Lucy Tutorial #4/ Vintage Vogue Butterfly

Well, since mom wanted to know what ELSE we can do with Versamark, I broke out my Stampin' Pastels. It had been a while, I'll have to admit. I had already shown her how Versamark can be used all on its own on colored cardstock to do watermark stamping. Now it was time to stamp using Versamark on white (actually Very Vanilla) cardstock. After stamping my images on the strip of Very Vanilla, I chalked over the flowers & leaves using Bravo Burgundy and So Saffron chalks. The result was fun, but not quite all that I wanted. That's the last mom saw of this card since it was time for my parents to head back home (luckily before snow flew). I, of course, kept tinkering with the strip of Vanilla. I decided to stamp over it using Always Artichoke and that was a good start. Then I wondered what it would look like if I embossed the whole deal with Glassy Glaze a couple of times. Bingo! It created just the look I was going for and did great things with the Stampin' Pastels. All that remained was for me to create a card that fit it. :) The whole thing shouted "vintage" at me...and not just because of the name of the set. So, I knew I would need torn edges & my Distressing Tool. A butterfly from Beautiful Wings seemed like a good idea and it was an even better one when sponged with Bravo Burgundy. I got to use my little Jewry Tag Punch again (yeahy) and finally found a good use for the strips of pears on each Basic Pearls sheet. A nice card to end my mother's lessons, don't you think? Especially since it shows how you can start with just one element & end up with a full creation.

Lucy Tutorial #3/ Embossed Tree of Hearts

Next on the list for teaching my mom was embossing. I knew she hadn't done it before and it was what got me hooked on stamping in the first place. I think the whole process is pretty close to magic. I decided to start us off with metallic embossing on dark paper (this time Cherry Cobbler) because it's the most dramatic. So I took out my Valentine Defined set yet again. I'm getting to be dependant on this little gem! Both the tree and the string of hearts look great when embossed. Adding the smallest of the Heart to Heart Punch hearts gave each embossed piece just a little more punch. Once I decided on them for an accent, the Bitty Button had to come next. It's a perfect fit! Add on a little Very Vanilla Satin ribbon and we're all set. Now I just need to decide if I want to use this one or my Love Mingos in class at Lakewood. I can fit both into classes in Longmont, but I'll have to choose for down south. Any preferences out there? Up next, mom wanted to know whale ELSE she can do with Versamark...

Lucy Tutorial #2/ Shimmer Mist Best Wishes

Well, after I introduced mom to the technique of sponging she asked a great question: "What happens when you sponge an embossed image?". So, that was the next mission. To pick out colors we just opened up the Idea Book and Catalog to the designer paper section and picked out a combo that worked for us. It didn't matter that we didn't actually have any of that paper. It was like an instant or "on demand" color challenge. Unfortunately, this card doesn't photograph as well as I would like. You get the idea though. Mom sponged the embossed image and I showed her how it's important to be pretty aggressive when sponging in this situation. You really want the embossed bits to stand out. Then, I introduced her to the 7 Sided Distressing tool & Shimmer Mist (made from a mix of Shimmer Paint and Rubbing Alcohol). As a final elegant touch we added a couple of little Basic Rhinestones. Just right. It would make a great wedding card! Next up for mom was the wonderful world of embossing...

Springtime Vintage Bouquet Squares

While my parents were here for their Christmas visit, I got to give my mom a few tutorials on stamping. She's become quite the card maker herself & just needs to know how to use some of the different toys and where to start with designing. So, while dad, Jeff, and I played pinball, mom and I made cards. This was our first. For Christmas she got a bunch of our Impressions Folders including Elegant Bouquet. I wanted to show her how to use the folder for more that just decorating a card front. Also, I really wanted to use the Springtime Vintage designer paper from the new Occasions Mini (which starts next week!). So, I showed her how to use the color pallet for the paper as a guide when picking what colors to use on your card. It's so handy that Stampin' Up spells it out for you & takes out all the guess work! Mom also was curious about how sponging works, so I had her sponge the Pear Pizazz layer on this card. More on sponging basics in our next card. :) I had a bit of Victoria Crochet Trim around and thought it went great with this card. Oh, and mom also got a Word Window Punch to go with her Teeny Tiny Wishes set (a new stamper must) so I thought I would show her how nicely even one of the longest sentiment from that set fits in her new punch. All in all, a fun first lesson!

Happy Birthday Jeff! / Mojo Monday 171

It's my husband's birthday (we'll leave out numbers for his sake) and so I decided to make my Mojo Monday card for him. There are few things he enjoys more than a good pun. The Pun Fun set was therefore the natural choice. The folks over at Mojo Monday have their monthly "round or square" challenge this week and I picked the square version of this great sketch. If you haven't done one of their sketches before I recommend you pop over there and give it a try. Even if you don't have a way to post it, trying a sketch challenge is a great way to get the stampin' juices flowing! The designer paper for this card is part of the hostess In Color pack. Great fun, huh? Now that I *gasp* own all of the stamp sets for level one, I am collecting some of this great designer paper for us to use in classes. I know some folks would keep this little bird for kid-only cards, but I think that he's great for kids at heart too! Jeff definitely qualifies on that one. Happy Monday!

Cupcake Punch Clouds Valentine

It's been a while since I woke up with a card design in my head & just needed to get it out before I could continue on my day. But, these little balloons were nagging at me before I got out of bed (actually off the air mattress since my parents are staying on our bed :) ). As one of the hidden benefits of being a demonstrator, SU sent us a sheet of the Love Impressions Rub-ons from the new Occasions Mini Catalog. These little hot air balloons are one of the featured images. Aren't they fun? I also used the Build a Cupcake Punch from the new catalog. Granted, there aren't any cupcakes to be seen but one of my favorite things about this punch is just how many other things we can make with it. The clouds came to mind right a way for me. So, I made one and used it to mask parts of the background while I sponged in Marina Mist. Then, I cut a few more to put on with Stampin' Dimensionals. That way there are different layers of clouds for the little balloons to fly through. On the inside, I continued the cloud theme by adding a couple of the little clouds from the rub-on sheet. That way the balloon that peaks through the window to the front (make sure to punch one layer at a time or the punch gets cranky) isn't all alone with the sentiment.

Top Note Elf Shoes

Merry Christmas! It looks like I had one last Christmas card in me after all! I've seen these cute little feet on blogs all over the place and wanted to give them a shot myself. You just cut a Top Note in quarters & then use the Large Oval Punch to make the top of the shoes. I found the remnants of Candy Cane Lane designer paper I had around made for great elf socks! Glue dots are an easy way to make perfect glitter circles for the toes. Great fun! I hope you have a lovely holiday. I'm off to enjoy mine!