Just Give Me Stamps...

Potted Geraniums...

Happy Sunday!!  I hope you all are having a wonderful Mother's Day!  We've had a pretty quiet day here.  My daughter and I are trying to recover from yet another cold!  I don't think we've ever been as sick as we have this past four months...but I think it has to do with our very crazy weather (warm then cold then warm then cold again).  My DH did get me that Copic Airbrush kit..and I'm anxious to try it out!  He is also going to fix dinner..YAY!!

While my little guy was sleeping, I slipped away to my stamp room.  I've had this gorgeous Geranium stamp (from Northwoods) for a while now, and I really wanted to stamp my Mother-in Law a card with it!  My husband's parents still live in Switzerland...and one thing I always look forward to seeing during our visits over there, is the many, many geraniums!!  I have no idea what their National flower is, but it should be the geranium!  :-)  They have them in window boxes (you almost can't find a house without these displayed on their windows), in planters, & in gardens.  My Mother-in-Law is no exception...she has a beautiful collection of these wonderful flowers!

I embossed the stamp using Smoky Gray Versafine ink and Clear Detail embossing powder.  I then colored it in using my Copic markers.  After it was colored, I inked up my Linen (Stampin' Up!) background stamp with Sahara Sand ink and stamped it over my colored image.

I mounted the flower image on to Cameo Coral and Close to Cocoa cardstock and then layered it on to some Memory Box patterned paper (from their Flirt Collection).

The Merci sentiment is from Inque Boutique's French Fancy set.  I stamped the Merci onto Shimmery White cardstock and punched it out using my small oval punch.

Here's a close-up picture to show the sparkle I added to the bow.  Using my Sakura Stardust pen, I highlighted parts of the bow.  It tends to go on kind of strong (at leas for my taste), so after I apply it to my stamped image I take my finger and blot it just a little.  This not only softens the shine, it also blends it with my image better.

I've had many emails asking me how I shade/sponge my cards.  When I was making this card, I took a few pictures to show you.

There are two different ways I like to sponge/shade.  The first way is to "rub" in a circular motion (I usually use a lighter shade for this - here I am using Creamy Caramel ink).

I love the look this gives my stamped images...darker on the edges and fades slightly towards the middle. 

As you can see from the graph paper, I always start on my scrap paper and work in.  This gives me more control over how much ink saturation there is.  (As I mentioned above, I rub in a circular motion).

The second way I shade my edges is to sponge the edges directly.  I hold my paper at an angle (as seen in the photo) and gently "swipe" the sponge across the edge of the cardstock.  I tend to use a bit darker ink for this (here I am using Close to Cocoa ink).

Here is what it looks like when it is finished.  I really like the look of shading...and use it on a lot of my cards.  It adds warmth and depth...and usually helps my focal images pop out a bit.

The stamps, Memory Box paper, Versafine ink, Clear embossing powder are all available from Stamper's Dream store.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Recipe   Stamps: Geranium Pot (Northwoods), Linen background stamp (Stampin' Up!), French Fancy (Inque Boutique)   Paper: Shimmery White c.s., Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Memory Box patterned paper (Flirt Collection)   Ink: Versafine Smoky Gray, Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel   Other: Clear Detail e.p., Copic markers, Small oval punch, Corner rounder, Dew Drops, Sakura Stardust pen

Mini Bind It All Tutorial...

I was going to just tell you how I made my journal (see THIS post), but if you're anything like me then pictures will explain much more than just words alone.  :-)

I purchased a Bind it All machine several months ago, excited about all of the creative projects that I could create with it!  Well, after it arrived, I was a little intimidated by it all.  I set it aside, thinking that when I had time I would read all the directions, watch the DVD, and practice making stuff.  Well, I never seemed to have time...hehehee...because there it sat until just a few days ago!  (blush)  So, just in case there are others out there that either have a BIA (Bind it All) machine and have yet to use it or would like to have one but think they look to "hard"...this mini tutorial is for you!  :-)

I started with 2 8 x 8 Zutter Chipboard covers and hand drew a wavy line at about 5 1/2" wide.  Since this part will be covered up with cardstock, I didn't worry about erasing and re-drawing my line until I was happy with it.

I then used a craft knife to cut on the line that I just drew.  I first cut the top cover, then traced around the wavy edge onto the bottom cover (so they would both be the same).

The thing that most impressed me about using my BIA...is that I didn't actually watch the DVD that was included in the box with it.  (I know...should I really be admitting that...hehehe).  My point is...that it is not as time consuming to learn to use and it looks!    There is a small little booklet with step by step instructions (with pictures..woohoo!)

Punching the holes was very easy!  There is a little black slidey thingy (very technical terms) on the side that ensures that the holes are perfectly spaced ( you can see it in this picture right next to the already punched holes).

After the holes were punched, I glued the cardstock pieces that I pre cut and stamped onto the chipboard covers.  Even though I was careful in my measuring and cutting of both the chipboard and cardstock, there were still some rough edges on the chipboard and places where the cardstock overlapped.    To fix that, I took one of the files in the Basic Grey Precision set and sanded/filed the edges until they were all smooth.

