Apr 21 2015

Technique Tuesday – Flip Flap Fun!!!

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! I have a fabulous technique to share with you today! This is one that I have shared before but it is always fun to take an old technique and do it all over again!! You can check out the other sample here!

This is the fun Flip Flap Fold (at least that is what I like to call it)! 🙂 I love the fun fold and look to this card and it is so fun to open a card a little differently! The other bonus is that it still fits in a regular Medium Envelope!

You can see the directions for this card here so I will get down to the details of this card! I started with a base of Bermuda Bay and layered with Tangelo Twist! The balloons and confetti are from the Birthday Bash Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I love those gold foil balloons in the paper! It adds such a flare!

For your decoration part, I used the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch to punch out the Whisper White scrap that I stamped the candles from the Balloon Bash Stamp Set! I used my markers to get the different colors! I layered that onto a piece of 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle in Tangelo Twist.. Be sure to only put adhesive on the bottom half of your layered decoration so you don’t have any sticky showing. I added some Whisper White Cotton Ribbon to the edge! Love it!!!

There is still plenty of room on the inside for you to write on! I always think this style of card is fun for kids but I know I would enjoy this card as well! Although I think I’ll always be a kid at heart! 🙂

Let me know if you try out this card and how you decide to decorate it! Leave me a comment down below!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 21 2015

What is Retiring???

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Stampin’ Up announced the Retiring List today and as always I scan through it so fast hoping all of my favorites are not going. I have already been preparing myself for the 2013-2015 In-Colors because I knew they were retiring….oh Coastal Cabana how I will miss you. Although I think I have already moved on to your brighter cousin – Bermuda Bay! 🙂

Without further ado……..

Retiring List in Excel – US – you can sort in this one

Retiring List in PDF – US

My Digital Studio Retiring List – US

My Digital Studio is going away completely! Now is the time to get those items professionally printed and download all the downloads you need for future projects!!!

The Accessories are all “While Supplies Last” so be sure to get those before they are gone. Some items are up to 50% off! WOOT WOOT! Everything will officially retiring at the end of the day on June 1st!!!

You can place your order online by clicking here! Enter in the Hostess Code: UHYX74D3 when checking out and you will earn something special from ME as well as Laura’s Loyal Stampers Points! Woot Woot!

Happy Stampin’ and try not to cry! I’m off to check out the complete list and do the same! I’ll report back!

~Laura

Apr 20 2015

Spring Wreath!!!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Spring is here and that means I needed a new wreath for my front door!!! You can see some of my past wreaths here and here! I am loving butterflies and they are the epitome of Spring to me! I am still using the 1-1/4″ Burlap Ribbon as a base around my foam wreath. I used the Butterfly Thinlets from the Occasions Mini Catalog to create all of the butterflies in Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, and Tempting Turquoise! I hot glued the butterflies to the burlap and added a little bit of Dazzling Details to a few of them! I love it! It is so fresh and bright!!!!

What is on your wreath? Do you like decorating a wreath for every season?

Happy Decoratin’

~Laura

Apr 19 2015

Happy 11th Anniversary to ME!!!!!

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

April is a super fabulous month because there are lots of fabulous occasions this month and it’s SPRING!!!! Today marks my Stampin’ Up! Anniversary!!!! Eleven years ago today, I joined Stampin’ Up because I fell in love with the amazing products specifically Alphabet Stamp Sets for scrapbooking and that all of the items match! The inks, cardstock, ribbon, and embellishments are all the same color so you can actually use the scraps again with another project and everything matches! Now 11 years later, that is all still super important but I love the creative outlet, the people I have met, the opportunities I have had, places I have been to and soooooo much more!!!! I love it so much and I am so excited to have gone to that Stampin’ Up workshop back in college just so I could procrastinate on homework! 🙂

In honor of my Anniversary, I created this fabulous Video sharing my Top 11 Favorite Stampin’ Up items right now!!! This was a little difficult since there are so many fabulous products but here you go!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 17 2015

Different Types of Stamps???

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Friday everyone!!!! The weekend is here…..and it looks like it will be spent indoors. Boo for rain and storms here in the midwest! I shall embrace it and enjoy getting things done inside and relaxing….after all that’s what weekends are for, right?

I get asked a lot about the difference between Clear Mount Stamps, Wood Mount Stamps, and Photopolymer Stamps so I have created a little video for you here!!! This shows how you will see it in the catalogs and some Pros and Cons to the different styles!

Of course it wouldn’t be a Friday without the Weekly Deals!!!

Love love love the Labels Collection Framelits! They are my favorite and I use them the most often for sure! Add those to your cart and then check out these posts for inspiration on how to use them!! Also, you know me and flowers!!! That Pansy Punch is super fabulous and you can check out all the fun I have had with that in these posts! Mother’s Day is just a few weeks away and the Mother’s Love Stamp Set from the Occasions Mini Catalog is super fabulous for a card for Mom!

Stampin’ Up has stated that the Butterfly Framelits have arrived today!!!! All of the issues on the West Coast have caused this delay and the wait is over!!! I will be placing an order once they are available!!!!

Have a Wonderful Weekend and Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 16 2015

#HappyBirthday!!!

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

You all know how I love Birthday cards and make lots of them because I send out so many each month (gotta love a big family)!!! This card is perfect because it is gender neutral. I started off with a Crushed Curry card base and added some Bermuda Bay measuring 4″ x 5-1/4″. Then with a piece of Whisper White (3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″) and stamped the 3 Balloons from the Balloon Bash Stamp Set in the Occasions Mini Catalog! I used Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, and Tangelo Twist for those balloons. For the Bermuda Bay balloon, I stamped it again on a piece of scrap white and cut it out and popped it onto my card with a Stampin’ Dimensional! I love that extra little POP! Next I added a little strip of Birthday Bash Designer Series Paper along the bottom! You will adhere this first and then ink up the #HappyBirthday in Night of Navy and stamped that below the Designer Series Paper. Then you will ink up the entire image again and stamp it on a piece of scrap white and cut it out (minus the #HappyBirthday). There was no way I could cut out that bottom portion and make it look clean so that is why I stamped that directly onto my card!!! I added the HB to my card front with some Stampin’ Dimensionals and then you are ready to add this to the front of your card! You are all done. You could do this in so many different colors and styles. Do you have a scrap piece of Designer Series Paper laying around??? Of course you do! Grab that piece and the coordinating colors for your balloons and greeting! Super fabulous!!!

If you would like to see more samples using the Balloon Bash Stamp Set and Birthday Bash Designer Series Paper, check out this post and this post! Don’t have this stamp set or paper yet? Order yours right now and you will earn Laura’s Loyal Stampers Points!!! Woot Woot!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 15 2015

Monogram Note Cards!!!

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

These little note cards are so fabulous and simple to create, you could whip up tons of them in no time flat! I’m sure your Accountant would enjoy a little set of these! Happy Tax Day!!!! They would also make a perfect Mother’s Day gift which is just a few weeks away!!! The would be a fabulous gift for a Bridal or Baby Shower Gift too!! I packaged the cards up in a Gusseted Cellophane Bag with some Whisper White Organza Ribbon!

The Note Cards above are just a piece of cardstock measuring 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ and I layered a piece of Whisper White measuring 4″ x 5-1/4″ on top. I used the Sophisticated Serifs Stamp Set for the flowers and letter! I love this stamp set because the font is simple yet elegant and it offers each letter in both a big and small font! LOVE IT!! The little flowers for the corners are super fabulous as well!!! I pulled out all of my scraps that I had that were big enough for this size and quickly made up lots of these little cards! I haven’t stamped the letter on there just yet because I’m waiting to see who I will give it to! Perfect little gift to have on hand!

This little card is precious! I used the Note Card & Envelopes to create these. I took my Designer Series Paper Scraps and cut a piece 2″ x 5″. This card uses the Brights Background Designer Series Paper! For the Monogram, I used my Scallop Circle Punches and Circle Punch to layer the letter so perfectly! Super cute and another great way to use up some scraps.

This one is super fabulous because it uses the Sheltering Tree Stamp Set for the dotted background! I love using a random stamp set for a card like this – getting more out of a stamp set is fabulous!!!! You can see more samples using this stamp set here, here and here! You can see the 2 sizes of the alphabet font from the Sophisticated Serifs Stamp Set. LOVE IT!!! I also stamped a little corner of the envelope! Do you all like to coordinate your envelopes with your cards?? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 14 2015

Technique Tuesday – Fork Bow!!!

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! That means I have a fabulous technique to share with you!!! Today the technique is cute, small, and uses a fork!!!

How adorable is that mini bow???? The technique to make it may seem a little confusing in the beginning but it is real simple and comes out perfect each time! Love it!

Supplies: Fork and Cotton Ribbon

You will need a piece of Daffodil Delight Cotton Ribbon anywhere from 6″-10″ (depending on how long you want your tails) and a fork with four tines. If you are right handed, you will place the fork in your left hand with your thumb up by the tines. Place the ribbon across front of fork with 1/3” of ribbon to left of the fork (this is the left side tail). Now wrap the right end of the ribbon around behind the fork, around left edge, over the top of the first end. It will look like a loop with the ends crossed over each other. Thread the that you just wrapped around the fork down through the space between the center fork tines below where the first ribbon crosses. Next you will pull that ribbon end up behind the fork and through the space between center fork tines. Then you will knot the two ribbon ends firmly. Slide ribbon from fork and trim the tails. If you need to tighten your bow, you will pull the tails, not the loops like in a typical bow!

I know this can be confusing at first which is why I did a Video Tutorial for you!!!! Woot Woot! You will see on the video that you can do this with all types of ribbon! For another sample using this technique, check out this post! I used my scissors for the larger style bow!

For the sample shown above, I used a Strawberry Slush card base and layered Blushing Bride on top! The Designer Series Paper is from the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack. This card uses one of the sheets (both front and back) for the pink flowers and the yellow dots! I added a strip of Whisper White Scallop Punched cardstock behind the yellow dots! For the bow, I added a strip of Daffodil Delight Cotton Ribbon across the card and then adhered the bow with a Mini Glue Dot in the center! For the greeting, I stamped in Strawberry Slush using the A Dozen Thoughts Stamp Set. I added 2 little candy dots on either side to finish it off! I love it! It is pink, flowers, and just adorable. I think you could use this card for lots of different occasions – Baby Girl, Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, Thinking of You, etc. Which would you use this card for? Leave me a comment down below!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 13 2015

Build A Bouquet!!!!

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Is this not the most gorgeous bouquet of flower you don’t have to water or worry about keeping alive??? While making this I didn’t know if it was really going to be worth it but now a month later, it was totally worth it! It has been sitting on our dining room table for over a month now and it sure brightens up the room. It helped me get through those gloomy winter days and even some of the gloomy spring days! I love it and the best part is it will never die!!!

You can make yours beautiful bouquet too!!! All you need is the Build-A-Bouquet Kit from the Occasions Mini Catalog, a hot glue gun and some pliers (totally recommend these). So now a little honesty from me….you all know I like to keep it real! This kit is not easy and takes lots of time but don’t let that scare you! I would highly recommend doing it with a friend or husband in my case because it will go much faster. I am not a hot glue gun pro at all and it seemed like all I did for hours on end was pick up the gun, dab it, set it down, attach flower, and then repeat 5 million times. Finally towards the end I enlisted my fabulous husband who was oh so excited (not) to help! He ran the glue gun while I attached and worked the flowers. This went soooo much better and I wish I would have done it sooner!

You will also noticed in the catalog that there is a coordinating stamp set – Build A Bouquet Stamp Set! I’m not going to lie I got out the kit and read the instruction and was like Ops I didn’t get that stamp set…..so I improvised!!! For the big line image, I used my Hardwood Stamp Set and for the veins in the leaves I used my stem from the Lotus Blossom Sale-A-Bration Stamp Set. I also used the dots image from Gorgeous Grunge for the blue flowers. The other ones, I just omitted and think it turned out fabulous still!

Use the pliers for the wire bending, it is sooooo much easier! I was too lazy to go down to the basement and search for some so I just used my fingers. 1. It Hurts! 2. It doesn’t turn out the same! I took a few of the flowers to my parents house to work on while I was visiting since I really wanted to get this bouquet done by the next evening. I asked my mom if she knew where some pliers were and she immediately handed me some. I finished the flowers and was like “Oh wow, why did I not go get some a long time ago.” Ehh Lesson learned!

I didn’t care for how some of my flowers came out and I didn’t think it look all that great….maybe it was because I was tired and we always judge our own stuff so much more. After I put it all together I was in awe at how amazing it looked. I loved it and now a month later I still love it! I’m so glad I stuck with it and completed the kit! It was totally worth the the time and $25 I spent on it.

Have you purchased this kit? Have you completed it? What are your tips and tricks? How have you displayed your flowers? Leave me a comment down below!

Also, did you know that there is a Big Shot Die that makes all of these flowers? It is the Bouquet Bigz L Die! You can create as many flowers as you wish and in any color imaginable!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Apr 10 2015

Fun at the Ronald McDonald House!!!

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Laura's Stamp Pad

I love the Ronald McDonald House and ever since last year when I went to make breakfast for those living there, I have really wanted to go back! I decided to sign up to make dinner and it all happened on last week!!! It was so much fun!!!

This is my husband and I taking a selfie with Ronald McDonald.

We made Tacos (it was Tuesday after all) and had it all laid out for them to eat. Then we cleaned up and put everything in the refrigerator with a label on it. They say that many of those staying there come back late in the evening and reheat the food then!

Here I am with the welcome sign that they posted by the front door! Love it!!!

I got to pour my tabs into this big tab house!!!! It was lots of fun! You may have seen in past posts that we collect tabs at home to send to the Ronald McDonald House! Even though the tabs I added didn’t seem to fill this house very much, I know every tab helps!

Here are all of the goodies that were collected and donated. THANK YOU all for bringing cards, crafts, and goodies for me to take with us! I know they greatly appreciate it!!!! If you would like to donate cards (hand-stamped or bought) you can send them to me for the next trip! Also, if you collect tabs, you can send those to me. You will earn a $10 Gift Certificate from me for your donation.

Of course, what is a Friday without the Weekly Deals!!! Also, don’t forget today is the last day for FREE SHIPPING!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura