321 Stamp: Launching Creativity

Easter Blossoms

It's a card -- it's a scrapbook page -- it's inspiration for both. I was inspired by a card I got in a SUDSOL swap with other demonstrators at Leadership. Lisa Kim's card used the same Tasteful Trims scallops and I had just loved her idea for those -- same silhouette image from the great Easter Blossoms set, but I used an oval die cut for that -- and I added a different ribbon treatment. I had known for a few months that when I used this Easter set, I was going to teach how to gather the seam binding for just the right touch (more on that later in the post). So here's my card:

Best of all, I could make it in both this Baja Breeze color scheme and also in a Rose Red version just by using other pieces of paper from the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper and a different flower out of the Vinage Flower Adornments (item #121879).

Since I teach card classes and a scrapbook class each month, I knew that this card design could easily turn into a great 6 inch square scrapbook page. And thanks to a card shared by Stampin' Up CEO Shelli Gardner, I knew I had a design idea for the matching page as well. Notice how I designed it so that class could use some of the Vanilla flowers that I had not used in my card classes. And I love the little touch of pearls on the matching page -- and the distressed corner in the lower right with some paper peeking out.

A Soft Suede marker used with the "Sending Springtime Smiles" stamp image, quickly changed it to a more appropriate scrapbook page headline -- I love doing that just by omitting words I don't want.

So here's how to get those gathered ribbons that you see on the tails of the bow and on the pretty ribbon that goes across the scallops. It's so easy -- NO sewing -- but you want to use a soft ribbon -- such as our seam bindings from the Occasions Mini Catalog or the 3/8 inch wide Taffeta ribbons in the main catalog.

All you do is fray each end a little so they have fringe. Then isolate and pull a couple of the vertical strings of the ribbon -- right in the middle of it's width. As you pull and move the gathers down the ribbon you get a beautiful ruffle. Notice that I said to fringe and pull strings from both ends. That's because if you pull from just one end, you risk pulling out your gathering thread at some point. By pulling from both ends, the gathers can meet in the middle easily. The ends are just taped to the back of the card stock mat or the back of the scapbook page so they don't show. I don't like to glue down the ruffled ribbon but a mini glue dot here or there can take care of it sagging if that's an issue. EDITED TO ADD: I decide how much ribbon I using the same ruffle formula I've always used in sewing — measure the width of your card or page, double that, then add a couple of inches so you have enough to fold over to the back. So it was 14 inches of ribbon for the 6 inch wide scapbook page.

Happy spring stamping! It's spring in Florida at least with oak pollen popping out all over (along with brush fires - yuck). Hope all my northern friends get spring blossoms soon!

Stampin' Up's! Fabulous Fabric

You read that right -- Stampin' Up has added fabric to our wonderful product line -- and best of all it matches coordinating Designer Series Paper! At convention they showcased lots of fabric ideas, which you can see a taste of in this previous post (plus you'll find more about the fabric itself). I loved the idea of using it as a fabric band to dress up a scrapbook. This is a 6 inch brag book sized album that I embellished and will then use to highlight a few Christmas memories from each year. It will be a great coffee table album to put out each year.

This close up of the focal point shows that in addition to the Deck the Halls fabric band, I used stamped images and our new Waffle Paper and Big Designer buttons. I love these new buttons from the Holiday Mini as the holes are large enough to get ribbon and the new crochet trim through. If you need help getting the ribbon through the holes try my dental floss threader trick that you can see here.

Try the fabric -- even if you don't sew it's easy to use for dressing up cards and 3-D items.

Finishing the "Brag Book" Scrapbook

Welcome back and I hope you've been enjoying a look through my Brag Book style scrapbook album that was a club project last catalog year for my scrapbooking club. This post has the final three two-page layouts and you can just scroll down for the other two posts that show the other layouts (plus don't miss the link in the first post on this topic that will take you back to the album's first and last pages that I posted months ago.)

