Oct 7 2016

Sack of Soybeans!!!

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Remember that time I said I could create just about anything with paper??? A friend of mine reached out to me asking to make a special card for her husband who has just about finalized everything to graduate with his Ph.D. in something with plants, soil, genetics…..something like that! 🙂 I had a few ideas in mind and some were better than others. Here is what we decided to go with!!!

I punched lots of circles in So Saffron with the 1/2″ Circle Punch. Then I punched out hearts from the Owl Builder Punch in Chocolate Chip. I cut the hearts in half and adhered them to the “soybeans” (aka So Saffron Circles) with the Fine Tip Glue Pen. Then I took the 1/16″ Handheld Punch and punched holes along the top of a piece of Whisper White cardstock. Using Crushed Curry Baker’s Twine, I sewed along the top to create the look of a bag of seed. I added a strip of Crushed Curry to the front of the seed bag as well. I added this to a piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamped the greeting and dots from the Perfectly Wrapped Stamp Set in Night of Navy Ink. I attached this to a Night of Navy card base!

For the inside, I used a greeting from the You’ve Got This Stamp Set and stamped it in Night of Navy Ink onto Whisper White (4″ x 5-1/4″). It was just perfect!!!

Here was one of my other samples……it is suppose to look like the edge of a field, looking down the row, with a soybean. I tried to make it look like a row by ripping the paper and brushing it with ink to darken it. I think the soybean is a bit to large. I created the grass with the Fringe Scissors. This one was a good idea but didn’t turn out like it was suppose to look in my head! 🙂

I love being able to create one-of-a-kind cards for those who mean so much to me! 🙂

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 6 2016

Swirly Scribble Pumpkins!!!

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Fall is in the air! The breeze is cool, the evenings are darker, and the leaves are falling! This means that it is time for PUMPKIN EVERYTHING…..including greeting cards! I was sooooo excited with myself when I first got the Swirly Scribbles Framelits and I die cut one out. I immediately saw a pumpkin in the swirl and thought how fabulous, I can’t wait to make pumpkin cards! Of course a few weeks later I saw that others had figured it out as well! Isn’t it beautiful?!?!?

I started with a Crumb Cake card base and layered on a piece of Whisper White measuring 4″ x 5-1/4″. I die cut the pumpkins in Pumpkin Pie cardstock with the Swirly Scribbles Framelits. I die cut 2 small ones and 1 large one. The leaves were die cut with the same set in Garden Green cardstock. Thank goodness for the Fine Tip Glue Pen for adhering the pumpkins to the card front! The second small swirly is in the middle of the large one. You could always leave the center of the pumpkin open. You can add as many leaves as you wish. The greeting was stamped from the Perfectly Wrapped Stamp Set in Crumb Cake Ink. I finished off the card with a little bit of Linen Thread wrapped around the card base. This is the perfect fall card for any fall parties, birthdays, and other events during the season.

You could also create other round fruit with the Swirly Scribbles Framelits like apples, cherries, or even tomatoes. If you would like to see all of this 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!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 5 2016

Masking with Circles!!!

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

I have had so much fun with masking lately. You can check out a few other samples here and here! This one is very similar to the others but I used circles as my mask! I love how the flowers look like they are peaking out! Just beautiful!!!

