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

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 15 2016

Masking with the Swirly Scribbles!!!

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

I am loving this card and the super fun technique!!! I saw it at a Demonstrator Team Event and couldn’t wait to try it out! Thank you Kim Peck for sharing it with all of us! I was totally going for a winter snowy look here and love how it turned out. You could always do it larger and add a tree from Lovely As A Tree or another favorite set of yours!

I started with a piece of Whisper White (3-3/4″ x 5″) and masked off a rectangle. You can either cut out a rectangle from a piece of scrap paper like printer paper or this Post-It Note Tape which is super fun and easy. I tried to do it with Painter’s Tape and it was too sticky and ripped when I pulled it back off. You will want to use a thin mask and not cardboard because you will want the ink from the Sponge Brayer to go to the edge. Once you have your rectangle masked off, you will add Marina Mist to the entire section with a Sponge Brayer. Continue to roll over it until you get the shade that you would like. Remember that the harder you press, doesn’t mean the darker the color. Jut lightly roll over the ink pad and then over the cardstock and repeat as many times till you get the preferred color. Next, you will need to die cut the swirly image from the Swirly Scribbles Framelits. Place this over your rectangle and secure it on both ends so it won’t move on you while you are adding more ink. I rolled over this mask with Night of Navy Ink. Again, continue to go over the mask until you have the desired look. Once you are all done, you can take all of the masks off and decorate! You could do this same technique on a full piece of paper as a background as well…..so many possibilities!

For the decoration, I stamped the greeting in Night of Navy from the Flurry of Wishes Stamp Set. I also stamped the snowflakes in both Marina Mist and Night of Navy and punched them out with the coordinating Snow Flurry Punch. I punched another set of snowflakes in Silver Foil Paper and off-set them with the stamped snowflakes. I wrapped some Silver Metallic Thread around the masked background portion of the card for a little bit of texture and bling. Then I added the snowflakes to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I layered this piece onto Night of Navy cardstock and then a card base of Marina Mist. This card is perfect for the Holidays and throughout the entire winter season! You could always change up the colors for lots of different looks!

If you would like to see this in action, check out the Video Tutorial below or click here. Don’t forget to give the video a thumbs up if you liked it and be sure to subscribe if you are new!

To see more masking techniques, check out this one here!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Sep 14 2016

Fireflies in Summertime!!!

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

I found this sample on Pinterest and fell in love so hard, I had to buy the Star Confetti Punch just for this card! I wish I could give credit to the amazing person who created it but there wasn’t a watermark or link. So whoever it was, just know I LOVE it and thank you so very much for the idea!!!

I started with a Crushed Curry card base. Then I cut two pieces of Gold Foil Paper measuring 4″ x 1-1/2″ and two pieces of Night of Navy cardstock measuring the same. I punched out the navy piece with the Star Confetti Punch and then glued it onto the Gold Foil with the Fine Tip Glue Pen. Next, I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock (4″ x 5-1/4″) and stamped the green stem from the Jar of Love Stamp Set in Pear Pizzazz along the bottom 1-1/2″ up. I placed the navy piece to the side of the white as a guide for how high I needed to stamp. I stamped the jar and the lid from the Jar of Love Stamp Set in Night of Navy Ink. I stamped the fireflies/lightening bugs in Basic Black Archival Ink all over the card. I colored in the bug booty with a Crushed Curry Marker and then I took a Sponge Dauber in Crushed Curry and added the glow! Now that you are done stamping, you can adhere the stars to the top and bottom and then adhere this piece to the card base! How simple and fabulous?!?!?!

Lightening bugs remind me of summer. As kids, we always use to catch them and put them into a jar every evening. We played outside all summer long until it was dark out and then we had to go in to take a bath and go to bed. I love summer time so much and wish it wasn’t coming to an end!

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

Sep 9 2016

Sock Monkey Birthday Card!!!

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Here it is!!!! This is my birthday card from my husband! I love love love it. Monkeys are my favorite in any shape or form! I have this on display because I just can’t help but look at it daily! He really did well this year!!!

