Little Luminary and a Super Deal

We are going to be making this adorable little snowflake luminary at a workshop hosted by Jennifer this weekend.  I coudn't stand the idea of tossing the snowflake that was punched out so we are going to make a little set of 3 x 3 cards also.

This luminary can also double as a treat holder. You can use it to deliver some homemade cookies or fancy candies to someone for the holidays.  After the treats are gone just put a battery operated tea light inside.  Quick, easy and really cute!

I got the idea for these little luminaries from KatheD on Stampin Connection. This website is a fabulous resource available only to Stampin' Up! demos.  Wanna have access to the thousands of stamping ideas on Stampin Connection?  This is the perfect time to join Stampin' Up!. 



Stampin' Up! Starter Kit Contents



The starter kit price has been reduced by 50% until November 30th!  That is over $300 worth of stamping supplies and business materials for only $87.50.  Seriously, this is an amazing deal! 

So, if you have ever thought about being part of Stampin' Up! now is the time to try it out!  You can sign up or get more details by going to my website  http://mollyb.stampinup.net/ and clicking on Start Your Own Business in the upper right.   (you will need this password to sign up: mollyb)  If you have any questions feel free to contact me at jamb1997(at)roadrunner(dot)com

Hello Baby Monkey

A challenge over at SCS today was to use anything with a tail. I think this little monkey from Fox and Friends has the cutest tail ever! And I love that he is hanging by his super cute tail from the sentiment.
I used the scalloped square punch to make the Bashful Blue and Crumb Cake patches. They were adhered to a layer of Early Espresso and then run through the Square Lattice Embossing Folder with the Big Shot. Gave a nice quilted look, ha? More layers of Whisper White and Early Espresso and then onto a Bashful Blue card base.

I used:
Stamps: Fox and Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Early Espresso, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Early Espresso
Other Stuff: Scallop Square XL Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot

A 2 Challenge Card

This quick card takes on 2 challenges at once. First it uses FTL 113 (from last week...yes, I'm a slacker) on the Clean and Simple Stamping Blog and Color Challenge 295 over at SCS. Yea me!

The weather is so blah here today that getting a good photo was next to impossible.

The stamp is from Just Believe and I inked it up first with Peach Parfait and then rolled the edges only in Cajun Craze. Gives the image a lot of depth.

Here is what I used:

Stamps: Just Believe, Tiny Tags

Ink: Peach Parfait, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso

Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso

Other Stuff: Jewelry Medium Tag Punch, Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, Stamping Sponge

September Class Samples

These are the cards we will be making at this weekend's class.

If you are interested in joining us here are the details:

When: Saturday, September 25th. 12:30

Where: Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, Bath Maine

What else: The class fee is $25 and you will get all supplies (pre-cut to size and ready to stamp) and instruction to make 12 cards and 3 treat bags.

Let me know ASAP if you are interested so that I can have your kits all ready to go!

Serene Northern Frost

Here are the cards I promised you yesterday that use the new die from the Holiday Mini. Can you find the die cut peices I'm talking about? It is the snowflakes! Aren't they great? Ok I think they are great! The die gives you 8 different snowflakes! They are super detailed and look awesome layered up like this. A little Basic Pearl in the center is perfect.

The other sneak peak on this card is the Witner Wonderland sentiment. It comes
from a little set called Bright Christmas that has 3 wonderful Holiday sentiments in it.

The background was stamped using Serene Snowflakes. I used Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Marina Mist to randomly stamp the snowflakes on a piece of Very Vanilla (even though it doesn't look like Vanilla in the top card). The I cut it up to make the various sized pieces for a bunch of different cards. The top one was run through the Big Shot with the Square Lattace Embossing Folder. The card below has the sentiment stamped on the lower part of the card that was stamped only with the smallest snowflakes in the set. A little of the 1/8" Early Espresso Ribbon hid the seam of the two layers.

Thanks for the visit!

Since I was on a roll with trying new things the other day (after the little baby wipe technique) I decided to try making a background with my brayer. And I was itching to use my new set Just Believe. How beautiful is that image? So this is what I did...

