Inspiration Ink

Cards from Lynn's Workshop

Lynn A. had a fun Workshop last night.  Here are the cards we made at her party.  Enjoy!

Lynn had asked that I demonstrate altering our beautiful Designer Papers by adding some glitter.  So, we added some Dazzling Diamonds to the Nouveau Chic Designer Paper for this card.  There really is glitter on two rows of the pattern, it just doesn't show up well in the scan.

Uses En Francais background stamp and Vintage Labels Clear-Mount Sale-A-Bration Set plus Clear-Mount Block A, Clear-Mount Block B, Clear-Mount Block C, Sage Shadow Card Stock, Apricot Appeal Card Stock, Basic Gray Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper, Apricot Appeal Classic Ink Pad, Sage Shadow Classic Ink Pad, Basic Gray Classic Ink Pad, VersaMark Pad, Curly Label Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Basic Gray 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, 2-Way Glue Pen, and Sticky Strip.

Lynn had also requested that I show her and her guests our Watercolor Wonder Crayons, so we made this card.

Uses Vintage Vogue Set and Teeny Tiny Wishes Set plus Certainly Celery Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Watercolor Paper, Shades of Spring Designer Series Paper, Kisses Sending Love Notes, Certainly Celery Classic Ink Pad, Aqua Painter, Bold Brights Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Orchid Opulence), Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Old Olive), Soft Subtles Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Pretty in Pink), Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, Certainly Celery 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Paper-Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Sticky Strip, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Carrot Boxes

My upline recently challenged us to take the pattern for a "carrot box" and create a fun little box.  Here's what I created and filled with gourmet jelly beans to give to my Hostesses at Workshops this weekend as a Hostess Gift.  Enjoy!

Uses Tiny Tags Clear-Mount Set plus Clear-Mount Block A, Confetti White Card Stock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, Old Olive Classic Ink Pad, Flower Fusion Accents & Elements, Gold Brads, Paper-Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, and Sticky Strip.

If you would like the pattern, please click here Download Carrotbox.

Bunny Candy Bar Holders

I've got two Workshops and the two sessions of my Stampin' Club Class this weekend, so I'm busy, busy, busy!  I like to give my Club Members who come to Class a little something extra and, sometimes, I make an extra goody to give to all the guests at a Workshop too.  I made a little army of bunnies to give out this weekend at all my events.  Each little bunny holds a Hershey's Miniature Candy Bar.  This is less than half of the ones I made.  Enjoy!

Uses Tiny Tags Clear-Mount Set plus Clear-Mount Block A, Almost Amethyst Card Stock, So Saffron Card Stock, Pretty in Pink Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Tea Party Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, Small Oval Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Two Tags Bigz Die, and Sticky Strip.

Weekly Inspiration

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Here's a fun card perfect for today that could also be used as a retirement card, graduation card, congratulations on the new job/promotion card, or good luck card with a simple change of sentiment.  Enjoy!

 

Supplies

- Teeny Tiny Wishes Set, page 145, $36.95

- Holiday Blitz Set, page 44, $38.95

- Green Galore 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 156, $5.50

- Neutrals Assorted 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 155, $7.95

- Glossy White 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 159, $5.95

- Brushed Gold 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 159, $7.95

- Bold Brights Stampin' Write Markers, page 156, $31.95

- Glorious Green Classic Ink Pad, page 156, $5.95

- Green Galore Classic Ink Pad, page 156, $5.95

- Bashful Blue Classic Ink Pad, page 157, $5.95

- Stamping Sponges, page 192, $3.50

- Scallop Oval Punch, pages 186 - 187, $15.95

- 1/2" Circle Punch, page 186, $5.95

- Word Window Punch, pages 186 - 187, $15.95

- 1 3/4" Circle Punch, page 186, $15.95

- Horizontal Slot Punch, pages 186 - 187, $5.95

- Small Heart Punch, page 11 of Occasions Mini, $5.95

- Stampin' Dimensionals, page 192, $3.95

- 2-Way Glue Pen, page 192, $3.50

- spray mist bottle filled with water (an old Stampin' Mist Bottle works great)

- tissue or paper towel (optional)

- scissors

- adhesive

Directions

1)  Cut a piece of Green Galore Card Stock to 5 1/2 x 8 1/2".  Score and fold in half to make card.