He used lots of my retired punches – Word Window Punch and Artisan Label Punch. He also used the Ovals Framelits. The balloons were created with the Balloon Bouquet Punch and then he drew the lines with a Basic Black Marker. The Happy and Baby came from the Crazy About You Stamp Set. The Birthday greeting came from the Thoughtful Banners Stamp Set. I love how he looked through all of my stamps to find the perfect greeting! He also used lots of Stampin’ Dimensionals…..you know how I love those! 🙂 You can see some of the other cards my husband has made for me here, here, and here!

And then I got this card…..in the mail on my actual Birthday!!!! Shannon West, from Stampin’ Up, is the one who started the #imbringingbirthdaysback and I got on her list to receive a birthday card from her. I was so excited back in January at the thought that she might send me one so of course I couldn’t contain my excitement when it actually arrived. My heart was racing and I was soooooo giddy!

It is super fabulous and PINK! I just love it and can’t believe how amazing she is to send out 1,363 birthday cards that are all hand made, hand written on the inside, and so amazing. I truly felt touched by this card. After all that is how every hand-made card should make you feel!

These aren’t all of the cards as I have received a few after this photo too! Some are hand-stamped and some aren’t but they are all from friends and family that mean the world to me! Thank you everyone for all of your kind words on my blog, social media, and in person. I had an amazing birthday and look forward to another great year!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

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

Aug 22 2016

Perfectly Peach!!!

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Flowers make my heart beat a bit faster and I just can’t help but smile! I know I say it all the time but it’s so true. I just love flower cards! The Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set and coordinating Flourish Thinlits (Bundle & Save 10%) are perfect because there are amazing images and the perfect greetings for any occasion!

I started with a Peekaboo Peach card base (4-1/4″ x 11″). I went with this size so I could tie the ribbon around the card and not use as much as I would if I used a 5-1/2″ wide card. I took a piece of Whisper White (4″ x 5-1/4″) and stamped the large flower from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set twice in Calypso Coral and once in Peekaboo Peach. Then I used the Flourish Thinlits to die cut coordinating floral images in the same colors. I used the small, medium, and large thinlits to add to the tops of the flowers. The Big Shot Die Brush and the Fine Tip Glue Pen are your best friend for these intricate dies. I also die cut a few of the single leaves and the larger leaf (I cut this into pieces to use) in Wild Wasabi cardstock. I added some of the Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon around the card. I am loving that ribbon for the texture and feel of it!!! I stamped the greeting from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set in Wild Wasabi and punched it out with the 1″ Circle Punch. I layered it onto a 1-1/4″ Punched Wild Wasabi piece and attached it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. You will want to add more than one so that it really sticks to the card and the ribbon.

What color combination would you use for this card? Shades of blue? Shades of purple? Shades of Pink? Yellow and Orange? Let me know in the comments below! I love trying out new color combinations! If you would like to see more samples using this bundle, click here, here, and here!

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

Aug 12 2016

Sail Away On A Sailboat!!!

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Laura's Stamp Pad

The Swirly Bird Stamp Set is so versatile and fun with all of the crazy images! I created these little sailboats with that stamp set to make the perfect Man Card! This could be for birthdays, Father’s Day, or just any occasion. You could always change up the colors for a more feminine look. I mean technically these colors would be perfect for either gender as well but you know how I love my pinks!!! 🙂

This card is fairly simple but can get a little confusing with colors. You will need 4 Whisper White squares measuring 1-3/4″ x 1-3/4″. One each of the squares, you will stamp the boat bottom from the Swirly Bird Stamp Set in Crumb Cake Ink. You will want to stamp fairly close to the bottom of the square for a good fit. There is also a little bitty flag for the top of the sail that you can add on as well. If you use the little flag, stamp REAL close to the bottom so you have plenty of room. Now for the sails, there is the large sail on the right side in solid and stripes and then there is the small sail on the left side. Here is where it can get confusing with colors. I did 1 solid and 1 strip of Emerald Envy and Dapper Denim. I did the opposite color for the small sail on the left. Once you have all of your boats complete, you will need 4 squares measuring 2″ x 2″. I did 2 in Dapper Denim and 2 in Emerald Envy. Adhere those together and then place on a Crumb Cake card base. You can do all 4 towards the bottom with the greeting up top, all 4 at the top with the greeting at the bottom or split like I did. It is all up to you!

