Tuesday, June 30, 2015

No Bones About It!

Does everyone have that stamp set they wish they would have bought but can't get anymore or is it just me? Well, since the new catalog came out, it's NOT me anymore! Anyone remember the old "Prehistoric Pals" set? It was cute. Simple dinosaur outlines, a couple palm trees, cute. It was the set that got away. Lucky for ME (and you!) there's a new set called No Bones About It. It's similar to the old dinosaur set, but BETTER!!! It has dinosaur bones!!! It's seriously adorable. It was the first set on my wishlist this time. I ordered it the very day it became available. That's how much I love it. It will most likely be my most used set of all time. Here are a few samples...
I started off with a catalog case. There are SO many great ideas in the catalog! I took the sample they show and simplified it to one layer for a card class.
The next card was my 5 year old son's idea. He was explaining his idea and this is what I saw. When it was finished, it wasn't what he was thinking at all, so we'll have another go at it tomorrow. I was really happy with this one though. Who doesn't love an interactive card???

 Those leaves are from the Kinda Eclectic set. It's fun to mix completely different sets!
 Fun inside!
Peek-a-boo windows

The last one for today is a gate fold card. I love the idea of combining "rock star" with the dinosaurs. If you stamp and emboss the dino bones in white, when you stamp the dino body you can rub the ink off the bones and make a nice smudge around the edges. I love it. It makes it look like they're really in rock. I'm going to play around with that technique some more.



So what is your favorite stamp set? Or one that you wish would make a come back???

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Paper Pumpkin June 2015: Happy Thoughts

Happy Thoughts indeed! This kit is CUTE! The cards are cute by themselves, but the minute I saw what came in the kit, I couldn't help but think of my favorite time of year... The colors, the banner shaped card bases, stars... you know where I'm going with this, don't you? All I needed to add was some silver glimmer paper. AND after a year of collecting dust I was brave enough to pull out my Silhouette Cameo and put it to use! Long story with that one...I cut things out of vinyl fine, it was cutting cardstock that scared me off. The cutting mat was like fly paper! Little did I know, I should have just started out with the glimmer paper! I placed it glimmer side down on the cutting mat, and ended up adding a little tape to the sides to keep it in place! I'm going to play some more today to see if it's ready for regular cardstock! Oh the things I have planned...
Anyway, back to this month's kit. Some may think it's too early in the year to start thinking about Christmas, but June/July is a GREAT time to start planning so you can enjoy the magic of it all! Plan now, don't stress later! In fact, I usually start my shopping with the after Christmas sales! Little by little I like to knock out my holiday plans. So even though we have a long list ahead of us, Christmas banner? Check!



 (I took these at night and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get good lighting!!!)

Are you ready for your close-up?


To give you an idea of how big it is, here's a full shot of my not-so-festive fireplace. It's only June, I've got time! (Actually, the banner will be hanging on my picture ledges in the front room. That's the room I decorate in traditional red & green. It's all about peacocks and turquoise in this room!)

There are also PLENTY of pieces left over in the kit so I’ll still be able to make lots of cards! I’ll update this post when I get that done. For now, I just want to get this posted because I know y’all are waiting for this month’s case insert! Here you go! Print & organize those shelves!


Friday, June 19, 2015

Adhesive

Let me start by telling you a little story... the first original card I ever made and sent was a disaster. The card itself turned out GREAT, but it didn't arrive safely. All the little pieces that covered the front of the card fell off. I'd like to blame the Houston heat, but let's be honest... it was the adhesive! (Or lack thereof.) Way back then we didn't have fast fuse, and I had used my snail adhesive very sparingly. LUCKILY, this will never happen again, A. because we now have FAST FUSE adhesive (my favorite!!!) and B. I'm a little bit more liberal with my adhesive because of this sad story.

Honestly, I rarely use my snail adhesive anymore. I do bring it out for my monthly card classes, workshops and whenever I'm stamping with a friend, but it's for them, not me. I want everyone to experience the awesomeness that is Fast Fuse! It's quick and easy like snail, but STRONG like sticky strip! So if you haven't fallen in love with this adhesive yet, watch this video for some tips and tricks! You'll never go back.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Paper Pumpkin May 2015: Birthday Bundle

Sorry for the delay,
we were on vacation...and got sick...and then I had an awesome Catalog Kickoff Event... I've been busy. I did manage to put one of these cards together and send it to my sister in Hawaii. (Lucky! I hope she meets Shelli!)
I LOVE this Paper Pumpkin kit!!! (I know, I say that EVERY month, but REALLY. LOVE IT.) It's so bright and fun! Who doesn't need more birthday cards? and BAGS!!! So cute. Ooooh I got so giddy about the stamps this month! I'm a font person. Paper Pumpkin has been full of sentiment stamps, which is awesome, but I have been wanting to see some better fonts. Oh boy did they deliver this month! Love them all! Even the little "to: from:" stamp has some curly Q's on the o's! CUTE! This one's a keeper! So now what you need to do is print out your clear case insert and make room for it on your shelf!

The correct printed size is 5 1/2 inches across the colored banner on top. Click on the image to make it larger and then save it. It should be the right size, but you may have to print a couple testers to get it just right for YOUR printer. (Make note of your settings so you are ready to go next month!) I hope you enjoy this stamp set as much as I do! This is one I will use with lots of different colors and papers and embellishments! It just might be my new favorite birthday sentiment set. :)

I love the gift bags in the kit, but I really wanted to use all the pieces ON the card, so this is how I compromised. Use the pieces, then attach the card to the bag! That way the card won't get lost, and you have the cutest bag EVER!

You can't really tell by the photo, but the tissue paper on this first card was snipped with the fringe scissors and then attached and twisted to look like a streamer. It's pretty awesome in real life. And yes, that is a to/from tag on the card.

 Here is another "card bag". Turning the tissue paper into fun fringe might just be the funnest part of making these cards, and don't worry! There's still PLENTY to wrap your gift with!

Keep watching my Paper Pumpkin Pinterest board for more ideas with this kit. Not even kidding. This is my new favorite!!!