Video Tutorial: Multi-Color Stamping with Sponge Daubers

Hey there! A while back, I posted a video on YouTube and I never got around to sharing it here. It's a tutorial on one of my favorite techniques - inking up a stamp with sponge daubers to get a multi-color image. This technique also gives you a great blended look. It works best on solid stamps with a lot of area, not line-art images. I used one of the new Hostess stamp sets called Silhouettes & Script. If you place a Stampin' Up! order of at least $150, this is one of the exclusive items you can choose as a Stampin' Rewards benefit.

Here's the card I share in the video...

And here's the technique!

There are a few other cards that I show in the video that I made using the same technique and stamp set. Here they are...

Hope you enjoy the video and that you give this technique a try! As always, holler if you have any questions.

Happy Stampin'! :)

Start-to-Finish Sunday #39 - Tab Slider Card

Boy, do I have a fun card to share with you today! I made this card a while back, and immediately decided it just needed a video to go along with it. I finally got around to filming it today and I'm so excited to share! So, here it is...

OK, I know, doesn't look like much, right? But hold on! See that little tab with the arrow on it? That's the interactive part. Check out what happens when you pull that tab.

Aah! I love it! :) The little octopus moves aside to reveal a hidden extra sentiment. Adorbs. And it's so easy to make! I promise!

For this card I used my current favorites again... The Sea Street stamp set and Maritime DSP. The sentiments are from Something To Say, which has some really awesome two-part sentiments.

So check out the video to see how to make this great slider mechanism on your cards! You can watch it below, or on my YouTube channel.

Here's a sneak peek of the card I make in the video. It's a little more grown-up and sophisticated, but just as fun! (This one uses A Happy Hooray for the embellishment and the Back to Black DSP. And hey! - Don't forget that select DSP is Buy 3 Get 1 FREE until the end of July!)

One thing to note: because of the tab, these cards will not fit in a standard A2 sized envelope. But don't forget - you can make an envelope that coordinates beautifully with your card project in practically any size using the Envelope Punch Board. This thing is a workhorse! And one of my favorite products that Stampin' Up! offers.

Please let me know if you have any questions about these cards. I hope you have fun making your own slider cards!

Happy Stampin'! :)

PLxSU and Project Life Cell Phone Photo Resources

So you want to use all your awesome everyday photos in your Project Life album? Yay! But, if you're anything like me, you probably find yourself reaching for your smart phone more than your Cannon or your Nikon, right? Well, fear not! Let's finally get those photos off your phone and into a beautiful scrapbook!

I get photos from my DSLR camera printed at a local photo and art supply store because I love their print quality. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that my iPhone can certainly take some very good photos! But most of mine are taken in the evenings in not-so-stellar lighting conditions. I also organize my Project Life spreads weekly (see more about how I do PL here) so I'm printing a lot of photos and I want to keep my costs down. So I use photo printing apps right on my phone - They're quick and easy and inexpensive!

PostalPix

The app that I use for most of my photos is called PostalPix. It's another free app that lets you upload photos straight from your phone. Then they mail your prints right to your door! It's not stellar quality, but it's certainly not bad, and it suits my purposes just fine. They offer several print sizes - I use them for my 4x6 and 4x4 prints. I think the 4x4's will be fun to play with since the Stampin' Up! Project Life page protectors are the first to have 4x4 pockets! 

Prints will run you about 20¢ to 30¢. Shipping is reasonable, and shipping time is generally quite fast.   You can pay with PayPal or a credit card. The app is very user-friendly and it doesn't take much time at all to get your prints uploaded. 

Kanvess

If you have an Instagram account (it's a cool photo editing app that I, for one, am obsessed with), there's a really great app called Kanvess that pulls photos directly from your Instagram feed. It's the same deal - pay through the app and they send your photos to you. They only have one option: just-under-3" square prints with a white border that are totally adorable. (I love this size when I want to put a photo and a short bit of journaling on a 3x4 card.) Their prints are slightly more expensive, but they send coupons with your orders sometimes and their customer service is top-notch. (They replaced two orders that got lost in the mail free of charge, no questions asked!) The quality of the prints is quite nice too. 

Now let's talk about prepping your photos for printing. The original idea of Project Life was for 4x6 photos with 3x4 journaling cards. The very first page protector design (Design A or, as Stampin' Up! is calling it, Design 1) is four 4x6 photos with spaces in the middle for four 3x4 journaling cards - one card to journal about each of the photos. Project Life has come a long way since it's first days (although I have to say this stalwart is still one of my fave page designs), and it can truly be whatever you want it to be. I've already talked about 4x6, 4x4, and 3x3 photos, but I also like to use 3x4 photos. If you print your photos at home, you can resize them in your editing program and print at whatever size you like. But what if you, like me, don't print your own photos at home? 

