Constantly Stamping

Artisan Wednesday WOW - Pop & Place Tags

I am so excited that you are joining us for our Artisan Wednesday WOW blog hop. If you are following the hop, then you should have arrived here from Cindy Schuster's blog. This week we are doing something a little different. Instead of featuring the products we received in our monthly box, we are focusing on the new Pop & Place holiday gift tags and coordinating photopolymer stamp set.

I decided to focus on the starter bundle. The bundle includes the Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Book (which includes 70+ tags in five paper designs, 2 pages of each design), the coordinating Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp Set, a Soft Suede ink spot, and a clear block to stamp with. If you purchase just a few additional items, you can make these cute sour cream treat containers. The extra things you will need are the Season of Style Designer Series Paper Stack (#132181), Early Espresso Baker's Twine (Cherry Cobbler or Whisper White work too), Sticky Strip adhesive, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

You can find the directions for how to create the sour cream container all over the internet, but let me just mention that I deliberately chose to make these 4.5"x6" so that you can use the coordinating Season of Style paper stack or the DSP 12"x12" paper. I just made a tube, pinched the bottom closed one direction and the top closed the other direction. For this particular tag I just popped out one of the pre-designed tags from the Gift Tags Book and stamped directly on it with the coordinating stamp in Soft Suede ink. As a matter of fact, all of my tags are done with the Soft Suede ink because that is the color of the ink spot that comes in the kit.

This tag was made much the same way. I started with a tag from the Gift Tag Book and stamped it with the coordinating stamp. The clear photopolymer stamps make it much easier to get your images placed just right. For the ribbon tales, I used the same stamp that I used in the above tag, but I stamped it on some scrap Whisper White card stock and trimmed it out by hand. Since they are all straight cuts, it's pretty easy to do. There are a couple of tips to working with these tags. First, take your time when you pop them out of the book so that you don't tear the edges. Also, if you end up with some little bumps from where they were attached to the book, just smooth the edges with scissors or a sanding block.

For the final tag I stamped the image on some scrap Whisper White card stock, trimmed it out with scissors, and then popped it up with some dimensionals. Here again, the straight cuts are really easy to make, so you can easily layer it on the other tag. I used a 1/2" strip of DSP to make some cute little ribbon tales. The tags look fine if you use them straight out of the book, but you can really step them up a few notches if you take the time to add some layering and dimension.

That's all for today. Now be sure to head on over to see what the amazingly talented Erica Cerwin and the rest of the Artisan Design Team have in store for you!  Don't miss a single project...

 

 

Faux Birch Bark Candles

I absolutely love the look of birch bark candles, but they are very difficult to find in the stores. When you do finally find them, they are a bit on the expensive side. So you can imagine, the minute I saw the birch bark paper in the Thankful Tablescape Simple Created Kit (#133463), I had to see if I could make a candle that looked somewhat realistic. My first attempt was a big disappointment. I just wasn't able to get an authentic looking candle by just wrapping it in the paper. Then it hit me. I decided to tear strips of the birch bark paper, sponge the edges with some Early Espresso ink, and then decoupaged it onto a candle that I purchased at the dollar store. I know it isn't exactly like the real thing, but for under $2 it is a pretty good alternative! Here is the only real tip I have. The ink I used isn't waterproof, so I was careful to avoid putting the decoupage medium near the inked edges.

To finish off the candle I wrapped it with some Linen Thread and added a flower that I had left over from my last post. This candle is purely for decoration. I don't think I would actually burn it because I am sure the paper is flammable. I think I might try making one from one of those battery operated candles with the flickering light now that I know how, so don't be surprised if you see more of these on my blog in the near future.

Artisan Wednesday WOW - Treat Cones

 
I am so excited that you are joining us for our Artisan Wednesday WOW blog hop. I am always amazed to see what all of these talented gals come up with. If you are following the hop, then you should have arrived here from Cindy Schuster's blog. Today we are sharing the projects that were featured last Friday on the Stampin' Up! Facebook page.


I had every intention of making a video on this project, but unfortunately life got in the way and I never had the opportunity. So let me do my best to explain the steps I took to make these treat cones.

To make the cone I cut a 6" square of Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper (#132184). I used a styrofoam cone (with the plastic still on it) to form the paper cone shape. Then I glued it into place with Tombo Multi-glue and held everything together for just a bit until the glue set. (TIP: use the edge of a table to give the paper a bit of a curl before forming the cone shape.) For the flower I glued a piece of Sweater Weather DSP to a piece of Coaster Board (#129392) then die cut it with the Fun Flowers Bizg L die (#121812). Coaster board is a little stiff, but I managed to give the petals a slight curl by using a Bone Folder. I used a Chocolate Chip marker to color the sides of the flowers and also sponged some Early Espresso ink on the edges. I used a hot glue gun to attach everything together. The word "gratitude" is from the Harvest of Thanks stamp set, stamped in Early Espresso ink on Whisper White card stock and die cut with the coordinating Bitty Banners Framelits die.

