Paper Piercing - with a Punch

Those who know me, know I'm a perfectionist. I like everything to be lined up just so, evenly spaced, etc. Which is why when I do any paper piercing (and it's not often) that I use Stampin' Up!'s Mat Pack to get evenly spaced holes. But even then, the holes aren't always the same size. So, I love to create 'holes' in paper with punches, such as the Scallop Dotted Ribbon Border Punch. No guesswork, just perfect pierced paper every time.

This week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge invited us to do paper piercing on our projects. I'll be honest, I didn't have time to come up with a card specifically for this challenge. Put I did use my favorite 'paper piercer' on a card for my Fast & Fabulous Monthly Card Class. I love it, the new Striped Embossing Folder is so much fun, and this stamp set, Sweets for the Sweet, is just too cute!  Create lollipops, pinwheels, little umbrellas and so much more for your 'sweet' ;)

Little Hints:

*My class goers were very concerned about having the lollipop sticks perfectly spaced, horizontally and vertically. Even though I tend to be a perfectionist, I reminded them that this is supposed to be a fun card and doesn't have to be perfect - mine isn't!

*The 1" Circle Punch coordinates perfectly with this stamp set making lollipop creation a breeze!
*The Scallop Ribbon Border Punch allows you to included pierced card stock without actual piercing and gives the appearance of ribbon when you don't have any (or just don't want to use it!).
*Don't you just love the Adhesive Jewels? Available in Rhinestones or Pearls, they a fast and economical way of embellishing your card!

Don't forget - if you want to have as much fun as me, our $119 Starter Kit deal is ending on July 31st!  Sign up today so you don't miss out!  Keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Beau Château Birthday

Today is Monday, which means it's time for another Mojo Monday Challenge. I already knew which stamp sets I wanted to use today, as well as the DSP - I just needed to know what sketch I was working with. And lucky for me, it all fell into place ;)

In one of last week's posts, I used the new Beau Château DSP. I mentioned that one of the reasons I LOVED this DSP is because I could easily use it for feminine as well as masculine cards. I also love that the patterns were so pretty and subtle that they could be easily layered and coordinated. Although all Stampin' Up! Designer Papers in a package coordinate well, some are 'easier' to coordinate than others ;)

I was also excited to use my new Happiest Birthday Wishes stamp set. It is a new 2011/2012 Hostess Set and can *only* be earned by hosting a workshop or placing a qualifying order ($200+). I'm already booking workshops for Christmas - I know... I'm thinking Christmas in July! - so be sure to not miss out by emailing me asap and booking your date! We can have a fun Christmas stampin' party with your friends and you'll earn a lot of free stampin' supplies!

Little Hints:

*Have a card to make for someone who is both a dad and a grandpa? Or a mom and grandma? Or sister and aunt? Look no further than the new Family Reunion stamp set to personalize your card based on who's giving it :)
*The Happy Birthday greeting from Happiest Birthday Wishes is big enough to stand alone on a card! Perfect for a quick feminine or masculine card.
*Love the itty bitty brads on the right? So do I! They're the new Mini Brads and at $7.25 for 200 brads, they're not only cute but they're economical, too!
*Even though the sketch called for a tag under the ribbon, it didn't look right on my card and with the DSP so I stamped a matching little brocade image from Tiny Tags to add a little somethin' to the card.
*Yes - I did stamp on DSP...  try it - it's a fun way to use your DSP differently and more than just a background!

That's it for today ~ keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

My Little Princess

I have a little Princess at home. When she first picked up the 2011/2012 IB&C (actually, she was the first to even look at it when it arrived because I was busy making the kiddies lunch!) the first page she turned onto had the new My Little Princess stamp set on it. Of course she 'needed' it! So, being the good mom that I am, I obliged and bought it for her. I love being a SU! Demonstrator because when my daughter asks for a stamp set I don't have to think twice about buying it - not only do I get an automatic 20% discount, but it's a Business Expense!  Yes, a stamp set is a business expense...  so is glitter, DSP, and much much more! Doesn't get much better than that :) Check out the $119 Starter Kit special we have this month or email me at stampingmonica@gmail.com to find out more about being a SU! Demonstrator. After being a demo for 3-1/2 years, I can honestly say that this is THE BEST 'job' I've ever had (apart from being a mom ;) ).

This week, the challenge at Pals Paper Arts was a sketch challenge. I love the sketch challenges PPA has for us, they're always clean and simple, ready for our own creativity. And that's exactly what I did. Although I didn't add much - it's such a lovely sketch on its own.

