Squash Book

In addition to the thank you notes, I've also been working on the Stampers 6 projects for this weekend. The theme for this month is "Fancy Folds" - we'll be doing a series of projects that each feature some sort of fancy or unique fold. This project is called a Squash Book. Its a type of brag book made from 2 square chipboard coasters and a three pieces of cardstock that are scored and folded in a way that squashes down to a 4"x4" book.

The patterned paper is from the Jersey Shore collection. The main pieces of scored/folded cardstock are Wild Wasabi with Bashful Blue used as photo mats and Pumpkin Pie used as mats for the patterned paper. There isn't any stamping on this example, but you could stamp the reverse side of the Wild Wasabi for some added WOW when the book is opened! Another option is to substitute pieces of Whisper White cardstock in lieu of some of the patterned paper triangles - this would give you room to journal about each of the 4 pictures.

Once all of the pieces and parts are cut out and scored, it doesn't take very long to assemble the Squash Book. This book would be a perfect way to share memories from your family vacation this summer!!!

By the way...as I was typing this I realized that my big ole' preggy belly made its way into the picture of the unfolded Squash Book. Oops! :)

Hat Pins

This is another project from the Pretties Kit Stampers 6 workshop. Let me start by saying that using the hat pins is a bit out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong - I adore the look, but its hard for me to actually incorporate them into my projects! Since I had to show others how to use them, I figured this was the perfect chance to break the ice with the hat pins.

I think this scroll-like image from Kind Thoughts is gorgeous and I love to pair it with the Tres Chic background stamp! I stamped the scroll image with a Whisper White Craft Pad on to distressed Chocolate Chip cardstock and then embossed with white embossing powder. The Chocolate Chip was then matted on to a piece of distressed Whisper White cardstock. I tied a piece of Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon around the matted image and then it was time for the hat pin...

First I threaded a couple of beads on to the hat pin. Then I inserted the pin as far as it would go through the knot of the ribbon. I threaded a few more beads on to the pin, flush with the other side of the knot. After the final bead, I threaded the tiny silver spacer-bead on to the pin and compressed it with my craft pliers. To make sure that the beads stay in place, I applied a small amount of Mono Multi glue to the silver spacer-bead and held it in place until the glue dried.

The card front is stamped with the Tres Chic background in Soft Sky. For a little added dimension, I sponged Soft Sky ink around the edges of the card front. To complete the card, mount the matted Chocolate Chip cardstock on to the card front with dimensionals!

See...using the hat pins isn't so bad after all!

Some Fabulous Bling!

Here is another project from the upcoming Stampers 6 workshop, this one featuring the clear rhinestone brads from the Pretties Kit. This card is a 5"x5" Whisper White folded note with a piece of Rose Red polka dotted patterned paper from the Cutie Pie collection mounted along the bottom half. I tied a piece of 5/8" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon across teh front of the card (I love Old Olive and Rose Red together!)

For the main image, I stamped the large flower image from Fabulous Flowers on to the piece of Whisper White cardstock using the Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad. Then I reinked the image and stamped it two more times on to a piece of scrap cardstock. I carefully cut out two layers of petals from the scrap cardstock. One of the layers is slightly smaller than the main image and the other is basically just the center of the flower. On the smallest layer, I stamped the flower center with my Basic Black classic Stampin' Pad and the attached a clear rhinestone brad in the center of the image. Each layer is mounted on top of the main image with dimensionals.

For the greeting, I stamped "Dare to be Fabulous" in Basic Black along the bottom edge of the Whisper White cardstock. The Whisper White cardstock is matted on to a piece of Old Olive cardstock and then attached to the card front with dimensionals! This is another project that I found while browsing SCS - I thought that it would be perfect for showing off the clear rhinestone brads, so I CASE'd it for our workshop!