I started with a Watermelon Wonder card base. Then I took a piece of Whisper White (4″ x 5-1/4″) and placed it onto my stamping surface with a little dab of snail on the back to hold it in place. For the mask, I took a piece of scrap printer paper (you need the scrap paper to be thin) and punched holes out of it with the various punches. I used the 2″ Circle Punch, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, and 1-1/2″ Circle Punch. I punched a few of the circles on the edge of the paper! Now you can place the mask over your Whisper White cardstock and be sure to tape it down so that it doesn’t move while stamping and coloring. I stamped the flowers from the Love & Affection Stamp Set in Basic Black Archival Ink. I used this ink because I didn’t want the color to bleed when I started coloring. The smallest flower I stamped in Elegant Eggplant since it is solid. Be sure to stamp the images in the middle and onto the mask so it looks like the image is hiding. Leave the mask on while you color in the flower….it is easier that way. I did it with the mask on and after taking the mask off. You are welcome! Always here to help you with the easier way! I used the Peekaboo Peach Marker, Emerald Envy Marker, and Watermelon Wonder Marker for the flowers and leaves. Once they are all colored in, you can remove the mask. I stamped the greeting from the same stamp set in the corner. I thought there was an open spot in the upper left corner so I added a strip of Watermelon Wonder Mini Striped Ribbon there. I wrapped the ribbon to the back side and added a few Stampin’ Dimensionals to hold it in place. I continued to added more dimensionals to the back and placed it on the card base. It is as simple as that.

You could even do the reverse mask and place circles on your cardstock and stamp or ink all over and then pull off the mask to reveal circles to use for the greeting or another image! There are so many fun ways to mask your card!!! Let me know what you favorite one is in the comments below!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 4 2016

Technique Tuesday – Fall Sunrise!!!

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! Today I’m going to brighten it with a fabulous sunrise! Check out this beautiful card!!!

This card gives me all the feels – cool crisp air, dew on the grass, beautiful leaves in every color, cuddling up in a hoodie, and pumpkin pie everything!!! 🙂 Hopefully you too! Let’s get started!

I started with a Crumb Cake card base and layered on a piece of Cajun Craze (5-1/2″ x 2″). The Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper has the perfect fall colors and patterns for any project! I layered a piece of that over the Cajun Craze. It measures 5-1/4″ x 1-3/4″). I stamped the greeting from the Garden in Bloom Stamp Set in the upper left corner in Chocolate Chip Ink. Now it is time to work on the focal point. I took a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock (2-1/4″ x 3″) and started by stamping the grass along the bottom. I used the Totally Trees Stamp Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog. The long snake like image was inked in Garden Green, stamped off once and stamped on the bottom of the vanilla cardstock. I did it three times. Then I took the small circle and the sun rays and stamped them in Crushed Curry. Make sure to place a little piece of paper along the green grass to mask the bottom of the circle so it doesn’t stamp onto the grass and instead look like it’s coming up over the horizon. For the tree, I stamped it in Chocolate Chip Ink. Then I took the leaves and stamped them once in Crushed Curry and then again a little off set in Cajun Craze. You could also ink up the leaves in Crushed Curry and then use a Sponge Dauber to add a little Cajun Craze in a few spots. This gives that beautiful array of fall colors to the leaves! I layered this piece onto Garden Green cardstock (2-1/2″ x 3-1/4″) and added it to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Isn’t it stunning for all of your fall occasions!?!?!

If you would like 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! The Totally Trees Stamp Set is lots of fun for all seasons and occasions but also you can use the images to create fun backgrounds!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 3 2016

Something Good To Eat!!!

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

The September Paper Pumpkin arrived and I was excited as always because I love seeing that orange box in the mailbox and the suspense of what is inside!!! You can see my excitement and all of the goodies inside here! All the goodies are in the photo above. I LOVE the test tubes. They are super cute and different than your typical treat bag or box. I was pumped!

Then I realized that none of the candy in the big bag that I bought for trick-or-treaters will fit into the test tube. Bummer. When giving treats to others, I try to always use prepackaged treats so this wasn’t going to work. I already had an idea for my Halloween treat so I decided to save these test tubes for Valentine’s Day (red hots, M&Ms, or Tic Tacs) or another project I have in mind (stay tuned). 😉 I stamped all of the witch’s pot and and scary cats in Pumpkin Pie Ink and used them for my Halloween Treats I planned on creating. Perfect!!! I was just using a “For You” tag!