There was one thing in the little instruction book that didn't work for me.  Maybe I just couldn't figure it out...hehehehe.  Anyway, the way that it said to assemble the layers made it so my covers didn't match up.  So... I assembled my layers in the following order:  Inside pages, back cover, & then the front cover.

For this journal, I used a silver 3/4" BIA coil (This was the perfect size for both covers and 40 something white cardstock pages).

This was the easiest part of the whole thing!  I placed my notebook into the slot on the BIA with the open side of the coil down and pressed down on the handle!  That's it!

I truly am so excited about this!  I really can't believe that I waited this long to use this wonderful machine!!!  :-)

I have 2 more Bind it All projects started...and I will be sharing those with you over the next couple of weeks.

Have a wonderful day!   

Pencil Holder Pattern...

Happy Monday!  It got SO cold here last night and today...I think our high was -8 degrees Fahrenheit (when I woke up this morning it was -24).  We haven't strayed too much from the comfort of our house...just went outside to get some more firewood.  I sure hope it's warmer where you all are!  :-)  Also, I have really enjoyed your comments and emails about my last post!  It seems that I'm not the only one that is not a morning person!  LOL!

As promised, here is the pattern for the Pencil Holder Box.  Just a warning...I have never created a pattern on the computer before, so I just took a picture of a real one!  LOL!  I did type on the measurements for you, though.

To start, you'll need a piece of c.s. that is 6 3/8" x 3 5/8".  As you can see by the picture, you will want the long side going up and down (so it is tall).  Score it at the following intervals:  3/8", 1 5/8", 2", 3 1/4".  Then turn the c.s. 90 degrees (so it is wide) and score just one end at 3/8".  On the end where you just scored, make a cut on each of those score lines, just until the next scored line.  This will create little "flaps".  I cut one of the end flaps off, as it is not necessary...and just adds bulk.

Fold on all the score lines to make nice creases (this really helps your box to be a true rectangle), apply adhesive and fold together!  That's it!  They are super easy!!!

I like to add a coordinating piece of c.s. to the top and add embellishments.  If you would like to add the "band" at the top, the measurements for that is 3 5/8" x 1 1/2".

This pencil holder will be for my 9 year old son for Valentine's Day.  Green is his favorite color...so that is why it is SOOO green!  LOL!

I stamped the small striped star from Verve Visual's newly released Seeing Stars set on the body of the box.  For the larger star, I stamped the medium striped star, cut it out, and mounted it on a punched out star (I used Stampin' Up!'s new large star punch).  I added little black dots around the edge of the punched star and a small black brad on the striped star.

I embossed the sentiment (you amaze me - from Verve's Uplifting Phrases set) using Green Galore craft ink and Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

Here is a close up of the top.

I will be back tomorrow with another project to share!  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Seeing Stars, Uplifting Phrases (Verve Visual)   Paper: Green Galore, Basic Black   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Green Galore craft pad   Other: Iridescent Ice e.p., Lg. star punch, Black grosgrain ribbon, Mini black brad, Black marker

Mini Card BoxTutorial...

I received quite a few emails requesting directions for the "Cutie Pie" box (you can see it in this post here) that I decided to do a quick tutorial.  I am a visual learner, so seeing pictures along with the directions has always been helpful for me...and I hope this will be helpful to you!

Materials Needed:  7 1/2" square piece of c.s. (this will be the bottom), 5 3/16" square piece of solid c.s. and another 5 3/16" piece of patterned paper (these will be the top),  2 strips of patterned paper (1 3/4" x 12" and 1 3/4" x 3 1/2"), Paper cutter, Paper cutter with a scoring blade, Bone Folder, Adhesive, & stamps and embellishments (to decorate top)

Score the 7 1/2" square piece at 2" on all four sides.

Score the 5 3/16" square c.s at 3/4" on all four sides.  Repeat with the 5 3/16" piece of patterned paper.

After all three square pieces are scored, use your Bone Folder and fold each part over and crease well (this is important...it will help your finished product look neat and crisp).

If you want a scalloped border around the box top's edge, do that now.  (There are many tutorials out there on how to make a scalloped edge using a corner rounder punch so I won't repeat that here).

Next, you'll want to trim 1/4" off of all 4 sides of the 5 3/16" piece of patterned paper.  (This will allow you to see the scalloped border better). After that, adhere the 5 3/16" patterned piece on top of the 5 3/16" solid piece.

Now, make one cut (from the outside edge to the inner square on each corner of the 5 3/16: (top) piece and the 7 1/2" (bottom) piece.

Now, fold those "flaps" in and glue down to form the box and the top.

After you have assembled the bottom and top, adhere the 13/4" x 3 1/2" strip to the the side of the bottom (see picture below).  Then wrap the other strip (1 3/4" x 12") around the rest of the box.

Now you can decorate the top any way you desire!

I created this box so that it would hold the Mini Note Cards and envelopes (both from Stampin' Up!).  I will post the cards that I made and put inside in another post (this one is already quite long :-)

Recipe   Stamps: All Through the Year, All Holidays   Paper: Confetti White, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Fall Flowers DP   Ink: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi   Other: Soft Sky dbl. stitched ribbon, 1 1/4", 1 3/8", & Scallop circle punches, Rhinestone brad, Corner rounder