Remember to click on any photo to make it larger. This spring layout grew from an idea from my demo friend Linda Heller. We held a demonstrator team meeting together in March and Linda taught this great idea for a Stampin' Pastels technique — see the flower border on the right side page? The Turquoise rectangle is pastel chalk that was rubbed onto watercolor paper with a Sponge Dauber. Just fill in the shape you want -- you can clean up the edges later if you like with the white eraser that comes with our SU pastels. You then stamp your line art images (these are from Awash with Flowers) using Staz On ink -- stamp right over the pastel block. That white eraser is the trick -- you simply erase the pastel from inside the flower and leaf images then I used a blender pen and more pastels to color them in!! Such a great idea and one that gets a, "how did you do that?" comment.

Travel was the theme as we moved into summer (it gets hot earlier in Florida and many schools dismiss in May so vacations start early!) The items on these pages are from the Summer Mini Catalog and available through Aug. 31. Try using Designer Series Printed paper like we did on the right side page for a quick and easy background. Everyone in class adds their photos later at home so I left these 6" square pages blank here so you can see all the details. On the left side edge that touch of Pumpkin Pie grid paper is the Presto Patterns Designer Specialty paper which is in the 2010-2011 Idea Book (and the Summer mini). It's white with designs that resist ink so they pop through any color you apply — we could just make a tiny strip of Pumpkin and have lots of paper left to make other colors.

This Tropical Party stamp set from the Summer Mini is one of my favorites (it's gone Aug. 31). The sand on the left is just torn strips of Crumb Cake card stock with the edges sponged with Chocolate Chip ink and some splatters as well -- the trees were done with markers and then cut out. The Rose Red flower is the Island Floral Big Shot die from the Summer mini (and it's also in the 2010-1011 Idea Book). See that orange mat behind the circle coconut drink? It is two Designer Label punch images that were punched from Pumpkin Pie card stock --- they have been turned on their side to make an interesting mat.

So consider making a Brag Book size album - it's one scrapbook you can finish more quickly and easily display on a coffee table or give as a gift to the grandparents. I often find my daughter looking through her album that is this size -- each little page reminds her how special she is.

Scrapbook Pages - More to share

If you saw my last post (and you can scroll down if you did not) then you know I'm sharing the series of 20 pages from my 2009-2010 Scrapbook club. I do this 6 by 6 inch square "Brag Book" style album club each Stampin' Up catalog year from August through June and it's a big hit. I love this size page as it's  not overwhelming and you can teach techniques that can be used on larger format pages, cards or any papercrafting project. Just click on any photo to view it larger and see more detail.

These Valentine's Day pages were lots of fun to make -- again these are from last club year so some things are retired, such as the cute tic-tac-toe style image and those special brads -- but the layout is one you can use with any stamps. I love the combo of textured and smooth card stock for the background on the pages -- I love lots of texture and unexpected elements. If you have not tried our Textured card stock, give it a try -- I love it!! Our 12 by 12 card stock is now a combo pack of smooth and Textured so you can have a little of both.

Easter was up next and I loved combining the vintage style chocolate bunny and Vintage Vogue images. Note the tone-on-tone vintage Stampin' Up jumbo wheel design on the chocolate card stock and the flower made with Chocolate Chip designer paper. Just punch the edge of a 1" by 12" strip, crimp with a paper crimper and then roll on to a circle cut from our Sticky Pages to make a cute flower. See that skinny strip of paper on the blue page? It's the leftover strip when you use the eyelet punch -- a perfect accent to ground the vine image, the flower and the little white accent.

Here's another spring theme two-page layout featuring lots of Beautiful Wings Embosslit butterflies. I love the embossing folder used on the corner of the olive page as well. I planned the paper border there to "hide" where my embossed design ends. On a large 12 by 12 page you could emboss a corner of two 6" by 12" strips -- they would fit through the Big Shot long ways -- and then piece them together with ribbon or a strip of coordinating paper to hide your seam. Beautiful look! This year's catalog has this same Designer Paper style in a new color scheme -- it's called Sunny Garden (item #119831) and the new version coordinates with Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait.

Stay tuned for more of this fun album and hope you're inspired to give a brag book a try. If you're a demonstrator, it's a great way to add a manageable scrapbook class to your schedule.

