Stacie Stamps

Practice, practice, practice

Tomorrow is my first tile class and in true Stacie fashion, I was working on the techniques last night.  While I'd announced there would be 3 techniques for the tiles and I'd watched a "Wow" video presentation provided by Stampin' Up! as training for demonstrators, I hadn't actually tried my hand at one of the 3 techniques until last night.  Unfortunately, while I thought it would be the easiest, it's actually the least forgiving - so I'll be doing some more practice later today (LOL).

This first tile is actually my favorite I think - and it was inspired by a card that was featured yesterday on Stampers' Showcase made by Ilona Svedber.  I had this set because everyone has done such beautiful work with it, but I struggle in the coloring department so I hadn't actually put ink to the rubber until last night.  It turns out that once you get used to working with tile, it's a much more forgiving medium than paper is because it isn't as porous so it allows extra time for corrections and improvements to be made.  I'd actually switch to all tile work, but I think it would definitely require extra postage if I put it on a card (LOL). 

This set is called "Morning Soft" and is a set of 2 for $18.95.  The other stamp is a beautiful statement by Mother Teresa "It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters."  The inks I used were all craft refills - Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Always Artichoke and So Saffron and the image is stamped in black Staz-on ink.

This next tile uses the same watercoloring technique and features the large stamp from the "Thankful Thoughts" stamp set.  The colors used are all from the Earth Elements family, but in some cases they are the result of mixing some colors before or while applying them, so they are not all true Earth Elements colors as they appear here. 

I first used this stamp on tiles last fall, but none of the techniques I made up came close to giving this rich of a color.  I tried coloring them in with our markers (but that definitely requires sealing with an acrylic sealant and if one isn't careful, the sealant will shoot the ink off the tile and onto the table where it will become permanently sealed to the table by the sealant - ask me how I know!!).  I also tried using Sharpies because I'd heard of people doing that, but I didn't like the shades as much as this and with the Sharpies I ended up with lines that couldn't be corrected.

These last tiles are all from the "Jolliest Time of the Year" set.  Even though I'm not a Santa decorator (snowmen all the way for me), I think he turned out the best and was the easiest to color.  Again, this is a watercoloring with craft refills technique.  (excuse the date on this picture - my batteries died in the midst of photographing the tiles.)

Now, for that trickier technique - it's "Poppin' Pastels" on tile.  Here is a picture of what I created last night. 

I think it needs a bit more work so I can better advise people how to do this technique - but at least I didn't wait until the class and try it out with everyone else.  Anyone out there have suggestions on how to avoid the shadow around the the images?  I'm going to try my embossing buddy to see if that helps out.

 

Finally...

Well, I've sent Stampin' Up! a few things over the 20 months I've been a demonstrator and have been super blessed to be acknowledged in a couple of different ways - honorable mention in a contest came first, finding cards on the demo boards at Convention came next (and was way more exciting than I'd expected it to be - maybe b/c I never expected to see my cards there).  And today, was the one thing I'd felt had been evading me...featured on Stamper's Showcase.

Honestly, I haven't been able to figure a real rhyme or reason to which cards get selected - some are more elaborate, some are very simple for workshops...And my husband thought mine may have been selected because "it uses lost of Stampin' Up! supplies" (sometimes I think he likes to just ignore the fact that I do have "a lot of Stampin' Up! supplies" on hand - LOL).

So, here's the card (and the extensive list of supplies ;) ) - I made this card for a New Hostess set swap I participated in at Convention.  It was organized through SCS - so thanks to the person who organized this swap, as it gave me a reason to create.

 Stamp set - Happiness Always (Level 3 hostess set - book a party to earn this set!!; Cardstock - Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango and Whisper White & Baja Breeze Textured CS; Inks- Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango & Riding Hood Red Classic; Accessories - Key tag punch, crystal effects, Fine Cosmo glitter, Whisper White Grosgrain, Snail Adhesive and Stampin' Dimensionals.   As always, all my supplies are SU! (are there any other companies???)

And, if you want to recreate this card, but do not have the supplies, click here to get started with the new online shopping experience.  You'll find a "Shop Now" button in the upper right hand corner (just below my contact information).

Have a Blessed Day!!