I also played with the new Beau Château DSP. Especially fitting since I have a princess theme in this week's card. I love this designer paper. The main colors it coordinates with are Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede. I love the soft, vintage feel it has. But, what is best about this DSP is that it has some sides that are only Very Vanilla/Soft Suede and Very Vanilla/Marina Mist. So it's a great DSP for both feminine AND masculine cards.

Little Hints:

*The Little Princess stamp set has lovely 'fairy dust' you can randomly stamp on your card.
*A bit of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on the fairy dust and princess' dress would add even more princess magic to the card.
*Although the stamp set does include a 'Happy Birthday' greeting, I thought this 'Princess' greeting (which it also includes) was much prettier and made the card a bit more versatile.
*The Eyelet Border Punch is the perfect choice for this card. It adds a feminine and delicate touch to any project.
*The Basic Jewels - Rhinestones are an easy, inexpensive way to add some bling to any card.
*Add a bit of interest and dimension to your card by layering different patterns of DSP.

Hope you've enjoyed this princess-themed card and keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

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Happy Dirtday!

I've got a fun card for you today. For my new readers who don't know, I have two kids. A 2-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. There's lots of great girls' stamp sets, but the boy ones aren't so easy to come by. Until I Dig You came along in the new IB&C. With lots of boys' birthdays coming up, I knew I had to get this set. Although I love clear-mount sets, I did get this one in wood-mount. They're much better for kids to use (no lost stamps, no stamps to mount on clear blocks, etc.) and I get any sets that I anticipate my kids or other kids will use in wood-mount.

Tomorrow is one of my BFF's son's 8th birthday. I can't believe he's turning 8!  Time flies. I made him this extra special card using this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Little hints:

*Like the way the dump truck stamp and gifts are inked in different colors? I used the Stampin' Write Markers to color my stamp. They have the same ink as the ink pads in them!
*Do you always use the same color for your ribbon base and knot (bow)? Mix it up by using two different colors, like I did. I used Daffodil Delight for the base and Pumpkin Pie for the knot.
*Love the sparkly number 8? Book a private Stampin' Party to find out how I made it!  Hint: It involves Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.
*I love my Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch for making paper ribbons. I also love it for making a fine scalloped border on my cards. I used the new Just Eat Cake DSP for the strip on the side and then made a ribbon border with my punch and tucked it underneat the strip of DSP. LOVE IT!

Hope you've enjoyed this fun boys' card and keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Sweet Summer Inspiration

We were given the image at the left to use as our inspiration for this week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge. I love the aged wood (Crumb Cake and Soft Suede), the blues (Pool Party and Baja Breeze) and the Whites (Whisper White). Because I have soooo many new stamp sets to play with, I again made two cards ;) 

I used Established Elegance for the first one. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this stamp set? I especially love the typewriter. I don't know why... but it's what attracted me to this set. I love the other images too, but the typewriter, I don't know, I just love it :) Nothing says vintage quite like a typewriter.

For the second card, I used Patterned Party. I absolutely love this birthday card stamp set. It's great for kids cards, great for adults cards. It just works. And in keeping with the summer theme, I used Pool Party and Soft Suede as my main colors, with the 2011-2013 In Colors as accents.

Little hints:

*The Seam Binding ribbon (Very Vanilla on the card to the right) is great for the ruffling technique. Run a bit of Snail along your card where you want to adhere the ribbon and ruffle your ribbon randomly. This technique can also be easily done with the 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon.
*SU! card stock is thicker than most, so when you distress it with your bone folder (such as curling the edges) you can split the layers apart to give it an aged look.
*Sponging the edges of your card stock is an easy and cost-effective way to achieve and aged look.
*Want to stamp an image in several different colors? Use Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Write Markers. They contain the same ink as the ink pads and you can stamp with them.

Hope these two cards helped you fall in love with some new stamp sets and keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Established Elegance

I got a box of SU! goodies today that had some brand new stamps and accessories! One of my favorite sets out of the new cattie is Established Elegance. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it and start stamping. So, not surprisingly, I did two cards for this week's Mojo Monday Challenge with this stamp set ;) The stamp set has a vintage feel, so again not surprisingly, both my cards have a vintage feel, too. I showcased my favorite two images from the stamp set, the typewriter and the mannequin.

