Succulents are so in right now! Little potted plants and fairy gardens are in all the stores and are just so darn cute! I love them! My Mom has them all over the house and they are precious! We got to pick out a few for her to pot up for us for Christmas! Can’t wait to pick it up!!! Eeeee Love them!!! (now let’s just hope I can keep them alive) If you are like me and love them but can’t keep plants alive, this is perfect for you!!!! The Vertical Garden Project Kit comes with all of the supplies to make this succulent garden! No watering necessary! 🙂
The kit comes with all of the flower die cut out for you. All you have to do is curl the petals with your Bone Folder for that nice rounded look and glue them together! I actually brushed my petals with a sponge dauber in the same color as the cardstock just for a little texture and color variation. I used the Fine Tip Glue Pen to adhere the layers together. The Kit Instructions say to use the Multipurpose Glue but I tend to use too much of that stuff! I love that I didn’t need to get out the hot glue gun for this entire kit. Me and the hot glue gun don’t get along very well and it takes like a million hours to complete because of the pick up, set it down routine.
I did use a Hot Glue Gun for the little roses. You will want to curl it around a pencil or your fingertip to get a base curl and then add the glue and press and hold. You actually want to put the glue on that “second to last” petal and then wrap the last petal up with the rest. Hopefully this photo helps!
Once you have all of your flowers done, you can hot glue them into the box. The box is super sturdy and not flimsy at all. I expected it to be a bit more flimsy but it doesn’t bend or curve at all. Be sure your spacing for your flowers fills box rather than placing them all in there and having leftover space (like me) or not having enough space for all of them! I just placed the greeting over the space that I had leftover. The ribbon that is included in the kit is super fun and frilly. It is easy to make a big floppy bow.
The kit comes with 2 banners which is fabulous for making mistakes or changing up the greeting!! The coordinating stamp set for this kit is Vertical Garden which has the words Welcome and Hello! I decided not to purchase the stamp set and thought I could add a greeting that I already had. I used the Layered Letters Alphabet Stamp Set for the letters and the leaves from Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set. I added a score line about an inch from the edges and added hot glue on the back side of the score line. I adhered that score line to the edge of the box! I super love how this turned out and I can’t wait to hang it on my front door closer to Spring! I wish that was tomorrow but unfortunately here in the midwest we have an ice storm coming so we must wait longer.
If you would like to see the contents of this kit in action, check out the unboxing video below or click here! Don’t forget to give it a thumbs up if you liked it and be sure to subscribe you are new!!
Happy Tuesday!!! Today I have a fabulous technique to share with you that you could use with lots of different stamp sets!!! Creating backgrounds is perfect for all types of projects from cards, scrapbooks, 3D projects and more!!!
All the shades of purple are used in this amazing balloon background card – Sweet Sugarplum, Perfect Plum, and Elegant Eggplant!
I started with a Perfect Plum card base! Then I took a piece of Whisper White measuring 3-3/4″ x 5″ and stamped the greeting from the Balloon Adventures Stamp Set in Basic Black Archival Ink. I love this set for the amazing greetings and fun balloons!!! While waiting for the greeting to completely dry before watercoloring it, I worked on the background. I started with the border/outline balloon images from the Balloon Adventures Stamp Set. There are 5 total balloons stamped with the outlines. I stamped the top left corner in Elegant Eggplant Ink and then stamped the bottom right balloon with it as well (without going back to the ink). This gives even more color variation to the card besides the 3 colors already. I stamped the middle balloon and bottom left balloon in Sweet Sugarplum Ink (both full strength). The balloon on the upper right is Perfect Plum Ink. After the 5 base balloons are set, I filled in the balloons with the solid balloon stamp. I stamped each of the balloons and then stamped a few of the solid ones along top of the cardstock to resemble more balloons in the background. You can play with the color variations by stamping off on scrap paper for some or using full strength! One big tip – when using the 2nd stamped image be sure it is only after stamping the first image completely. What I mean by this is that if you stamp the image and half of the balloon is falling off the cardstock, don’t stamp it again completely on the card. If you do it, it will stamp as a dark image on the half that was “falling off” and light on the half that was stamped before. To avoid this, you can stamp off directly on a piece of scrap paper before stamping onto your project so it is an even stamp off. Now that the background is all complete, I colored in the letters of the greeting with an Aqua Painter and ink from the ink pads – Elegant Eggplant and Perfect Plum. Once it was dried, I adhered it to a piece of Elegant Eggplant (4″ x 5-1/4″). I tied some of the Sweet Sugarplum Ruched Ribbon around the bottom of the cardstock and added it to the card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I liked using dimensionals when I have ribbon wrapped around because it makes it look nice and smooth and I just love the added texture. It is purple perfection!!!