Love is in the air

What a beautiful weekend we just had for a wedding (or two).  Today I'm going to show off a couple of wedding cards I created.  This first one was created based on a card that I received in a swap (I only have the original designers SCS name which is PTaylor.  If you know her please leave a comment and I'll put her real name here).  Here is her original card 

The couple getting married had royal blue, silver and white as their colors (which my husband, the Dallas Cowboys fan that he is, said were very "pleasing" colors - LOL).  So, I was able to rework this design slightly to meet their needs and make the card something special just for them.  Here's my finished project. 

 

I used Pacific Point textured cardstock and shimmer white cardstock to give an elegant appearance to the card.  I used Silver Embossing powder on the flourish and the word "Cherish" from the Baroque Motifs stamp set.  I then used the cake from the retired "Year after year" set and retired organdy ribbon to finish it off.  I also used the corner rounder on all of the corners - both on the focal point and the actual card.  The sparkle on the cake comes from using Dazzling Diamond glitter and the glitter on the heart is the fine cosmo glitter - it's a great match to the Pacific Point.

The second wedding card I designed was not for a wedding we were personally attending.  At the recent Popcorn Festival I met a young woman who was looking for just the right wedding card for a friend.  While she was willing to settle for a pre-designed card, she really wanted to honor the bride by finding one in her color scheme.  So, I offered to make a new card for her based on a design I had previously created but with the colors she desired.  Here is the finished card...

 

This is actually a picture of one that she did not select (I got so caught up in doing something fun for this bride, that I actually made 4 different cards each with a slight variation in color or ribbon).  The card you see here is done in Pretty in Pink and Basic Black - the card she selected has Pink Pirouette instead.  It is such a lovely, soft pink but I forgot to take a picture before the card left my house - oops!

This card also features the cake from the retired "year after year" set and retired organdy ribbon.  I used textured cardstock, dazzling diamonds and a black brad (from the vintage brads assortment).  The greeting comes from the "Curvy Verses" set - it's a wonderfully versatile set that has something for every occasion.

Punches aren't always what they seem

I love Stampin' Up! punches.  They are so easy to use and they are so versatile.  Sometimes you may not even realize what you can do with a punch until someone else opens your eyes to the possibilities.  This has certainly been the case for me with the Round tab punch.  The idea I am about to share came from a Stampin' Up! Regional training event, and the demonstrator who presented the information is Kelly Jo Gettelfinger. 

To the left in this picture are 2 of the rounded tabs that I punched out from Pacific Point cardstock. In the second step, I adhered the two together to form a large circle.  This circle is larger than our new 1 3/4" circle punch and can be used as a layer under the scallop circle punch - or as shown on the finished project, under the scallop square punch.  I initially included these cards in the orders from my club members when they received their August order...then we tried our hands at completing the card as a quick started project at our September meeting.

Wanna see our other projects for September???  If so, read on...

 

For this project, club members got to make a couple of choices - first they chose whether to use Whisper White cardstock or the Shimmer White cardstock for their focal image.  In this picture the card to the left has the shimmer white, however, the shimmer doesn't show up well in photographs.  The second choice was whether to use the large or small filigree embellishment.  I love these and as soon as I saw the idea of using it as a tree topper to go with this set I was even more in love.  This stamp set is "Snow Swirled" and it is on special until the end of September.  If you love it and just have to have it for your Christmas cards, you can either contact me directly or place an order through my business website. 

The designer paper shown here is Holiday Treasures and the ribbon is the Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon.  The card base is Chocolate Chip.  In addition, we used the new scallop edge punch and the Key Tag punch (see, I told you I really enjoy using SU! punches). 

Our final project is a 4x4 card, but since Stampin' Up! doesn't carry square envelopes for 4x4 cards and since I'd seen a fantastic tutorial on Andrea Walford's blog, I just had to make these cards and envelopes with my club.

   This card uses the Upsy Daisy set which is also on special until September 30.  It is 15% off the list price!  Every card I have seen made with this set is fantastic.  For this card, I used a technique that was demonstrated at Convention.  You start by inking your image in a light color of ink, then add highlights with sponge daubers.  Make sure you huff on the stamp to remoisten it before putting your stamp to the cardstock - or you will not get as sharp of an image.  For this card, we used Baja Breeze as the light color, and then added Not Quite Navy and Kiwi Kiss. 

For the envelope, I used a medium Whisper White envelope, sealed it and cut it to make a 4 3/8" square.  Then, I cut a 4 3/8" x 2 1/2" strip of coordinating designer paper, scored it at 1" and then adhered it to the envelope with the 1" piece in the front of the envelope, and the 1 1/2" section making the envelope flap.  I finished it off with a corner rounder - and when I give this card away, I will use adhesive to seal it.  Just so you know, 4x4 is not a mailable size unless it is placed inside a standard envelope - so while this project is super cute, it is one that needs to be hand delivered to your recipient.  The designer paper I used for this project is "Urban Garden"

All of the items I used for these projects can be found in the online ordering section of my business website.  Just click on the "Shop Now" button in the upper right portion of the home page (directly below my contact information).

I'm back

Well, it has been a crazy week in this part of Ohio.  The remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through on Sunday and packed quite a whallop.  While we were among the very fortunate few who never really lost power, we have been spending part of our week trying to help out friends who were less fortunate than us.  We did finally lose power tonight on two separate times and because we have hosted friends who have wells and therefore have no water access at their homes, my children thought as soon as we lost power that we would need to run off to a friend's house to take a shower - LOL!  My oldest also wanted to know if the TV runs on batteries or electricity and he asked if we still had electricity upstairs. 

Anyway, my finger has healed to the point of no longer needing a bandage (so typing is easier), my stamp club and our monthly demo groups are behind me and the 600 finger puppet tubes and images have been safely delivered for this weekend's festival, so I can get this blog back up and running.

I did spend quite a bit of time on Wednesday figuring out the card styles I wanted to do in my upcoming "Construction Card" class.  What is a construction card anyway?  Well, I define it as a card you build.  It's not a traditional card and quite honestly, I discovered that the actual design portion can be far more challenging than the constructing part.  So, since I've already designed them, all you will have to do is follow the instructions and build them, step by step.

The first card is a Criss-Cross card.  I found this one to be the most challenging to design and have a stack of cards I dis-carded (ha ha ha) along the way to prove my point.  Being a perfectionist when it comes to card design has its drawbacks at times (of course, once you see the final design you may wonder how this self-proclaimed "perfectionist" thinks this is so great - LOL).

For this card we will use the new "Autumn Vine" paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog and the new Sage Shadow ribbon.  Sage shadow is a color that I really didn't like for a long time, but with these fall colors, it is so nice and it was just the right touch to finish things off.

This second card is a Shadow Box card.  For it, you will get to use the Coluzzle system to cut out the oval. 

  This card was so easy for me to design - I knew exactly which set to use as soon as I saw the instructions for the card.  It may be difficult to see, but there is Dazzling Diamond glitter on the swirls on the tree in addition to the star.

This last card is a Buckle Card.  This is my first attempt at making a buckle card, but again with good instructions it came easily.  I used the Bella Rose DSP and the Dreams Du Jour stamp set.  You probably cannot see it very well, but I used versamark to stamp a butterfly image in the upper right corner as a subtle touch - unfortunately on the light pink paper it may be a little more "subtle" than I'd planned - LOL!

The cost for this class is $10 and in honor of World Card Making Day and the promotion on the card kits that Stampin' Up! will be running at that time, each class participant will also get to make a bonus card from one of the card elements kits.  So, that's 3 construction cards and one simple card for way less than you would spend at Hallmark, AND you get the satisfaction of being able to tell the recipient "I MADE that for you!!" 

Mark your calendar and contact me today about signing up for this October 4th class.  You can get all my contact information here - just look in the upper right hand corner (just above the "Shop Now" button).   

(Hopefully) brief break

Sorry I didn't post yesterday - I was caught up in other things like spending time with my kids and helping out a friend :)  Plus, I injured my pointer finger on my left hand on Thursday while cutting 600 2"x2 1/2" strips of retired designer paper that I'm donating to a school fall festival for their craft (finger puppets - I'll post a pic once I put a sample together).  Anyway, our self-sharpening table top cutter really does stay sharp after hundreds and hundreds of cuts over an 18 month time period.  I have grazed my finger before if I wasn't paying attention, but this cut was a bit more severe and the bandages I have on it are making typing increasingly difficult.

So, I can still craft and create - but my actual posting may not be what I was hoping to achieve until I can remove a layer of bandaids ;)

In the mean time, I'll be rolling up those tubes of designer paper and stamping Halloween and other images for the tops of the finger puppets...gotta have it all done over the course of this next week.  I did discover that our new tubes of DSP design decorated lip balm from the Stampin' Up! convention is the perfect size for making the finger puppet tubes - just put a strip of adhesive at one end of the DSP, and begin rolling the paper around the chapstick tube starting at the end opposite to the adhesive.  NO wrinkles, adheres nicely, makes the job go faster, and it's a good size for a kid's finger!!

