die cut piece to make it easier to fold them back. You can always use a ruler and Bone Folder or just bend them back. Next, I added Tear & Tape to the tabs and placed it on the rectangle vanilla piece. A few tips is that you want to make sure your belly band fits your card. One way to make sure is to adhere it together while it is on the card or just make sure there is extra room on both sides.
If you would like to see this all in action, check out my Video Tutorial below or click here! Don’t forget to give it a thumbs up if you liked it and be sure to subscribe if you are new. I post a new video every Tuesday and Thursday!
Tis the season of Graduation and for many they are doing the Graduation Polka…..Dots!!! Teeeheehee! I know when I graduated….10 years ago!….I was doing all the dances. You couldn’t pay me to go back to school so graduation was a big celebration!!! As it should be!
This card is perfect to have on hand for any occasion even Graduation!!! I have done this card in boy colors like this and in girly colors like this sample! Not let’s get started on this fun debossed card!
I started with a Pacific Point card base. Then I took a piece of Whisper White (3-3/4″ x 5″) and ran it through the Big Shot with the Celebrations Duo Embossing Folder in the middle. I have found that stamping over the top of the de-bossed image turns out the best when you stamp on top of the Stampin’ Pierce Mat. This mat has some give for the cardstock to press into rather than a hard surface like the table. I used the Happy Celebrations Stamp Set to stamp the polka dots all over and make the greeting pop! I went with Pacific Point Ink and Cucumber Crush Ink. I stamped the dots all over the cardstock, some in full strength and some as the stamped off shade of ink.
For this card, I highly recommend going back to the ink pad each time and if you want the lighter shade, then stamp off onto a scrap piece of paper rather than on the card. The reason for this is because if you fall half off the cardstock, it makes the second stamp image have a line on it. Also, if you stamp over the celebrate greeting, the second stamp will have the letters in a darker ink so to avoid this, just go to the ink pad each time! 🙂 My favorite part of stamping with photopolymer, is that you can see the ink and paper touch! It’s so cool! Be sure to stamp the dots with firm even pressure so that your ink hit the cardstock around each piece!
Now that the focal point is complete, I wrapped some Silver Metallic Thread around it and secured the ends to the back with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Since it is a Man Card, I didn’t want to go all out with ribbons and bows but a little thread is perfect! I added more Stampin’ Dimensionals all over to raise this layer up from the Cucumber Crush layer (4″ x 5-1/4″). Finally, I added this piece to the card base! Perfect!
I love Graduations but they always make me cry. Just that amazing accomplishment and moving on to the next step in life is so fabulous and makes me emotional! It’s still crazy to think I graduated 10 years ago! How many years since your last graduation? Let me know in the comments below!!!
Happy Tuesday!!! Today’s technique is this amazing Pop & Twist Card. It’s one of those super WOW cards that you won’t really make tons of them but making at least one is super fun!!! Don’t worry, I did a video tutorial too to help out!
Okay, so the front looks pretty simple but that’s because the inside is the major WOW for this card!!! I got the idea for this card from LeeAnn Greff and made a few changes with the way I created it! Thank you, LeeAnn! Now let’s get started on this beauty!
Now for the inside…here’s the tricky part! 🙂 Don’t worry! I will walk you through it all. I found it best to create a template using normal printer paper because then you can practice without wasting cardstock. It was easier to create some of the folds with the printer paper and use them as a guide on cardstock as well. So with the printer paper (or your actual cardstock for the card), I made the following score lines:
Along the 11″ side: Score at 4-1/4″, 5-1/2″, and 6-3/4″
Along the 8-1/2″: Score at 2-1/4″, 4-1/4″, and 6-1/4″
Next, these scores create rectangles in each corner of the cardstock so I cut those off. I was left with a sort of cross looking template that was wide going up and down and little going side to side. I folded on the score lines but not each of them, just in half going both ways! The next 2 folds are the tricky ones because you will be folding diagonally. This fold is not corner to corner, it is actually line to line. With the thick/wide piece at the bottom/closest to you, fold the right hand (small piece) diagonally down. Go down to where the middle score line of the small piece lines up with the middle score line of the wide piece. This will create a diagonal line with the center, in the middle of your folded cross lines from scoring above. You will notice that the diagonal line doesn’t go corner to corner but just past it. That is correct! Next I rotated it 90 degree and folded diagonally again, creating an X. All red lines in the photo below are the lines I folded on.
Now I used this template for all of my card inserts. I just found it much easier to place on the top of the cardstock, score diagonally and fold than it was to try to get the cardstock to fold correctly the first time without the template. To finish the insert, I popped in the sides (small pieces). Mountain on that middle score line and valley on the sides. This will create a house look to the cardstock. Next, place it in your Stampin’ Trimmer with the point of the house at 5-1/4″ and trim off the extra. It should be about a 1/4″. This is so it fits into your card base perfectly and helps even things out on your little house.