If you would like to see this all in action, check out the Video Tutorial below or click here! Don’t forget to subscribe if you are new and give it a thumbs up if you liked it!
The Pretty Pocket Card Kit is one of the Sale-A-Bration Promotion items that you can earn for FREE with every $50 order you place! That means that if you order $100, you can pick 2 items for FREE! This kit is adorable, simple, quick and doesn’t need any other supplies! Love it!!!
The kit comes with all of the supplies to make 8 pocket cards and the envelopes! There are 4 So Saffron pockets and 4 Pool Party pockets! The little inserts even have lines on them which making writing your message super simple! I’m horrible at writing downhill for sure!
Here are all of the stickers provided in the kit! You can see they say Thank You and Hello in different languages as well as the flowers at the top. I took this photo after making a few so that is why some are missing! 🙂 You can always use the extras in other languages for other projects!
Here is the final look of the pocket and the insert! I love how the Pool Party pocket has a So Saffron polka dot insert and vice versa! I love it. Also, the greeting has a border on the insert so you know exactly where to place the sticker. For the flower at the top, I suggest placing the insert into the pocket and then placing the flower down. This way you know that the flower will be peaking out of the top and placed high enough!
While some may think these are too simple, I think they are perfect to have on hand for a quick grab and go! Sometimes you just need something now and don’t have time for intricate ideas or pulling out all of your supplies! Don’t forget about the Occasions Mini Catalog which just started this week as well. When you have $50 or more in supplies to order, you can pick out any Sale-A-Bration item for free like this kit!!!
To see the reveal of this kit 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!!!
Happy Tuesday!!! I hope you are all recovered from the New Year festivities and ready to get back into the swing of things! Today I’m sharing a fabulous technique using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! This is one of those handy tools that makes stamping perfect!!!
Are you wondering where that fabulous Thanks greeting came from??? It’s in the Double Take Stamp Set in the Occasions Mini Catalog which starts TOMORROW!!!! I’m super excited to start sharing with you all of the fabulous new products!!! This stamp set is a 2-step stamping set which allows for you to create those amazing drop shadows with different colors! I love it!! The stamp set is photopolymer which makes it super easy to see through to line it up. If you want to make sure it’s perfect every time though, you can use a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig!!!
For the greeting, I took a piece of Whisper White (1-1/2″ x 3-3/4″) and stamped the solid Thanks greeting from the Double Take Stamp Set in Mint Macaron. That’s the easy one! Then I took the other Thanks image (the one that’s more broken up and not as solid) and inked it in Night of Navy Ink. If you ink it lightly and don’t get ink on your block or all around the stamp, it is much easier to line up with the mint image and stamp it down. If you would like a sure fire way to know it’s going to be perfect, you can use a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! This is a tool to help you line up your stamping images every time whether it be a perfectly straight and centered greeting or a 2 step stamping set. There is a “T” shaped plastic piece as well as a clear imaging sheet that is square. You will place the imaging sheet in the corner of the “T” shaped piece, either on the left side or the right depending on which you are more comfortable with. I am right handed and I place it on the right side. Then stamp your image onto the imaging sheet making sure that the block of the stamp is pressed against that “T”. So if you are doing it like me, your stamped image would be in the lower left corner of the imaging sheet. You want to make sure to use the “T” as a guide as you stamp your image down because this is creating your guide for the actual stamped image. Now place the imaging sheet over your white cardstock greeting exactly as you wish to stamp this 2nd image. Place the “T” in the corner like you did before, remove the imaging sheet without moving the cardstock, then place the stamp in the “T” corner and stamp it down.