Once you have your sailboats in place, wrap some Linen Thread around your card a few times and tie a knot. For the greeting, I used the Thoughtful Banners Stamp Set and coordinating Duet Banner Punch (Bundle & Save 10%). I stamped the banner in Dapper Denim and the greeting in Emerald Envy and punched it out. I added it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I have had so much fun with the Swirly Bird Stamp Set and coordinating Swirly Scribbles Thinlits (Bundle & Save 10%), you can check out more samples here, here and here! AND when I was teaching this class, I found ANOTHER fabulous image from the framelits…..a Pumpkin! I can’t wait to use it in the Fall for that!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Jul 28 2016

Amazing Marker Bonus!!!

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

I love how this card turned out but it was a struggle to create it. When I first imagined the idea, I was thinking I would use Marina Mist and Pear Pizzazz. I thought it would look stunning and couldn’t wait to see how it turned out…..sometimes it turns out better than I imagined, exactly how I imagined, or not at all like I imagined. Ahhh the joys of being crafty!!! So I got started with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock measuring 3-3/4″ x 5″ and stamped the flourish image from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set in Basic Gray Archival Ink. I got out my Marina Mist Marker Pear Pizzazz Marker to color it in and was sad to see the Marina Mist Marker was dead. At first, I thought it would be okay and I could go with a pink (my favorite) or another color. After a little thought, I just couldn’t imagine this card in another color but I remembered I have an Aqua Painter and Blender Pen and could use those just like a marker! So that is what I did! I used an Aqua Painter and pulled ink from the ink pad to color this image. It looks just the same. Isn’t that fabulous that even though Stampin’ Up doesn’t sell the markers individually, you can still have every marker at your finger tips with these products! I love it and got super excited! That perfect Ahh Hah moment! After coloring it, I layered this piece onto Pear Pizzazz (4″ x 5-1/4″) and then onto a Marina Mist card base. I stamped the greeting from the same Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set in Marina Mist onto Very Vanilla. I punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch and layered it with Pear Pizzazz. You can check out a fun video on how to do that here. I added the greeting to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Perfect and just like I imagined!!!

I love the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set and coordinating Flourish Thinlits (Bundle & Save 10%). It is that perfect image and greeting combination that is perfect for all types of occasions! There are flowers too! 🙂

If you would like to see the comparison of Markers, Blender Pens, and Aqua Painters, check out this 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’re new!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Click here to start shopping and earning Bonus Bucks!!!

Jul 27 2016

Floral Affection!!!

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

I have been having lots of fun with the Affectionately Yours Suite! The papers are beautiful, the stamp set greetings are perfect for generic cards, and the embossing folders are detailed! This card is fairly simple but has lots of details and texture to still give it that WOW look!!!

I started with a Mint Macaron card base and layered on a piece of the Affectionately Yours Designer Series Paper (4″ x 5-1/4″). I tied some of the Mint Macaron Sheer Linen Ribbon around the top of the card and into a knot. Then I took a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock (4″ x 2-1/2″) and ran it through the Big Shot in the Floral Affection Embossing Folder. These little folders are perfect for a great accent piece on your project! I added this piece to the card front. Then for the greeting, I used a scrap piece of Whisper White and stamped the greeting from the Love & Affection Stamp Set. I punched the banner tips on either end of the greeting with the Triple Banner Punch and attached it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish off the card, I added some Dapper Denim Enamel Dots to either side of the greeting! I love all of the textures and the colors!!!

You all know how much I love my flowers. You can check all the flower creations I have made by clicking here. Let me know your favorite stamp image – textures? backgrounds? greetings? flowers? in the comments below!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Laura's Stamp Pad

Laura Borchert ¤ Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator ¤ Laura@LaurasStampPad.com

Tag Archives: Punches

Sack of Soybeans!!!

Halloween One Sheet Wonder!!!

Part 2: Double Z Fold Frenzy

Masking with the Swirly Scribbles!!!

Fireflies in Summertime!!!

Sock Monkey Birthday Card!!!

Perfectly Peach!!!

Sail Away On A Sailboat!!!

Amazing Marker Bonus!!!

Floral Affection!!!