To get my 3x4 photos, I put two photos on one 4x6 print. Now hold on, bear with me. It's way easier than it might seem!

Becky Higgins' blog (she's the creator of Project Life) recently featured a great tutorial on how to get two 3x4 photos on one 4x6 print. You can see the whole blog post here: http://bit.ly/1pUhopa That post describes several ways to accomplish 2 photos on one print in many different popular photo editing programs. But since we're talking about phone apps here, let me tell you more about the method I use.

PicFrame

The app is called PicFrame and it's another free app that's available on Android or iPhone. Once you create the 2-in-1 photo, you then save it to your phone and you can print it however you like. (Make sure to read the part of the tutorial about saving with the highest resolution!) I upload my prints to PostalPix, as I described above. Then you just cut the finished print in half. Easy peasy! :) And remember that PicFrame lets you put borders on your photos too, if you like that look. I use this app for 3x4 photos, and also sometimes to put multiple pictures on a square 4x4 print that I also get from PostalPix. 

This method is explained in more detail on Becky Higgins' blog here: http://beckyhiggins.com/wp-content/themes/beckyhiggins/assets/pdf/documents/bh_3x4on4x6_picframetutorial.pdf. 

Anyway, I know that's a lot of info, but my best recommendation is to download the apps and just start playing with them. It took me a while to get onto a system, but I've found that these apps work really really well for me.Give me a holler if you have any questions! And don't forget - you can order Project Life by Stampin' Up! starting TODAY (May 1)!! Check out my video for more information on how I do Project Life, and for a guided tour of the new Project Life by Stampin' Up! line. You can watch it below, or on my YouTube channel.

Happy Scrapbookin'! :)

Christmas in July Week - Day Seven: Poinsettia Polaroid Card

Sadly I don't have a Start-to-Finish Sunday video for you again this week. :( Sorry! I knew I wanted to make this card, and I did film it, but once I started editing the video I realized that this was not a great card to share start-to-finish! It would have been SO long! I got bored just editing the video, so I knew you all wouldn't like it. But don't worry, I did make you a shorter video about this card: A tutorial on how to make the Polaroid-style frame using the Square Collection Framelits. :)

These frames that look like Polaroids or like vintage slides (Like for a slide projector. Anybody remember those? lol.) are so trendy right now! They're great for scrapbooking or for photo cards like family Christmas cards, or birth or engagement announcements. But I love the idea of using them in an out-of-the-box way, like I did on this card to frame and give dimension to the focal image! Anyway, you can check out the video below, or over on my YouTube channel.

I used the Joyful Christmas (#131802 wood/#131805 clear) stamp set again for this card - I love that poinsettia image! - and another new set from the Annual Catalog, the Dictionary (#130348 wood/#130351 clear) background stamp. I'm so excited Stampin' Up! gave us this stamp since they retired the First Edition DSP that I was so obsessed with. I sure do love a good text print! :-D The colors are Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, and Wild Wasabi. Not traditional Christmas colors, but they're bright and fresh.

So, thanks for stopping by today. I hope you had a great weekend!

Happy Stampin'! :)

Christmas in July Week - Day Six: Snowflake Envelope Gift Bag

Day Six? Huh? Yup, you read that right! :) Originally I had planned for Christmas in July Week to go Monday through Friday, with 5 projects in total. But then I decided to kick start things early last Sunday. And I was already planning on a bonus project for this week's Start-to-Finish Sunday video, so then I figured I might as well fill in the empty day with another project! So instead of 5, you get 8 Christmas projects in total. :)

Since I've mostly done cards so far, I wanted to share another gift wrap idea. There were a lot of things I wanted to combine into this project. The final project, I think, might be a little over-the-top, but I still like it.

This is one of my favorite DIY packaging techniques - making a gift bag out of an envelope. Yes! It's so easy and comes out so cute every time! (See my video tutorial on YouTube for instructions.) I used two of my current favorite colors, Pistachio Pudding and Pool Party. Such a pretty combo that can go from summer right to winter! I also added pops of silver with the new Silver Metallic Encore Ink (#132142) from the Holiday Catalog. (It's also available in Gold, #132141.)

I made the tag with the Festive Flurry stamp set (#131778 wood/#131781 clear) and matching Framelits (#132193). Head's up - Savings Alert! These stamps and Framelits also come together in a bundle at a 15% savings! (#133284 wood/#133285 clear) To see how I made the dimensional layered tag check out this video from Stampin' Up!

I also used a new die from the Holiday Catalog - this is definitely in my Top 3 Faves in the whole catalog! It's the Gift Bow Bigz Die (#129977) and it makes two sizes of these amazing paper bows. This is the smaller one. I'll do a video soon showing how to put them together, but it's really quite easy. This style of bow has been everywhere lately, and this die makes it so easy to create the perfect one. Just check out the dimension on this beauty!