Your image should have come out perfectly! A few tips – be sure to slide the block down along the “T” evenly and not at an angle. If it is angled it will hit the paper in a different spot and can move the cardstock. If you wish to add a small dab of adhesive to the back of your cardstock to ensure it won’t move that can be handy! Make sure you press the block against the “T” and not just close to it, otherwise your image won’t be lined up exactly. It’s okay if your stamp is on the block diagonal or crooked because the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig will help correct that and make it right. Just be away that it might look crooked when you are stamping, don’t over correct that. Trust the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.
Now that you have your perfect greeting, you can finish the card! I layered the greeting onto Night of Navy cardstock (1-3/4″ x 4″). My card base is Daffodil Delight. I took a piece of Affectionately Yours Designer Series Paper (3-3/4″ x 5″) and layered it onto Watermelon Wonder cardstock (4″ x 5-1/4″) and wrapped some White Baker’s Twine around it! I added this piece to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I added the greeting to the card with them as well. To finish it off, I put a few Enamel Shapes randomly on the card for texture. I just love this look and all of the layers – both in cardstock and stamping!!!
To see this all 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!!
Don’t forget that the Holiday Mini Catalog ends tonight! Tomorrow the Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration Promotion begin!!! WOOT WOOT!!!
The December 2016 Paper Pumpkin arrived and I was super excited as always because I love the surprise and excitement. It is all wrapped up like a present. You can check out the unboxing of the kit here as well as see all of the contents. I was super excited about the Basic Black Marker because you always need one of those. They are perfect to journal with or use on your stamps or color in! The Rotary Stamp is super cute too and has lots of great greetings for memory keeping. I will be using that in my albums for sure! I thought the concept for the little mini album was adorable and all but when it came time to make it I just didn’t think I would use it. I could have made it and given it away but I thought I would do cards instead! So here is what I came up with…..
I created a total of 24 Cards using the supplies in the kit. I used Whisper White and Crushed Curry for my card bases and I used the Number of Years Stamp Set. I like how it had Birthday and Anniversary so I could use the numbers in the kit too! Also, I always need lots of those styles anyway! All of the patterned background came from the kit as well as the stickers and washi tape! The greeting pieces were cut from the leftover designer paper pieces. I just used the ones that had a white back and I cut off the design if there was a border.
I used the Window Sheet designs that were in the kit for all of these cards. Window Sheets can be tricky to use since the adhesive shows through them so I just used the Washi Tape provided to secure them down! Simple and fabulous!
I used lots of stickers on these since there were so many in the kit. I went through my Birthday list to see the ages of upcoming birthdays. After I had all of those done, I did a few saying Happy 21st Birthday (again). I can give those cards to anyone! 😉
I love that gray flower/twig pattern and thought it was super elegant for Anniversary cards. I added a little Silver Ribbon to give it some texture. And while 24 cards is A LOT…..look at all of the leftover pieces.
So most of those scraps on the far left, I’ll probably toss but that is what I used for the greetings. There are still some numbers left and 3 Window Sheets which I’ll save for my memory keeping! The entire sheet of lines to journal on are still there too which I’ll save for memory keeping as well. 24 cards and all of these goodies! I just love all of the stuff that comes in a small little Paper Pumpkin Box!
Start your year off right with Paper Pumpkin. You can sign up to get the January Kit by January 10th. Click here to get started! Don’t forget that you can save with you purchase the Pre-Paid Subscription! Check those out here! Can’t wait to open our boxes together later this month!!!
Happy Friday everyone! This is the last post of 2016 so I thought I would share some of the Best Posts and Videos of the Year!!! Are they some of your favorites too? Let me know in the comments below!!!