I also received my In Color Ribbons today - I'm doing a ribbon sampler for my customers which means I got ALL 5 GORGEOUS new In Colors!!!  I must say, the ribbon is pretty in the catalogue but it is much much prettier in real life.  I just love it and had to use it on the card below. I also used the new Houndstooth Embossing Folder.  Such a great pattern for men's cards and the vintage feel. And the key - I'm a sucker for keys, so any stamp sets that have a key are quite exciting to me :)

Little hints: 

*Love the vintage feel? Sponge Soft Suede ink over Crumb Cake or Very Vanilla card stock and instantly age it.
*Use SU!'s Linen Thread for a fine vintage look.
*Tear your card stock randomly for an aged look.
*To give your card some dimension, crumple your DSP. I love the First Edition DSP because it is thinner than most and isn't too thick when crumpled.
*To change the look of a stamp, cut the words of a greeting apart and glue on a separate piece of card stock (like I did with the "Modes aux Elegantes" stamp).
*For even more dimension, I stamped the mannequin in the first card on Textured Very Vanilla card stock.

Don't you just love how even though it's the same layout and same stamp set, both cards are oh so different?  I hope this got your creative juices flowing - keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Artistic Etchings Mojo

I know, I know - I just used this set on a recent Mojo Monday Challenge. But as I was going through the samples on my board today, removing the ones with retired sets, DSP and accessories, I realized I had removed all of my vintagey samples and samples using the Artistic Etchings stamp set.

This week's Mojo sketch lent itself perfectly to a vintage-looking card, using the First Edition DSP (now in the 2011/2012 IB&C) and some seam binding ribbon. I just love how Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake look good together.

Little hints:

*Love the 'ruffled ribbon' look? It's easy to do, especially with pliable ribbons such as the 3/8" Taffeta and Seam Binding ribbons. Just run a length of SNAIL adhesive where you want the ribbon, cut an extra long length that will allow the ruffles (I advise you to err on the side of caution and cut more than you think you'll need) and ruffle haphazardly. This technique is definitely not about minute details ;)
*Use Soft Suede ink to add a bit of vintage feel to your cards. I sponged the edges of the DSP, the Very Vanilla card stock with it. I also use the Color Spritzer Tool and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker to spritz a bit of color on the card.
*Accidentally tear some card stock or DSP? No problem!  Incorporate it in the card ;) I accidentally tore the top right corner of the DSP when doing the ribbon ruffling. To make it look intentional I also tore the bottom left corner and sponged over it with Soft Suede ink. It just adds to the vintage feel!

*I love those Trinket Keys. I used Mini Glue Dots to adhere it to this card.
*Although Artistic Etchings is a great set for vintage cards, I'm impatiently waiting for my newest vintage stamp set to arrive - Established Elegance. I just love the type writer and the dress form ;)  See it in my Online Store.

How are you liking the new cattie? What are your favorites? I can't wait to have even more new sets and embellies to play with and show off to you!  For now, keep letting your current stamps bring out your creativity!

My Favorite Technique...

Psst... did you hear?  The new 2011/2012 Idea Book & Catalogue is here!!!  Check it out HERE or shop online 24/7 in my ONLINE STORE.  Better yet, come to my Champagne Punch New Cattie Kickoff next week, Wednesday July 6th from 7:30 to 9:30 if you're in the Ottawa Area.  Email me at stampingmonica@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP. You can also get more info on my Classes Page.  I must say, this new cattie is one of the BEST yet. I am loving some of the fun new stamp sets like "I Dig You" (think trucks and tractors!!!) as well as some more vintage sets like "Established Elegance" as well as "Creative Elements".  There's really something for everyone.

This week, the Pals Paper Arts Challenge has it's 100th challenge.  They have asked us to show you "our" technique. It's tough, because I have a lot of techniques that I think I'm pretty good at. I love bright and fun colors (though I do like vintage too, but bright is where I lean) and I LOVE embossing. I really think heat embossing is "my" technique...  Which is why I'm so so glad that Build a Blossom is now in the main cattie and I can start using it again (imagine me doing a little happy dance!).  I just LOVE embossing the petals with the new colored embossing powders (also in the new cattie) and punching them out with the coordinating Blossom Petals Builder Punch. So yeah, embossing. That's my technique I think. Easy, quick, but always impresses, as the card below shows.

Little hints:

*Although the ribbon (Early Espresso Satin) and button (Sweet Stitches Big Buttons) are now retired, you can used similar products such as Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon - in the new cattie!!! - and Neutrals Designer Buttons.
*Wondering why I didn't emboss the leaves in Wild Wasabi Embossing Powder? I wanted the Melon Mambo embossed petals to really stand out.
*I love an easy DSP background. The Beyond the Garden DSP which debuted in the Summer Mini has carried over to the new cattie!!!

Enjoy browsing all the new products in the 2011/2012 cattie and if you're in the Ottawa area, come by my New Catalogue Kickoff!