Paper Pleasing Ideas

New Stamps

As a designer for CC Designs (you can find them at All That Scraps), most often I get the stamps on the sheet of rubber, to cut out myself and put them on EZmount.  This new release however, I got them just as you would, the customer.  Here is what you receive when you order Wintertime Fun.

I love the how you can see what is in the package right on the front insert.  My favorite part, though, is the acetate inserts for the stamps!  The image is already on the sleeve, so you know exactly where it goes.  So whatever ever stamp you are looking for, you can see it right there.  How awesome is that  ?!?  Besides that, the images are adorable, and you can use it for Christmas or winter projects.  They are already cut out and put on the EZMount for you, so you can stamp the moment you get them.  Gotta love it when a company makes it easier for you to use the products.  Have a great day, and hop over to All That Scraps for some last minute Christmas shopping.

PaperTrey - Oh My!!

I did it, in a moment of weakness, and I even stayed up till midnight to do it!!  I ordered a PAPERTREYink set!!  I absolutely love the 2 stepping design of the Take a Bough Christmas stamps, and really wanted to play with them.  Here is my FIRST card, literally, with this set, so don't be too hard on me.  I think there is a learning curve to working with these stamps.  All products are Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise.

So, I started with old olive, white and the soft sky textured CS.  I stamped the tree branch with close to cocoa, and the leaves with olive.  The ornament was done in sky and the accent strip on the ornament was in brilliant blue along with the sentiment.  I then added a page pebble (Making Memories, but I ordered it along with the set *she's so thoughtful*) to give it a more realistic feel.

Here is a closer shot of the pebble, it looks really cool!!  I matted it on olive and then on the card base  I added brilliant blue brads in the corners and the white taffetta across the top.  An elegant and simple Christmas card, and for this season, sometimes less is more!

So now on to my opinion.  After playing with this set, I am TOTALLY a Rubbah Addict!!  I did like the fact that I could see through the stamp to place it exactly where I want it, but I did not like the squishy feel.  I really felt like I needed to be careful stamping it, as to not smudge the image.  Now here is the other thing I did not like...

Can you see which stamps I used??  Of course you can, they are the dirty ones!!  I have obviously never used acrylic, because this would not have bothered me otherwise.  But it does, since I have only stamped with them 3 times.  I was hoping it would look new a bit longer, but that has ZERO really to do with the quality.  I found that they did stamp very nicely and evenly, and it came with the packaging which is nice.  And the possibilities with the set is endless as far as the season goes.

Now, would I buy another one - NOPE, at least not anytime soon.  If she had it in rubber, I would be all over it...maybe.  My biggest problem was what I had to pay.  The shipping was fine, till I had to pay customs at the border.  I paid $35.40 (CA) for the product and the shipping, and I woulda been fine with that, but then customs added on another $9 , so this basically makes this a $45 stamp set, and that is not worth it for me.  I wish she would have marked it as a gift, so that I would not have been paying again.  So, in the end, it is a totally neat product, but I can honestly say, that at this point, I forsee no more acrylic stamps in my craft room!

Pretty Pomegranate

Finally I can stamp.  I have a workshop tonight, and I had to buy new dress pants, so the shopping came first.  Why you ask, since stamping should be the #1 priority (I would normally agree).  W-E-L-L, my boys are happier shopping when they wake up, than to try to shop during their nap time!!  Oh the tears, the screams, the things that make everyone else go hmmmm.  Yep, I would rather shave my head than shop during naptime.

So, NOW I can show you my card.  All products are Stampin' Up!, unless noted otherwise.

I used purely pomegranate, pretty in pink, old olive (Color Challenge), and vanilla CS.  I stamped the fine lace BG on the pink and sponged the edges with pom.

I inked up my solid flower (Heartfelt Thanks) with the olive marker, and stamping it off before adding the pink.  I stamped it onto the vanilla and then inked up the outline with the olive marker and the pom inkpad.  I stamped it over top, and then sponged these edges in pom, as well.

I stamped the sentiment from So Many Sayings (see this post) in pom on the pink, punching it out with the word window.  I sponged the edges in pom and then added it to the vanilla with a vintage brad.  I attached this with dimensionals to the pink that had been punched with the ticket corner.

I matted the olive that had been punched, as well, to the pink, and then added my pom tabs made from the word window with vintage brads.  I then tied the organdy and the pom ribbon (Sherbet Designer Package), before adding the flower image on dimensionals.  I then mounted the pink to the pom base with dimensionals, too.

Thanks for looking, and now on to the hot knife questions...

First of all, I think you can get them at Micheals or Joanns.  We do not have the later in Canada, but I have heard - not seen - of them at Micheals (so don't quote me...hehehe). 

Do I have any tricks??  I just tried to hold it straight up and down, like you hold a Coluzzle knife.  I do apply pressure in the way tht I am cutting, but not downwards.  Since I am not cutting through the paper, you don't have to push too hard that way.

What am I cutting on ??  The same glass cutting board where I cut my bread.  I am a cheap mennonite, so I wasn't about to spend money on something I had in my kitchen.

Why is there only a wishlist for this item on All That Scraps??  Probably cause all you guys went from my site to her store, and bought her out...LOL  If you click on the item, and then hit the wishlist button, an area will come up for you to type your info in.  If you ask her to let you know when it comes in, Christine will email you right away, so you can place your order!!  YAY

Hot Knife Meets SU Set !!