I brayered So Saffron onto my Whisper White and then Pumpkin Pie on top of that but not as far down. Then a little bit of Cajun Craze on the top and down the edge a bit. The flower image was stamped in Early Espresso and I also brayered a little of the same at the bottom to make some ground.

So did you notice that yummy DSP layer on there? It is from the Autumn Spice pack that will be available September 1st in the Holiday Mini! It is textured and it is fabulous!

I have been working on more stuff from the Holiday Mini including a new die that I am soooo in love with... But you will have to wait a little longer to see those samples. Ok, maybe I will put them up tomorrow! hee-hee!

Thanks for the visit!

Funky Little Trees

So these little trees are from a set called Funky Four. I think I found a way to make these trees really funky! Don't they look all tie-dyed? Wanna know how I did it?


I made my own ink pad using my classic ink refills and a baby wipe. Yes, a baby wipe!


I grabbed a regular ol' baby wipe and folded it over a couple of times and placed it in a paper plate. I used More Mustard, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze and Rich Razzleberry ink refills and added just a few drops of each color randomly on the baby wipe until I got an area a little larger than the tree stamp inked up.


It worked like a regular ink pad from that point on. After I inked the tree I used a Early Espresso marker to do the trunk. I made sure to stamp a bunch of these trees, I think I must have done 30 or 40 of them the one "ink pad" that I made. The colors started to fade some at the end but not bad for a first try at this technique I think.



I used the FTL 102 sketch for my card. The little lines were done with my paper trimmer and bone folder. The button on the left is a Designer Button from the Brights collection and the other two are some of the Bitty Buttons with paper behind them that was punched with the coordinating Itty Bitty Shapes punches. All of the buttons were tied with Linen Thread. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. A must have set!


Here is a great tutorial on how to make a stamp pad with a Baby Wipe.

Thanks for the visit!

True Friend Gala

A card from class last weekend. I started with FTL 95 from the Clean and Simple Stamping Blog. The butterfly from Simple Friendship was inked with Daffodil Delight and then the edges were inked with some Pumpkin Pie. A little Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz and then the butterfly was trimmed out.
The pattern paper is from the the Greenhouse Gala DSP pack. Pear Pizzazz was used for the card base.
The ribbon is the new 1/8" Taffeta in Daffodil Delight.
A nice summery card I think. I have been playing with all my my new Summer Mini (psst.. it goes live on September 1st and it is awesome) goodies today. I will have them up to show you soon. So much fun!

Oh yea and I made the same card in blues too. The yellow is still my favorite of the two.

Owl Note Holder

I love this little card and note pad holder set that I made for my friend and party hostess Jennifer last weekend. I used the Two Step Owl Punch that is new in the Idea Book and Catalog. How stinkin' cute is he?

I used the new Sweet and Sour DSP because I knew that Jennifer had a special love of orange and pink together. It is super cute paper too.

The note pad holder base is made from Early Espresso. Very Vanilla and the Sweet and Sour DSP layered on top. I used 2 ribbons to make my little owl a place to sit. The first was Pumpkin Pie Taffeta and I layered some Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain (retired) on top of that. I love the look of the two ribbons layered up like that.

A Pumpkin Pie Button from the Brights Designer Buttons collection and some Hemp Twine made a little spot for my Crumb Cake branch to start from. The branch was made using the Two Step Bird Punch.

I made the card the same and added it to a Very Vanilla base. I even added two little customized matching clips to the note holder.

Friends Never Fade

I just adore the flowers in the Friends Never Fade set. I stamped this flower and sentiment stamp three times on Whisper White to create my main image. Once with each Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, and Pear Pizzaz. From the Early Espresso image I cut out the flower center and the word Friends. I cut the flower from the Pear Pizzaz image. I layered all of these back on top of the Baja Breeze image and popped the flower up with some Dimensionals.

That very cool patterned paper is from the Greenhouse Gala DSP pack. The ribbon is the 1/4" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon.

This layout was based on FTL 94 over at Clean & Simple Stamping. LOVE that blog!

