Terrific Tips Tuesday

Today's tip is a pretty basic one, but it's a tip that will help your cards looks a little more crisp and finished. Remember a while ago when I shared my favorite tools to get started? Two of the items on that list were the Stampin' Trimmer and the Bone Folder. You can use one or both for this tip. Use these tools to get a clean, crisp fold in your card.

Start by scoring your card base at 4 1/4" - the halfway point of a card that measures (unfolded) 8 1/2" by 5 1/2".

You can either score using the scoring blade on the Trimmer or, if you have a different trimmer, line the card stock up the same and gently run your bone folder through the track in the trimmer. Then fold the card stock along the score line and fold a crisp line using the bone folder. Give it a try today and let me know what you think! The difference might be subtle, but your cards will have a consistent, professional look.

Terrific Tips Tuesday

Step it up! Sounds like fun, yes? Well, when it comes to paper crafting it really can be fun! "Stepping it up" is a way of taking a simple card design or layout and adding something to it to change it up just a little bit -or a lot! It's a great technique to practice as a beginner - you can start simple and add as you learn new techniques, or as a seasoned stamper - allowing you to keep challenging yourself. Here is one recent example, from my first My Paper Pumpkin kit:

I used the example that came with the kit to create the top left card. Then I changed each subsequent card up just a bit, adding punched paper and twine to give the card texture and dimension. 

I really changed up some of the cards, but even a little change can make a big impact. Give it a try today and let me know what you think!

Can't find the right stamp?

Sometimes you know *exactly* what you want. But you can't find it anywhere. And sometimes, you have an image that is unique to you, your family or your business. Stampin' Up! probably doesn't have a stamp for that. But now, you can!

Stampin' Up! is holding it's annual convention this week. I am always unable to attend because it coincides with a softball tournament my husband helps put on. But, I do get to hear and see many amazing and fun new things on the demonstrator website during Convention! And this is one of them: Create your own stamps! Available now!

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit

Item #133402

$19.95

Included in the Stamp Carving Kit:

2 carving tools

3" x 4" rubber

3" x 4" foam

4 wood blocks (various sizes)

1 Island Indigo Stampin' Write Marker

3 postcards

Instruction sheet

Stamp image templates

Undefined Refill Kit

Item #134808

$9.95

Includes:

3" x 4" rubber

3" x 4" foam

4 wood blocks (various sizes)

Instruction sheet

Happy Birthday, Friend

The other day I needed to send out a birthday card. Usually, I keep cards for multiple occasions on hand, but I tend to run through birthday cards quickly and I found I was out just when I needed one. So, a quick perusal of Pinterest and a search through my scraps helped me put this card together in no time. I snapped a quick picture with my phone (hence the crooked shot) so I could share it with you before I popped it in the mail. Next time you need to create a quick and easy card, I hope you find some inspiration here!

Products used:

Naturals White Card Stock (Item #102316 $7.50)

Bitty Butterfly Punch (Item #129406 $15.95)

In Color Dahlias (Item #127556 $7.95)

2012-2014 In Color Assorted Paper (Retired) Similar (Item #130137 $21.95)

Perfectly Penned Stamp Set (Item #128703 $16.95 WM, #122892 $12.95 CM)

Midnight Muse Ink

Pick a Kit

Have you been thinking about signing up as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator? There are many perks, besides getting your favorite crafting items at a discounted price. You get to see and even buy new items before they are available to the public. You have tons of help and advice, both online, from Stampin' Up! and from your upline. And for now, until August 31st you get to pick a project kit FREE to add on to your starter kit. What better way to get going and do it your way, than by getting a little something extra AND making it yours?! Choose from 4 kits, 3 in the Holiday Catalog and 1 in the Annual Catalog. The Holiday Catalog isn't even available to order from yet, so those kits would be a fun "sneak peak"!

Contact me today with any questions!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

Are you ready for another Terrific Tip? Here it is: Clean your stamps!

I know it's not an earth-shattering tip, but it sure is an important one. And, I've had many people ask me the best way to clean stamps. It's always good to get back to the basics. At my Stamp Camps I used baby wipes. Those things are good to have on hand long after you've potty trained your last child. They work great when I have 10-15 ladies making 20 cards in one evening. However, your fingers will be covered in ink by the end of the evening.

