After almost 15 hours pf flying, Riley and I are home from Fiji. What an amazing trip -- now we just have to adapt from Fiji time to Florida time!
I was excited to see news of two new photopolymer clear sets that have been released, along with an online class packed with ideas about how to use them.
Show & Tell 1 and 2 are the new sets. Together
these sets feature more than 60 versatile images that you can mix and
match to create personalized backgrounds, patterns, layers, and
dimensions to make any project stand out. These sets are featured in our new Seeing the
Possibilities Class! Take this class to discover how quickly and easily
you can line up the stamped images for precision placement, achieve just
the right ink coverage, combine images together exactly where you want
them. . .well you get the idea. The possibilities are endless!
You can purchase each set and the class separately, or for a better deal, get the bundle of all three!
Here's the details on item numbers and prices:
- Show and Tell Set 1: Item #133450, $13.95 - Show and Tell Set 2: Item #133481, $13.95 - Seeing the Possibilities Online Class, Item #134532, $14.96 - Save 15% of the bundle of both sets and the online class: item #134533, $35.95
This time of year is always a chance to get excited about what is retiring from the Stampin' Up catalog -- because it means new stamps and accessories will be able to join the SU family in the new catalog that starts May 31.
Here are the links to the lists of retiring items -- available through June 3 or while supplies last for accessories (we make our own stamp sets so those will not sell out). FYI -- SU made the date June 3 for these retiring things so it's a weekday.
I love designing pages for my 8 inch by 8 inch scrapbook club -- such a fun size. This month the focus was spring, and flowers and butterflies -- with the cutting courtesy of Stampin' Up's Secret Garden stamp set and matching framelit dies for the Big Shot. Just stamp the flowers, add a little shading to the card stock colors and line up the framelits and cut them out.
The background was made by stamping the images of the flowers and the butterflies from Papillion Poypourri with Versamark ink on Crumb Cake card stock. Here's a close up of the shading, added with a combination of markers and blender pens and ink. The flowers were embossed with white powder on Raspberry, Perfect Plum and Pretty in Pink card stock.
And here's the second page -- simple Swallowtail image with a couple of stamped images from the Papillion set and then Spring is spelled out with the Letter It stamp set -- love this one for scrapbooking and they are easy to cut out.
Hope it's finally spring weather where you are. We're currently in the middle of a huge thunderstorm so better post and log off in case the power flickers again.
There's a second clear stamp set from Stampin' Up! out today and I love the birthday theme.
As a writer in my other job, I love words -- and plays on words -- and fun, silly words with a bit of a sarcastic edge -- and this new set has that in droves.
Also check out this fun blog post on some inventive ways to use this set -- you have to see what this Stampin' Up employee did with an old cassette case to make a gift card holder!
And here's a new video on how to use these clear stamps.
I'm excited about a new clear, see-through stamp option to go with our awesome rubber-mount and clear-mount stamps -- photopolymer which has the advantage of really staying clear and not yellowing!!
Here are details and a look at the first stamp set that we're offering in this new material.
We've searched long and hard for just the right material to be able to
introduce completely clear stamping. And we've found it. We're excited
to announce that we now have wood-mount, clear-mount AND photopolymer
stamps! The new photopolymer will be an addition to our stamp line and
will appeal to all types of stampers. Our top-quality photopolymer has
just enough give to create a perfectly stamped image every time and with
the introduction of our firm-foam pads, let's just say they're meant
for each other! Photopolymer stamps will also be unique, fun designs
that will inspire you and provide more versatile options you may not see
in our traditional wood- and clear-mount stamp options.
What makes them so great?
They're entirely transparent for perfect placement every time!
They are durable. The photopolymer material is designed to last.
Can you say sticky? (Don't worry; in a good way.) These stamps stick amazingly well to our clear blocks.
They're age tested. They won't yellow or cloud up over time.
They use FDA, food-safe material. How far can you stretch your stamping creativity?
We could go on, but we'll let you try them for yourself.
They are clearly a great choice.
Here's the info on the first set -- an alphabet set where you can mount the individual letters to stamp words!
Item#132956 (You can order online through my Order Online link in the upper right!)
Designer Typeset Photopolymer Stamp Set
Recommend clear blocks A, B, G, F, and I. Purchase separately
Includes 57 pieces. (Don't faint! This is a good overwhelming feeling.)
$13.95
The Fine Print
Photopolymer stamps will be offered on a trial basis. Based on popularity, we hope to release more photopolymer stamp sets over the coming months.
At this time we don't plan on offering a line of photopolymer sets as expansive as our wood-mount and clear-mount lines.
Available on all order types beginning March 1, 2013.
Not available in wood-mount or clear-mount.
All photopolymer will be packaged in cello bag w/insert, but don't forget you can store them in our clear cases.