My favorite thing from this whole set after the test tubes was the stamp set – a SUNFLOWER!!!! It is a 2 step stamping sunflower so you can get that yellow petal/brown center. I used the banners and the sunflower tags and stamped all over to create 8 greeting cards!!!

The pumpkin stamp was super fun to do as well….once I figured it out! I think this is right…..stamp the solid pumpkin image with the splits on the top. Then stamp the outline/lines on the bottom side and the stem on the top! I used Pumpkin Pie Ink and Garden Green Ink. These cards are perfect for the Fall. I plan on using them for my Thank You Notes to customers for their orders and just general thinking of you cards this Fall!

Here are all of the tags (minus the sunflower) that came in the kit. With so many, I was able to create tons of cards and treat bags. I am saving the gold border and black border tags for the test tube project or another project! I’m so excited I got 14 cards, tags for my treat bags and still lots of leftovers for another project! I love Paper Pumpkin even if I don’t make the intended project! Here are a lot more ways to use the tubes – check out this video! I think a Pumpkin Spice Mix would be fabulous! After all everyone seems to love pumpkin spice!

Don’t forget that you can get signed up for the October Paper Pumpkin Kit before the 10th using the Promo Code: BOGO and you will get your November Kit for FREE!!!! Click here to get signed up!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 1 2016

World Card Making Day Special!!!

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Today is World Card Making Day so let’s celebrate with fabulous items on sale!!!! These items are only one sale from October 1st through October 5th!

All the perfect tools to create those amazing cards that brighten up the lives of those you send them to! I am SUPER PUMPED about the Tin of Card Project Kit because I have been eyeing that kit since it first came out in the Annual Catalog! I love the little tin and I can put it together with my mint and white striped tin from last year. Also, I loved the cards in the last tin of cards set so I’m sure I’ll love this one as well. It makes a perfect gift as well and the holidays are coming up. Get it on sale, make the cards, and have the perfect gift on hand.

Have you tried out Fast Fuse yet??? It is very similar to Snail Adhesive but it has a much stronger hold. It is perfect for creating boxes or other 3D items. Just be sure to flick your wrist to break the seal of the adhesive so it doesn’t pull and become stringy. Now is a great time to stock up with this amazing special!!!

Click here to start shopping for World Card Making Day! Don’t forget about the other October Designer Series Paper Special going on this month as well – Buy 3, Get 1 Free!!! Use the Hostess Code: 9YTF7R69 when you place your order and you will get a special gift from me!!!! I have lots of fabulous goodies (Designer Paper, Ribbons, Glitter, Stampin’ Up! reusable shopping bags, and more) that I can’t wait to share with all of you!!! I think that’s the perfect way to celebrate World Card Making Day! You will also earn points as Laura’s Loyal Stampers!!!

Happy Shoppin’!!!!

~Laura

Sep 30 2016

Loving Ronald McDonald House!!!

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Ronald McDonald House is a house located near a hospital for those with loved ones in the hospital to stay during their time there. The house is like any other house! It has a kitchen, bedrooms, laundry rooms, and so much more. These houses are the perfect support that the families need during this difficult time they are going through. I have had the opportunity to help out at the house near me a few times with preparing meals and donating items. The little blue house sits in my kitchen to collect tabs and every time the house is full I send the tabs as well as the collection of cards to the house. I always mention to my stamp ladies in person, on social media and here that you can donate tabs or cards or anything at all. Here is the collection that I sent off last week. I got an amazing amount of goodies and I’m so appreciative of all of your love and support.

Once my customers works with the blind and therefore does a lot of work with braille. She had some of her students make cards and added in the braille. How amazing?!?!?! I love it!!

Also, I recently attend a demonstrator event where we collected money for Ronald McDonald House and then went shopping for supplies for the house. Look at all of these goodies! I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing group. To know I am making an impact with my cards and stamping is so powerful. If you would like to send me cards or tabs or any other type of donation, you can message me here. I offer a $10 Gift Certificate for your generosity. You can also search for your local Ronald McDonald House and send your goodies there. Also, if at any time in your life you are in the hospital with loved ones and would like a place to stay, check out your local Ronald McDonald House! It is an amazing place!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 29 2016

Halloween One Sheet Wonder!!!

