Stamp Winners & a New Tutorial!

Howdy folks! Last week I hosted a giveaway from the generous and fabulous About Art Accents and we had so many people enter the first night, and with it being Christmas ans all, the owner said I could pick two winners! Yay! and (drum-roll please) here they are! Kim Ferguson and Jackie P! Congrats ladies, you have some fabulous surprise stamps coming your way! Be sure to check your email for details! Speaking of great stamps, check out this chickadee stamp from About Art Accents, it is part of the 50 state birds & flowers collection:

I think though, after the weather we have had in Maine this week I should have given my tree some snow and icy glitter! BTW BIG THANKS to all of the road crews, tree cutters and linemen (and women) who worked tirelessly through the holiday from as far south as Rhode Island to get the power back on in Maine, we would still be in the dark if it wasn’t for you! Sorry about that brief aside, I’m just feeling grateful to have electricity 😀 Anyway, here is the tutorial:

I hope you got enough tips and techniques there to make it worth watching a 20 minute video. Here is a look at the cards close up.

Tips!

1. Make an envelope (I use the Kreate-a-lope) and use the scraps to decorate you card!
2. Speaking of scraps save them in files sorted by color, that way you won’t need to cut into a full sheet of cardstock for paper piecing or when you just need a bit of a color. Plus you get interesting pattern and color combos when scraps mix and mingle!
3. Speaking of paper piecing, take a look at your punches, what else can you make from the tired old shapes, my notched circle punch became a pine-cone, a balloon can become an Easter egg, dig out the old tools and use them in a new way!
4. Switch out scissors for a craft knife and ruler, you will be surprise how quickly you can cut smooth banners and even mats, your die cutter will get lonely!
5. Before you run to the store to buy the latest and greatest think about the tools and supplies you already have and see if you can duplicate it! Creativity is a muscle, use it or lose it! I think we can all enjoy that workout, am I right?

Thanks to About Art Accents for letting me pick two stamp winners this month and thanks to you for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Stamping Tips Video & a Stamp Giveaway!

Good morning crafters! It is time for our About Art Accents June stamp giveaway! today I have this pretty crane medallion stamp I used in this card:

The burlap ribbon I used can be found here at Papermart. The card takes about 10 minutes to make and I decided to film a quick video and share a bunch of stamping tips with you from how to make an embossing pouch (and save yourself $12!), how to store white cardstock for stamping and an easy coloring idea! Have a look:

All you need to do to win the stamps is to leave a comment on this blog post by June 25th 2013, I’ll draw a name on the 26th. That’s it, easy peasy! Good luck, thanks for playing and til next time happy crafting!

A winner and another resist card!

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is recovering from the long Memorial Day weekend! Last week I had an About Art Accents stamp giveaway and today I can announce the randomly drawn winner: Rita Ruff! Congrats Rita, I have sent you an email so check your spam folder if you have not seen it yet! here is another card made with the resist technique from last week and some of my homemade gelatin print paper:

I use another stamp From About Art Accents on that card too! Also I scanned some of my favorite gelatin prints and I have packaged them in a printable kit for sale, if you are interested you can find them in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Stamper’s Mixed Bag {of tricks!}

Happy Monday everyone! I have some awesome news to share, I am on the design team for Lost Coast Designs. I totally fell in love with their stamps at the stamp show last month and I jumped at the chance to design samples for them. Here are 2 cards made with their dressform and rulers background stamps:

 

I used many techniques on these cards, some are refresher and some might be new to you. You can watch me make the card from start to finish in this video:

Here are some close up shots of the cards:

 

Well, I’m off to the beach, looks like another hot day (I’ll take it!) so stay cool and til next time happy crafting!

Another Card with a Doily on it!

I’m making sure I get my money’s worth on that Cheery Lynn doily die I bought at the stamp show last month LOL! Today I snuck down to my craft room while the house was quiet and made this card using the sketch from Oriental Stamp Art:

 

The lantern stamps are from BoBunny and they set was another stamp show purchase, it was a steal of a deal at $3! The card came together quickly because All I had to do was stamp the lanterns on cardstock and then from paper scraps and piece it. All the paper is from a 6×6 My Minds Eye pad. The thank you stamp was one of my first ever stamps I got 12 years ago by PSX. So my tip for today is to mix the old with the new and let your creativity blossom! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

40% off everything at MyGrafico and a flowery thank you!