My favorite tool to use at home or with just a couple friends is the Stampin' Scrub:

Item #126200 $16.95

Spritz Stampin' Mist on one side and rub your stamp in different directions to clean all the details. Then rub your stamp dry on the other side. Your fingers stay clean! Also, keeping your stamp clean from ink and the oils from your hands helps the ink to adhere better on the stamp's surface the next time you use it. Keeping your stamp clean is also important so you don't accidentally mix ink. Have you ever dipped a stamp with Cherry Cobbler on it onto your Daffodil Delight ink pad? It will ruin your day! Keep your stamps clean!

Stampin' Mist:

Item #102394 $4.50

You can also buy a refill for your Stampin' Mist. The 8 oz bottle will refill the Stampin' Mist spritzer 4 times, so it's well worth the investment.

Item #101022 $9.50

For StazOn ink and VersaMark ink, use the StazOn Cleaner. This cleaner is also good for conditioning your solid-image stamps when you first get them. It will clean off any oils left on the rubber from the manufacturing process and help the surface of the stamp grab ink better. This results in a more solid, crisp image. Follow the directions on the bottle; you won't use the Stampin' Scrub with this cleaner.

Item #109196 $4.95

Another little tip, if you have wood-mounted stamps: If (more like when) you get ink on the wood block and this really bothers you, you can always sand it down a bit. Viola! No more ink!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

My tip today is another one of my "favorites". As I've shared before, we are renting while we build. I used to have a room to craft in, and I will again, but for now my supplies are spread around the rental in corners wherever they fit. Along with card making, I love scrapbooking. However, since for now I need to use the kitchen table to craft, it's not always convenient or easy to have my supplies all over the place. So I've been doing a LOT of digital scrapbooking and creating using My Digital Studio, or MDS, from Stampin' Up! I have always enjoyed creating projects with my computer, starting from the Mac we got back in the '80's (!), through a digital design class I took in high school, to today when there are so many more creative options.

I am loving the MDS software. There's not enough room here to give you all the details, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! You can try it FREE for 30 days HERE. Another great resource is mydigitalstudio.net. 

I'll leave you with a few pages from my recent projects:

July's Best of 25 Years Stamp Set

A new month means the release of a new Best Of stamp set. I'm really excited about this month's set since it was put together by Stampin' Up!'s co-founder and CEO, Shelli Gardner. She flipped through all the catalogs from the past 25 years and someone managed to narrow down the field to her 6 favorite images plus a new one. So, check out the set today and join me in ordering a set that will be perfect for all sorts of stamping projects, from cards to scrapbooks to anything else you can dream up.

Set Sail with a new photopolymer stamp set!

Stampin' Up! has released a new photopolymer stamp set called Set Sail. This stamp set with an absolutely adorable nautical theme will be perfect for all your summer scrapbooking and card making needs! Check it out today!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

As I write this tips post I'm having a hard time believing it's July already and the year is half over. With a new month often comes all sort of new things from Stampin' Up! As a demonstrator, I am able to pre-order items from the Holiday Catalog this month. New promotions often start on the first of the month (more on that later...). New catalogs come out on the first of the month - the Annual Catalog last month and the Holiday Catalog will be available next month.

And, to keep you updated on all this fun news, not only can you check my blog but I also send out a monthly newsletter if you're on my e-mail list. I don't like to send out lots of e-mails, but I do try to keep my customers updated on important announcements and information about my Stamp Camps. My Tuesday Tip this week is: To stay updated on important (and fun!) Stampin' Up! information, make sure you're on my e-mail list. If you're not and would like to be, either leave a comment, send me your information through the contact info in the left column or send a private message to me through my Facebook page.

Ready for a bonus tip? Stampin' Up! has a great sale going on right now on their Designer Series Paper. Who doesn't love their beautiful patterned paper that coordinates perfectly with the ink and so many other Stampin' Up! products? Right now, if you buy any three Designer Series Paper packs (excluding DSP Stacks and Specialty DSP) you get one FREE pack! Even better? Unlimited quantities! If you order 6 packs, you get 2 more for FREE! If you order 9 packs, you get 3 for FREE! Click HERE to see the beautiful patterns available and exclusive to Stampin' Up!