Q: How long will each stamp set that's released be available for purchase? A:
Since this product line is being offered on a trial basis and is not
currently included in our catalog, we won't have a standard amount of
time that each set is offered. We'll let you know when each set is no
longer available as well as when new ones become available.
Here's a video about the new addition -- if you stick it out through the fun banter about "what is photopolymer" you'll get to see the set's versatility in action with the option to stamp a whole word -- or individual letters!
The Chalkboaard Technique has been all the rage around cyberspace lately and I knew Stampin' Up's "From the Heart" stamp set would be perfect. (Item 126555 - wood and 126557 in clear mount). My stamp clubs in January -- and demonstrators at our team meeting -- loved making this card. They could choose from two sayings and two color schemes.
The border image comes from the Madison Avenue stamp set that is available free with a $50 order (U.S.) right now through Mar. 22. The punched four-petal flower image from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack (item 118309) fits PERFECTLY inside -- love that look. Hard to tell in these photos but there is a tiny stick-on pearl in the center of each card stock flower.
The chalkboard technique starts with black card stock and images that are heat embossed with White embossing powder (I like to stamp with Versmark clear ink and use white powder -- the Versamark gives a nice clean image). Then you can stamp some images if you like in plain white pigment/craft ink -- but I did not do that on these cards -- I did use the white pigment ink though to look like leftover chalk marks on the "board/" The idea is to rub bits of ink where it would look like the board had been erased a lot or to highlight parts of your saying.I just used a soft tissue to apply the ink and then burnish it in.
Also key to the look is adding some lines or doodling with a white pencil -- any white pencil will do. I used the one from my kids' Crayola pencil set and also a nice Prismacolor one -- the look is the same. A grid ruler made sure my lines were straight.
Vintage Verses, which is another free Sale-a-bration set right now, would be so perfect for this technique as well! This whole technique goes so well with my love of school supplies. This would be a great thank you card or set of cards to give a teacher.
If you're like me, sometimes you need a card in a hurry and with Stampin' Up's biggest annual promotion starting today, I wanted to share this card made with the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (item #127540) that you can earn free!
Plus I want to be sure you know to sign up for my newsletter list in the sign-up box below my photo in the left column as I'm sharing six weeks of bonus project ideas using Sale-bration stamp sets through a special newsletter series. (If you already get my newsletter and received my 12-weeks of Christmas ideas recently, then you're on the list for this special series.)
This is my go-to layout for quick cards: the Summer Starfruit base is 4 & 1/4" by 11" -- folded to 5 & 1/2" and the designer paper starts at 4" by 5 & 1/4". I cut the paper and flipped the top part so the back side shows (cut at the amount you like, in this case 2": so the bottom part is 3 & 1/4". The Rich Razzleberry stitched ribbon covers the "seam."
The greeting is from the set called Blessings from Heaven -- punched out with the Extra-Large Oval punch (item #119859) and layered onto a Razzleberry mat punched with the Decorattive Label punch (item #120907).
Quick, easy -- and best of all from today through March 22 each $50 ordered in the U.S. earns you a free Sale-a-bration item, and your choice could be this beautiful package of twelve, 12 by 12 inch sheets of double-sided paper! Click my "Order Online" link in the right column to browse for your goodies.
You wanted more? You got more! We've had a great response so far to our experiment with single stamps. So much so that we are making ten more never-before-seen images available as single stamps available through March 31, 2013.
These stamps are available on any order type-customer, workshop, or online. These won't be sent in our typical cases or packaging; they'll be packaged in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy our Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four (item 119105).
This offer is available for clear-mount stamps only.
There's no limit on how many pieces you can buy.
You can see the new images by clicking here. Here's just a sample of the ten new exclusive designs that are not part of any larger sets. (not shown actual size here)
These stamps are only available through March 31, 2013, so get them while you can!
The Holiday Ornament Framelits from Stampin' Up's Holiday Catalog and the matching stamp set are on display on these scrapbook pages -- a variation of a design shared in our demonstrator newsletter Stampin' Success.
The first page used ornament shapes cut out with the framelits that were adhered to the Very Vanilla card stock layer with temporary adhesive and then spritzed with our spritzer -- which had a mixture of alcohol and Early Espresso ink inside. (I use the 91% strength rubbing alcohol as it evaporates faster and does not buckle the paper in my experience -- and I added just about 6 to 8 drops of ink.) It's a light spritz -- just enough to have the shapes stand out when you remove the ornament shapes. Then those "reverse stenciled" ornaments were pierced with the matching "Festive" paper piercing template. Here's a close up:
I love the stamped and cut out ornaments then layered over the top -- such a pretty use of layering and texture.
I kept page two simple as I like to do when one page is a little busier. I love the embossed strip -- so easy to line up the embossing folder from the Delicate Designs Folder set and make it as long as I needed -- in this case, 8 inches as these are 8 inch square pages.