WOW! I'm pretty sure one of these is going to be on everything I give this Christmas. :) Love, LOVE this die!

So, stop on back tomorrow for my Christmas in July (...ehrm, August. Yeah, whatever - LOL!) edition of Start-to-Finish Sunday. I'm planning to demonstrate another fun die cutting technique. Until then...

Happy Stampin'! :)

Mini Moleskine-Inspired Notebook

This project was inspired by some chevron cards in the 2012 A Muse Studio Catalog and Inspiration Guide. For some reason, when I saw the photo, I thought of the thin Moleskine journals that come in packs of three. My first thought was to purchase some in a light color and stamp on them, but then I decided to try making my own! That way I could have more options in terms of color.

It was a super-easy project to make... I just cut some notebook paper in half, white embossed some chevrons on gray cardstock, stapled the whole thing together and tied some embroidery floss around the spine to camouflage the staples. Just like how you made books when you were a little kid, but classed up! :) And it's the perfect size to toss in your purse or the glove box in your car!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you had a great weekend!

Chevrons	Seattle Cardstock	Versamark Ink	White Embossing Powder
White Embroidery Floss

InLinkz.com

12 Days of Christmas Ornaments Day 4 - Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Cookie Ornaments

Hey there! Welcome to Day 4!

I'm home from work today with a particularly angry cold, so my big kitty Ezra and I are snuggled up on the sofa with QVC on in the background, working on getting a bunch of blog posts ready.

Today's ornament is one that's been in my life for as long as I can remember, but I don't think I actually made any myself until last year. These little faux cookies are such fun to make, and they will look and smell amazing for years to come!

** Just one little disclaimer: These are "edible" in that they will not hurt you if you, your kids, your dogs, or your cats eat them. (Just in case you don't believe me, the ASPCA website says cinnamon is non-toxic for dogs, cats, and horses!) But they're not meant to be eaten. So, please, just don't eat them! :) **

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Cookie Ornaments How-To:

Mix 1 part applesauce (get the cheapest one you can find) with 1 part ground cinnamon. (We're lucky enough to have the Atlantic Spice Company about a half an hour away from us, so we can get a whole pound of cinnamon for well under $5. But if you're looking to make a bunch of these ornaments, check your local markets to see if any of them offer bulk herbs and spices.) Mix with your hands if neccessary to achieve a thick cookie dough consistency. Sprinkle some cinnamon on a wooden board, and roll out dough to desired thickness (1/8 to 1/4 inch). Use cookie cutters, or trace templates with a butter knife, to cut out desired shapes. Use a toothpick or plastic drinking straw to cut holes for hanging. Place ornaments on parchment or wax paper lined trays or cookie sheets. Place in a dry area of your home and allow to harden, flipping occasionally to allow for complete and even drying. Hang ornaments on pieces of twine or ribbon.

I've also got a quick little video for you today, with some tips on finishing off and personalizing your ornaments.



P.S. The snowflake stamp I use in the video is from the A Muse Studio Snow Crystals set, which is available in my webstore.

AND - just one more idea I recently found on Pinterest via Martha Stewart... Consider using these little ornaments as gift tags! How cute! :)

See you tomorrow for Day 5! Heads up - it's a great idea for the little ones in your life!

Watercolor Wash Gift Tag Set

Hi everybody!

Well, I guess it's safe to say I'm still obsessed with watercoloring! :) I used a really fun technique (that you probably remember from elementary school!) to make this tag, featuring Papertrey Ink's Star of Wonder stamp set, and Limitless Layers and Tag Sale 5 die.

Then I made a whole bunch more, and created a fun little tin to put them in for a special little pre-Christmas gift idea. Check out the video below to see how I did it.



Hope you have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! Make sure you eat enough pie! :)

10-Minute Halloween Luminarias

Looking for a super-fast last-minute Halloween decoration? These little luminarias take no time at all and are totally adorable!

I used the white paper bags and Bat Trio die set from A Muse Studio. The three bat dies come attached to each other, but you can twist them apart to make them more versatile for techniques like this. Just run the bag through your die cut machine a few times (be careful not to cut through the bottom!) and you're done! Easy as pumpkin pie! :)

I put some glass marbles (the ones used in flower vases) in the bottom of my bags, and plopped a battery operated tealight on top of the marbles. You can certainly use a real votive candle, but you'll want to use sand in the bottom of the bag, and make sure the candle is stuck down into the sand securely. Be careful lighting the candle and don't leave them unattended while lit!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time :)

Anything that ends in PALOOZA has to be good!