INGREDIENTS: Stamps: 131739 (clear-mount)-Harvest of Thanks Set; Ink: 126974-Early Espresso Classic Stampin’ Pad; 119680-Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker; Paper: 132184-Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper; 100730-Whisper White Cardstock; Accessories & Tools: 121812-Fun Flowers Bigz Die; 129267-Bitty Banners Framelits; 129392-Coaster Board; 127554-Neutrals Designer Buttons; 130030-Subtles Designer Buttons; 104199-Linen Thread; 118489-Clear Mount Block G (2-1/2” x 3/4”); 101610-Stamping Sponges; 126889-Stampin’ Trimmer; 113439-Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine; 120805-Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets; 103683-Glue Dots; 110755-Multipurpose Liquid Glue; 104430-Stampin’ Dimensionals®

That's all for today. Now be sure to head on over to see what the amazingly talented Erica Cerwin and the rest of the Artisan Design Team have in store for you!  Don't miss a single project...

Friday Mashup Challenge 132...My Paper Pumpkin

My friend and fellow Artisan Design Team member, Erica Cerwin, is on the Friday Mashup Design Team, so I thought I would give their challenge a whirl this week. The challenge this week is:

1. Create a project with a  "Tree or Leaves."
2. Create a project using the "Color Orange."
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Project with Leaves/ Tree & the Color Orange."

 So here is what I came up with...

To make this paper pumpkin I cut fourteen 1/4" x 7-1/2" and fourteen 1/4" x 8-1/2" strips of Pumpkin Pie card stock and punched four 1-3/4" Scallop Circles. Using one of the scallop circles as my guide I attached the ends of the 8-1/2" strips on each scallop then I repeted the process but put the 7-1/2" strips in the valleys between the scallops. I glued another scallop circle on top to hide the messy mechanics. After the glue was completely set, I repeted the process for the top portion starting with the 7-1/2" strips first. This was a little tricker than the bottom, so I just took my time and only did a few strips at a time.

You may recognize the paper clay leaves from an earlier post. I just used some hot glue to attach some curled Wild Wasabi card stock strips along with the leaves. I covered the battery-operated tea-light candle in some Sweather Weather DSP and just placed it in the center. I know that it is difficult to tell the size from the pictures, but this thing is approximately 5" tall by 7" wide. That's it for today. Be sure to check back on Wednesday for another Artisan Wednesday WOW blog hop.

Another Expressions Thinlits Card

Today I have another card to share with you using the Expressions Thinlits Dies. Seriously, I didn't know if I would like these word dies, but I am really enjoying them. I know it may seem a little early to be making a Valentine, but in the stamping world it is always good to be working at least a few months in advance. Of course, I had to do a little creative letter surgery (again) for the word "you", but I am so thrilled that it worked.

To make this card I used some Brights DSP in Real Red and cut out a heart with a die from the Hearts Collection framelits. I die cut another piece of Whisper White card stock with the same die and then stamped it with the script stamp from Background Builders (#129150). The Basic Gray ink was just a little too dark, so I "stamped off" on a scrap sheet of paper first. Then I inset the white heart into the opening so that it was flush with the red polka dot background.

For some reason I have wanted to stitch on my cards lately...it must be something about this time of year. Anyway, I used the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack along with the Stampin' Pierce Mat and Paper-Piercing Tool to punch holes around the edges. Then I hand-stitched through the holes. It does take longer to do it this way, but I just really didn't feel like getting my sewing machine out for just a few cards. Besides, I love how I have more control over where the stitches go. After I finished the card front, I mounted it all on a 4.5" square Basic Black card base.

Artisan Wednesday WOW - Expressions Thinlits Dies

Welcome back for another Artisan Wednesday WOW blog hop. I am always amazed to see what all of these talented gals come up with. If you are following the hop, then you should have arrived here from Cindy Schuster's blog. I just love Cindy...she is so creative, talented, and a total sweetheart! But of course, I could say that about all of the Design Team...I feel so blessed to know these ladies!

My project today focuses on the Expressions Thinlits Dies (#132171) from the holiday mini catalog. I have to admit that I stepped way outside of the box on this card. I have been seeing beautiful yellow flowers everywhere...sunflowers, pansies, mums...so I decided to make a card with a big yellow dahalia.

For the background I started with some Modern Medley DSP. You could also use the Dictionary background stamp to get a similar result. I added some splatters with the Gorgeous Grunge set and did tons of distressing and sponging with Early Espresso ink. I even hand-stitched a border with black thread.