Christmas cards

I'm currently working on a Christmas card class.  I saw a wonderful idea that another demo is graciously sharing and it uses 1/2 of the "I Wish" simply scrappin' kit plus a few extra supplies.  While I will probably offer the same or a similar class, I have challenged myself to use my own creativity and the same general supplies to see what I can come up with.

Here are my first 3 cards that I made tonight.  Each is fairly simple, keeping in mind that class participants will be making 20 cards in 2 1/2 hours and that most (if not all) of the cards will be unique designs.

The only things I have added that are not included in the "I Wish" kit are the ribbon and the base cardstock pieces.  The textured cardstock, designer paper and die-cut adhesive embellishments are all included when you purchase a kit. 

 

 

 

The date for the class is October 18.  There will be two sessions - the morning session will be at 10AM and the afternoon session will start at 1 PM.  There will also be two options - 20 cards (and high quality SU! envelopes) for $30 or 40 cards (and those great envelopes) for $55.  The full kit class will also include your choice of a Classic Ink Pad or a SNAIL adhesive to complete your projects.  If you are taking the smaller class (or opt for the ink pad with the full kit class), the only thing you will need to bring to complete the projects is your favorite adhesive - all other items will be included.  Lastly, if you want to take the full kit class, I do ask that you either sign up for the morning session and then stay as long into the second session as you need, or if you can only attend in the afternoon I will help you make decisions about what order to complete things so that you can finish up at home if necessary (and have all your stamping done while we are together so the finishing touches will be easy!!).

Payment for this class can be split in half - your RSVP and a deposit is needed by October 5 and the other half can be paid on the day of the class if you are paying by check or cash.  If you prefer credit card, I will need a full payment in advance due to credit card fees being higher if I submit two charges.  Sorry!

Back to basics

I was talking with a friend today about a project she was trying to complete with some small bags that she was attempting to stamp. Because the bags were not flat, she was finding it challenging. My first suggestion was to use a wheel.  But then another option came to me - using the new Baskets & Blooms exclusive SU! die.

In thinking over my options, I considered what type of paper would be best for this project - I just bought some cheap cardstock at Target last week to do a comparison, so I thought I'd try that out and then make one with Stampin' Up! Whisper White to see which one is really better for stamping purposes (I've always heard that our paper is the best, but I thought it was time to find out for myself).

For my experiment I used the same stamp and the same ink pads (spots to be exact) for both projects - the only difference between the two is the paper, gotta be scientific and all. 

 I'm hoping the picture I post will show enough of a difference to verify that Stampin' Up! Whisper White does provide a better canvas for getting a smoother image.  In addition, for this particular project, the Whisper White is also sturdier and will hold up better over time.

 

The image on the left is the basket made with Whisper White and the one on the right is made with the Target cardstock.  The picture doesn't pick up everything, but what stands out to me is that the images stamped in turquoise look so much better on the whisper white - it is smoother, with all over ink coverage and a prettier shade (in my opinion).  In general, the images on the whisper white look crisper and the color looks more even.

I'll have to try this again in the future with a different type of stamp to see if the difference is any more pronounced.

It's ARRIVED!!!!

On-line ordering arrived as of today!!!!  You can now order through my business website at the same cost to you as if you ordered directly through me - but now you can place the order any time you want!!!  You can also earn hostess benefits on orders of $150 or more.

Here are a few of the facts (Just the facts, Ma'am)...

You can order directly through the Stampin' Up! website, BUT it will cost more than ordering through my DBWS (click here to get to the page -then click on the "Shop Now" button in the upper right of the page - just below my link back to this blog)

You can only earn hostess benefits by ordering through a demo business website like the one I listed above.  So, it pays to go through a Demonstrator Business Website (DBWS) rather than directly through the SU! site.  After all, even though the option of ordering on line is now available, we are still a direct sales company and I will still be happy to be your first line of customer service and care.

When you place an order through on-line ordering, I will know about it and I will do my best to provide you with outstanding customer service even though we may never meet face-to-face.  If you have questions about something you are considering ordering, please feel free to email me (stacie@staciestamps.com) with your questions.

