Nov 4 2014

Technique Tuesday – Curvy Keepsake Boxes!!!

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! You know what that means…..I have a fabulous technique to share with you today (with a Video Tutorial)! Woot Woot!!!! These little boxes are so adorable and super easy to assemble (I was surprised at how easy)!

Supplies Needed: Big Shot, Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlet Die, Cardstock, Vellum or Designer Series Paper, Embellishments, Sticky Strip or Fast Fuse

You will need a piece of cardstock (vellum or Designer Series Paper) measuring 9″ x 5-1/2″. This is enough to cut out 2 pieces with the Curvy Keepsake Die. Place the Die on your paper, run it through your Big Shot and repeat! Now that you have your piece die-cut pieces, you will fold on the score lines (3 per die-cut). If you are using cardstock and would like to stamp on it, now is the time. It is much easier to stamp now then after it is assembled! 😉 Now I like to run the tabs on each die over my bone folder a bit to break those fibers a little and allow the box to curve. Using Sticky Strip or Fast Fuse, you will apply adhesive to one of the squares on the die (don’t go super close to the edge). Now you will take the die-cut that doesn’t have adhesive and lay it on top, matching up the corners to the edge of the score line. Your squares will not overlap exactly (if they do, your corners will not lay correctly). Here is a photo showing you what I mean!

Now you just need to pull the 2 tabs together and slip the other ends over the tabs are you are all done! You can always add some ribbon, charms, tags, or punched pieces to decorate as you wish!!!! The box on the left in the top photo was done with Whisper White cardstock and I stamped snowflakes from the Endless Wishes Stamp Set all over it using Night of Navy, Lost Lagoon, and Pool Party Ink. The box on the right was done with All is Calm Designer Series Paper and I added some Silver Ribbon and Pool Party Cotton Ribbon to the top. I also added a little tag using the circle tag die from the Curvy Keepsake Die Set and added a little All is Calm Snowflake Embellishment!

This one is super fabulous because you can use it like a lantern. It was created with the Silver Fancy Foil Designer Vellum (it comes in Gold as well, after all Gold is In!) It was created the same way but in the end I added a little tea light inside for a glow! This would be amazing on a Christmas Tree, in a window, on a table place setting, mantle, wedding decoration and so much more!

I saved the best for last. Ohhhhh Ahhhhhh I know I know! It is PRECIOUS! This would be the cutest thing ever for a Baby Shower or Birthday Party or a Spring Party (oh I’m dreaming of spring already)! I created the box with Real Red Cardstock, added 1/2″ Circle Punch black dots (5 on each side). For the body, I used a 1-3/4″ Circle Punch in Black and 1-3/8″ Circle Punch in Smoky Slate. For the head, I used a 1″ Circle Punch in Black! The eyes and antenna were created with the Cupcake Builder Punch and Owl Builder Punch. Yep those are cherries you see upside down as the antenna! I did brush the edges of the Smoky Slate with my Basic Black Sponge Dauber to soften the edges and I dotted the eyes with my Chalk Marker! 🙂 Love it!!!!!

To see the Curvy Keepsake Die in action, check out my Video Tutorial below! Don’t forget to give it a Thumbs Up if you like and be sure to Subscribe so you don’t ever miss out on any of my videos!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 22 2014

How Many Punches Did I Use?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

How many punches did I use for this card??? You have 1 minute!

Times up! If you guessed 6 then you are correct!

I love the bright colors of this card because they are sure to brighten anyone’s day! That is why it is perfect for a Thinking of You, Get Well or Sympathy card! It really could be used for anything though – Birthday, Anniversary, etc. I started with a Crushed Curry card base and added some Night of Navy cardstock which I Scallop Punched the bottom border! I layered some Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper onto that. For the tag, I punched the top with my Scallop Tag Topper Punch and since the top corners were rounded, I thought I would Round the bottom ones too! I stamped the beautiful branch from the Thoughts & Prayers Stamp Set onto my tag in Night of Navy! I wanted some pops of color so I took my flower from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack and punched some scrap pieces of Crushed Curry and Calypso Coral! I added those to the branch as well as a few Rhinestone! For the ribbon, I looped a piece of Calypso Coral Seam Binding through the punched slot and then tied a bow around it with some Whisper White Baker’s Twine! The seam binding is not tied, it is just held on with the Baker’s Twine! For the greetings, I used the stamp from the Thoughts & Prayers Stamp Set, punch it out with my Oval Punch and layered it onto a Scallop Oval Night of Navy piece! Of course I added the tag and greeting with Stampin’ Dimensionals! 🙂 Love it!!!!