2)  Cut a piece of Glossy White Card Stock to 4 x 5 1/4".

3)  Lightly spray the glossy rectangle with water.  This lets the marker colors blend together a bit and softens them.

4)  Draw the rainbow using the brush tips of the Bold Brights Markers.  Start with Real Red about 1 1/2" up from the bottom and about 5/8" in from the left side.  Slightly curve the line to the right as you draw up so the rainbow will bend off to the upper right side.  Repeat with the other colors in this order, Only Orange, YoYo Yellow, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Orchid Opulence, and Lovely Lilac.  Let each color overlap the previous one just a bit.

5)  When you've finished drawing your rainbow, you can use a clean tissue or paper towel to carefully blot off any remaining water that may be on the glossy card stock.

6)  Sponge Bashful Blue Ink lightly all over the upper 4 1/2" of the glossy card stock not colored with the rainbow.

7)  Sponge Green Galore Ink lightly over the bottom 1" of the glossy card stock.

8)  Repeatedly stamp the clover image from the Holiday Blitz Set all over the bottom of the glossy rectangle.  Stamp some images without re-inking and let the images overlap.

9)  Stamp the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Glorious Green Ink onto a scrap of Whisper White Card Stock.

10)  Punch the sentiment out with the Scallop Oval Punch and adhere it to the glossy card stock in the upper right corner so it covers part of the rainbow.

11)  Punch a scrap of Basic Gray Card Stock with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch.  Cut a small portion of the circle off so it has a flat bottom.  Cut another portion off at the top so it is flat at the top as well.

12)  Punch a scrap of Basic Gray Card Stock with the Word Window Punch.

13)  Punch out three "legs" for the pot from a scrap of Basic Gray Card Stock with the Horizontal Slot Punch.

14)  Lay the pieces of your pot on the glossy card stock on the left side so they cover the bottom of the rainbow.  Do NOT adhere them yet.

15)  Punch out seven small circles from a scrap of Brushed Gold Card Stock with the 1/2" Circle Punch.

16)  Adhere five of the gold circles in a pile to the card front so they will overlap the bottom of the rainbow and will be covered themselves by the top of the pot.  Use the 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere the circles.

17)  Adhere the pieces of the pot in place.  Use the 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere the legs of the pot.

18)  Punch four hearts out of a scrap of Green Galore Card Stock with the Small Heart Punch.

19)  Use the Green Galore Marker fine tip to add a thin line dots down the center of each heart.

19)  Cut small pieces of Stampin' Dimensionals from the edges of the sheets and use them to adhere the four hearts to the card front to make a shamrock.  Let the shamrock overlap the right edge of the pot of gold a little.

20)  Punch a partial circle out of a scrap of Green Galore Card Stock with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch.  Slide the punched scrap of paper down into the punch a little and punch again so that you have a thin, curved strip of card stock.

21)  Adhere the strip of Green Galore to the bottom of the shamrock as a stem using the 2-Way Glue Pen.  Trim off excess card stock.

22)  Adhere the last two Brushed Gold circles to the bottom of the card front using the 2-Way Glue Pen.  Let them overlap the bottom of the pot of gold and each other a little.

23)  Adhere the card front to the Green Galore card.

Tips

You want to use Glossy White Card Stock for this card so that you can spray it with water and have the colors of the markers blend together better.

Remember the mnemonic device "Roy G. Biv" when trying to put the colors of the rainbow in order.  R = Red, O = Orange, Y = Yellow, G = Green, B = Blue, I = Indigo, V = Violet.

Cut your Stamping Sponges into quarters before using them.  This makes them easier to handle and gives you more sponges to work with!

Sponging on Bashful Blue and Green Galore Inks not only looks good and helps fill in the card front, it also helps hide any spots left on the card stock from spraying it with water.

The thin edges of Stampin' Dimensionals along the edges of the sheets are great to cut into small pieces and use to attach small items to card fronts.

Since you sprayed the Glossy White Card Stock with water, the edges of the card stock may be curling up a bit.  Use plenty of adhesive when adhering it to the card to make sure it lays flat.

Cat in the Fish Bowl Card

I got this adorable idea from someone else and just added my own little twists.  Enjoy!

Uses Something Sweet Set and Woodgrain background stamp plus More Mustard Card Stock, Ballet Blue Card Stock, Regal Rose Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, Regal Rose Classic Ink Pad, More Mustard Classic Ink Pad, Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink Pad, More Mustard Stampin' Write Marker, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Large Oval Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Tag Corner Punch, Round Tab Punch, Earth Elements Brads, Paper-Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Linen Thread, Sweet Treat Cups, Sticky Strip, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's a peek at the inside of the card so you can see how the recipient can get to the goldfish cracker treats. 

I did decorate the front of the pull-out tag a bit too so that even after the crackers are gone it looks like the cat is reaching into the fish bowl to help himself to some fish!  The crackers have already gotten some grease stains on the card stock, sorry!

Monkey Baby Card

My cousin's daughter just had her second child, a little girl.  I made this card to send to her along with a baby gift.  Enjoy!

Uses Fox & Friends Clear-Mount Set and Teeny Tiny Wishes Set plus Clear-Mount Block B, Certainly Celery Card Stock, Pretty in Pink Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad, Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Multipurpose Platform, Standard Cutting Pads, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Masculine Retirement Card

I'm sorry I haven't posted much this last week.  I've been battling a bad cold that keeps threatening to turn into a sinus infection.  Ouch!

Here's a card I made today to send to an "uncle" who just retired.  He's really my mom's cousin, but it's just easier to think of him as an uncle.  Enjoy!

Uses Enjoy Every Moment Set and Teeny Tiny Wishes Set plus Taken with Teal Card Stock, Pumpkin Pie Card Stock, Chocolate Chip Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, Taken with Teal Classic Ink Pad, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad, Modern Label Punch, Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie Corduroy Buttons, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, Linen Thread, Sticky Strip, and Mini Glue Dots.

Hat Box

I made these little "hat boxes" as an extra gift for some of my Club Members.  The ladies who were the Hostesses and those who were the first to get their orders in to me for each Club during February got one of these with their February Club Orders.  These cute little hats really are little boxes.  I got the idea from a challenge issued by my upline when she sent us the pattern.  Enjoy!

Uses Sprinkles Set and Tiny Tags Clear-Mount Set plus Clear-Mount Block A, Regal Rose Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack, Regal Rose Classic Ink Pad, Circle Scissor Plus, Glass Mat, Dotto, Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, 1/16" Circle Handheld Punch, Linen Thread, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Sticky Strip, and Mini Glue Dots.

Weekly Inspiration

For the extra goody that my Club Members got with their February orders, I made them all a faux leather gum holder filled with gum.  There were several different varieties and they were given out randomly.  Here's how you can make some too!  They make great little gifts or make a few for yourself.  Enjoy!

Supplies

- Basic Gray 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 155, $7.50

- Chocolate Chip 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 156, $5.50

- Old Olive 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock, page 156, $5.50

- VersaMark Pad, page 190, $7.50

- Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, page 188, $4.75

- Powder Pals, page 188, $19.95

- Bone Folder, page 188, $6.95

- Heat Tool, page 188, $29.95

- Paper-Piercing Tool, page 191, $3.50

- Mat Pack, page 191, $9.95

- Flower Fusion Accents & Elements, page 180, $14.95

- Fleurettes II Accents & Elements, page 180, $9.95

- Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, page 32 of Occasions Mini, $7.95

- Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads, page 179, $10.95

- Soft Subtles Brads, page 179, $8.95

- Earth Elements Brads, page 179, $8.95

- Sticky Strip, page 192, $6.95

- adhesive

- scissors

- pencil, pen, or Marker

- self-adhesive Velcro

- gum packets (I used Orbit)

Directions

1)  Open one of the gum packets and remove the gum.  Set it aside for now.

2)  Tear the cardboard holder apart and flatten it out to make a pattern.  I did cut off the little tab at the top of their package since I'd be closing mine with Velcro.

