Hello stampers. That is a hashtag I use often: #itsallaboutthetreats. It sometimes really is all about the treats. If you have read my “About Me” section, then you know that I am called The Pampered Stamper because I like pampering my people with good food while they stamp, or more accurately, before or after they stamp. Stamping is always great fun, but gathering together in fellowship over good food, that is priceless. Stamping without treats just seems empty to me. Soulless. In this post you will see how we can combine treats right into the card. How much fun is that? Stampin’Up! has made it possible with their treat tubes. They were first featured in a Paper Pumpkin last year and were such a hit that they made into our catalog. I got the idea for these fabulous cards from my dear friend BJ Peters.
I used the September Paper Pumpkin stamps to make this paper myself. I just stamped in versamark and white embossed the leaves and then sponged with real red, pumpkin pie, crushed curry and old olive to make a beautiful background paper. The stamps are from Spooky Cat. This card fits into a regular envelope but it probably costs a little extra to mail because of the bulk.
I couldn’t resist using the retired washi tape from last year’s holiday catalog. Anything with words on it and you have me hooked! But check out the cat? How awesome is our cat punch? Buy it in a bundle with the Spooky Cat stamp set and you will save 10%. Did you know that if you place an online order with me this month you will get entered into a draw to win any bundle of your choice? I am doing this to help celebrate my 12th anniversary with Stampin’Up!
This last card is a total case from BJ Peters. I didn’t have any Christmas M&Ms so I used crushed candy canes instead that you could use as a sweet topper on your whipping cream for that fancy coffee or hot chocolate. Now I’m guessing you would like to have the measurements on how to make this adorable treat holder yourself. No problem, I totally understand, so I have a little diagram for you. I will also share a video so you can see how it is done.
I am not sure, but I think that the inspiration for these treat cards may have come from the post-it note holders that have been popular for a long time. Sometimes we forget the “oldies but goodies” so I will share a picture of one of these as well as the measurements for a standard square post-it note pad. First of all, here is the old one that I have held on to for many years because I thought it was so cute. Originally I made it for a teacher’s gift class.
I used this old one to get the measurements for the new one. Real red cardstock is 3 1/4″ by 7 3/8″ scored at 3 1/8″, 3 1/2″ and 3 7/8″. Cut between the score lines at 1″ and 2 1/4″, this will make the pen holder part. Here is the new one that I made using the Hang Your Stocking stamp set.
Before I share my video, don’t forget about the contest I am offering this month as a celebration of my 12th anniversary with Stampin’Up! If you order online during October you will be entered into a draw for any bundle of your choice but you must use the current host code when you place your order. Good luck!!
A lot of card makers are like crows, they like things that sparkle! The Year of Cheer suite definitely has sparkle with all the metallic papers, the pretty embellishments and the amazing washi tape that all go with this suite. You can even go over the top and mix it with our glimmer paper. I am so thankful to Barb Stewart for designing these beautiful cards. As soon as I saw them I knew I would offer a class with them and everyone was in love. The best part is that you get a beautiful card with very little effort and that is what many of us long for. Simplicity. Beauty. A little extra time to just relax. These cards do all of that!
I did add one extra card to the class out of sheer necessity. You see when I decided to offer this as a class I was totally out of the foil snowflakes, so I wanted to offer an alternative. I ended up using the stars from the Starlight Thinlets and it turned out beautifully. The stars are so very lovely, but the foil snowflakes are immediate gratification. I will share a video at the end of this post to show you how to make the stars in the most easy and efficient way.
Starlight Thinlets Alternative
The starlight thinlets coordinate with the Star of Light stamp set. I love this 21 piece stamp set because not only does it have beautiful star images including star dust that can be used on Disney cards as fairy dust, it also has lots of beautiful sayings.
When my customers saw this card they thought I had embossed the star. Really it is just two star framelits layered on top of each other. I have some pictures here, but please note that in the second picture the stars are just laying on top of each other, I haven’t adhered them yet because I want to do that in my video and I don’t want to have to make more stars!!
Measurements
Now for the important information. Measurements do make everything easier right? No need for guesswork. Here you go. All the cards are the same which is just wonderful.
heavy white cardstock: 4 1/4″ by 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
foil paper (I used champagne, silver and gold but copper also works) 3 3/4″ by 4 3/4″
patterned paper from Year of Cheer- 3 1/2″ by 4 1/2″
for the sentiment- whisper white cardstock 1 1/4″ by 3 3/4′ metallic 1 1/2″ by 4″
One of the cards uses soft suede for the matting and this also looks quite wonderful, so if you need to save some money you could use this instead of the foil paper. To make your foil paper last longer be sure to cut out stars from your big mat before you put the patterned paper over top, just be sure to leave a 1/4 inch margin all around!
Did you know that you get 12 gold and 12 silver foil snowflakes in each package and that they are cream coloured on the back? So you can use them as a neutral accent or you can sponge them with any colour you like, or you can stamp the whole snowflake with versamark and emboss in gold, silver or copper for a thicker, more luxurious finish.