NOW HOW COOL IS THIS ?!?  I ordered a new SU set, just so I could test the hot knife out on it...NOT, I woulda ordered it anyway...hehehe.  But, since I got the knife, might as well try it out, right?

Well, it went great, as you can see.  I cut so close to the image, that there is not chance of side stamping.  The bonus, I did not have to cut through the paper.  I just popped out the rubber when I was done, yep that easy.  I know AmyR cut through her paper, but I want to keep the knife sharp as long as possible.

You can get the knife at a few places :

All That Scraps or Stampin' Bella - Tell them Julie Buhler sent ya!!

Groovy Sky

Yep, the new In Colors are fair game for color challenges, and the two for today were soft sky and groovy guava.  Love 'em both, but was totally stumped.  This would explain the late posting, since I had to think on it ALL MORNING!!  I do like what I came up with though, I started totally different than any card I have ever done before.  All products are Stampin' Up!, unless otherwise specified.

So first thing I thought was, " I wonder what the paisley BG would look stamped with guava on white?"  So, I inked up my stamp with the brayer, and put it on the CS.  LOVING THAT LOOK!  But for me it was too much to do a whole base like that, so I cut it and matted it on the sky.

I stamped the flower from Artful Inkables on my scalloped oval which I made with my small corner rounder punch(tutorial here).  I watercolored it with inks and an aqua painter, sponged the edge with sky, and then put the dots in with my black marker.

I matted my 2 longer pieces onto the guava, and then used the word window punch for my tabs.  I glued them on and then added the black brads, to tie in the black on the image.  I then matted this on the sky and added my image with dimensionals.

I totally love how that paisley BG stamp gives the look of patterned paper.  The best part ???  You can have it in any color you want, and it will match the CS you have!!

Now onto a different track completely.  Did you see this post on AmyR's blog?  To let you know how weird I actually am, I saw that and said - I GOTTA HAVE ONE!!  So, I ordered it that afternoon from Stampin' Bella.  I also got the EZmount foam, for my unmounted stamps from High Hopes(they do sell mounted, it is just cheaper this way for me).  I got it today, plugged it in, and while waiting for it to heat up, I stuck all my stamps on the foam.  Before I started cutting, I used Amy's lesson, and put my kids down for their naps.

 

The "after" picture was only taken about 5 mins later than the "before" picture.  Yep, 16 stamps cut out that fast!!  And, I still have EZmount left for the new stamps I have coming - YAY.  Am I glad that Amy sliced her leg, and told everyone about it...YOU BETCHA!  Thanks girlfriend - love ya, MMMWAAA!

Corner Challenge

Sooooo, here is my OTHER big news from this post.  I was asked to design for Artful Inkables!!  These are stamps produced by Starving Artistamps.  Yep, still pumped ... hehehe.  OK a little review...I love the images, the ones I have are very detailed, and deeply etched on red rubber.  The bonus for me, is that they already came on EZ cling, so I did not have to do all of that, but you can also get them mounted.  They were cut very close to the image, and to me that is very important.  I HATE getting lines beside my image while I am stamping, and there is not chance of that with these stamps.

Now to the card...I used her daffodil image.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to do paper tole.  I stamped the image 3 different times.  I watercolored the flowers with yoyo yellow and only orange, and the stems and leaves with garden green and wild wassabi, All Stampin' Up!.  I then cut out the petals from both flowers and used a dimensional to attach them.  Then I cut out just the trumpet area on the big flower and used another dimensional to mount it.

I punched my scallop square punch twice in yoyo, gluing them together to get my rectangle.  I notched the white corners with the ticket corner punch, before putting it onto my rectangle with dimensionals.  I then put gold brads in the corners using the 1/16 punch to get my holes.

I ran the white layer through the Cuttlebug with my textile embossing folder.  I also used my ticket corner punch on this layer.  I then wrapped the SU yellow ribbon around it an tied it together with a piece of white SU organdy.  I then heat curled the ribbon before adding the image panel on dimensionals.

I used the corner rounder punch on the yoyo base, and then used more dimensionals to added the rest of the card.  I really like this card, it is so cheery with these colors.  I did leave it sentiment free, so I caould use it for any occasion.  Go ----------> check out these stamps, I can hardly wait to play again.  Have fun and happy stamping!!

New Toy

  So, we were gone again this weekend, but I got something to share with you.  I found something new at WalMart!!  I am sure some of you probably own this, but I had NEVER seen it and it makes me quite excited...The new Cutter Bee Bugs!  It looks like a little ladybug *too cute*, and they are little paper piercing tools.

You pop the little head out and there are little points that go on a circular wheel.  I shoulda brought up my piercing pad instead of my cutting mat, it would have shown up more.  If you click on the pictures, they come up larger, and you can see what it does.  One punches 2 rows of holes and one is a single line.  This is going to make paper piercing and faux stitching a WHOLE LOT EASIER!!

Next are 2 pics from the lake, where we enjoyed time with family.  We have a resident doe in our yard, each year she has her babies in the back bush.  She is so tame, I can feed her from my hand.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a great weekend!!