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Halloween is right around the corner and I know how much you all love One Sheet Wonders!!! By request from one of my YouTube Subscribers, I have created a Halloween One Sheet Wonder that includes cards and treats!!! I love this set and it is perfect for having a few cards on hand to send to loved ones and a few treats for trick-or-treats or nieces and nephews in my case!!! Let’s get started!

Here is the template I used for this Halloween Set. You might remember that the bottom row is the same as the other template. You can check out samples of that here, here, here, and here! I used the bottom row for all of the 6 cards.

The paper I used is from the Holiday Mini Catalog and it is called Halloween Night. Since I am not a huge Halloween fan, I purchased this paper and used a all occasion greeting set I have on hand and made these beauties. I used Pumpkin Pie and Smoky Slate for the card bases and pulled out some Basic Black scraps for layering. TIP: The black just lines the edge of the Designer Paper, not the entire portion. This is how you can use up those little pieces of scraps. The bottom middle card was created using the 1-3/4″ x 5-1/2″ and I cut it to 4-1/4 to go sideways on the card. Since it wasn’t that wide, I cut it in half and added a piece up high and down low and put a strip of Basic Black in the middle! 😉 See there are so many ways you can create fun cards with the One Sheet Wonder Technique! The greetings were all stamped with the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set and punched out with the Classic Label Punch. I wanted a larger greeting to pop more on the card so I layered that onto the Decorative Label Punch and added loop of Metallic Black Thread behind it. I added some Enamel Shapes to a few of them! I love those things!

The top row is for these adorable treat boxes using the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes. I took each of those 2″ x 6″ pieces and scored them just a hair below the 2″ mark and 4″ mark so they would fold into the box. Since the box is 2″, you want to go a smidge less so it fits inside. Pop the Designer Paper into the box and add candy! For the outside decoration, I used Burlap Ribbon and Thick White Baker’s Twine. I stamped the For You from the Perfectly Wrapped Stamp Set and punched it out with the Classic Label Punch. I thought it looked too long for the tiny box so I cut one end off, punched a hole with the 1/8″ Handheld Punch and tied it to the treats with Black Metallic Thread. Love it! They do hold a decent amount of candy but they are so adorable!!!

So 6 cards and 6 treat boxes from 1 sheet of 12″ x 12″ Designer Paper is super fabulous and if you want to see the Video Tutorial of all of this, check out the one 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!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Don’t forget about the Paper Pumpkin BOGO Sale for new subscribers!!! Click here to get started and be sure to enter the Promo Code: BOGO Offer ends on October 10th!

Sep 28 2016

Part 2: Double Z Fold Frenzy

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Yesterday I posted the fabulous Fall Single Z Fold Card and today I am going to show you a Double Z Fold Card!!! I just love the pop out piece and the Candy Cane Suite with the little Gingerbread Men!!! LOVE IT!!!

Isn’t it precious??? I love love love this card!!! Also, my sample has the blank white rectangle but during Club the ladies stamped the greeting from the Cookie-Cutter Christmas Stamp Set “Warm Heartfelt Greetings For a Very Merry Christmas” and it fits perfectly. Precious!!!! Now let’s get started!!!

So this card starts off the same as the Single Z Fold from yesterday. Start with a Real Red card base measuring 11″ x 4-1/4″ and scored it at 2-3/4″ and 5-1/2″. These are the measurements of folding the card base in half for a normal card and then folding the front of the card back (in half) to create the “Z”. Now it is time to decorate. The front panel has a Whisper White layer measuring 2-5/8″ x 4-1/8″ and I added some of the Candy Cane Lane Designer Washi Tape to the top and bottom. The greeting is from the Candy Cane Christmas Stamp Set and I stamped it in Crumb Cake Ink towards the top so it wouldn’t be covered up by the second Z fold. Adhere this piece to the front panel. On the inside, I layered some of the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper (4″ x 5-1/4″) onto Whisper White (4-1/8″ x 5-3/8″) and adhered it down.

