A tutorial, as promised :)

HI stampers!!

Did you enjoy the Going Green Blog tour over the weekend?  I sure did - and I also gained many more green ideas for paper crafting!!  Can I get a "whoo whoo!!!"?  lol!

Anyway, I promised to post a tutorial for the flower I used on the project I made on Friday.  I ahd made the same flower (stamped differently though) for a card I made a few weeks ago.  Between the two postings, I received a lot of comments and emails for a tutorial....so here it goes!

Now, I will warn you....I am pretty thorough with pictures.....so long picture post today :)

First, you need to punch five scallop circles.  You can stamp them first or after you punch....what ever suits your fancy ;)

Take 4 of the scallop circles and stack then on each other - no need to line up here....we aren't looking for perfection - lol!!  Punch them with the 1/16th inch hole punch.

Now this is where I might lose some of you.....this is difficult for some people, lol!  Wrinkle up all five circles in as tight of a ball as you can make.  Just do it!  It is card stock - it can't wrinkle you back!

Unwrinkle, but don't smooth out.  Is this making you feel any better???  lol!  Sponge the edges.

Take the four that have been punched with a hole punch and adhere then together with a brad.  Any 'ol brad will do, you will never see this brad again.  Pick an ugly one :)

Pull up the scallops toward the center, smooshing and mooshing, all except the bottom scallop circle.

Push them away from the brad a little.

Put a pop up glue dot in the center, over that ugly brad.

Fold up the remaining scallop circle into fourths and snip the bottom point off.

Smoosh ( technical term, I know) the last scallop circle into the pop up glue dot and fluff out your petals.

Now, isn't that purty????
Adhere it to your project and hand deliver ;)

If you found this tutorial useful, I would love for you to leave me a comment below.  :)  If you make this flower, I would love for you to link back here so I can take a peek.  I am fishing for some love here, huh?  yeah, shamelessly!  lol!!!!

RemARKable Going Green Blog Tour - Day 3

You're my going green girl.....and she used to sing sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da....la ti da!!

oh yes....that is right!!  I have a "green" girl stopping in for a visit today, the last day of our going green tour.  Have you been enjoying your green ideas?  I sure have, there are tons of great green ideas on this tour!!!

My green girl wanted me to use up scraps today and only use minimal new pieces of card stock.  So with thatin mind, I only cut a new card base and trimmed down already cutpieces for the main image panel and mat.  The ribbon was tied right off of the roll, so there was minimal waste there.  Wondering what my "scrappy" green girl look like???

I thought so....here she is:

Oh Stamping Tessa, you look so fresh and green :)  You have just came from the farmers market with your fresh flowers and your recycleable shopping bag.  Your clothes were even paper pieced with scraps my green Tessa! 

Oh Tessa.......is that a recycling logo made out of the small arrow form the going my way punch???
Why, yes that is.  You should look closer at it......

recipe:
stamps: totally tessa, tiny tags
ink: basic black, close to cocoa, chocolate chip, blush blossom, pretty in pink, garden green, cameo coral and ruby red
card stock: old olive, certainly celery, confetti cream, sweet pea ds, rich razzleberry ds
accessories: two way glue pen, aquapainter, going my way punch, modern lable punch, three for you punch, antique brads, so saffron ribbon, stampin dimensionals

RemARKable Going Green Blog Tour - Day 2

Oh wow!!!  Are you getting some great "green" ideas, or what!?!??!!?  I am so priviledged to be a part of such a great team!!

Today, I am going to show you a hostess gift for all of you demos out there....but if you aren't a demo, you can duplicate this idea for a stampin' friend that you would like to give a small supply gift to or you can use this idea for any small gift packaging - like money :)

You love Stampin' Up!'s build a brads, right?????  What is not to love about those babies!?!?!?!?  Well - I couldn't bring myself to ever throw out the container they come in - what an awesome tin with a window lid!  Wanna see what I did with it?

Isn't that darling???  I wrapped the bottom with Noveau Chic designer series paper and then made a belly band to hold it closed.  It wasn't necessary to have soemthing hold it closed, but it looked cute :)
I filled it with some stamping accessories as a door prize.  Let's look closer at that flower, shall we??

I think we shall.....

I absolutely LOVE the floral fusion sizzlet!  I cut the flowers out in velum card stock and sponged then with sage shadow and then used the spritzer tool to add some basic grey color splashes.  And the half pearl from the pretties kit is the perfect center to this beauty.

Before you leave me, spread a little green love and let me know what you think and then click on the icon below to continue on your tour!

RemARKable Going Green Blog Tour - Day 1

HI Stampers!!