Hey there, I just wanted to let you know that everything is 40% off today only at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and MyGrafico! OK, now that the business is out-of-the-way check out the thank you easel card I made for my mom using the Paper Flower SVG kit:

Here is a look from the side, you can see how it stands for display, it will also fold flat:

Now for some quick tips!

• Cut slivers of paper and thread them through your buttons for the look of real string, it is so quick!
• If you see hot glue strings on your project blast them for a second with your heat gun and they dissappear…opps! I forgot to do that LOL!

 

You can make an easel card any size, simply fold your card in half as usual then fold one end to the middle fold. Then you can attach a panel (the same size as your original card front) to the half folded section. If that is confusing just search “easel card template” and you will find lots of instructions 🙂

That’s all for today, be sure to check out the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s and Mygrafico. Til next time happy crafting!

 

Steampunk Thank You Card

Howdy folks, It is a beautiful Monday in Maine, I’m so glad to see the sun (Let’s hope it stays!) Here is a thank you card with a steampunk flair. I like the fact that you could replace the sentiment with “Happy Birthday”, “Congrats” or whatever. I have a hard time with cards for guys so this could fit the bill for many occasions:

 

Stamp Credits: The schematic blueprint stamp is by Technique Tuesday, the 3 men is by Tim Holtz and the “Much Obliged” is by Inkadinkado.

Tip: Ink up the embossing folder before embossing for a letterpress look as I did for the gear panel at the bottom of the card.

Allrightie, I think I need to make something pink and frilly now:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Easy Teacher Cards & Creatopia Tips!

Hi there! I have had many people ask me how I like my new Creatopia machine. Being that I won it (free) I am quite pleased with it, it is a fun new toy. The downside is that since I have been crafting a long time I have other tools in my arsenal that will do the same jobs as the Creatopia. Will I use my Creatopia every day or will I reach for my tried and true tools? I decided to create a card from start to finish with this new machine and video tape it so you can see how easy (or not) the machine is. Here are the cards I made:

The machine is versatile, I made these cards entirely with the machine, from cutting the cardstock and embossing to gluing it all together. Is it simpler that my normal methods? You be the judge.

Well, I don’t know if this machine fit’s my style of creating, it takes getting used to, I imagine I will always cut my paper with my 15-year-old Xacto paper trimmer and reach for my hot glue gun and double stick tape but I’m sure this machine would be just the ticket for a crafter just starting out or downsizing their tool chest. One thing I did not like was the wastefulness of the Stickz and Proctectz cartridges. They are expensive and you have to throw away a big huge chunk of plastic when you change the roll. I’d rather just replace the adhesive or laminating rolls. I did not get a laminating roll so I think when I run out of adhesive I am going to try to retrofit the old cartridge to hold clear contact paper for laminating. I’ll let you know how that goes:) Also I wish that the die-cutter was wider, the machine is 12″ wide so why is the die cutter only 6.5″ wide? I would still need another die cutter if I wanted to cut the large Spelbinders (not that I have any but still.) You can see a list of Creatopia tools and prices on the Xyron website and decide for yourself.

Bottom line, it is a good product but I’m not sure if it is for me. I’m grateful to have won it but I would not have bought it unless there were more embossing options at lower prices and less wasteful and cheaper consumables.  Just because it is not the perfect fit for me does not mean it won’t be right for you. I just want to pass along my findings because I have gotten so many emails about my new toy. If you have any questions just leave a comment and I will try to answer them:) Til next time happy crafting!

Easy Gratitude Card

Need a 10 minute thank you card? How about this?

I used a cute little house stamp set I got a few years ago as a Sale-a-bration freebie from Stampin Up! but never used it until I put all of my tiny stamps out in the open (yes I took those wood SU! stamps right out of their package!) and put them in printers trays. This card went together in minutes. I used some homemade seam binding, an embossing folder, die cut and a bit of cardstock, nothing fancy. Did you notice I actually used a stamp wheel? I love having all of my stamps out in the open now because I USE them, you can see my stamp storage re-do on this post.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!