Here is another inspiration for the Add a Little Glitz stamp set that the saying “May your season sparkle”.
Finally here is the video on how to use your star framelits with the least amount of frustration.
I hope you have a great weekend! Remember if you live in Canada and don’t already have a demonstrator I would love to have you order from me or even better, join my team and get your own discount.
One of the most popular classes of the year is the Christmas stamp-a-stack. Everyone loves giving and receiving Christmas cards and it is really gratifying to make a stack of them all at once to get a jump-start on the season. I love having a big stack of cards all ready to be mailed out on December 1. It is really nice to make some over-the-top special cards too, but quick and easy stamp-a-stack cards are always fun to do.
Inspiration
I was inspired by two things when I was creating these cards. The first inspiration was our October paper sale which goes to the end of October. If you buy three packs of featured paper you get one pack FREE! So I bought some paper for myself of course including the Be Merry paper. The second inspiration was my swap card from Selina Merali. I love the layout of this card and the nice big sentiment and I thought it would work really well with the Be Merry paper.
The designer series paper is layered on a garden green mat measuring 4″ x 5 1/4″. The bottom strip of patterned paper is 2″ x 3 7/8″. The top part is whisper white 3 1/8″ x 3 7/8″ and it was stamped with real red using the snowflakes from Night in Bethlehem. The words are from Carols of Christmas. I used shimmer black ribbon and red satin ribbon to finish it off. The snowflake on the left is from Colorful Season and the star is from Night in Bethlehem.
Here are some more versions of this same card:
Here is the original card from Selina. She used Merry Little Christmas designer series paper from the holiday catalog. Isn’t it just amazing how the little details can make all the difference? I love how the linen thread and the rhinestone add just the right touch to the little tree accent. The stitched thinlets are also fabulous for accenting the sentiment.
Sometimes Simple is Best
The next card I made expressly with simplicity in mind. I love this snowflake border thinlet and I really wanted it to shine without any distractions. So I combined it with a bold sentiment and a few rhinestones. Which colour combination do you like best?
Although I love both colour combinations, the card on the left is quicker to make as there is no embossing. If you really think about it, this card doesn’t even have to be a Christmas card, it could just be a cheerful winter card or even a birthday card. I used pool party on the first card and heavy white cardstock and night of navy on the second card with the sentiment embossed in white as well.
The last set of cards were cased from another swap card, this one I received from Genevieve Ko. The cards are the same, I just used a different sentiment on each one. They use the Night in Bethlehem suite.
This card is a little more intricate for a stamp-a-stack card but it is not too difficult to prevent you from making a bunch of them in good time. The hardest part will be deciding who to give them to!
Class Date and Details
The date for this Christmas stamp-a-stack is Wednesday October 25 at 9:30am and 7pm. If the response is overwhelming I will also open up a spot at 1pm. The cost is $35 for 12 cards and envelopes. You will get four cards of each design. There will be variations of each card that you can choose from. I will set up three stations so that you can make your cards at your own pace. Please bring your own adhesive which includes a tape runner of your choice, glue dots, dimensionals and fine-tip glue if you need it. A pair of sharp ribbon scissors can also be good to have on hand. There will also be a door prize at this event, it will be the Merry Patterns stamp set that is a host exclusive.
Contest Winner
I almost forgot to tell you about the winner of my Spooky Cat contest. Thanks to everyone who commented on my posts, I really appreciate it. The winner was Juleen Henderson. Comments are always appreciated, it helps to alleviate the feeling that your blog posts are just disappearing into cyberspace. Have a super day and keep on stamping!
Hello stampers! What do you look for in a stamp set? I love a set that combines great images with a few great sentiments. I also get quite excited when the set can be used for different occasions and for both men and women. Feather Together fits the bill perfectly. It has some great words in a great font and the feather images can be used together or separately. SInce the set is photopolymer, it makes it very easy to do a two-step stamp. I will share a video with some tips and tricks on how to do that. Take a look at this stamp set:
I haven’t played with this set as much as I would like to, but here are some cards that I made for my coffee and a card class. I thought that the simplicity of the card would pair well the simple beauty of our copper foil paper.
Here is the same card but using different words. I am sorry that the script patterned paper is no longer available. I love it so much that I wanted to use the rest of my stash. I think we should all petition Stampin’Up! to bring it back. It was available in the patterned paper stacks in each of the colour families but the neutrals were my favourite.The white panel on the first two cards is the same size, 4″ by 2 5/8″.
Now I have to confess that I tend to hoard more expensive paper. It makes me happy to be able to get the most use out of it, so before mounting the white part on the copper I first cut out some leaves for another card making sure to leave enough of an edge so that you wouldn’t notice what I did. Check it out, I am pretty pleased with myself!
Here is what I did with those beautiful leaves. I made two versions of this card, one with a single piece of patterned paper in the background and another one with strips of paper (they are approximately 1 3/8″ wide by 4″ long. That way I could not only use up my paper scraps but I could also showcase how well the papers coordinate. The leaf framelits are from the Colorful Seasons bundle. The stamp set is one of the sets featured in the World Card Making Day sale until October 10.