THE TOP 5 BEST BLOG POSTS (based on views in 2016)
I hope you enjoyed this little recap! Are these some of your favorites or do you have one of your own? Let me know in the comments below! I always loving hearing from you! I wish you all a wonderful weekend and close to 2016! I’m super excited about 2017 and all of the adventures and possibilities that await! Let’s make it amazing!!!!
I am so excited to share my new Stamp Room with all of you! I hope this gives you some ideas for your craft room and if you have ideas or suggestions for me, leave them in the comments below! I would love to hear them! You can see what my stamp room looked like before here! There are a few similarities but the BIG one is my new table. I use to have a small desk as my workspace but now I have this huge kitchen table. My husband and I came up with this idea late one evening and a few hours later we were picking up this table a few miles away. We had found it on a swap and sell site and it was just $30.00! Love it! It even has another leaf to put in for when I have a big project or have another stamper join me!! 🙂
It took some getting use to but I love it! I really enjoy all of the space! I have my Color Caddy within arms reach with all of my ink pads on it. Then I have a Shoe Box Container (found at Target here) with all of my Clear Blocks in it! I got this idea from another crafter when I was looking around for craft room ideas! These boxes are amazing, cheap, and super handy! They stack and since they aren’t a speciality item they aren’t retiring or changing! Behind the clear blocks is a large box (Stampin’ Up Large Die Box without the lid, in fact) that holds all of my small tools. I have 3 coffee mugs in the box and they hold pens, pencils, scissors, bone folders, and all of my adhesives. It’s a bit of a catch all box! On the end of the table, I have all of my punches. I found those wire racks at Aldi. There are 2 of them there and they stack and interlock. They are super strong and sturdy which is great for punches since they are so heavy.
The one thing that is a must in my craft room is to have all of the items I use the most within arms reach so I don’t have to get up and down and look for things. This cabinet is directly to my right when I am sitting to craft. This cabinet is one that I have had for a long time and I am looking for something to replace it but haven’t found the perfect one yet. The bottom drawer has seasonal stamps and cellophane bags with scraps in it. Each bag has a different category like Foil Paper, Designer Paper, Glimmer Papers, etc. The next drawer up has all of my stamps in it. Here’s the problem…..I really want all of my stamps in 1 drawer/spot and while most fit in the one drawer, I have to pull out the ones up front to get the others out. I really don’t think I prefer a drawer for my stamps and instead would like a shelf. Moving up from the drawers, I have all of my 8-1/2″ x 11″ cardstock. I got the paper trays from Ikea – Ikea Paper Tray! They are much sturdier than the plastic ones I had before and rather than a drawer for each color family, I have 3 shelves. I put labels on each of the shelves so I know which color family is where. The little pink polka dot box has cellophane bags in it with scraps for each of the colors. I try to use those as much as I can before reaching for a full sheet!
At the top, I have the plastic drawers which hold my Rhinestones, Pearls, Doilies, Washi Tape and a few other items. I have 2 more of those shoe boxes with all of my ribbons in them! I love those for the spools of ribbon but the other box is mostly little baggies of Baker’s Twine on the spools!! I have all of my Enamel Shapes in that little pink box. It’s called “Very Useful Box” and it’s the perfect size. You can see that better here!
So this is the shelf that is on the other side of the table. It is one of those super sturdy black metal shelves. I have a 3 drawer 12″ x 12″ container that holds all of my Designer Series Paper, Glimmer Paper and Foil Paper. My sets of markers are on top of the paper! Next to that I have 2 more of those Shoe Boxes that hold my “coloring tools.” This includes sponges, sponge daubers, sponge brayers and spritzers. The box on the bottom is miscellaneous items. The blue 12″ x 12″ tote on the far left holds all of my cellophane baggies in various sizes. I love love love those 12″ x 12″ totes to put projects in, upcoming class supplies, and so much more! They are stack-able and super durable! The next shelf down has those totes on it with various projects including some of my wedding stuff – samples, brides I’m working with, etc. That giant flower is sitting there just waiting for the perfect place to go! I also have my little label maker sitting there! It is a Brother P- Touch Label Maker! This is what I used to add labels to all of the drawers, containers and more!!!
On the bottom shelf, I have woven totes that I found at Aldi! These are what I use to carry my supplies to classes and use for all kind of different things. It is actually rather rare to have all of them on the shelf. I have 2 expandable file folders on the far right that hold all of my Wedding Stationary Samples that I have created. You can check out my wedding stationary here – Weddings.LaurasStampPad.com. I have some white board easels on the far left that I use at events, craft fairs, and bridal fairs!
So this is across the room! I just got the black shelf sitting up top. I painted it black and had planned on putting it on the table and adding all of those tools in the box to it. When it came to putting it in the room, I realized I needed more space over here on this shelf. It looks all clean and nice right now but that’s not how it normally looks. I have samples for upcoming classes and events in those little stack-able black baskets. I also have a few samples out on display to admire! 🙂 The bottom is clean in the photo but I use that for placing items I’m running through the Big Shot, stacks of catalogs, samples that need photoed and so much more!!
This is the cabinet that is under the black shelf pictured above. This cabinet has lots of my business supplies in it like catalogs, order forms, Hostess Gifts, and my card stash! One the bottom, I have my Silhouette machine and supplies!
This is my Big Shot Station which has my Big Shot, Framelits, Embossing Folder, and supplies all in one spot! It is super handy to have it all readily available! The 3 drawers below the Big Shot contain cutting plates and accessories up top. Heat embossing items, hot glue gun, ink refills, and more in the second drawer. The bottom drawer has more supplies for my wedding fairs and brides!
I have various other items in the closet like business supplies, additional items like adhesives, memory keeping items, and all the 12″ x 12″ totes with class supplies in there!
If you would like to see all of my room in action, check out my 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! If you have any ideas to share, I would love to hear them! Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Tuesday!!!! I hope you are having a wonderful week and if you are like me, you have no clue what day it really is….the holidays always do this! Before long it will be the weekend again and another holiday!!! Today I’m sharing a favorite – One Sheet Wonders!!!
So technically only 9 of these cards came from 1 sheet of 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper but I couldn’t stop at just 1 sheet so I made TONS!!!
For the card on the left, I added some Washi Tape to the greeting piece and layered it all together. For the card on the right, I cut an inch off the top of 4″ Square giving me a 1″ piece for the top and 3″ for the bottom!
You can swap the Designer Paper to be on the top or bottom. I added a little bit of the Washi Tape on the overlap of the Designer Paper and greeting piece!
I will say for the diagonal one, you will need a longer piece of Whisper White but that depends on your angle. Just take a strip that is 1-1/4″ and then trim down once you have cut your Designer Paper. The 4″ square was cut diagonal at any angle you wish! For the card on the right, I cut the 4″ square in half and put it on the top and bottom!
I used the Washi Tape on both of these. You can add some more design to the greeting piece with stamps, enamel shapes, or punched pieces!
So many fun prints but they all look amazing! You could cut up the entire package of Floral Boutique Designer Paper and make 108 cards in no time at all!!!
If you would like to see these cards 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!!!
Have you tried a One Sheet Wonder? Do you love them too? Let me know in the comments below and check out others here, here, and here!
On the 10th Day of Stamps-Mas, my true love gave to me…..Heat Embossing!!! This technique is super fun and always adds so much bling, flare, and elegance to any project!!! You can check out a few samples here, here, and here!
The Heat Tool is like a super strong hair dryer that blows the hot air on the embossing powder and melts it to set it. There are 2 settings on the tool – 1 for drying your cardstock when watercoloring, etc and 2 for melting embossing powder. Make sure when you use it to focus on one area of your project until it starts to melt and then slowly move it around the project. If you wave it around, you are just dispersing the air and it will take longer. The first time you use it it takes a bit to warm up but after the first one it goes really quickly.
