Constantly Stamping

A Merry Little Christmas Card

     

This was a fun and fairly simple card to create using my Top Note die, some of the Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP, some punches, and the Christmas Punch (hostess level 2 set) stamp set. I know that snowflakes aren't usually red...but why settle for boring white snowflakes when they can come in my favorite color. I love how the stampes coordinate with several of the punches in the catalog.

You can earn this stamp set by hostessing a $300 workshop. With all of the fabulous products in the Stampin' Up! line, it's easy for all your workshop guests to find something they love and want to order.

If you live in the Nashville/Mt. Juliet area, book your in-home holiday workshop with me today by sending me an email at

[email protected].

I'll come to your home, share all kinds of fun and fabulous projects for the holidays with you and your friends, and we will have tons of FUN creating and sharing! Don't wait! Dates are limited, so book your workshop today!

 

Inside My Digital Studio: Layering 101

The response to my first mini-seminar for MDS was very good so today I completed another "My Digital Studio" mini-seminar. This video takes a look at layering. I have found that most new users of digital software need a better understanding in this department. I created this seminar to help those of you who need to reveiw or just plain don't understand why objects disappear when you are working with your digital software. The video is approximately 16 minutes in length. I tried to edit out some of the mundane things and focus just on the layering process. We won't actually create a project in this class, but once you master this technique, you will find that most of the projects I will share with you in the future will make more sense. Hope you like it and check back soon for more MDS seminars.

Order My Digital Studio HERE. This will send you to my website where you can click on the "Shop Now" button. MDS item # 118108. There are also new digial images and DSP available.

DID YOU KNOW?...if you already have a digital software program, you can also purchase digital downloads for use with the software you already own. As long as your software allows you to use .png files you can download and use these great digital downloads by Stampin' Up! Order you digital downloads HERE!

 

Decor Elements JOY Frame

I had this project sitting on my stamping table for over a month uncompleted. I knew what I wanted to do with it, but even when the supplies arrived, I just didn't take the time to finish it. I originally started the project for the Catty Cruise back in September, but I just couldn't pull it all together. So last night I sat down and added the silver snowflake rub-on from the Icicle collection (#116804) and the square red Fire brad to the center and it made all the difference in the world. I think I am going to put this up for sale at a craft fair that I am doing in November. I removed the glass from the frame so that the gorgeous flocked paper and dimension come through. I then placed the glass behind the card stock so that the "JOY" can be removed and the beautiful frame can be enjoyed throughout the year.

If you have these square brads, then you know just how beautiful and elegant they really are. I must admit that I didn't realize how fabulous they really are until recently. I am kicking myself for not buying them sooner..

Recipe: Decor Elements Holiday Mix Real Red (#117675), Icicle Rub-Ons (#116804), Square "Fire" Rhinestone Brads (#109112), Shimmery White Card Stock (#101910), Brushed Silver Card Stock (#100712), Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (#116770), Silver Frame.

Too Much Stuff

When we got our brand new storage building a few weeks ago I was so excited that I could finally start getting my house organized again. We just have too much stuff. Now that the reorganization process has begun, it has been a real headache. I have been going through old boxes of stuff that I forgot we even had and trying to decide if it should be thrown away, donated, stored in the shed, stored in the garage, or...the list goes on. Throughout this process I seemed to have misplaced my creative mojo because I just can't seem to get going on anything. With all that said, I'll hopefully be back in a few days with something new to share.

SSSC 40 digital hybrid card

In advertising, one of the first lessons you learn is that you don't just put something upside down just for the sake of putting it upside down. In other words, a layout should have purpose and meaning. When I saw this layout I thought...what purpose could these circles have? That's when I thought of dreams or thought bubbles. The card speaks the rest. I decided to try something a little different with Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge this week. I decided to try a digital hybrid card made with My Digital Studio. I used the software to think through my card design and then printed everything out knowing that I wanted to punch out the bubbles with my 1" circle punch.

I used Sunny Day Papers 1 & 2 for the card base and digital stamps from Cute Cats & Cheep Talk for my images. The great thing about digital stamps is that I could re-size the images, add color, and flip some of them in different directions to suit my design needs. I punched each bubble and popped them up with dimensionals to achieve a more "stamped", hand-crafted look to my card.

(note: so sorry I had to "re-do" this post because I couldn't get it to link to Karen's card challenge.)

My Digital Studio Mini-Seminar: Creating a Card in MDS

Many of you are asking "What exactly is My Digital Studio Software and how does it work?" I have prepared a mini seminar on how to create a card in MDS. The seminar is approximately 21 minutes long, so you may want to set aside some time before playing it. This is a new adventure for me and I am working out all the kinks with the software that allows me to do screen capture. The video is done in "real time" which means that you will see everything I do on the screen as I do it.

Please be patient with me as I try to navigate through the process of preparing these videos to share on my blog. This mini-seminar is absolutely free and you can watch it at any time, just like any of the other videos on my blog. The file is much too large to view on YouTube, so I have chosen a different provider. I would love to know what you think of this video. Please leave me a comment after watching and tell me if you would like to see more videos of this nature. The software is expensive and I don't want to invest tons of time and money if there is only a minor interest. If all goes well, I will be preparing additional videos with actual projects that you can create with My Digital Studio....

Hopefully, this is working now...there were a few problems but I think I have it corrected now.

Perfect Setting Bigz Die

Did you know that the cupcake wrapper from the Perfect setting Bigz XL die also fits those clear plastic 9 ounce tumblers that you can get in the party supply section of most grocery stores? I borrowed the die from my mother-in-law and played with it for a few days and now I need one of my very own.

 

Now you can customize your tumblers for any occasion and fill them with drinks, nuts, condiments...the possibilities are endless. The best thing is that it is on sale right now as one of the Deals of the Week.

 

So click the "Shop 24/7" in the right column and get in on this limited time offer now!

Deals of the Week #2 - no limits and no minimum purchase required - offer ends Oct. 19, 9:50 a.m., MT)

 

Perfect Setting Bigz XL die (Item #115961)

Special Price: $25.99 (regularly $42.95)

Other Deals of the Week include:


Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die (Item #116760)

Special Price: $25.49 (regularly $39.95)

Flower Burst Embosslits die (Item #114515)

Special Price: $5.99 (regularly $11.95)

Big Shot Pennant Candy Corn Goodie Bag

I know that I have been on a "felt kick" lately. For those of you who aren't into that, I apologize, but that just happens to be how my brain is working right now. It seems like I always want to sew in the fall.

With that being said, I thought this would be a good time to show you projects you can make using the Big Shot and all the fabulous dies. I try my best to incorporate stamping into my projects whenever possible. Why do I use felt?  It is one of the easiest "fabrics" to sew with. It doesn't fray or ravel, it really doesn't have a right or wrong side, and it's fairly inexpensive to work with. So here is another fun project just in time for Trick or Treat.

I used the pennant die and orange felt to create the bag and sewed the front and back sections together. I hand cut the other pieces and glued them to the front with Tombow Multi. Rather than stitch on the bow, I just attached it with a small safety pin so that it could be used again if need be. The tag is stamped with the "Eat, Drink, & Be Scary" stamp set.

Those of you who know me well know that I don't put a big emphasis on Halloween in our home. I don't like all that creepy crawly stuff and quite frankly, neither does my family. So we try to focus on the fun things that Trick or Treat has to offer. Some people get all worked up about Halloween, but that just isn't me. That's why you won't find an abundance of projects on my blog that focus on this particular holiday. For the most part I just skip over it and jump feet first into Thanksgiving and Christmas. The thing I love about this bag is that is can be used right up to Thanksgiving just by changing the tag.