Now it is time for the second Z. All you need to do is take a strip of cardstock, score it the same as above and add it to your card opposite folds as the base. I used Real Red cardstock measuring 11″ x 1-1/4″ (you can go as wide as you wish) and scored it at 2-3/4″ and 5-1/2″. Fold it like a Z and the long panel will go across the front (sticking to the left side) and the short panel will adhere to the back right hand side. I added some of the Candy Cane Lane Washi Tape down the center of the strip and added a little white rectangle on the end which you can stamp on or leave blank to write on it. The little gingerbread men were stamped from the Cookie-Cutter Christmas Stamp Set and punched with the coordinating Cookie-Cutter Builder Punch (Bundle & Save 10%). Be sure that when you adhere them to your strip, you only add adhesive in the middle of his body. Otherwise you will have them stick to the back of you card and it won’t open. For the little red hearts, you can either use Enamel Shapes or you can punch out a red heart with the Cookie-Cutter Builder Punch. So precious!!!

You can check out the Video Tutorial that went up yesterday with the Single Z Fold by clicking here!!! Let me know in the comments which one you like more – the Single or the Double? The Fall or the Christmas? I would love to hear from you!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Don’t forget about the Paper Pumpkin BOGO Sale for new subscribers!!! Click here to get started and be sure to enter the Promo Code: BOGO Offer ends on October 10th!

Sep 27 2016

Technique Tuesday – Z Fold Frenzy!!!

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! Can you believe it? The last Tuesday of September is here already but that also means I have a fabulous technique to share with you today. This one is super fun with a very high wow factor and it is super simple!!! Today I am showing the simple Z Fold Card and tomorrow I will be showing the Double Z fold card!!!

Perfect for Fall and super fun!!! Let’s get started!

I started with a Crumb Cake card base measuring 11″ x 4-1/4″ and scored it at 2-3/4″ and 5-1/2″. These are the measurements of folding the card base in half for a normal card and then folding the front of the card back (in half) to create the “Z”. Now it is time to decorate. The front panel has a layer of Cajun Craze cardstock measuring 2-1/2″ x 4″ and Very Vanilla measuring 2-1/4″ x 3-3/4″.

The inside panel has a layer of Cajun Craze cardstock measuring 5-1/4″ x 4″ and Very Vanilla measuring 5″ x 3-3/4″. I stamped with the Totally Tree Stamp Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog. For the grass, I stamped the snake looking image in Garden Green (stamped off once) and went 3 layers high. For the inside panel, you will need to stamp the majority on the left and then just fill in on the right. Overlapping is fine because it just adds more color variation. Once you have your base green, take the grass stamp and stamp in full strength Garden Green Ink all over to fill in. This gives great texture to the yard. I stamped the trees in Crumb Cake Ink. Then for the leaves, I took the full tree leaf image and inked it up in Delightful Dijon and then pounced on the stamp with a Cajun Craze Sponge Dauber. Just pounce in 3-4 spots on the stamp and then stamp it down over the trees. This will give that variation of color for the leaves without having to stamp a few times. After stamping the base leaves, I took the small 4 leaf stamp and added in leaves falling and on the ground in Delightful Dijon, Cajun Craze, and Cherry Cobbler. The greeting is from the Tin of Cards Stamp Set and I stamped it in Delightful Dijon Ink. Now you have a fabulous fall card for any occasion!

If you would like to see the Z Fold and Double Z Fold in action, check out the 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. Subscribe to my blog here as well so you don’t miss the Double Z Fold card tomorrow!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura