Sep 23 2013

My Family Reunion!

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Yesterday was my big family reunion and when I say big I mean BIG!

This is only a little bit over half of the family! I love having a big family and when we all get together it is a good time. There were about 97 people in total at this family reunion. Every year I take a group picture of each of the “families” (the photo above is all of my Grandpa’s “family” which is his kids and grandkids and great grandkids). Then I take pictures of my Grandpa’s brother’s families as well. I have created a scrapbook with these photos each year and listed the names. I’m not going to lie, some people aren’t labeled because I don’t even know who they are. That is on my to-do list though! 🙂 This year, I just asked the group after the photo was taken so I could complete the page! It’s so crazy to see how the families have grown and I’m so happy to be able to have these memories. Scrapbooks are such a treasure and a keepsake! I am also working on a “Family Tree” album which consists of family pictures and stories. It has been amazing to get the stories about my family – hearing where they came from and how they lived. It is so amazing and I can’t wait to pass it along to my children (future children….this is not my pregnancy announcement. 🙂 )

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend too!!! Happy Monday and Happy Scrapbookin’!

~Laura

Sep 20 2013

Flutter by Butterfly!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

I love butterflies so much! As a kid I remember watching them, running after them, trying to catch them, and caging caterpillars in hopes to watch it turn into a butterfly! And now as an adult, I still enjoy them! Butterflies are colorful and beautiful and I think they can brighten anyone’s day!

I made this fabulous Butterfly Frame with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits! I used lots of my paper scraps (who doesn’t have a million of those around) and used every Stampin’ Up! color! I love how it turned out and then I added a few pearls in there too! Gotta have some bling! This is hanging right inside the door to my stamp room! I love it!

This fabulous card is super quick and simply. Just take a few markers in any colors and start inking up your butterfly, stamp it down, layer it onto your card and Voila! You are all done and have just created a beautiful, bright and simple card! This card doesn’t even need a greeting so it could be used for any occasion! This card uses the Swallowtail Stamp!

This last card is actually a shaker card! The bling in that center butterfly moves around under a clear window sheet! Check out my Technique Tuesday next week to learn more about Shaker Cards! This card uses the Papillion Portpouri Stamp Set and Elegant Butterfly Punch!

There are lots of other butterfly items too – Beautiful Butterfly Bigz Die, Bitty Butterfly Punch and wheels and more!! And don’t forget about the Butterfly Bundle this month! You get 15% off when you purchase the bundle this month!!!

Hope you have a bright and cheerful day after seeing all these butterflies!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 19 2013

Build a Banner Simply Created Kit & More!

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

From the moment I first saw the Holiday Mini Catalog I knew the first thing on my wish list was the Build A Banner Simply Created Kit.

1. You got the entire alphabet templates for less than $20.00.

2. You got 3 patterned templates that are super cute (chevron is HOT HOT HOT, I love polka dots, and stripes are always a hit).

3. You also got canvas banner and a twine (pre-punched and riveted) AGAIN all of this for less than $20.00!

I was sold and purchased it immediately. It finally arrived and I ripped it open (if you know me, you know I rip into packages, mail, presents, etc like a lion eating dinner) and looked at all of it. I was impressed and couldn’t wait to start creating. I will say that the kit comes with 2 spritzer bottles and while I like using those to spritz a project, I didn’t find them to be the best use for these. When I did it, I made a huge mess and over spritzed and the lines didn’t come out crisp because I had over-saturated it. So I added the spritzers to my collection and pulled out my sponge daubers (oh how I love these)! I loved how the lines were crisp and I could dauber more and more for a darker look without over saturating and making a super huge mess.

And because these alphabet templates are so amazing, I used my daubers on cardstock and made this fabulous card! Love love love this kit and it is so worth the $20.00! Oh, one more thing, you can get the words SPOOKY, THANKFUL, and JOY out of the kit with still one banner left. That is decorations for THREE Holidays! I’m telling you, this kit is amazing!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 18 2013

Trick or Treat?!?!?

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

While I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, I do enjoy the candy!!! We don’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters out where we live but the ones we do get are spoiled! I love making adorable packaging for my candy!!! It is super fun and so cute! I, also, send yummies to all of my nieces and nephews because who doesn’t love getting mail AND candy?

This little bag is one of our new Muslin Bags from the Holiday Mini Catalog! They are just the right size for a small gift, candy, or homemade treat! I decorated this bag with the Simply Created Create-A-Banner Kit using the polka dot template and my sponge daubers! You could always add some ribbon and a tag too! Don’t forget these would be fabulous for a countdown to Christmas as well. Put the little treat in the bag for each day! And the best part is that the bag is big enough to hold just about any small gift (rather than those little bitty boxes usually used for the countdown)!

This little bag is actually a thick paper bag (Tag A Bag Gift Bags) perfect for a cookie or other handmade treat, gift card, or Stampin’ Up buttons, brads, etc. I used the Tag A Bag Accessories Kit which includes the fabulous printed tags and Baker’s Twine! It also comes with self-adhesive strips which are perfect for closing up the back of the bag. Simple and cute! Hope these ideas help you with your Holiday Treats!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 17 2013

Technique Tuesday – Core’dinations Cardstock

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

It is Tuesday and so I’m sharing a fabulous technique with you!!! This week it is Core’dinations Cardstock!!!!

So I don’t feel like the picture above showcases the Core’dinations Cardstock very well but I can tell you it’s super cool! This cardstock is different from the regular Stampin’ Up! cardstock. The Core’dinations cardstock is a little bit thicker and the center of the cardstock is a lighter shade of the cardstock. This way when you use the Sanding Blocks on the cardstock to rough it up, you will get a dual color look. You can also run it thought the Big Shot with an embossing folder and then rough up those embossed edges and really get a fabulous textured look! Check out this post with a great man card using the Woodgrain Folder!

This photo shows the Core’dinations cardstock much better! I did this Christmas Card twice but I “stepped up” the one card by using the Core’dinations Cardstock rather than regular cardstock. You can see that the card on the left has a lighter color around the mosaic image and it gives the card a little more texture and color. The card on the right was embossed with the same embossing folder and while it looks amazing too, it doesn’t have that antiqued look and texture.

So all you need for this technique is the Core’dinations cardstock!!!!! You can use it alone and tear the edges to show the lighter color underneath! You can also use it with your Sanding Block and Embossing folders! I hope you try it out soon!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 16 2013

This & That Journal Books

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Stampin’ Up introduced the This & That Journal Album and while I thought it was super cute I didn’t think I would really use it much since I have my Big (12×12) album! I’ll do a post later this week on my Big Album using My Digital Studio! But I went ahead and bought the This & That Journal and now I LOVE IT! I made myself do a page or 2 and I was hooked. It is so much fun and super easy. Since it is smaller, you have less to “create” on the page so it’s quick and the pages are already printed Designer Series Paper so you don’t need to do a lot of layering! I have also started using this album for all of my tickets, brochures, and other items I on our trips and adventures. The page above from when my husband and I went to the Zoo for a “day date.” I threw a few of my favorite pictures on there and and did some journaling. I normally don’t like to share a lot of my scrapbooking because, I think like many others, we don’t like our own handwriting or we think our pictures that we love others will think are crazy. But I still scrapbook because these are memories I want to keep forever so you should do it too even if you don’t like your pictures or handwriting! Here are a few more pages in my album!!!

Here is a page from when I had my hair chopped off earlier this year so I could donate it! It was the most amazing feeling ever to think I was helping someone! I saved the receipt from the post office when I mailed it off and a magazine cut-out with the how-to on donating!

I love my family so much and having precious photos of them makes me so happy! My niece and I took that fabulous photo at Silver Dollar City this summer! The photo on the right is of my Dad and all of his grandkids (my nieces and nephews) at his 60th Birthday Party! Precious!

And of course I have a page with my AMAZING Stampin’ Up! girls! This was at a demonstrator event this past Spring! Love these girls so much!

I hope this gave you some inspiration and fabulous ideas! Start your This & That album today! You can use it for a vacation album, all year, album, or whatever you would like to remember for years to come! Get yours today!

Happy Stampin…..and Scrappin!

~Laura

Sep 13 2013

Stampin’ Up Clearance Rack Items!

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Stampin’ Up has aded new items to their Clearance Rack and those items won’t last long so be sure to check it out and order today! Did you know that you can shop 24/7 online through my website? Click Here to start shopping! You will see everything in the Big Catalog, Holiday Mini and even the Clearance Rack in the categories listed on the left hand side! Now any time you see a special or need more Snail adhesive while stamping late into the evening (isn’t that when everyone finds their creative side…no just me?) you can jump online and place an order for whatever you need! The card above was created with the Rain or Shine Stamp Set that retired a few months ago but NOW you can get is on sale for just $9.59 (plus shipping and tax). Hurry before it’s gone!

And when you try out the online shopping and get some fabulous items at a super discounted price on the Clearance or stamps and cardstock for your Holiday cards. If you place an order today through the end of the day on Sunday, use this Hostess Code: ZQBEPFU9 when checking out and you will be entered into a drawing for the Hostess Benefits AND you will receive 5 hand-stamped cards from me!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 12 2013

NEW – Envelope Punch Board!

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Wouldn’t you love to get the mail and see a fabulous patterned envelope with your name on it in the mailbox? Would you like to add a little flare to your envelopes when sending out a special card to someone? Well then this is so totally for you!!!!

So I totally love getting mail….sometimes even junk mail, at least there is something in my mail box waiting for me to pull it out (even if I just throw in in the trash.) It is still super exciting to me! And I get even more excited when there is an envelope….not a business size envelope, but a pretty one with a return address that I recognize! Eeeee! It’s so exciting. But image a pretty PINK envelope or flowered envelope (or other designs but you know those are my favorite)! That would be so fabulous! And with this Envelope Punch Board you can create these envelopes in whatever color, pattern, and size you desire (Stampin’ Up gives dimensions right one the board for 66 different envelope sizes)! Super simple to use and lots of fun! Check out this video from Stampin’ Up to see more about this new product!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 11 2013

It’s a Polka Dot Parade!!

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Check out all of these fabulous cards! Super cute and super simple since they use a lot of the same basic items. I hate when my card box gets low on cards and then every time you need one you have to sit down and create it. And lets be honest, when that happens you mind goes completely blank on all creative thoughts. I did this class the other night and we all had a great time! Many people loved the flower bouquet and the champagne glasses so they used those images in place of the ones they didn’t like. I was able to get about 10 sets of these 8 cards shown above out of one pack of Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper! How fabulous is that? I used the Embellished Events and Tag It stamp sets. It is super simple to get out some circle punches, 2 stamp sets, your markers, and the cardstock, rather than dig though lots of ink pads and stamp sets. These cards are also perfect for every occasion – Thank You, Sympathy, Get Well, Birthday, Christmas, Baby, Wedding, Valentine’s Day, and more! Try it out and see what you come up with when using one pack of Designer Series Paper and one or two stamp sets!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 10 2013

Technique Tuesday – Inking with Your Sponge Daubers!

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Laura's Stamp Pad

It is Tuesday and so I’m sharing a fabulous technique with you!!! This week it is Inking with Your Sponge Daubers!!!!

Okay if you don’t have these fabulous sponge daubers in your craft collection, CLICK HERE! You totally need them! I probably use mine…..daily! I love love love these things. I brush the edges of my cardstock to give that softened look. I create this fabulous technique. I used them for Reverse Masking in last week’s post! You can use them with your Build A Banner Templates! And I can go on and on! Trust me these are amazing and you get 12 in a pack!!!! Okay onto this fabulous technique!

All you need are your sponge daubers, a few ink pads, and a stamp! You can either ink up your image with the lightest color and then add the other ink colors with the sponge daubers or you can add all of the ink colors with your sponge daubers. In the Happy Birthday sample above, I used the Happy Birthday greeting from the Delightful Dozen Stamp Set. I used Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Bermuda Bay and Summer Starfruit! Always start with your lightest color and just pounce in the ink and pounce or rub in random places on your stamp! Move to the next color and keep going until you have applied all colors and the stamp is covered. Sometimes you might want to rub your dauber on paper before going back into the ink just in case you might have picked up another dark color. This helps keep your daubers clean too!!! Huff on your stamp (Ha Ha like the stamp is hot) and then press onto your cardstock!!! Here is another sample:

For this fabulous colored leaf, I inked the Magnificent Maple in Crushed Curry and then used my dauber to ink the Pumpkin Pie around going just about a dauber width in and then I took my Chocolate Chip dauber and did just the edges. Doesn’t that leaf just look so amazing and it has that perfect fall look! I have to admit when I first did it I was afraid it wasn’t going to come out and then BOOM onto the paper, lift the stamp and AMAZING! You can try this out with flowers, other greetings and so much more!!! Don’t forget to go order your daubers today!

Have fun and Happy Stampin’

~Laura