Scrapbooking Brag Book Style

I have always loved Stampin' Up's 6 inch square photo albums -- they're the size I think is great for a "brag book" to showcase highlights of one or two people (your kids or grandkids), scrapbook the year's highlights for your whole family or document things about yourself in an "All about me" album. Each August I start a scrapbooking club that makes a 20 page brag book size album as we meet throughout the coming months. (NOTE: If you're local to Florida's space coast and are interested in the club starting in August, send me an email at the link in the left column as there is room for you.)

Over the next few posts I wanted to share the two-page layouts that make up the inside "spreads" of last year's club album. First, here's a fall spread that used a unique color combo -- and see that page on the left? It was copied almost directly from Stampin' Up's great demonstrator magazine! Why design from scratch every time when SU helps us out? All I had to do was design the coordinating page.

Up next in our monthly meetings was another set of fall pages -- we made these last October and I like having multiple choices for the Halloween and Thanksgiving photos that are often the focus of Fall.  These used the time-saving technique of stamping one larger strip of card stock, with the leaves in this case, and then tearing it into two strips for your pages. Remember that this is a small format of just 6 inches so you don't need too much on these pages -- the focus should always be on the photos that scrap club members easily add at home. I love those Big Shot die cut leaves!

After Fall comes Christmas of course so the Wandering Words set from last year's Holiday Mini catalog was perfect to add Santa's sleigh -- embossed here with Chocolate Craft ink and clear powder. FYI -- that was the fall-themed image from Wandering Words on the fall pages above — can you see how this club made everyone see the versatility of that now-retired stamp set?

Look closer and you'll see the bling -- the stamped card stock was then covered with clear Versamark ink and embossed all over with our Iridescent Ice embossing powder. So pretty and the glitter is locked in this way and does not as easily migrate to your photos. This is one example of how I also use brag book pages to teach a technique that scrapbookers can then use on larger pages they may make at home.

The last page of this album was one I showed last fall and you can see it by clicking here. And the first page is one that I had showed along with a collage style card in this post. The first and last pages of an album are a great place to showcase a single page layout of course. I also love using the last page as a "dedication page" if this is a gift album for someone else — a place you can combine a photo that sums it up and journaling that lets the recipient know why they're so special.

If a giant scrapbook project seems overwhelming, think about this smaller size — it's a wonderful option and each page is almost like making a greeting card. And again, you are practicing techniques and layouts that you can always use for your larger format scrapbooking.

I'll share the remaining layouts over the next few days.

Shelli's Great Father's Day idea

 

I love the fact that Stampin' Up! Co-founder Shelli Gardner is a blogger and of course she's a great stamper who designs some beautiful projects. This photo is from her blog and I want you to run not walk right over there to see her great idea! (But read just a little more first then I'll have the link). These are made from chipboard On Board book pages shaped like briefcases that are in the Summer Mini Catalog right now. Each package of 8 chipboard pages already have two holes and there are rings so you can make them into a book. Shelli's great idea was to use just two of the pages as covers for an envelope accordion album. How cool that our standard card size envelopes fit perfectly inside so you can make an album for dad with lots of pockets to slip photo pages and notes about how great he is!

Click here to see Shelli's photos of the steps so you can make your own. If you need the briefcase album pages, just click on my Order Online button (they are only $4.95 in the U.S. for a set of 8 nice size pages!) -- or order from me when I see you. I just love this idea! Thanks Shelli for the great project.

Scrapbooking Stampin' Up Style

I wanted to share this great idea video for summer scrapbooking featuring Stampin' Up's Carrie Cudney -- and it features some of the items that can earn you a free package of specialty Brads during May. The Current Specials link on the right takes you right to the list of stamp sets that qualify for the freebie -- and also a list of the brads you can choose from. This applies for online orders as well as orders placed at my events this month.

A Scrapbook Page or a Card -- your choice!

This is either a 6 by 6 inch scrapbook page -- perfect for a Brag Book size album -- or it's a 3 inch by 6 inch card -- you choice whether to fold it in half or not. This has been a very popular make and take project at my home workshops the last month and a half. I love the colors in the Shades of Spring paper. The background is Certainly Celery card stock and the Scallop Trim border punch dresses us the paper as well. (you can get that punch free with a $50 order through end of March.) Here's a link back to a post with some great tips on using our new border punches.