Using Fast Fuse or Tear And Tape (a strong adhesive), outline one side of the house! I placed it inside the card, centered and sticky side up and then pressed the top closed to adhere it. Flip it over and repeat! Don’t try to place the sticky part on the card without closing it because then it might not close correctly. It could be off set a bit and you will want it to close and lay smooth. Now I can add my decoration pieces to either side. I used a piece of Party Animal Designer Paper (3″ square) to the left side and Whisper White (3″ square) to the right side so I could write my message.
Next up is the amazing pop out piece! I cut a piece of Crushed Curry measuring 2-3/4″ x 11″ and scored at 2-3/4″, 5-1/2″, and 8-1/4″. This creates four 2-3/4″ squares. I placed pieces from the Party Animal Designer Series Paper onto each square. Just be sure that all of your patterns go in the same direction, up and down. To add this, I like to use Tear & Tape because you can place it down and then reveal the sticky later! I placed a small piece in the upper left corner and lower right corner of the small pieces sticking out the sides (see template above). This is because the insert (Crushed Curry piece) will adhere to the top of one panel and the bottom of the other, making it twist sideways!
I placed the insert in there to make sure that my patterned pieces were going to twist right side up when I opened the card. Then I peeled off one of the pieces of tape and attached it. The piece will line up (on top of) the white or designer paper you placed down above. If it is centered on that and to the edge, you are golden. You don’t want the insert in too deep or our too far. Making sure the other adhesive side is on the opposite, reveal the sticky and press your card closed to adhere. Now it Pops & Twists! I found the first few times, you have to help it close up as it’s still a little stiff!
Of course to see this all in action, check out the Video Tutorial below or click here! Be sure to give it a thumbs up if you liked it and don’t forget to subscribe if you are new!
All of these items in the Party Animal Suite are retiring at the end of the month and many of them are on sale! Get them before they are gone by clicking here!
Memory keeping is super important because you can look back and everything is documented. It can be passed down for years as well! The pocket style is quick and simple! I have done all types of scrapbooking from small books to big books, digital and now pocket style. Here are my tips and ideas on the pocket style!
With all of the memory keeping I have done, I have loved how little supplies you need to create an amazing album! Of course you can always get all the goodies and have lots of options. Although that sometimes makes it overwhelming to have too many options! Just to get started, all you need is an Album, Pages, Journal Pens, and a Card Collection Kit of your choice! My favorites are always the all occasion/every day ones! I love bright colors too!
I honestly think that Project Life or Pocket Style Memory Keeping is the best way to go for someone who has never scrapbooked before. Project Life is cheaper, easier, and quicker. Now of course that can always be viewed differently by each person but being a scrapbooker, a digital scrapbooker, and a Project Life scrapbooker, that is what I would say.
Cheaper: Of course, you can always purchase tons of goodies but technically you could go as simple as the items above. You can always get a paper trimmer, adhesive, and go all out but you can also go simple too.
Easier: With Project Life, you can drop your photos in the pockets, journal on a card, and drop it in. I love that and how everything in the card collection coordinates. There is no need to pick your colors, papers, embellishments, and find ways to fill a large album page.
Quicker: It can be fairly quick to complete an entire album because of the few items you need and the ease of coordination.
Of course, you can always embellish, change up the colors, add layers, and go all out with Project Life as well! 🙂 It really is a fun way to keep your memories cherished forever. I hope this has given you some ideas and inspiration to start preserving your memories!!! You can see some of my other albums here, here, and here!
Happy Mother’s Day to Each and Every One of You! Yes, I mean you! I honestly think every women should celebrate Mother’s Day and I wish you the best day ever!
Happy Mother’s Day…
…to all of those who have given birth!
…to all of those who have step-children!
…those of you with fur babies!
…to all of those who are wishing and hoping for a baby!
…to all of those who have lost a baby!
…And most of all to those who act motherly to those around them!
Each and every one of you falls into one or more of these categories! This year Mother’s Day is going to be rather difficult for me because I fit into 3 categories – the last 3. The last couple of months have been rather an emotional roller coaster with finding out we were pregnant and then finding out we would lose our baby. The whole time I really struggled with the thought of Mother’s Day coming up. While I am a Mother to my baby in Heaven, not everyone knows that or understands that. I really wish I had my baby in my belly or in my arms but it’s just not the case with this one. So I am back in the wishing and hoping for a baby category! So while I have always believed we should all celebrate Mother’s day, I really do this year because you just never know what someone is going through!