Here and here and here are some more samples I have created with the Thoughts & Prayers Stamp Set! I have made multiples of each of these to have on hand, just in case!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 20 2014

Spooky Nights!!!!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Halloween is around the corner and spooky nights are here! I am not a huge Halloween fan……in fact I really don’t like it. (GASP) I heard that. 🙂 I am easily scared and dressing up has never really been my thing. I do like to make cute little treat bags for Trick or Treaters though!

So since I am not a fan of Halloween I don’t usually purchase Halloween Stamps but instead use some of my current stamps and punches to create a few fabulous cards to send to friends and family! Like this amazing card! I started with a card base of Crushed Curry and layered a piece of Elegant Eggplant on top. I used my Lovely As a Tree Stamp Set to stamp a few trees in Chocolate Chip along the bottom! For the moon, I used my 2-1/2″ Circle Punch to punch out some Crushed Curry cardstock! Then I punched out a branch from the Bird Builder Punch in Early Espresso cardstock. Using my Paper Snips, I cut the leaves of the branch to make it look more ragged and like a dead tree (not so cute and pretty). For the bat, I used my Owl Builder Punch for the base and the Small Oval Punch for the wings. I punched out to Small Ovals and then using the Word Window Punch, punched about a 1/4″ into the oval to create that notch. Of course he is adhered onto my card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set and I punched it out with the Word Window Punch as well. I added a knot of Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon as well! Here is a quick Video Tutorial on the Bat pictured above as well as a bat in flight and more! Be sure to give the video a thumbs up if you liked it!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 16 2014

Beautiful Boxes!!!

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

The season of gift giving is upon us – Teacher Appreciation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and the Winter Season (people love to bake when it’s cold outside)!!! I always find that fabulous gift packaging really makes a present that much more amazing and these boxes are just that! I used some of the Kraft Gift Boxes which measure 3-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ x 2-1/2″! This is the perfect size for a gift card, cookies, trail mix, candied pecans, a little mini loaf, jewelry, nail polish/manicure set, and sooooo many more fabulous gift items! I tied the Cherry Cobbler 1″ Sheer Ribbon around the box, creating the beautiful bow! For the tag, I stamped the Merry & Bright in Cherry Cobbler. The greeting is from the Christmas Bliss Stamp Set! I am loving that set so much! The greeting is on a 1-3/4″ Square of Whisper White Cardstock. Then I brushed the edges with my Mossy Meadow Ink and Sponge Daubers. This added a little pop of the green and makes the greeting stand out! You know how I love my Sponge Daubers too! 🙂 I layered that piece on to a piece of 2″ x 2-3/4″ Crumb Cake that was punched on one end with the Scallop Tag Topper Punch! I tied the tag onto the bow with some Baker’s Twine – either Cherry Cobbler or just Whisper White! Love it!!!

If you would like to see this gift box packaging in action, check out my Video Tutorial below! Be sure to give it a thumbs up if you like it! I will be posting more gift packaging videos over the next couple of weeks so be sure to subscribe to both my blog and my YouTube Channel!

Happy Giftin’

~Laura

Oct 15 2014

All Red & Green for Christmas!

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Do you prefer traditional red and green for your Christmas Cards? If so, this card is perfect for you!!! Those little ornaments are just adorable! I started with a Real Red card base and stamped the ornaments from the Christmas Bliss Stamp Set along the bottom of a piece of Whisper White cardstock (4″ x 5-1/4″). Since this stamp set is a Photopolymer Set it is super easy to line up those ornaments all the way across! Then I stamped the greeting from the same set in Real Red on another piece of Whisper White. I layered that onto some Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper and that onto some more Real Red cardstock. Before adding that last layer of Real Red, I punched the bottom of it with the Scallop Edge Punch! Scallops add such a cute factor to projects! For the final touches I added some Old Olive and Real Red Candy Dots to both sides of the greeting! Adorable!!!!!

You can see more samples using the Christmas Bliss Stamp Set here and here!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 14 2014

Technique Tuesday – Coloring with Your Clear Blocks!

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!! You know what that means…..I have a fabulous technique to share with you today! You know that the Clear Blocks are used with our Clear Stamp Sets. Just stick the stamp (cling side) onto the clear block and tap tap tap into the ink and then onto your paper! BUT did you know that you can tap tap tap your clear block into the ink and then stamp it on the paper???