For the flower I used a Jet Black StazOn pad and stamped twice on some Crushed Curry DSP from the Regals Designer Series Paper Stack with the big flower from Regarding Dahlias. I used the leaf outline stamp from Gently Falling and stamped on Garden Green and Always Artichoke DSP from the same stack. Then I did some fussy cutting and layering to create my focal point. A basic black button and some linen thread help ground the flower on the layout.

Next I die cut all three words in the Expressions Thinlets Dies collection from Basic Black card stock. Then I did some "creative" splicing to some of the words to create the word "you". Seriously, once you get them glued to the card, you can't even tell they are separate letters. If you use some wax paper between the die and the card stock when running through the Big Shot, your letters will be very easy to remove from the dies. Unless, of course, you want to torture yourself and take twenty minutes to get them out. LOL! Just ask me how I know it takes that long. The three dots were punched with a hole punch. To glue everything down, I used some of the Tombo Multi-Adhesive. After the glue dried, I cleaned up any excess glue that might have seeped out with an adhesive eraser.

Here's a video from the home office on how to use the Expressions Thinlits Dies.

That's all for today. Now be sure to head on over to see what the amazingly talented Erica Cerwin and the rest of the Artisan Design Team have in store for you! I know the projects will be great, because they always are! 

Don't miss a single project...

Freshly Made Sketches...Back to Basics

I needed to make a workshop card this afternoon, so I sat down and started playing with my stamps. Some of my good stamping friends are on the Freshly Made Sketches team, so I decided to see if there was a sketch that caught my eye. I ended up selecting one from several weeks ago, so I can't post it over there anymore, but I thought I would at least share it with you here on my blog.

There is nothing fancy here...just some basic stamping. To create the background I used the Gently Falling set and stamped the leaf images in Cajun Craze, Island Indigo, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, and Sahara Sand ink on Whisper White cardstock. I stamped some ink splotches with the Gorgeous Grunge set and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. I stamped the sentiment from Bloomig With Kindness and mounted everything on coordinating card stock. I thought the sentiment looked a little lost in that sea of white, so I added a simple strip of cardstock to dress it up a little.

That's all for today. Be sure to stop by Wednesday for a new edition of the Artisan Wednesday WOW blog hop!

Artisan Wednesday WOW - Circle Card Thinlit Die

Fall is finally in the air here in Tennessee. I think the temperature dropped twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) in just a matter of minutes the other night. This is my favorite time of year. I love almost everything about it...except for when we get a cold rain! The cooler weather makes it a little easier to get my creativity wrapped around the idea of making Thanksgiving projects. It seems way too early, but really, it will be here before you know it! This week I have two variations of the same project, so be sure to read all the way through to the end.

This month the Artisan Design Team received the new Circle Card Thinlits Die (# 133480) as one of our kit items. I have seen some really adorable cards made from these dies, but of course I had to be different. (I know, you're shocked, right?) The very first thing I discovered is that you can simply fold the card in half and make adorable place cards for your "fancy" dinner parties. I stamped the Woodgrain background stamp with Early Espresso ink onto Chocolate Chip card stock. Next I cut two strips of Sweater Weather DSP for the band and wrapped around some linen thread. The only tricky thing that I encountered was getting that circle of DSP cut to just the right size. Turns out that one of the dies in the Circles Collection Framelits is the perfect size (2 3/8"). I also popped the circle up with some Dimensionals so that the linen thread could run behind it without any problems.

I stamped the turkey image several times on Whisper White CS with different colors of  ink (Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, and Crushed Curry) and die cut it with the coordinating Deco Labels Collection die. The catalog says that they used Tangerine Tango, but the Cameo Coral is in the same color family and I think it goes better with this particular DSP. I used a Cameo Coral button as well. I also used the Modern Label punch for the nameplate. I don't really like my own handwriting, so I stamped my name with the Photopolymer Designer Typeset (#132956) clear alphabet set. (I love how you can see to align everything.) But that isn't all, keep reading to see what else I made.

 

The second thing I discovered is that you don't have to turn this card into a flip card if you don't want to. I know it is a little obvious, but you may not always want a flip card. I love how I was able to trim down this card to fit a standard A2 card base. I just slipped some DSP on the top section, attached it to a standard card base and ended up with a great card. Of course, I did omit the nameplate and subsititued the greeting from the new Another Thank You photopolymer stamp set (#133454). I almost forgot to mention the envelope. I used the new Envelop Punch Board (#133774) to make a matching envelop from the same DSP as the card. FUN!

That's all for today. Now be sure to head on over to see what Erica Cerwin and the rest of the Artisan Design Team have in store for you! I know the projects will be great, because they always are! Don't miss a single project...