I wish you all a wonderful day celebrating YOU! Thank you for being kind, caring, and motherly to those around you and those you encounter! It’s not easy being a Mother but it is very rewarding! May you have all the rewards today and every day!
Fresh Florals, Color Theory, Stamps, & Bling are just a few of the amazing things I got in my Pre-Order for the New Catalog!!! Here is a few sneak peaks!!!
Oh my goodness this is just a pile of heaven!!!! Here are a few of my favorites that I quickly picked out!
This designer series paper is just stunning! It has the same patterns as the current Floral Boutique and I LOVE IT! Note: there are distressed looks to the paper where some spots are lighter or splotchy and this is suppose to be like that! The Ribbons are perfect because they aren’t too wide and they are soft and flexible for tying knots and using on projects! Love love love!!!
This is another favorite of mine – The Color Theory Suite! I love these colors – Berry Burst, Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry, and Old Olive. The cool designer paper, fabulous ribbon (which I realized is Bermuda Bay and doesn’t coordinate like the others) and those glimmer enamel shapes. YUM! Glimmer Enamel Shapes…..like WOW!!!!
These are some of the stamp sets. Many of these come as a Bundle with coordinating Framelits or Punches! Now I need to find time to PLAY!!!
And then there are amazing accessories. Bling, Bows, and Punches are some of my absolute favorites! I’m super excited about that label punch since my favorite Decorative Label Punch is retiring. Now you have bows made already for you! How amazing is that?!?!?! I flipped over the second one so you could see that they already have adhesive on the back, just peel off the sticky. Love it!!!!
Can’t wait till June 1st? You can always join Stampin’ Up and get these products in your Starter Kit! You get to pick out $125 in any product you would like (retiring, current items, and sneak peak items) for just $99 and FREE SHIPPING! Click here for more information or reach out if you have any questions at all.
If you want to see the complete unboxing and reveal of my New Catalog Pre-Order Haul, check it out below or click here to watch and enter the drawing! Don’t forget to give it a thumbs up if you liked it and be sure to subscribe if you are new. You don’t want to miss out on the fabulous project I create with all of this!
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite item is!!!
I got a new piece of furniture for my Stamp Pad and now I have a new Big Shot station!!! I am loving it. The white seem to have really lightened up the room and I love that I can have both of my Big Shots available to use! I can do embossing on one and framelits on the other or 2 sets of framelits.
I moved out 3 pieces of furniture and replaced it with this one piece! It’s the perfect fit!
On the top, I have my 2 Big Shots as well as all of the Embossing Folders and Dies. It is so nice to have plenty of room to use the Big Shot without having to move it side to side to allow the placed to slide through. On the shelf below, I have the Simply Scored Tool and the Big Shot Plates! Did you notice the catalogs on that shelf too??? It’s the NEW Catalog!!!
In the cabinet below, I have all of the supplies that were in the old cabinets. One the left side, I have 12″ x 12″ containers holding Heat Embossing Tools, Re-Inkers, and miscellaneous tools. On the bottom is various creations and table clothes. My greeting card containers are on the right side as well as a container with my business cards, paper pads and Paper Pumpkin Stamp Sets. My trusty label maker has it’s own spot on the shelf as well! The Cameo Silhouette is on the bottom shelf. Everything fits perfectly!
Here is a before and after photo! I am loving my new buffet cabinet in my stamp room! You can see an entire room tour with the piece before here!
Let me know in the comments below what you favorite part of your stamp/craft room is!
Happy Tuesday!!! Today, I have a fabulous technique to share with you – Baby Bear Peek-A-Boo Glimmer greeting!!!
Isn’t he precious….or she?!?!?! That little teddy just looks so real with the 3 step stamping images. You can always do a blue card base and silver glimmer paper or even yellow for gender neutral! I just think this card has such a WOW factor to it!
I started with a Blushing Bride card base. Next I took a piece of Very Vanilla (4″ x 5-1/4″) and die cut the congrats greeting out of the top with the Sunshine Wishes Framelits! Now, before adhering it to the card front, I stamped little Baby Bear on there. Since this is a 3-step stamping technique, I stamped the solid image in Crumb Cake Ink (stamped off once). I stamped image #2 in Crumb Cake (full strength). Finally, the #3 image was stamped in full strength Tip Top Taupe Ink. A few tips for this 3-step stamping, be sure to ink it up well and press firmly all around the image since it is a larger image. When stamping, I always looked to line up that little rounded bum and the ears. If I had those 2 points lined up, I was golden. Another tip is that if you think you are right on top of the image and need to move down a bit, stay exactly where you are and it will be perfect. It’s when I think I need to go down a bit that I end up off a bit. You got this!
Now that Baby Bear is stamped, it is time to add this to the card front! I used a piece of Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper that was big enough to cover the greeting. This could vary depending on your greeting of choice. Next, I added adhesive to the back side of the glimmer and placed it behind the greeting (glimmer side up). Then I placed this piece onto my card front with the vanilla piece centered all around. Press over the greeting/glimmer paper so that the adhesive sticks. Now I know that my glimmer paper is in the correct spot. Then I took the vanilla piece off and added Stampin’ Dimensionals all around and placed it back over the glimmer paper. The dimensionals make it look a little more 3D and gives a little peek-a-boo glimmer look!
Of course, if you would like to see this all in action, check out my Video Tutorial below or click here! I did the one in the video as a Baby Boy card! Don’t forget to give it a thumbs up if you liked it and be sure to subscribe if you are new. I post a new video every Tuesday and Thursday!
Happy Stampin’
~Laura
Some of the items used for this card are retiring as well as a lot of others. You can check out the complete list here:
Today I’m sharing with you the card I made for Brad for our 6th Anniversary! I just love making cards for him that are super special! You can see some of the past ones I have made here, here, and here!
Okay so maybe this should have been a card for me since I’m the one who loves Monkeys but he loved it too!!! Brad got me that little Monkey Boo just last week to add to my collect. Her name is April, by the way! I decided that would be my inspiration for my card! 🙂
I started with a Whisper White card base and rounded all the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch for a soft look. Next I layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip (4″ x 5-1/4″) rounding the corners before adhering it on. I used the Layering Circles Framelits and Crumb Cake to create the face. At first, I overlapped all of them but thought it looked too bulky. To solve that, I laid the two circles for the eyes over top of each other and traced the portion of the circle overlapped. I could have cut it with scissors but since I wanted a smooth look, I slide it into a Circle Punch and lined it up. That worked perfectly. I added the two circles and overlapped the third one. Using the Early Espresso Marker, I created the adorable little nose and mouth.
For the eyes, I die cut the circles with the Layering Circles Framelits in Perfect Plum cardstock. I added some glitter with the Silver Dazzling Details. For the center of the eye, I used the 3/4″ Circle Punch to punch out Basic Black cardstock. Next, I added these to the eyes with a Stampin’ Dimensional. So that the eyes would look all glossy, I added lots of Fine Tip Glue Pen glue to the black centers. Once all of this was dry, I added the eyes to the card front. Now the little monkey has a face!!! For the ears and hands, I punched out Perfect Plum with the 1-1/4″ Circle Punch. I cut the circles in half and adhered them to the card front. For a little sparkle like April’s, I brushed over them with the Wink of Stella Pen. Isn’t it just the cutest?!?!?!
I love coming up with a new idea for cards for my husband! It usually involves lots of punches as I am not the best with free-handing it. Do you like to make special cards for those in your life? Let me know in the comments below!
When the retiring list comes out I’m always sad to see certain items go. Here is my Top 10 retiring items I’m sad to see go this year! I always take a deep breath and know that while I’m sad these are leaving, that just means there is more room for fabulous new products to come out. I hope you feel the same way!
Decorative Label Punch – So my husband was reading off the list and I was marking everything in the catalog. When he mentioned this one, I screamed and just about cried. I love love love this punch and use it so much. I think I will hold on to mine even though I normally get rid of everything that retires. This punch just means so much to me. You can see samples using it here, here, and here. I really could go on and on with samples.
Tin of Cards Stamp Set – I love this set because it has the perfect size greeting especially to fit into the Decorative Label Punch. It also has a greeting for almost every occasion. I loved the Tin of Cards as well! My set is almost black because I used it so much and the stamps are stained. You can see samples here and here!
Mint Macaron – I have really fallen in love with this color. It’s such a beautiful soft green and even looks a little blue sometimes. I’ll miss you Mint Macaron!
Elegant Butterfly Punch – Again, I am sad to see this one go. I just love butterflies. You can see some samples using this here, here, and here!
Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Sold Out) – Okay, so I feel like I have fallen off the embossing folder train a bit but I still like this one for backgrounds and Man Cards! I tend to use certain products a ton and then not as much. I feel like I have gone from Embossing Folders to Heat Embossing more.
Perpetual Birthday Calendar Stamp Set – This set is perfect for backgrounds and memory keeping. I have done lots of quick and simple cards using this set. I have also created a Birthday Calendar even after the kit was no longer available. See more samples here and here!
Oh So Succulent Stamp Set and Succulent Framelits – I love flowers and this set was so much fun! The little flowers were perfect for cards and home decor pieces. Succulents are so in right now. Check out all these amazing samples here,here, and here!