Pretties Kit Pearls

Here is another one of the projects from the upcoming Stampers 6 workshop. This 6x6 scrapbook page features the half pearls from the Pretties Kit. The base of the scrapbook page is a 6x6 piece of Cameo Coral cardstock. The patterned paper is from the Ginger Blossom collection which coordinates perfectly with the Embrace Life stamp set.

I stamped the flower image from Embrace Life in Black StazOn and then filled in the petals with a Blender Pen and the Cameo Coral Classic Stampin' Pad. Once the ink was completely dry, I highlighted the little pistons (is that the right name for them??) with my white gel pen and cut out the flower. Once I glued the flower down to the picture mat, I used Mono Multi Adhesive to glue the half pearl to the center of the flower.

I love the Cameo Coral, Basic Black, and Whisper White color combo, so I added a scalloped border of Whisper White along the edge of the patterned paper as well as a Basic Black photo corner on the picture mat. And of course...RIBBON! Basic Black grosgrain ribbon ties it all together!

Coaster Calendar

The theme for the May Stampers 6 meeting is the Pretties Kit - each of the projects that we'll be doing features a different product from the kit. For those that haven't checked out the Pretties Kit yet, its jam-packed full of FABULOUS embellishments. There are various sizes of white, prima-like flowers, hat pins with beads, clear rhinestone brads in three different sizes, and white and ivory half back pearls.

This is the first of our five projects, a coaster calendar. I ordered these little mini calendars some time ago, but this is the first chance that I've had to actually incorporate them into a stamp camp or workshop! Simply cover two 4"x4" coasters with patterned paper (here I used Jersey Shore). Then on the reverse side, cover the coasters with coordinating cardstock (I used Pumpkin Pie). When covering a large piece of chipboard, I use a thin coat of Mod Podge as my adhesive. Once the front and back has been covered, gently sand the edges for a nice, clean finish.

For this project, I used pieces of ribbon to act as hinges between the two coasters. To ensure that the holes were perfectly lined up, I marked the holes with my mat pack and then punched the holes with the Crop-A-Dile. The flower in the upper left corner of the calendar side is the largest of the 5 that come in the Pretties Kit. There is a small hole in the center of each of the flowers - perfectly sized for a brad. But for this project, I wanted a more "funky" flower center. So I stamped on of the flower centers from the Pick A Petal stamp set and punched it out.

I love the way this project turned out - and after the 4 other Stampers 6 projects, my gals will love the Pretties Kit!

Rub Ons

My Stampers 7 Club met last month and we worked on incorporating Rub Ons into our projects. In addition to using the rub-ons on cardstock, we also used them on plastic storage containers, ceramic eggs (for Easter), and even candles! To those that haven’t used rub-ons before, you may not be too sure what to do with them…but once you get the hang of it – they can really add some WOW to your projects!

I had some extra materials left over from my Stampers 7 workshop and I earned a few extra packs of the Sale A Bration set of rub ons, so I decided to use up the materials to stock up on some cards! Each card uses the same basic layout, but by switching up the rub-ons I was able to create 5 distinctly different looks!

Sale A Bration is over, but Stampin' Up! still has a fabulous assortment of rub ons in the Spring-Summer Collection and in the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Vacation time

I had some vacation days left and with the end of the year quickly approaching, I just HAD to take them (the company I work for has a "use it or lose it" policy when it comes to vacation days). So...I'm off work this whole week! I've caught up on all of my chores, so that means I get to spend some uninterrupted time in the craft room. Considering that I haven't even started my Christmas cards, I think I'll be stamping my little heart out!!

Here is one of the projects from the Stampers 7 workshop that was this past Saturday. This scrapbook page features a faux metal tag embossed with the scribbly-Christmas tree from Solemn Stillness. I'm getting better about making scrapbook pages, but I'm still bad about taking pictures. When I sat down and put this page together, I envisioned a cute picture of my hubby and I picking out our Christmas tree and another of the tree once its fully decorated. I'll make an extra effort to carry my camera with me when we go tree shopping and hopefully the finished page will look as cute as it does in my head right now!