The last card here was actually the first card that I made. When I saw the feathers I thought of the pretty blue jay feathers I would sometimes find on my lawn after our cat Jacob had followed his natural instincts. I used Pacific Point and Early Espresso.
I love the poignancy of just one leaf. The white panel is 3 1/4″ by 4 1/4″. The pacific point is 5 3/8″ by 4 1/8″. I used the hexagon embossing folder to add some interest to this otherwise clean and simple card. Sometimes two or three-step stamping can be daunting, but all you really need to do is give yourself enough time, be sure to practice and experiment with different colour combinations and stand up. Yes, stand up. If you stand while stamping you get a better view and can line things up more easily. I made a video with a few little tips and tricks to help you along.
I would love to hear from you. What are your favourite sets for two or three step stamping? I really love their effect, especially Baby Bear. He looks so real you just want to touch him. Let me know if you have any other questions.
World Card Making Day Sale
From now until October 10, Stampin’Up! is celebrating World Card Making Day with a special sale. Select stamp sets are 15% off. Select designer series paper is also on sale until the end of October, buy three packs get one free. The best part of this sale is that the most expensive pack of paper can be your free one! Just enter the ones you want to pay for first, then enter the free one last.
Did you see that little note at the end? Best deal ever. Buy a fast fuse and get two refills for FREE! If you want to see the images of the stamp sets featured, I took some screen shots:
Here is a shot of the paper that is on sale. I am willing to split packs of paper in half so that you can get three half packs and one half pack for free, just let me know!
Happy stamping and have a super day! Don’t forget about my contest. Comment on any of my blog posts before Tuesday October 10 and get entered into a draw for the stamp set Spooky Cat!
Gold Maple Leaves, Cajun Craze Ink and Thankful Sentiments
Hello stampers! When I opened this month’s Paper Pumpkin I literally squealed with delight. I love absolutely everything about it, from the the intricate gold foil maple leaves to the beautiful leaf stamps and the pretty thankful sayings. The embossed cards and pillow boxes are just beautiful. I made up the samples right away and when my 18 year old daughter Rachel saw them she asked if she could make some too. Then you know you have a winner. Take a look how beautiful they are:
I sponged over the embossed surface of the pillow box and the card so that you could see the pattern even better. These will look so nice on the Thanksgiving table at each place setting. Here is a look at all the pieces that came in the kit:
I just love how easy it is to make beautiful things. I noticed that the gold foil maple leaves are exactly the same as the ones in the Colourful Seasons Bundle, but it is a lot more work to make those than to use the ones that are already done. To make them first put an adhesive sheet on the copper foil paper (or gold or champagne) Then run it through the BIg Shot with the Precision base plate. If you don’t have this amazing product yet, you definitely want it to use with all your intricate thinlets. It makes an incredible difference, not nearly as much poking to get all the little bits out.
Alternate Projects with Paper Pumpkin
I love joy-fold cards. They are striking yet simple to make. I thought the leaves would really pop if they were put on a black card. What do you think?
The black card base is 4 1/4″ by 8 1/4″ and scored at 5 1/2″. The cajun craze piece is 8″ by 3″ scored at 4″. The white panel with the leaves is 2 1/2″ by 4″. I sponged the edges with cajun craze and stamped the leaves with crushed curry, cajun craze and old olive. I used sponge daubers to add some colour to the large maple leaf. The birthday panel has a black layer that is 2 3/4″ by 3 3/4″. The white panel is 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″. Here is another look:
The front panel of this card uses “birthday wishes” from Happiest of Days and the border is done using Timeless Textures. I used a blender pen to colour in the flower and the leaves using old olive and crushed curry. I finished my playtime with this set by making another retiform card.
Now is the perfect time to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin because Stampin’Up! is doing something brand new. They are coordinating the October and November Pumpkins so that you get more bang for your buck in your Christmas preparations. Here is the link if you want to sign up for Paper Pumpkin with me. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
Blog Candy Giveaway
Here is one last card using the September Paper Pumpkin, Layered Leaves. I used an emboss resist technique which means I stamped the leaves in versamark and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I sponged on crushed curry, cherry cobbler, old olive and cajun craze. The thank you sentiment was stamped in early espresso. The sequins are from last year’s Paper Pumpkin. I am giving away a Paper Pumpkin refill kit that includes these great fall coloured sequins in two sizes. Everyone who comments on this blog post and pins one of the cards featured in this post will be entered into the draw. Tell me which card you pinned in your comment.
Here is a close-up of those gorgeous sequins from last year’s Paper Pumpkin, Season of Gratitude.
Here is a picture of the refill kit that you can win as blog candy if you comment on this blog post and pin one of the cards to Pinterest. How much fun is that?!
Comment on this blog post and pin one of the cards and you will be entered into a draw to win this Paper Pumpkin refill. Thanks everyone for joining me today, I hope you have a great rest of your day! Happy stamping.