 

3)  Lay the pattern on a piece of card stock and trace with a pencil, pen, or Marker.

4)  Cut out the traced card stock.

5)  Using the pattern as a guide, score where needed.

6)  Lay the cut out, scored card stock on your work surface so the trace marks are facing up.

7)  Press the VersaMark Pad all over the card stock surface until it is completely inked up.

8)  Lay the inked up card stock in the Powder Pal inked side up.  Sprinkle on Clear Embossing Powder.  Tap off excess powder into the tray.

9)  Lay the powdered card stock on your work surface so the powdered side is up.

10)  Use a Bone Folder to draw random lines all over the surface of the powdered card stock by dragging the tip of the Bone Folder through the powder.

 

11)  Tap the loose embossing powder into the garbage.  Do NOT reuse it!

12)  Heat the card stock with the Heat Tool until all the powder is melted and shiny.

13)  Fold on your score lines and place with the embossed side down on your work surface.

14)  Lay the gum inside the holder.

15)  Lightly adhere the side flaps to the gum.  Also fold the tiny tabs at the bottom in and secure them with adhesive.

16)  Put small strips of Sticky Strip on the side flaps as shown.

17)  Remove the protective backing (red) from the Sticky Strip pieces and fold the bottom flap up and secure in place.

18)  Flip the wallet over so the embossed side is face up and lay the top flap on the mats from the Mat Pack.  Place an embellishment flower of your choice on top of the flap so it overlaps the bottom edge by just a tiny bit.  Use the Paper-Piercing Tool to poke a hole through the center of the flower and card stock.  Insert a brad of choice and secure on back side.

19)  Flip the wallet back over and put one side of a Velcro piece over the prongs of the brad.  Put the other side of the Velcro piece on the first Velcro piece and remove the protective backing.  Close the flap of the wallet and press hard to secure the Velcro piece on the other side exactly where you want it.

 

Tips

You can use any color of card stock and any type of embellishment on the flap that you'd like.

Make sure your VersaMark Pad is well inked so that the embossing powder will stick to the card stock easily.

By embossing on the traced side of the card stock, you'll hide any trace marks that weren't cut off.

You may have noticed that I did not emboss some of the side flaps.  I deliberately left the parts that would be covered by the bottom flap of the wallet un-embossed since the Sticky Strip sticks better on plain card stock.

Just draw random, squiggly lines with the Bone Folder through the embossing powder.  Let some of the lines cross.  You are trying to make it look like a piece of leather!

Do NOT reuse the powder that you pull up with the Bone Folder when drawing your lines.  It's already saturated with VersaMark and will not work well if you try to reuse it.  Just tap it off into the garbage.

You can refill your wallet with gum at any time!

Make a slightly larger wallet and it will hold business cards.  Or, make an even bigger one to hold feminine hygiene products in style!

 

Big Shot & Fabric Crafting

Crafting with fabric is one of the biggest industry trends right now, and we aren't just talking quilts!  You can create beautiful fabric accessories and home décor with your Big Shot--even if you don't sew.  Many of the projects you can make with die-cut fabrics can be assembled with a hot glue gun or an iron and fusible webbing or just require some very basic stitching with a needle and thread.  The Big Shot makes it easy to cut intricate fabric shapes to use in all your crafting projects.

Here are some projects that Stampin' Up! recently created using fabric and the Big Shot.  Enjoy!

A ponytail holder.  It uses Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, Pumpkin Pie Corduroy Buttons, fabric, needle, thread, and ponytail elastic.

A headband.  It uses Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button, fabric, needle, thread, and headband.

A onesie.  It uses Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Extended Cutting Pads, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, Pennant Bigz XL Die, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, fabric, 1" wide elastic,  sewing machine, thread, and baby onesie. A memory board.  It uses Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Lattice Bigz Die, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo Brads, 18 x 18" artist canvas, 2/3 yard background fabric, additional fabric to die cut, push pins, and thumbtacks.

A quilt square.  It uses Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Standard Cutting Pads, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, 5-Point 3D Star Bigz Die, background fabric (2 10"x10" squares), 10"x10" square 100% cotton batting, 6" ric-rac, additional fabric for die cutting, sewing machine, and thread.

Here are some frequently asked questions about using fabric in the Big Shot.

What type of fabric will the Big Shot cut?  The Big Shot will cut all types of fabric including canvas, iron-on fabric, soft plush fabric, burlap, velvet corduroy, lace, felt, heavyweight denim, terry cloth, funky fur, thin leather, quilt batting, warm & natural batting, fusible fleece, and more!

How many pieces of fabric can I cut at a time?  That depends on the fabric. Different fabrics vary in thickness.  For example, your Big Shot can cut through eight layers of cotton, which is a relatively thin fabric, but it will only cut through one layer of faux fur, which is a very thick fabric.

Do you shim fabric in a Big Shot differently than paper?  No.  Your Big Shot works the same with fabric as it does with paper.  Different fabrics vary in thickness, much the same as different paper materials vary in thickness.  If you are only cutting one layer of a very thin fabric, you might need to use a piece of card stock as a shim just as you would if you were only cutting one layer of thin paper.

Will all Big Shot dies cut fabric?  You can cut fabric with any of the Sizzix steel-rule dies (Originals, Bigz, Bigz L, and Bigz XL).  You cannot cut fabric with Sizzlits, Embosslits, Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, or Texturz Plates.

Will dies with score lines ruin my fabric?  You can still use dies with score lines to cut fabric.  The score lines will slightly distress your fabric, but shouldn't damage it permanently.  However, we recommend that if you are using dies with score lines to only cut one or two layers at a time (depending on the thickness of your fabric).  If you try to cut too many layers at a time, it is possible that the score lines could tear your fabric.

Will cutting fabric with the Big Shot dull my dies?  The Big Shot steel-rule dies (Originals, Bigz, Bigz L, and Bigz XL) were designed to work on several different types of materials.  Cutting fabric with your Big Shot dies will not result in any damage to your dies and will not dull them any faster than cutting paper will.

Should I wash my fabric before working with it? It really depends on the fabric.  Some lower-quality fabrics will shrink after they're washed, which could result in your project coming apart.  However, many quilters don't wash their fabric first because the fabric is stiffer and easier to work with before it's washed.  If you use higher-quality fabrics, they will likely not shrink.

Does Stampin' Up! plan to sell fabric?  Stampin' Up! works hard to stay on trend, but it just isn't possible to offer every crafting product on the market.  We will continue to explore new products and possibilities, but will keep stamps, ink, and paper as our core products.

I don't have a sewing machine. Can I still create fabric projects?   Yes!  The world of fabric crafting is as varied as the world of paper crafting.  There are several alternatives to using a sewing machine.  You can create many simple designs sewing by hand using a needle and thread or even a hot glue gun.  In addition, fusible web is a great option for creating one-of-a-kind fabric crafts.

What is fusible web and how does it work?  Fusible web is a man-made fiber that will melt when heated with an iron and become sticky.  When it is placed between two pieces of fabric, the melting of the web causes the fabrics to fuse together making it possible for you to adhere the fabric without the use of a sewing machine.  Fusible web is available in rolls (similar to tape), in pre-packaged pieces, or is sold by the yard in your local fabric store.

My quilting friends mention things called charm packs, layer cakes, and fat quarters.  What are they?  Charm packs, layer cakes, and fat quarters are terms for pre-cut cotton that is generally used for quilting.  Charm packs include a variety of coordinating fabrics cut into 5" x 5" squares.  The packs have an assortment of patterned and solid fabrics and their small size makes them ideal for using on quilt blocks.  Layer cakes are just like charm packs, but they are larger in size, with the cotton cut into 10" x 10" squares.  Fat quarters are pieces of cotton cut into quarter yard segments.  However, instead of being cut vertically, like you would cut a piece of fabric off a bolt, fat quarters are cut horizontally first, giving you a piece of cotton that measures 18" X 22".  All of these options are a great way to get a good selection of fabrics at a relatively inexpensive price.

If you would like step-by-step directions for making the projects shown above, please contact me.

Now is a great time to purchase a Big Shot if you don't already own one.  Check out My Big Shot Kit listed under Specials for a really great deal!

Have fun fabric crafting with your Big Shot!