Envelope Punch Board Flower

For today's post, I'd like to share some fun from Stampin' Up! for using our Envelope Punch Board. 

Click here to enjoy their video.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Dip, Dye, Emboss, Spritz and Glitz, Part 1

Today starts an exciting series as I will be sharing all the pages with you from my latest technique album.  I encourage you to try some of these techniques for yourself and see what you can create.  You can use these techniques in 3-D projects, scrapbooking and card making.  Enjoy!

Here's the cover.  I like to use a large notebook ring on albums like this, so the pages can easily turn.  It becomes kind of like a swatch book and is a handy way to use it often.  I decorated the ring by tying on ribbons.  The cover is cut from watercolor paper, stamped, spritzed with water and let dry.  I then spritzed it again with shimmer and, once dry, added the cuts (with our Envelope Punch Board) to make it look like a giant spool of thread.

I've used some of our wonderful new, thick Baker's Twine to wrap around the 'spool' cover.  I added an extra page, in case I need to make more notes on anything.

Page 1:  Spritz ribbons with mixture of reinker and alcohol.  This is one of my favorite techniques because it is quick and easy and always comes out just right.  I used 2 totally different ribbons, so that you can really see the difference in how a fabric takes the color.

Come back soon for part 2, as our series continues.  Have a great day. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

More On Framelits and Thinlits Storage AND Updated July Class Schedule

I've had a lot of questions and feedback from many, various sources on how I created my storage system for my Thinlits and Framelits.  Today, I thought I'd add a little more about it.  It sounds like a lot of you are working on creating your own system.  Wonderful!

The questions were all about how I had made the dividers.  
So, here's what I did:
1.  Cut CS ( I used black.) to 6 X 7 1/2" pieces.
2.  Cut DSP to 6 X 6 3/4" pieces.
3.  Create file tabs using the Envelope Punch Board.
4.  Attach DSP to black CS.
5.  Type and print labels on computer.
6.  Punch out labels with Scallop Oval Punch.
7.  Attach labels to divider cards and you're all ready to set up your file.
Tip:
Make extra dividers to have on hand for when new products come out from Stampin' Up!

Here's a link to my original post on my storage system. 

http://nannastamps.blogspot.com/2014/02/oh-yes-i-did.html


Remember, it all started out with a rugged sewing machine drawer.
Tip:
If you are looking for a vintage sewing machine drawer, you need an extra long one if you want to accommodate 2 rows of cards like I did. Some drawers are not this long.

My magnetic cards came from Stamp-N-Storage.

So, if you haven't started your storage system yet, you have no reason at all not to get started.  If you don't have a vintage sewing machine drawer, get one of the boxes from Stamp-N-Storage or look for some other type of container that will be fun and work as the correct size.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Retro Fresh, Part 4... a File Folder Card

Today's post finishes off a little series of cards using Retro Fresh DSP.  This one is a special card... a file folder card!  It's made with our Envelope Punch Board.  It is super fun and easy to make it.  I promise you.  Once again, I've made a coordinating envelope for my card.  I will add stamping and/or writing on the inside card before I send it, along with a little label on the 'file tab.'  Sometimes, I like to wait until I'm ready to send a card, so I can personalize it for the recipient. 

This card uses the ruffled stretch ribbon to be both an embellishment AND a way to hold it together.  A very special stamp is featured here, too, a personalized stamp.  You can order these stamps with your own wording in them.  They are photopolymer and super fun and easy to use for stamping.

If you haven't tried a file folder card yet, please do.  You don't want to miss out on the fun!

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Oh, yes I did!

If you remember my new storage system I went to recently for storing my Thinlits and Framelits, then you know that I showed you a blank canvas, as far as the container goes.  If you know me at all, you know I could not leave it at that.  I just love taking some cute old thing, like a sewing drawer, and making it pretty... fun AND functional.  Would you like to see what I did next with my little sewing drawer?

I cut large pieces of black CS and cut the top edges to look like file folder tabs, using the Envelope Punch Board.  I typed a sheet for the labels I wanted and then just punched them out with the Scallop Oval punch.  All the dividers have coordinating designs from the Modern Medley DSP.  I decided to keep the front all polka dots.  My cute little box now sits out on my bar, close to my Big Shot, with all my Thinlits and Framelits within easy reach.  This was a fun project and my box has turned out to be super handy.