Hello Friend

This card uses the Builder Wheels that debuted in the Summer Mini. These Builder Wheels work with the Jumbo Wheel Handle. You can mix and match the wheels any way you want... 1,2 or 3 at at time in the handle. A Triple Cell Cartridge makes it so easy to ink up the builder wheels in any combo of colors you want.

This card uses the Posy Party Wheel and the Bees & Blossoms Wheel. I left the center space on the Spindle empty to leave a blank area that is perfect for the ribbon. This is the new 1/2" Stitched Poly Robbon in Pear Pizzaz. So soft and wonderful!

I inked the wheels with Rich Razzleberry ink and rolled them onto Whisper White for the main panel and again onto the Rich Razzleberry background layer.

I used the Tiny Tags stamp set and the Medium Jewelry Tag Punch to make the little sentiments. I also added a couple of the new Rhinestones in the flower centers for a little bling.

Itty Bitty Blog Post

This is one of the cards we made at a Stampin' Up! Party hosted by Jennifer on Sunday.
Here are the details....
Stamps: Itty Bitty Bits 117056 Wood Mount or 120060 Clear Mount
Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370
Paper: Whipser White 100730, Daffodil Delight 119683, Island Oasis DSP 117173
Ink: Pumpkin Pie 105216, Old Olive 102277, Rose Red 101778
Accessories: Bitty Buttons 118761, Itty Bitty Shapes Punches 118309, Linen Thread 104199, Paper Piercer 116631, Mat Pack 105826, Heart to Heart Extra Large Punch 119881

Watercolor Trio Kit

Here are the details for the Watercolor Trio Kit.

The kit will make 3 each of the 3 cards shown above. The top card has 3 different treatment options for the Old Olive layer... embossing, punching or tearing. Depending on what you like or have for supplies you can do it however you like. The embossed option is shown above, the other 2 options are shown in the instructions.

Cost: $12 (plus shipping if required)

In the kit: All of the consumables (paper, ribbon, buttons) cut to size to make 9 cards, complete instructions for assembly.

What else you will need: (this is what I used, you can always substitute other colors, stamp sets, etc.)

Watercolor Trio Stamp Set (#117050 wood mount, #120084 clear mount)
Old Olive Classic Ink (#102277)

Regal Rose Classic Ink (#105211)

Chocolate Chip Classic Ink (#100908)

Whisper White Craft Ink (#101731)

Certainly Celery Classic Ink (#105217)

Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink (#105210)

VersaMark Ink (#102283)

Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker (#100079)

Pretty In Pink Stampin' Write Marker (#100045)

Regal Rose Marker (#105108)

Pumpkin Pie Marker (#105115)

Elegant Eggplant Marker (#105234)

Snail Adhesive (#104332 or refill #104331)

Other supplies: (these are additional items that I used)
Dimensionals (#104430), Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set (#115370), Border Punches, Big Shot, Embossing Folders

These kits are being cut as they are ordered. The other supplies needed are available through my website or you can e-mail me (jamb1997 at roadrunner dot com) to order as well. Let me know if you have any questions.

Stamp Sets Need a Good Home!

I've done the difficult task of weeding out a few stamp sets.
These sets are for sale to a good home.

Papetrey Ink Stamps:
Butterfly Kisses Sold
Around and About Sentiments Sold
Faux Ribbon Sold
Its's A Celebration Sold
Mixed Messages Sold
Boxes, Bags and Tags and Favor it Baby Sold
Wise Owl and Wise Owl Bellies Sold
Out of the Box Sold
Mailbox Greetings Sold
Background Basics: Spots and Dots $8.00

My Favorite Things
Happpy Occasions $8.00

All of these stamps have been gently used and are in excellent shape with only minor staining. Leave a comment here or email me if you are interested in any of these. Make sure you leave your email in the comment so I can get back to you.
Shipping will be $4.95 for up to 3 sets. (I think I can cram that many into a priority envelope anyway.) I can only ship them in the United States. Paypal will work for me if it works for you. Otherwise I'm sure we can figure something out. I will update with more sets (when I can get around to cleaning out more) and those that have been claimed as needed. Feel free to contact me at jamb1997(at)roadrunner.com if you have any quesitons.