The Embossing Buddy is one of those tools you could technically do without but will love once you use it! This little guy is a bag of powder that reduces static on your cardstock before embossing. It’s like the same stuff gymnasts use on their hands. You will want to tap this over your cardstock before stamping the image. It will leave a bit of a white chalky look on your cardstock but you can wipe that off later.
VersaMark Ink is the sticky, clear ink used in Heat Embossing. You will ink up your stamp in this ink and then stamp it onto your cardstock. This ink is sticky to hold onto the powder when you pour it over.
Embossing Powder comes in Clear, White, Silver, Gold, and Copper! Once you have stamped your image, you can pour the powder of the top and it will stick to the VersaMark Ink. Tap off the excess and you are ready to melt it with the Heat Tool. One tip that I have seen stampers do is pour their powder into a container and place a plastic spoon in there. This way they can spoon on the powder and tap off the excess into the larger container rather than trying to get it into the little container it comes in.
What is your favorite color to Heat Embossing with? Do you enjoy heat embossing? Let me know in the comments below! If you would like to check out a complete tutorial on Heat Embossing check out this video!
If you have missed out on the past days of Stamps-Mas, you can check them out here –Day 1,Day 2,Day 3,Day 4,Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, and Day 9. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss the next 2! You can do that by adding your email address in the subscribe box on the right hand side (on a computer) or at the bottom of the page (on a phone).
On the 9th Day of Stamps-Mas, my true love gave to me…..coloring tools!!! Markers, Aqua Painters, and Blender Pens make coloring stamped images or background so much fun!!! Also, you will notice……Watercolor Pencils in this photo. That is because they are coming out in the Occasions Mini Catalog on January 4th!!! WOOT WOOT!
Aqua Painters are probably my favorite out of all of these above. I feel like I have found my groove on using them and just love the look that comes out. I like to use a Clear Block pressed into an ink pad as my color palette. Then just brush into the color and then color on your project. You never really want to squeeze when coloring because then you will too much water. You also don’t want to press hard on tip because it will flare the bristles and allow more water to come out. You can use these for a watercolor background like in this sample or to color small details like this sample. You can also add other things into the pen like alcohol or bleach for many other techniques!!! Also, you don’t always have to use these with Watercolor Paper. You can use any type of paper like Whisper White, Very Vanilla, or Shimmery White. Check out this video tutorial to see more on these!
Blender Pens are similar to Aqua Painters but they are more like a clear marker. There isn’t a way to squeeze out too much water so you never have to worry about that. Again, you can pick up color from a marker, pencil, or color palette like the one mentioned above! I feel like these are to much like a marker and I end up with streaks but for small things I think they work well. When doing a large image, I prefer Aqua Painters.
Markers are always great to have on hand. Any time I leave my house to craft, I always take them because then if I forget an ink pad I still have every color. I love that you can color with the markers directly onto the stamps to create multi-colored stamped images, omitted images, and so much more! I don’t really prefer to color in an image with the markers, at least not a large image. I tend to always see the strokes of the marker when I use them for coloring. Each marker has 2 ends – a larger marker tip and a smaller pen tip. This makes journaling fun when you are scrapbooking! Because there are 2 ends to the markers, you want to make sure that you store the markers on their side so the ink doesn’t go all the way to one side.
Watercolor pencils are coming out in the Occasions Mini Catalog in January!!! I have played with them a little and they are super fun to color with and then blend with an Aqua Painter or Blender Pen. You can color images in and even do a watercolor background with them. Stay tuned for more on these as I play with them more!!! 🙂
What is your favorite coloring tool?? Let me know in the comments below!!
If you have missed out on the past days of Stamps-Mas, you can check them out here –Day 1,Day 2,Day 3,Day 4,Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, and Day 8. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss the next 3! You can do that by adding your email address in the subscribe box on the right hand side (on a computer) or at the bottom of the page (on a phone).