Are you ready for a green tour????  If you are coming here directly, just click the Going Green logo at the bottom of the post and you will go through all of the stops and when you arrive back here, you have completed all of the tour. 

What does "Going Green"  mean to me in paper crafting??  Well, one thing it means is the obvious....all green.  It also makes me think of nature, the beauty of the out doors.  It also means repurposing.  By that, I sometimes take things that are packaging for other things - meant to be garbage - and use them for other purposes.  Like today's project, for example.  It started out as a bracelet package from a chain costume jewelry store that my little one bought.  It was full of pretty colored beaded bracelets - just what every four year old would be drawn to.  :)  We took the bracelets out and I grabbed up that packaging right away!!!

I wanted my flower to be the real focal point of the container, so I kept everything else very simple and plain. I made a flower like this before HERE and have had several requests for a tutorial so make sure you come back Monday for that tutorial.

Here is a side shot:

There are alot of people out there in the paper crafting world that are punching their vintage books and novels - I recreated this look by stamping A to Z from the Ocassions Mini onto very vanilla card stock.  this way, I can get a vintage written look without having to worry about what exactly I written on the pages.  I sure wouldn't want to give my Gandma a flower that had soemthign inappropriate written on it without realizing....so with this stamp, I am safe.  :)

The leaves are from the Sweet Pea Felt Flowers and the designer series paper is from Sending Love Specialty.  {luv} these!!

I realize you probably wouldn't ever be able to recreate container this exactly, unless your four year old buys the same set of bracelets....lol! ...but there are lots of pieces of packaging that this could apply to.  So on your way to the trash next time...ask yourself, could I repurpose this into something pretty???

I would love to know what you think.  I will fill this with small somethings - probably candy - and give it as a gift.

Is this cute, or what?

lol!!

Hi stampers!

Sorry it has been so long.  I have been feverishly working on things...I just can't show them here yet.  I do have a scrapbook layout to share though.  I made this a while ago and sent it into Jan Wakeland to use for the diva display - my theme was ruffles and lace with card stock, ribbon, etc.  I was asked to make the display, so I really felt honored.....and guess what????  I am making display items again this month....this is so fun!!  This month's focus for me is Sweet Pea Stitched Felt.....oooohhhhhh......aaahhhhhh....  wait until you see that stuff :)

Getting back on track today.....here is a layout using the Sweet Pea designer series paper.

I absolutely love this pack of paper!!!!  It has such a broad variety of papers in it.  It includes everythign from small prints like tiny polka dots to stripes to hounds tooth to very large graphics on pages as seen in this layout.  My background layer included three flowers and the bird, already printed on it.  How easy is that for a layout????  All I did to that part of the page was cut out the bird and two smaller flowers out from another page and adhere them onto the page with stampin dimensionals.  For the larger taken with teal flower, I punched the edge with the eyelet border punch of a thin strip.  I then ran it through the paper crimper.  I put sticky strip onto the back of the punched out flower center and began adhereing the strip around then edges, pleating it as I wnet to create a flower.  After that was complete, I adhered it to the page with pop up glue dots.

The white space is meant for two photos matted together.
The title "cute" was cut with my big shot and the Stampin' Up! Alphabet Simple Letters dies.

This page was super easy to put together, I let the premade background determine the layout and theme.

Make sure you come back tomorrow.....the RemARKable Stampers are coming back with another blog tour - Going Green!!!!

Sneaky Peeky coming your way!!

HI Stampers!

I have a sneak peek of the project we are making at the Vintage Vogue Stamp Camp tomorrow.  I don't usually post our projects, but I feel frisky today.  lol! 

Here is the first impression of the ensemble:

wanna see the side???? 

I figured you did!  lol!!
love that dimension!!!!!
Doesn't this make you feel like Spring just might actually be around the corner?? 

oooo.....here it is open:

note: I see now I didn't include the envelopes...they wer eon my desk when I took the picture....they will go right in with the cards :)

Here is a few of the cards:

The "campers" will receive the Vintage Vogue Stamp Set as well as the template to recreate this gift again and again.

What do you think?
I would love to know :)

To wood or not to wood.....

THAT is the question.......to suffer the weight and space of precious shelves....
Did you ever think I would do a stamping title to Shakesphear's "to be or not to be" ????  yeah, me either!  lol!!

But what I come today with is a tutorial for you.....so sit back and be ready to wood or not to wood.....

