Fun at the Stamp Club!

Getting a new stamp club started when you move clear across the country is kind of tricky, because you don't know anyone, so you can't say, "Come on over for some stampy, inky fun!" Luckily for me, I've been discovered by a local lady who had been looking for a demo in her area for a long time. The closest ones she had found were way down in Knoxville, which was really too far for stamp classes and clubs.

So, as of now I have ONE stamp club member, and we are looking to find more locals who love to stamp and make pretty things. Another local lady has ordered from me online, and is inviting some friends to her house next month so I can show them watercoloring techniques. Maybe one of them will join the monthly fun! I hope so; the more the merrier!

This is one of the (three) cards we made. Since Mom is here for a two week visit, she joined us and we had a great time. Mom is a novice stamper, but she caught on quickly and was really pleased with how her cards turned out.

The "How To" for this card
Image panel: Whisper White 4" x 5-1/4" plus copy paper cut same size (for mask)
Mat: Basic Black 4-1/8" x 5-3/8"
Card Base: Whisper White Thick 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" and folded

1. Cut copy paper using Lots of Labels die (second largest size) centered on paper
2. Place mask over image panel and hold in place with painters tape or Washi tape.
3. Sponge So Saffron starting at bottom and working part way up. Sponge Calypso Coral starting at top and working dow into So Saffron, blending as you go. Remove mask
4. Using Basic Black ink, stamp tree image so leftmost branch just touches left side of cardstock. Stamp greeting to the right of the tree. Stamp leaves in Calypso Coral.
5. Emboss image panel using Softly Falling folder so the least concentration of dots is at the bottom of the cardstock. (Note: Archival ink will leave a ghost image on your folder which is easily cleaned with Stampin' Mist.)
6. Wrap ribbon around and adhere ends on back. Fasten image panel to black mat and then to card base. (Note: To avoid flattening your embossing, put the adhesive on the mat and place your embossed piece over it, pressing gently. Take care to not rub over the black ink - it may smudge!)
7. Adhere rhinestones on ribbon below greeting.

Ta-da, it's finished!!!

STAMPS: Sheltering Tree
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White Thick, Whisper White, Basic Black
INK: Basic Black Archival, So Saffron, Calypso Coral
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Lots of Labels Dies, Softly Falling embossing folder, Blushing Bride 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Stamping Sponges, tape to hold mask in place

The Hardest Card to Make

Masculine cards have always been a challenge for me, but I can get them done without tears. Sympathy cards, on the other hand, carry too much emotional connection and are, without a doubt, the hardest for me to make. And this one tops them all.

My cousin's daughter Mandy lost her battle with Stage 4 Melanoma last weekend. She was only 33 years old, and left behind two beautiful boys, ages 8 and 10. It wasn't even six months after her diagnosis. So yeah, this one was a real toughie for me to make. And that same weekend a dear friend lost her brother, and another friend lost her father-in-law. All to cancer. Three sympathy cards to make...my heart was very heavy.

So, here is my public service announcement : please, please, please, if you have a suspicious spot have it checked by your doctor. Melanoma doesn't always look like an ugly dark mole! Mandy's looked like a plantar wart on the bottom of her foot, which didn't respond to normal wart treatment. Even if your doctor says it's nothing to worry about, insist on having a biopsy done if your gut is telling you something's wrong.

The "How To" for this card
Image panel: Whisper White 3-1/2" x 4"
Mat behind image: Basic Black 3-5/8" x 4-1/8"
Embossed panel: Lost Lagoon 4" x 5-1/4", embossed with Perfect Polka Dots (retired)
Mat behind embossed panel: Basic Black 4-1/8" x 5-3/8"
Card base: Lost Lagoon 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" and folded

I cut a 2-1/2" x 3" rectangle out of scrap paper with my Paper Trimmer to use as a reverse mask. After centering it on the image panel (held in place with painters tape) Lost Lagoon was sponged on the Whisper White, leaving a 1/2" border all around. The greeting, flowers and dragonfly were stamped in Basic Black Archival, and some Clear Wink of Stella was added to the dragonfly wings (not visible in the photo). The splats were inked in Lost Lagoon and stamped off once on scrap paper to lighten them before stamping on the image. The flowers were colored with a bit of Lost Lagoon using a Blender Pen. The image panel and mat were popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

STAMPS: Awesomely Artistic, Flowering Fields (SAB), Love & Sympathy (retired)
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Basic Black, Lost Lagoon
INK: Basic Black Archival, Lost Lagoon
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (retired), Blender Pen, Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush, Stampin' Dimensionals

One More from Dad

Here's the last one we made while I was visiting Dad. I talked to him this morning and he said he's made four Christmas cards and a birthday card since I left! Go, Dad!!!

Stamp: Sail Away
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Marina Mist, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Stampin' Sponges, Blender Pens, oval frame (Nestabilities) for masking

Birthday and a Sneak Peek

Today's masculine birthday card features my favorite theme....that classic truck in the Countryside stamp set.  This is for someone special whose birthday is today (I can't name names unless I get approval from a family member first). 

Anyhoo, all that mystery aside, if you look closely, you'll notice a new embossed frame you've never seen before!  It's called Framed Tulips, and is coming out in the new Occasion's Mini Catalog, which starts January 4th.

Wait until you see what else is coming in the new cattie next month!  If you are a customer of mine, you're already on the list to get a 2011 Occasions Mini Catalog as soon as it is released (around the middle of this month).  If you aren't a customer of mine, but would like to be one, please contact me so I can send it to you!