Hello friends! I hope you'll excuse my more-than-a-month long blogging hiatus... it sure has been busy around here this summer! But now I'm back, because...

Today is the day we've all been waiting for!! :-D The *BRAND SPANKIN' NEW* A Muse Studio Holiday 2011 catalog is now live! TONS of new product is now available to you! (And is also available for us consultants to order more than one of! Wink wink!) Trust me, folks, you are going to LOVE the new options. Of course, there are new stamp sets but there are also 2 new colors, beyond adorable new dies, glitter, embossing powder, baker's twine and... drum roll, please... Hello, FELT! :)

*swoon*

Go ahead and check it out at my webstore.


ALSO - today is the very first day of A-Muse-A-Palooza! This fantastic event will run until September 30, and will feature extra-awesome hostess rewards and great deals on products!

To celebrate, I've made a card featuring one of the new stamp sets and one of my all-time-fave techniques for fall leaves. Check out my video to see how I did it!

Supplies used in this video are by A Muse Studio and are available at my webstore:
- Stamps: Fresh Foliage
- Inks: French Roast, Cranberry, Papaya, Buttercup, Grass, Fern, Memento Tuxedo Black
- Cardstocks: Sugar, Pumpkin, Fern
- Other: clear blocks, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Tombow Adhesive Dots tape runner, small sponge daubers

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope your week is marvelous!

4th of July Treat Bag Tutorial

** Click here for my A Muse Studio Creative Consultants July Blog Hop post. **

** Click here for my Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop post. **

Happy Fourth of July!

I'm taking a quick break from the festivities (our awesome hometown parade this morning, family picnic this afternoon) to share a quick and fun project with you. I am in love with these goody bags made from envelopes - they're so versatile for any celebration!

I used the supplies I still had on my desk from making my A Muse Studio blog hop project, and made a cute little rosette to go on the front.

And, just in case you aren't familiar with the technique for turning an envelope into a goody bag (I mean, come on. It's brilliant!) ... here's a quick video tutorial for you. Enjoy!

Young Crafters Unite! :)

Welcome Welcome Welcome to the Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop! Isn't this exciting? :)

If you're here from Jess Larsen's blog, then you're in the right place! If you've come across my blog by another way, I highly suggest you head on over to the Young Crafters Unite homepage and start at the beginning. This hop is huge and it's jam-packed with amazing talent. Plus, every comment you leave on the participating blogs (through July 4th) will increase your chances to win prizes from Lawn Fawn, Simon Says Stamp, and Paper Smooches. Sweet!

What makes me a Young Crafter is pretty much the obvious: I'm young, and I'm a crafter. I'm also still (yes, still) relatively new to the world of contemporary paper crafting, and I like to think of myself as something of an apprentice (in that I'm learning from them, not that I aspire to take over for them!) to "the greats," which, in my opinion, includes amazing ladies like Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Stephanie Howell, and Lisa Spangler (just to name a few!). 

For my hop project, I wanted to do something really exciting. (Well, ok, at least it's exciting to me. I hope you agree. lol.) The theme of the hop is My Favorite Things, and I have to admit I was a little bit stumped by this at first. My original plan was to wander around my craft space and choose, say, 10 of the items I'm loving the most lately, and then make a card with them. But I thought that might be too risky. So I decided to interpret the theme a little differently...

Let me be honest with you here for a moment. Lately, there have been a lot of things in my life that I'm not so thrilled about. But I'm working on it. I'm working on being happier, being more motivated, and enjoying my journey. And along with that theme, two of my favorite things right now are challenging myself and setting goals. So here are the challenges I set out to accomplish with this project:
     1. Document more of my everday life.
     2. Try out more scrapbooking.
     3. Use my Studio Calico kits.
     4. Allow a project to take more than one sitting. Don't feel the need to finish now, or rush through
         things.

So, without further ado (aka my propensity for blah blah blah), here's my project...

I'd seen a few of these accordion envelope mini-albums in various places online (most recently this beyond-amazing one that was featured on the October Afternoon blog), but I couldn't find a tutorial for them. So I decided to challenge myself to figure it out :)

Each "page" is an envelope where you can tuck photos, journaling, and memorabilia. The envelopes themselves are decorated, giving space to glue things in a more traditional scrapbook fashion.

I also made some little inserts to make more room for journaling, making lists, and gluing treasures.

Now, because I couldn't find a tutorial for this type of book, I decided to make one! Ok, two actually :) But since this has already been a very long post, and I'm sure you're anxious to get back a-hoppin', I'll let you know that the next stop on the hop is Brittney Baker's blog. I can't wait to see what she's created! And don't forget to comment along the way!

For those of you interested in how I made this mini-album, you can watch my videos below. Part 1 is about the inside, and Part 2 shows how I made the covers. Thanks for stopping by!