I have tons....not really tons....but I have a crazy amount of stamps that are meant to be wood mounted that aren't mounted yet....so what is a a girl to do????  I must tell you....I LOVE the new unmounted option that Stampin' Up! is offering us now....but the sets in the regular idea book and catalog are still wood mount.  BUT - they don't come already mounted, so really - you do have an unmounted option.  following me??

hehe!!  I recently earned the "Just____" sets from sale a bration for free - just basketball, just tennis, just soccer....you get the picture.....  Well, they are all three stamp sets - three blocks, each in their own clam shell box....weighing down my shelves, taking up valuable space that I could be using for more new stamps....lol!!  So I decided to go unmounted, baby!
Ok, so I started with the Just Basketball set.

I will start with the ball/hoop stamp.  It is meant to be one stamp.  It has one block, one sticker.  Well, going unmoutned allows you to customize your stamps without worrying about not having any extra blocks. So i cut my stamp apart to have the ball and hoop separate images.  (this is how I would want to use them anyway, probably)

Next, I took the ball and layed it upside down over the sticker sheet, lining it up as best as I could.

Then, I took my craft and rubber scissors and trimmed around it, holding the rubber stamp in place.  You could trace on the sticker, but I thought this wouls be just as easy and would skip a step.

Next, peel the backing off the rubber stamp and lay it rubber side down on yoru work surface.  Then, peel the backing off of the sticker and put it on the back of the rubber stamp.  Now you have what looks exactly like a clear mount rubber stamp.....except - this is a sticker, NOT cling vinyl.  There is  big difference.  The sticker will NOT cling to the clear mount blocks like the cling vinyl that comes with the new clear mount rubber stamps.  So, what's a girl to do????

I pulled out my Tombo Mono Multi glue.  I rubbed a thin layer all over the sticker label and set aside to dry.  The Tombo Mono Multi is repositionable when it is allowed to dry - genius!!

After the glue layer is dry, you still need to tap it on yout hands to take some of the "stick" off - the tombo glue is very strong....so this just lessens the grip a bit.

Place the stamps in an empty stamp case available through Stampin' Up! and enjoy all of your extra space!!!

There are 6 stamp sets in this one case.  They are all the same theme, so finding them on my shelves will be easy as well as labeling them.  Can you believe that all of thee boxes now only take up the amount of space that a dvd case takes up?????  LOVE it!

This really isn't any harder than mounting onto wood, just a couple of extra steps, but they are well worth it, in my opinion.

well, that's all folks!

Pawsitively Praying for You

Hmmmm?????  Wonder where that title came from????  lol!  I am in desperate need of praying/thinking of you and sympathy cards lately.  Not good.  I pulled out this week's sketch challenge over at scs and immediately wanted to use the level one hostess set, Of the Earth for the square images.  But, I dug around looking for something else that might stike my fancy, just in case....no luck....I had my mind set on Of the Earth!  I really like this set....the bird images and the single stem flower are just gorgeous, in my opinion.  I also wanted to card to have a spring feel to it. 

wanna see????

I knew I wanted to use soft, springy colors.  I went to my store stash of designer series papers and pulled out the Pawsitively Prints pack.  It was designed to be used with the Build A Bear dies made exclusively for Stampin' Up!.  The delicate patterns lend thenselves well to the clothing prints.  I have also found that they are wonderful for so much more!!
The card came together pretty well.....just about exactly what I had in mind.  Here is a closer look at the goodness.

I even stamped the inside.....sorry this picture is fuzzy - for some reason, my camera would not focus right on it.  ARGH!!!!!!  I didn't stamp a sentiment, though, I may use this as a note card to send to a friend.  If not, I can always add the sentiment when I need to send it out.  Makes me feel that I made it just then.... ;)  hehehe!

Tip Alert**** One more thing!!!  If I weren't going to use a padded envelope to mail this card, I would definitely cut a piece of card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and run it through the paper crimper to lay over the front to protect the pearls from the postal service machines.

stamps: Of the Earth, Matchbox Messages, Thoughts and Prayers
card stock: certainly celery, blush blossom, very vanilla, pawsitively prints designer series paper
ink: pretty in pink, old olive ( both stamped off before stamping)
accessories: 5/8 inch vanilla satin ribbon, pretties kit flat backed pearls, stampin' dimensionals

What do you think?

Celebrating my Mojo

HI Stampers!!

Oh, how I needed to stamp this card today.  My little one starting showing her usual sick symptoms this weekend along with a cough that sounded deep.  Yesterday, she woke up with all of that and a runny nose...so I thoguht to myself....well, we are adding, not losing, symptoms....we better get to the pediatrician today.  So.....she was diagnosed with croup.  Hmmm....that seems like a standard diagnosis with little ones that aren't flemghy, in my opinion.  So, maybe she has croup, maybe not but I am doing the medicine regimine anyway.  Long story short, things got worse this morning involving red popcicles and medicine on a too empty stomch.....so when we got things together this afternoon, she wanted to do crafts in my room....so we headed up there!  YAY!!!!!

So I pulled out the mojo monday sketch and got busy!  I have a huge list of things that need stamped or created so it was justified, right????  lol!!  Here is what I came up with today:

I absolutely love the Vintage Vogue stamp set in the occassions mini!!!! Every image is gorgeous!  Now, I know this card isn't mailable....but there are always instances to hand deliver a card, always.  :)

See that flower up close????  It is simply gorgeous!  (humble, uh?)

I also stamped up the inside:

stamps: vintage vogue, they say it's your birthday
card stock: kraft, very vanilla, bordering blue, bella bleu, chocolate chip
ink: sahara sand, bordering blue, chocolate chip, creamy caramel
accessories: 5/8th inch chocolate chip grosgrain, tool kit, scallop circle punch, vintage brad, scallop edge punch, stampin dimensionals

leave me some love.....i sure could use it :)  lol!

My Sweet Valentine.....

Do, Do, Dooo......

Now, go back and read that title again, singing "My Sweet Caroline....." with my words.....

No?  ok....

Today is my daughter's Valentine exchange at her preschool, she was so excited today!  She wanted to buy premade Valentine's from the store that were Toy Story - I Know!!!!!  Right!??!??!?  Well, I let her - but we disguised them in these:

LOL!!!!  I was so proud of her, she hand wrote each child's name on the front and wrote from her on the back.  (She writes too big to put the to and from on the front where it goes :) )  Hey, she's 4!  you know?

The two buckets are for her two teachers.  They are filled with a bag of Lindor Truffles.....Oh sweet Mother of chocolates!!!!  You know I appreciate you when the truffles have been pried out of my hands to give to you :)  hehehe!!!  I got the buckets half off at a dollar spot after Christmas.....Hello red Christmas stuff on sale that can be used for Valentine's Day!!!  {luv} it!  But they had an ugly wrinkled up red bow tied on the front, so I had to take care of that!  I cut it right off!!  There were two holes already in the bucket so I threaded some vanilla satin ribbon through and tied a nice, new, beautiful, satinny, smooth, luxurious (getting the picture that I love the new satin ribbon????) bow.  I put the truffles into a large cello bag and tied it shut with the same (I won't go into the details....)satin ribbon.  I made a tag by cutting a heart with the new embosslit, Stampin' Up Heart of Hearts, and my big shot and backed it with a heart cut from one of the heart sizzlets.  The stamped heart was the three heart stamp from I (Heart) Hearts and it coordinates with the Heart to Heart punch.  I put a small rhinestone brad through that heart and adhered it to the die cut heart with a stampin' dimensional.

I used the same heart dies to make the kid's valentine clips for their treat bags.  I started by puttting their candy treats and my daughter's valentine in a new glassine bag from the Occasions Mini.....I love these!!!  The clips are made from clothes pins that I picked up at a dollar store.  I covered the front of the clothes pin with the sending love specialty designer series paper.  I then adhered the heart to the clothes pin with mini glue dots.  Their names were added by taking strips of very vanilla and stamping the neames with my calendar alphabet and number stamp set.  I adhered them to the heart my layering dimensionals in the middle and gluing the ends to the heart with tombo mono multi.

I then added a magent to the back, with the thought that the parents could put them on the refridgerator and clip their school papers or artwork to them.

What do youthink of these?  I am happy with them....they were easy but cute.  I think ;)

Six Weeks until Spring?!?!?!?!?!?

Well.....not in my stamp room!!!

I pulled out the scs sketch challenge today and got busy making a springy card.  I have been wanting to use my new set, Abundant Hope, for a while now anyway.....I have alot of rubber that needs my attention!

As soon as I saw this set offered in the Occassions mini....I knew it had to be mine!  I have been waiting for a daffodil stamp set.  I have tons of flower stamps, but I still "needed" it.  lol!  Wanna see what I came up with?

The desigenr series paper here is Tall Tales.  I used my FREE sale a bration punch, Scallop Trim Border and it's mate, the Scallop Trim Border Corner punch that is available in the Occassions Mini.  The daffodils and setniment are stamped on watercolor paper.  The sentiment is from Well Scripted, also from the Occassions Mini.  I have been long negleting my grommets....so I pulled out a white one today and accented the center of it with a knot tied with chocoalte chip satin ribbon......YUMMO........

I even did up the inside :)

I would love to know what you think.....comments do make me feel warm and fuzzy inside :):)