The on-line shopping experience looks as if it will be an exciting one.  It has been set up in a very user friendly manner.  It is broken down into categories that make sense and comes complete with gorgeous color pictures of everything we offer.  It also has project ideas, which are broken into categories, and include a list of the items used in the project.  In this format, only the name of the item is listed, but you can click on it and be sent to a page with an image of the item - I do recommend looking at the items before popping them into your "bag" because in at least one case an item listed is a wheel, but the matching handle is not currently listed on the corresponding items used in the project.  I don't want anyone to be trying to roll an inked wheel with a tinkertoy or pencil stuck through the middle of it ;)

One drawback is that at this time, on-line ordering cannot be used to add something to a friend's party (if you live in another part of the country and wanted to be part of her party - you'd still have to do that the old-fashioned way and have her place your order and mail the product to you)...I'm hopeful that will happen in the future, but no announcements or hints about split shipping have come down the line as of yet.

So, now I want you to head right over to my DBWS and check out the on-line ordering options just waiting for you!!!

Down Day

Whewww!!  We all survived the Popcorn Festival.  I was worn out but invigorated at the same time.  It's difficult to explain, I suppose.  I loved talking with all the people - the funniest were often the husbands of the women who have our "addiction".  Every one of them seemed like the most understanding and supportive husband around - we crafters are a lucky bunch I came to believe after this weekend.  The absolute best one was the husband who looked at our booth, looked at his wife (who I don't think had spotted us just yet) and started to lightly tug her in the other direction.  I told them that if he looked like that, then I knew she was the lady I wanted to talk to - LOL!

So, today has been a busy day and yet it felt like it was relaxing because it was different from the type of busy I've experienced the past two weeks in preparation.  Today I cleaned bathrooms, did some laundry and dishes, went grocery shopping and took a short nap - and life felt slightly normal :)

I did make a promise to myself this weekend that I need to do two things - create at least one project and post on my blog every day except Sundays.  So, the creating will start tomorrow - today I've taken a break.  But I do have pictures saved of some projects I've done in recent weeks - so here is one I did with new colors, ribbon and stamps!!!!

   

This is a 3"x6" card made from a base of textured cardstock.  I used the Faux Silk technique on this card.  To do this technique you need a piece of tissue paper - like what you use in a gift bag - NOT what you use for blowing your nose ;)  You will stamp your image on the tissue paper and then wad it up to get it wrinkled.  When you flatten it back out, don't try to get all the wrinkles out - they are what gives the card the look of silk.  For this card I stamped the branch and flowers from the Eastern Blooms set that is on special this month. 

To get the two-toned look I used our Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker for the branch and made a Riding Hood Red "marker" by filling an old blender pen with Riding Hood Red Classic ink refil.  I did let it sit overnight to really get the ink to soak through - although I originally tried it very quickly and it did have enough ink to put on the stamp but it was much lighter than the color I'd wanted.  After a good over night soaking, it worked great.

To finish off that "Faux Silk" technique, you will take your piece of Whisper White cardstock, apply "Anywhere Glue Stick" to it and then stick the tissue paper to the cardstock, smoothing out some of the bumps.  If you have tissue paper extending off the ends, just trim them off with your Stampin' Up! paper snips.  Then mat the focal point with Riding Hood Red, add a ribbon and pop it on the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.  While I often stamp the greeting before adding the focal point, you will need to know where that focal panel is before doing the stamping on this card because there isn't a lot of room between the edge of the panel and the bottom of the card, so be mindful of that when youstamp the greeting (which I did with the Chocolate Chip Classic Ink).

Supplies:

Stamp sets:Eastern Blooms - Item #111626 ($21.95 currently on special for $18.66);  Heard from the Heart  - Item #111644 ($22.95 on special for $19.51)

Cardstock: Baja Breeze textured cardstock (from In-Color textured  12x12 assortment - Item #111346, $11.95 for 24 sheets), Riding Hood Red Cardstock - Item #111348 ($5.50 for 24 8 1/2x11 sheets) & Whisper White - Item #100730 ($7.50 for 40 sheets)

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink - Item #100908 ($5.25), Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker - Item #100071 ($3.25), Riding Hood Red Classic Refill - Item #111839 ($2.75)

Additional Accessories: Blender Pen - Item #102845 ($9.95 for package of 3 double-ended blender pens), Chocolate Chip Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon - Item #111367 ($4.95 for 15 yards), Stampin' Dimensionals - Item #104430 ($3.95 for 300 - plus you can use up the edges for more mileage out of your package of dimensionals), Anywhere Glue Stick - Item #104045 ($3.95 for 2 sticks) and Snail adhesive ($6.95 for adhesive with dispenser, $4.50 for refills).