I've been kind of crazy about collecting Scrabble tiles for a long time now, so I have several jars full of them.  I thought it would be fun to use them to label my box.  I like to decorate in a way that I can change down the road, if I decide to update it again, so I did not want to affix my tiles to the front of the drawer directly.  Instead, I chose to cover a piece of black CS with DSP and attach the tiles to that.  I scored the 'sign' in 2 places at the top and cut the back flap just slightly shorter, which allows it to hang over the edge of my box.  It literally sits on the front edge of my box.  I like it!

TIPS:
I got my 'cards' for storing my Thinlits and Framelits from Stamp-N-Storage.  They have TWO sizes of cards.  Mine are the larger size.  I have several sizes of old sewing machine drawers (Yes, I know... I have a 'thing' about boxes, too:) and this is a longer drawer.  You need a longer one to be able to have TWO rows of cards stored in it.

For storing my embossing folders, most any size of sewing drawer will hold two rows of folders, easily.  These are also handy being stored this way because they are so easily accessible.  I do not like clutter and mess (even though I create a lot when I'm working) because it gets in the way of my creativity, but I do like to have things handy.  You never know when you might walk by them and be struck by a super creative idea!

WARNING:
Sometimes, often late at night (I am a night owl!) a little voice gets into my head and whispers:  "What if we just tweaked this a bit over here?"  Whenever that happens, the next thing I know, I find myself 'upgrading' my organization in my studio.  This happened last night and I ended up with an amazingly improved work area behind the bar where I stamp.  This means... you will be seeing some new shots of my studio soon.  If this gets that little voice whispering inside your head too, well... you have been warned.  You're on your own.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blog world.  Have a great day.  Come back soon for more creative inspiration.

Click here to learn about my Stampin' Tokens program.

Have a great day and go stamp something beautiful. 

Click here to learn more about upcoming classes.

Love What I Do... Share What I Love

Our Stampin' Up! Statement of the Heart is:
'To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments... in this we make a difference!"  I recently enjoyed putting this concept to work by sharing some of my little treats.  They look like baby file folders!

Saturday, I had a doctor's appointment in Springfield.  I decided to take Valentine's Day treats with me and just randomly pass them out to any of the healthcare workers with whom I came into contact.  They loved them and it brought me so much joy to share them.  I have the highest regard for my surgeon.  He is fabulous.  He replaced both of my hips, years ago when no one else would believe me as to how much they hurt.  They all thought I was too young for hip problems and so they didn't even look into it.  When I finally got referred to my surgeon, he discovered that I had no cartilage in my hip joints!  He is now helping me with my knee problems and Saturday, he gave me the good news that I would not need further knee surgery --- at this time.  He did say that the arthritis is really bad in both knees and gave me cortisone shots in both.  So far, so good.  When you need healthcare help, go to the best.  Going to him means an hour trip --- one way --- and Saturday we passed 7 or 8 vehicles in the ditch, all with people in them.  One was a semi with the trailer turned completely on its side.  It did look like no one was hurt and they all had someone helping them, so that was very good.  I'm thankful for a safe vehicle that holds the road well and a husband willing to drive me.

So, would you like to see my treats that I made?  Here you go!

Aren't they cute?  Here are some close-ups:

The candies are held in place by wrapping the Gold Bakers Twine around the baby file folder.  I didn't use any adhesive on it at all.  I did use Stampin' Dimensionals to attach my punched pieces.  The gold foil punched piece didn't photograph as well as I'd hoped, but I think you can get the idea.

I've been seeing a lot of these on the net, all kinds of versions and just had to try my own.  They're quick and easy and, thus, a bit addicting.  I just kept making them until all my Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares were gone.  I actually got through it without eating even one!  That's probably a first:)  Come back soon for more projects using the Envelope Punch Board.  I've been working on quite a few --- so much fun and unbelievably addictive!

Click here to learn about my Stampin' Tokens program.

Have a great day and go stamp something beautiful. 

Click here to learn more about upcoming classes.

Christmas With a Surprise

Look... it's an envelope... it's a card... it's both!  Today's card has a little surprise.  It's an envelope that, when you open it, reveals that it's an envelope and card all in one!  We'll be making this at my Friday Night Cards class.  I started with an 8 1/8" square and ended up with a 5 1/4" card (when closed).  Take a look:

Because you open it as a card, you do not seal any of the flaps on the card/envelope.  It is held together (when closed) with a belly band.    I love when you can use a product (such as our Envelope Punch Board) in a new and different way.