This card is just amazing with beautiful branch image and the monochromatic color scheme! Are you wondering how I created that Pistachio Pudding square? With my Clear Block!!!!

Supplies Needed: Clear Block of you choice, Ink Pad

The supply list is short for this technique and it is really simple to do! Just tap your clear block into your ink pad color of choice. Tap Tap Tap! Then stamp the clear block onto your cardstock. Be sure to press firmly and all over the clear block to ensure better coverage. Disclaimer: This comes out different each time (kind of like watercoloring! Sometimes it comes out very bold, sometimes just an outline with a little ink in the middle, sometimes it is more solid and others it looks like there is a pattern to it. This one above came out very good! I then stamped the branch and greeting from the Thoughts & Prayers Stamp Set in Basic Black. I wrapped some Baker’s Twine around twice and tied a bow! To finish it off, I added a Pistachio Pudding butterfly that was punched with the Elegant Butterfly Punch and added a few Pearls!

You can see this one was created in Lost Lagoon and the block was a little more spotty and there is a line diagonal across the square. I am not sure how it got there but you just never know how this technique will turn out! I used some of the NEW Lost Lagoon Taffeta Ribbon on this card! I love that ribbon! To clean your clear block, you can just rub it on your Stampin’ Scrub or run it under water and use a paper towel to dry it off! Simple as that! Here is a quick Video Tutorial to show you this technique in action!

Let me know what you think of this technique in the comment below or give the video a thumbs up if you liked it!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 13 2014

Monster Mash!!!

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

“He did the mash! He did the monster mash! The monster mash!”

Do you have that song in your head now? 🙂 You are welcome! Today I have an adorable Monster Card to share with you!

See, isn’t it just precious? This card is great for Halloween time but you could use it any time of the year for kid’s Birthdays (or adults). I know I have a few little Monsters (nieces and nephews) who would love these little monsters! All of the monsters are from the Freaky Friends Stamp Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog! I stamped them in Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, and Tempting Turquoise! You could do them in any color and even add googly eyes! I love googly eyes because they are just so fun! Eeee I layered my monsters onto Basic Black Cardstock and then Tangerine Tango! My card base is Tempting Turquoise. That fabulous greeting there is from the Good Greetings Stamp Set that you can earn for FREE when you have a party of $350 or more in October! There is still time to get your set for FREE! There are 19 fabulous greetings in that! I used my Word Window Punch and Modern Label Punch for the greeting so it would POP!

How many little monsters do you know that would love a card like this? Leave me a comment down below!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 7 2014

Technique Tuesday – Filter Paper Flowers!

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Happy Tuesday!!!! You know what that means…..I have a fabulous technique for you! Have you heard of Filter Paper or seen it in the catalog and wondered how do you use that?? Well today I’m going to show you a few ways to use it!!!

How fabulous is this card? Eee And it says Fabulous!!!!! 🙂 I love it! That amazing 3D flower was created with the Filter Paper. Let’s get started on how to create it.

Supplies Needed: Filter Paper, Punch or Framelit, Handheld Hole Punch, Brad or Staple

For the flower above, I punched out 4 Blossom Punch Filter Flowers and 4 Pansy Punch Flowers. TIP: When punching the Filter Paper, it helps to place a piece of scrap paper in there as well to make it more stiff and punch better! You can punch at least 4 layers and 1 layer of scrap at a time! Now you will lay all of your flowers on top of each other and you can either staple them in the center or add a Brad after punching a hole with your Handheld Punch! Now one by one pull the flowers up and scrunch to the center. You will repeat this until all flowers have been scrunched to the center. Now you can fluff it until you get the desired look. At this point, you can spritz your flower using re-inker and alcohol or water or you can leave it white and brush the edges with your Sponge Daubers. In the photo above, I spritzed the flower with Melon Mambo, let it dry and then gently touched the edges with my Elegant Eggplant Sponge Dauber to get those dark tips and color variation. I attached the flower to a card with some leaves from the Bird Builder Punch peaking out from behind and the amazing greeting if from Million & One!!!!

You can also color your Filter Paper before you get started with Sponge Daubers, Spritzers, or some ink and a Brayer!