Summer Mini and Class Samples

Got a few examples of stuff from the new Summer Mini that we will be making in class on May 15th.

The first one uses the new stamp set called Go Graduate. This one is actually a money holder. (These are our highschool colors, if you are coming to class and want a different color combo please let me know.) There will also be a non-graduation variety of of this card but I'm still working on that one. I will share as soon as I have it done.

This card uses Elements of Style! Beautiful set!

This is my favorite card for this class.... so far. It uses the gown stamp from the Blissful Bride set. I also used some of the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz (new in the Summer Mini as well) on the dress. Gives it the perfect amount of glitz with out making the card too over the top.

There is a link to the Summer Mini over there ----->

If you want to come to class and make these great cards (and one more) let me know. Remember if you bring a friend who has never attended a class before, you get to choose and item from the freebie bin OR take $5 off the cost of the class. When your friend comes back to a second class she will get her choice from the freebie basket.

Here are the class details:

May 15th, 12:30, in Poolyanna' Parlor at MCQS. Cost $25 Please bring the basics.. scissors, pencil, adhesive..

Birthday Flip Book

Just a quick look at another of the flip books I have made. This one is uses the Happy B-day Simply Scrappin' kit. Just one of the choices available for the class on April 17th. Check out all of the class details here on this post. There is still time to sign up! Let me know if you have any questions... Hopefully I can get some photos in this and the Christmas one before class, eeek!

Flip Book Class Details

These little memory books may look complicated but they are really simple to make. This class will show you just how quick and easy they really are. With one Simply Scrappin’ kit you will be able to make two 6"x6" flip books. The class will show you how to make the base of the book. How you decorate it with the pattern papers and self-adhesive die cuts is completely up to you. Bring your photos along if you want.

The Christmas Jingle Scrappin' Kit (shown in the samples) is perfect to get last years holiday photos off of the camera and into an album!

Here are the details:
April 17th at 10:30 a.m. in Pollyanna’s Parlor at MCQS Cost $35
Included in the cost of this class:
* detailed written instructions (with photos) for making the flip book base
* one Simply Scrappin’ kit of your choice (pages 164-167 in the Idea Book and Catalog or here online)
* a length of a coordinating ribbon for closure tie
* Sticky Strip for putting the base of the book together
*Use of my punches, inks, Big Shot and dies for the day to help decorate your flip books.
*As an extra class bonus you will be able to order the stamp set that coordinates with your Scrappin’ kit at 10% off the catalog price. Those stamp sets are listed in the details of the kits. (Make sure your order it when you sign up if you want to have it for the class.)

Please bring:
12” paper cutter, a ruler, scissors, a pencil and adhesive. Since we have access to the classroom all day feel free to bring a lunch and make a day of it.
You can leave your payments at MCQS or contact me for other payment options and if you wish to order any coordinating items for your flip book. Make sure you make a note of what Scrappin’ Kit you want.
All payments and kit choices must be received by April 2nd. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

A little Thank You

Just jumping in on the old blog to post this card I made a couple of weeks ago. I love how it came out. Trendy trees and Tiny Tags. And yes I am still using that Sweet Pea designer series paper. A nice manly card I think. Those are so hard to come up with at the last minute so I like to have a few on hand that I can just add a sentiment to.

The wind is whipping here something fierce so I had better go before the power does.

Baby Giraffe

I've got another super quick card today. This is yet another pattern in the Sweet Pea DSP collection. I seriously love every one of the patterns in this stack.

The little giraffe is from Fox and Friends. He is inked up with So Saffron and I used a sponge dauber to ink a little bit of Chocolate Chip onto his mane and tail before I stamped him onto Whisper White. Yet again I have used the Tiny Tags set and the Medium Jewelry punch for the "baby" tag. This set and punch are going to get some serious use from me. I may have to beg Stampin' Up! to make more little sentiments and words to fit it. I bet I can find some more in my big ol' stash somewhere that will fit. A good mission.... and maybe I can get some stamp organizing done at the same time? yea right!