Additional ideas for my card/envelope idea:

• You could place a gift card inside for an additional surprise.
• Do you like to send a family newsletter at Christmas time?  It will easily fit inside my card/envelope --- just fold and tuck it inside.
• Do you have kids who like to participate in Christmas activities?  Give them the square insert and have them make a picture.  You make the card/envelope and attach their complete picture inside it. 
• Do you like to scrapbook?  Treat the square insert as a little scrapbook page and add a family photo.  Your recipients will LOVE it!!! 
• Experiment with different sizes for your card/envelope and find stamps that would work with it.
• Try using this card/envelope for a fancy invitation or birthday card.

Leave a comment if you can think of any other ideas to share with everyone for using my card/envelope.  I'd love to hear from you!

Here's the last card in the group:

Here again are all my cards for Friday night.  I think I came up with a nice variety.  Thanks for stopping by.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

A Little Christmas Treat for You

At my September Friday Night Cards Class, we made a Halloween treat holder for some gum (or a similar sized small treat).  It was a big hit, so I decided we'd make a Christmas version at my October 11 / 13 card classes.  Here's the Christmas version:

Using our new Envelope Punch Board, we'll be making our own coordinating envelope for this cute little guy.  It doesn't get much more coordinated than this:) 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Our New Envelope Punch Board is Fabulous!

In case you missed it at the end of my previous post, today I want to share with you our fabulous new Envelope Punch Board.  We saw it demonstrated at Convention and you can do a lot of fun creating with it.  It is cute, easy to take with you, easy to use, and so much fun.  You can make 66 different sizes of envelopes with the measurements given on the punch board.  Yes!  The measurements are right on the board.

Click the link below to purchase.
Our wonderful new Envelope Punch Board is available for you to purchase now.
It's product item #133774.

Click here to watch a video that shows all about it.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JzokPixtpko

That's all I have for today.  I am busy finishing up a large order for personalized items for a beautiful wedding to take place on a beautiful beach.  Fabulous!  Enjoy the video.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

A Telescoping Card and A Video

One of the perks I enjoy in being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is getting to attend events with other demonstrators.  Today's card is one that we made at our last meeting in Springfield.  I liked it so much that I decided it would be fun to make it at my next Friday Night Cards (Sept. 13) / Sunday Afternoon Cards (Sept. 15) classes.

This card was designed by Julie Davison, a talented stamper, great leader, and wonderful friend.  I added a coordinating envelope --- lined of course:)

I hope you can come to my class and see how much fun it is to make a telescoping card.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Back to Convention -- What We Saw

We saw so many amazing things at Convention this year.  One of the most exciting things to see is when they show us new products that are coming our way.

We have TWO amazing new Thinlits Card Dies coming out August 1^st.  Trust me; you will love these.  They do folds and cuts all in one step.  We saw some amazing demonstrations using these new thinlits.  I can't wait to get mine and start creating.

Item # 133480        Circle Card Thinlits Die        $32.95
Item # 133479        Label Card Thinlits Die         $32.95

Aren't they fabulous?  They do all the work for you.  You just sit back and dream up creative ways to use them.  You will see these in use at my future classes --- a lot!  

We also saw a new product called an envelope punch board.  I got to play with this one a bit at the Product Fair booth.  It was easy and fun.  

You can make all different sizes of envelopes with it and even round off the corner of the top flap for a great finishing touch.  This will be coming out soon.  I'll let you know more details when I have them.

Another fun thing we saw was our new Undefined.  It's a kit to carve your own stamps.  There was a terribly long line at the booth where we could try this, so Jenn and I didn't get to carve anything --- yet.  I have a kit on the way and am trying to decide what to carve first.

Item # 133402   $19.95

Our friend Shannon gave a demonstration using this and she made a complete set for what she called The Perfect Breakfast.  It had doughnuts, diet coke, bacon and eggs.  It was so cute!  Wanna see it?  Take a look!  

Yesterday, I finally started to pull out of my Sienna lag (as opposed to jet lag) and really worked in my studio a bunch.  I started working on my Spooky banner for my October Stamp Club.  It is going to be so much fun!  With the accessories kit, I can't believe how quickly it goes together.  Of course, I changed mine up a tiny bit, but that's what I do:)  I'll share it with you soon.  

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.