Another style of flower is the Rich Razzleberry flower above. For that flower, I used a Brayer to add the Rich Razzleberry Ink to my Rectangle piece of Filter Paper. I used a piece measuring 3″ x 12″. Once it was dry, I applied Sticky Strip to the long end of the Filter Paper, folded the filter paper over to meat the Sticky Strip. This creates a tube (kind of). Then with your Fringe Scissors, cut all along that loop of folded over Filter Paper. Be sure to only cut half-three quarters of the way down do you are cutting a piece off. Now you will apply another piece of sticky strip all along the bottom (below the loops). Starting at one end, you will roll the Filter Paper onto itself around and around to create this flower. Are you completely lost? I think I would be….so here is a Video Tutorial for you to watch! 🙂 I hope you are liking this videos. Be sure to give me a thumbs up if you are!!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Oct 6 2014

Halloween Treats!!!

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Halloween is right around the corner so it is time to start working on those treat bags for your child’s classroom, trick or treaters who come to your door, to pass out at your place of business or for the little monsters in your life (that would be my nieces and nephews 🙂 ) Here are a few simple yet adorable ones that I have created!

I think the fact that it is so little just makes me so excited I could squeal!!! 🙂 This is one of the Tiny Treat Boxes from the Holiday Mini Catalog which is a 2″ square! Small enough that you don’t need to put a trunk load of treats inside but big enough for some goodies! Before assembling the box, I used my Decorative Mask (click here to see how to use this) and black ink pad to add the polka dots (using my sponge daubers of course). Be sure to set it aside to dry for a bit because I found it takes just a bit longer for the ink to soak into this material. I then used my Pumpkin Pie Chevron Ribbon to tie around it and into a knot. For the tag, I stamped the little bat from the Freaky Friends Stamp Set and the Trick or Treat from the Good Greetings Stamp Set (Hostess Exclusive)! I punched out the greeting with my Scallop Oval Punch and layered it onto a Large Oval Punch in Black cardstock. I attached it to my chevron ribbon with some Black Taffeta Ribbon! Super cute!!!

Then I have these little treat bags which are even easier to whip a few hundred…..okay maybe not that many…or maybe! I used the 4″ x 6″ Cello Bags, tied the Chevron Ribbon around to close it and made the tag. For the tag, I used my scrap pieces of 2″ wide Whisper White cardstock. Slide that piece into your Scallop Tag Topper Punch and stamp your greeting. On my longer pieces I stamped bigger images from the Freaky Friends Stamp Set (like the witch) and for the smaller pieces I stamped smaller images. I love using up scraps! I did use my Corner Rounder Punch for the bottom corners so it would match the rounded top corners that the tag topper punch creates! I used the Freaky Friends Stamp Set and Good Greetings Stamp Set! I thought I would share this photo as well!

I colored in the witch with an Old Olive face, Pumpkin Pie legs and arm, and Soft Suede broom! 🙂 heeeeheeeheee

I hope these gave you some great ideas for your Halloween Treats! You have 24 Days or less to get them done!!! 🙂

Also, don’t forget today is the last day to Stock Up and Save!!! Click here for all the details!

Happy Treatin’

~Laura

Oct 2 2014

Merry & Bright!!!

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Laura's Stamp Pad

Aren’t these cards super cute? I’m telling you, I love the blues and greens this year!!!! I used a card base of Smoky Slate for both of them and layered on some Lost Lagoon. The Designer Series Paper is from the All is Calm Paper Pack. It is the same sheet of paper – one card uses one side and the other card uses the other side! Isn’t that fabulous that you can create a similar look with the same piece of paper?!?! Love it! I added on some of the New Lost Lagoon Taffeta Ribbon. For the greeting, I stamped the Merry & Bright from the Christmas Bliss Stamp Set in Pear Pizzazz and punched it out with my Decorative Label Punch! I punched a second one in Lost Lagoon, cut it in half sideways (left to right, NOT top to bottom), and then attached the top half to the top of my greeting piece and the bottom half to the bottom of my greeting piece. That is how you get that fabulous layering effect! Simple, Adorable, and Quick!!!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Laura's Stamp Pad

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

Tag Archives: Punches

Technique Tuesday – Curvy Keepsake Boxes!!!

How Many Punches Did I Use?

Spooky Nights!!!!

Beautiful Boxes!!!

All Red & Green for Christmas!

Technique Tuesday – Coloring with Your Clear Blocks!

Monster Mash!!!

Technique Tuesday – Filter Paper Flowers!

Halloween Treats!!!

Merry & Bright!!!