I love the Chocolate Bunny stamp and he's easy to cut out so you can give him a bow tie courtesy of Vanilla Taffeta ribbon. The stamped and punched out greeting comes from Well Scripted -- my FAVORITE new word set. I hope it survives after the Occasions Mini Catalog retires at the end of April -- it's a great word set! I layered the greeting on a So Saffron wide oval -- all the colors just came right from the Spring paper, which has shades of Orchid Opulence, Celery, Saffron, Vanilla, Pretty in Pink and Chocolate.

Hope spring weather start to show up soon where you are! Happy stamping.

More Collage Scrapbooking

 
In my last post I showed a collage style scrapbook page and card and wanted to show another one from last month's club that uses that technique in a slightly different way. The background is 6 inch square Dusty Durango card stock. The clock and gear images from from the beautiful Stampin' Up stamp set called Sense of Time. The filler images are from Extreme Elements -- the set that I used on the card in the last post (love this set!) All those are stamped in either Soft Suede or Dusty Durango.

The journaling block is from a wonderful new office supply-look set called Favorite Things. It really has a border in a label shape but I tore it out to make it a little smaller. The stamped image has a little arrow in the corner and the punched out small arrow from the My Way punch is a perfect match to pop up with a Dimensional right over that -- how cool! Again, Extreme Elements provide the details to dress up that journaling block. The saying used as a page title is from the same Favorite Things set -- stamped on Crushed Curry and punched with the Modern Label -- and a Mini Library Clip shows that it really is all in the details! Can't wait to add a photo to this page -- which will actually serve as the final page of the 20-page album we're making in club. I always like to make sure there's a place to write some final thoughts at the end of an album.

Collage Style Cards and Scrapbooking

 I've always loved the collage style of stamping. It's a technique that ebbs and flows in popularity but is always a go-to style when I want to play around in a more artistic way. And a great idea shared at SU convention got me thinking about all the fun you can have using some of Stampin' Up's great background stamps as part of your collage -- especially the ones that are essentially a collage of words.

The projects shared in this post were among the things we made at my August stamp and scrapbooking clubs. The card uses the Gratuitous Graffitti background stamp and I used a sponge dauber and Soft Suede ink to ink up just the word "Gratitude" -- fading the ink out on the images that surround that word on the large stamp. The multi-color images around the greeting are all from the new Extreme Elements set -- a must-have set for me. Those images were all "second generation" -- meaning I inked them up then stamped ink off on scrap paper first before adding them around Gratitude. The panel has been spritzed with a Soft Suede marker using the Color Spritzer tool (item #107066 -- love this for speckles!). The card itself is Dusty Durango with a Soft Suede accent strip -- and this card was essentially a copy of the one showed off at convention.

Here's a close up so you can see one more little touch that really makes the card a beauty -- the G is stamped a second time, cut out and then popped up right over the one on the card.

On this 6" square scrapbook page, I took that collage idea and used the Tres Chic background stamp and the Medallion stamp. First, I stamped the Medallion in white craft ink on Bordering Blue card stock. I heat set that with a heat tool. Then I used a Bordering Blue Craft ink spot (pigment ink) to add color to just a section of the Tres Chic stamp. BEFORE stamping it, I used a sponge dauber and Night of Navy craft ink to highlight a few words so they would stand out as my subtle page title. TIP: On the large background stamps I use the inked stamp with the wood side lying on the table, rubber side up and just place the paper face down over the ink -- much easier than trying to stamp with that large stamp the traditional way. The page is accented with a white Jumbo Grommet and white photo mat with an Eyelet punched edge, dressed up with Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon.

Check out this version! Same stamp -- same process -- but this time I inked up a different section that would make a perfect header for a page about my creative pursuits (important to scrapbook about yourself and what's important to you!) That Navy flourish is an image from Extreme Elements again -- such a perfect set for all different styles of stamping. There are images that can look like everything from extreme sports dirt splatters -- to elegant accents. It's all in the context.

Happy stamping!