The little scalloped oval was done using the Movers and Shapers. The giraffe is actually stamped on the Whisper White base that shows through the oval window. I just sponged a little Chocolate Chip around the window and it makes it look almost like a shadow. That is a great way to get the look of layers without actually layering.

To find out more about the Movers and Shapers Dies and Windows check out my this post. And if you would like to browse the newest Stampin' Up! catalogs and merchandise you can go here or you can find the links to download the catalogs right over there ------>

Movers And Shapers Tutorial... Kind of

After I posted my little heart cards I had a couple of questions about the Movers and Shapers die that I used to make the heart cut out on the front of the card.
The Movers and Shapers Dies from Stampin' Up! are great. You can punch a shape anywhere in your card, regular punches can only reach so far. The shapes are made to nest with many of the Stampin' Up! punches for great layering and nesting. I made a little photo tutorial to help me explain how to use them. So here we go...

*sorry, some of these photos are a little out of whack.. I took them late last night. If you click on them they should get bigger*

There are two parts to the Movers and Shapers die "system" (for lack of a better word). The first part is the Bigz die. This die has a large metal surface that holds the window dies with magnets. This die also cuts and scores a standard size card base. (The card will fold on top.)


The other part of this system is the window dies. When you buy the Movers and Shapers Bigz die it comes with the Curly Label window (bottom window die in photo). I also own the Punch set of windows that are available in the main catty (top 4 window dies). These particular windows coordinate with the matching SU punches creating perfect mats and layers. There are also Holiday Window Dies available (they are on my list, hee-hee).

A few examples of how the windows look when cut and how their shapes (the darker colors) nest with the coordinating punch shapes (the lighter colors). The Curly Label Window also has an added scored detail around the window.
To use the Movers and Shapers first decide where you want your window cut from your card. I have a piece of graph paper inside my die (covering the metal base) that allows me to place my window more evenly (not my idea.. can't take credit for that one!).

You can cut a standard sized card and window with one crank through the Big Shot by covering the outer cutting lines with your card stock.

Or you can place a smaller, pre-cut card inside the cutting lines and only cut the window. If you just want the shape from the window simply run a small scrap big enough to cover the window through. You get the idea.....

Starting at the bottom you will need to stack one Extended Cutting Pad, the Movers and Shapers die (with window placed where you want it) facing up, card stock and the other Extended Cutting Pad on top. Run this stack through you Big Shot.

Tada, it is that easy!

A few tips I learned so far...

..experiment with the dies and shapes to find the best spot for your window on scrap before you cut your card. (Ask me how I know?!)

.. don't toss the shapes leftover when you make a window. Keep them for use later.

.. you can cut along the outer score marks on the Curly Label window to create a larger window opening.

.. if I'm making a smaller card I cut to size and score the card first. Then I line up my score line with the score line on the Bigz die. Just make sure that none of the card is hanging over the cut lines on the die.

.. you can cut a standard size card base (4 1/4 wide x 11 long) first and then run it through. Just make sure to line up the card base with the cut lines on the Bigz die. A little bit of an edge might get trimmed off but it shouldn't be noticeable. If you have trouble getting a nice shaped card try cutting your card base either a bit wider or smaller (maybe 1/8" - 1/4"). This allows the card to either stay just inside the cut lines or allows a little extra to be trimmed off without losing any of your card base.

.. I know that some Bigz die will work in other die cut machines. I have not tried the Movers and Shapers in anything other than the Big Shot so I can not vouch for how it will work. I know one problem is that the Sizzix cutting pads are wider than those that come with other machines. In most cases the Bigz die itself will fit through other machines but the cutting pads will not. Bigz dies require the Extended Cutting Plates (the long ones) and I know, having owned a little green machine (wink, wink) the cutting pads that come with it are not long enough. Some people have found ways around this (shaving down Sizzix plates, piecing together one or more other plates) but I again I can not recommend any of these because I have not tried them myself and do not know what effect it would have on your machine or dies.

I hope this helps take some of the mystery out of the Movers and Shapers Dies. If you have any questions feel free to email me or leave a comment here. Just remember if you leave a comment, leave your email too so that I can get back to you.

Have a great day!