STAMPIN' UP!

Hey Inky people,

I officially signed up to be a Stampin' Up Demonstrator (YAY!) and due to the stampin' up requirements I can't post anything from other companies.  :( sorry.

SO going forward I will be highlighting all the fabulous Stampin' UP products...

Good news - you can now purchase all these fabulous products through my stampin' up storefront!!

www.ajwhisperstamps.stampinup.net

 

 

If there is a product you want me to highlight, let me know.  I will totally post a project using those items if I have them. 

 

 

This is going to be fun. :) 

Foam Dimensionals

***Deal Alert!***

I love to use foam tape to add dimension to my cards.  Oriental Trading Company offers a package of "2,248 Foam Adhesive Squares" for just $5.25!  One package includes "6 sheets of 1/4"-1/2" white adhesive foam squares that vary in depth from 1/8" - 1/4"." 

Seriously 2,248 foam adhesive squares...  in one package!  Other craft stores sell packages of 100-300 for about $3-$4.

Makin' Rain

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

I saw this technique on YouTube several months ago and I figured I would give it a try. Worked like a charm!

Materials:
Glossy Accents (any brand is probably fine, I use this one from Ranger)
Blue Re-Inker (any brand and color is probably fine, I used Not Quite Navy from Stampin' Up)
Non-Stick Craft Sheet (I use this one from Ranger)
Mixing Container
Toothpick

Directions:
1. Find something to mix your materials in.  I used a shot glass, but a Dixie cup or a clean soda bottle cap would probably work fine too.

2. Squeeze a blob of Glossy Accents into your mixing container - I used a blob about the size of a nickle.

3. Mix in one drop of the blue re-inker at a time, and mix with the glossy accents with the toothpick. A little bit of ink goes a looong way.  But you can totally adjust the color to your preference.  If you want the color a little bit darker: add another drop of the re-inker and mix until the Glossy Accents has no more streaks in it. If it's too dark: add more Glossy Accents to it... just make sure your mixture is evenly mixed before your start making your drops.

4. Make sure your non-stick craft sheet is clean and flat.  If you do not have a non-stick craft sheet you can probably use a sheet of wax paper. 

5. Using the toothpick, pick up a drop of the colored Glossy Accents.  Place the drop of Glossy Accents on the non-stick sheet.  Then, with the tip of the toothpick, gently drag a bit of the Glossy Accents in one direction to achieve the teardrop shape.  You may need to pick up more Glossy Accents from your mixing container to fill in the shape. 

6. Leave to dry for at least 30 minutes.  If your drops are small, it shouldn't take them too long to air dry.  Since I am a worry wart, I left mine to air dry for about an hour.  Do not use your heat gun to dry your drops, they will bubble and it ruins the smooth finish. :(


Storage:
I made a bunch of these drops to use on a current project, and then stored the rest in an empty clear mount stamp case from Stampin' Up.  I used my paper piercer to gently remove the dried drops from my non-stick craft sheet and I put a tiny dot of glue on the back of each drop before I stuck it to the empty case.  Now I can pull out my pre-made, hand-made embellishments when I need them for a future card! I just use my paper piercer to pick up the drops and add more glue before I add them to my cards. 


Ideas:
I used these drops as rain, but you can also use them as tears, splash drops, drips from faucets, dew drops on flowers... etc. 

Instead of blue ink, you can use red ink to make blood droplets for Halloween cards!  HA! Genius!

Fave Alert - TSG Stamps

***Fave Alert***

There She Goes Stamps
website: www.tsgstamps.com

I discovered There She Goes Stamps through a YouTube video posted by Darlene DeVries.  She was demo-ing a card using the "A Drink A Day" set and using a masking technique I wanted to try... I had never heard of There She Goes Stamps before , so of course - I immediately went to Google...  

and wham - Love At First Sight!

It was one of those "I NEED, I WANT, I HAVE TO HAVE!" experiences. 

Let me tell you why I had such a strong reaction ---  These clear stamps are just amazing! Clear, crisp images all the time! The designers must have the same snarky sense of humor that I do.  They love puns!  OMG, I totally died laughing while browsing their online store.  The "Lucky Duck" and "Hooked on Quack" sets had me rolling! I'm totally sending out cards that say "Shut the duck up" all the time now...  my friends are going to think I'm ducking crazy.   I'll post one of these cards soon...

The owner/designer of TSGStamps (Jessica Knutsen) works with other designers and releases new sets each month.  The stamps sets range from $9 to $24, I love them all! You really get alot for your $$ when you buy one of the $24 sets, there are SOO many stamps included in each set.  Sometimes Jessica (the owner) puts new releases on sale or posts a coupon code for 15% off your entire order. Shipping is super reasonable and super fast.  If something sells out, you can sign up to get a notification email when the item is back in stock.  Love it! Jessica posts masking tutorials on the website too.  PDF instructions of "stamping/masking order" to get a perfect image.  So useful! They also post challenges and highlights on a daily basis, and then at the end of the week they show "A week in review".  The biggest reason I started this blog was so that I can participate in some of the challenges, if and when, I have some spare time.  *crosses fingers!*


The picture above is a stamp set called "Strut Your Stuff" by designer Wendy Leach.  I made this card for a friend as a Thank You for putting a wonderful craft weekend together (Emma you rock). I thought it captured the creative attitude of the weekend.  :)  I used Tuxedo Black Memento Ink to stamp the image onto Neenah card stock and then I used my copic markers to color the image.  When I was half way done coloring in the little girl, I opened the R20 marker to color her hair tie and I must have pulled the cap off too fast... a splattering of ink went across my entire image.  :(  I was soooo upset.  But rather than loose the image, I figured I would use the splattering as a background; I added in more pink spots to fill in the background.  Crisis averted!  I loved the pink spots so much I took a daring step and added in more dots in three more colors.  SUPER CUTE RESULT! 

Here are the materials/measurements... 

Stamp: Strut your Stuff
Stamp Pad:  Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Stamped Card stock: Neenah (3.75in x 5in)
Card matting: Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry card stock (4 in x 5.25in)
Card Base: Neenah (5.5in x 8.5in, scored at 4.25in)
Copics:

• skin: E000, E01, R20
• hair: E09, E37 & E34
• clothes: BG10, BG11, BG13
• sock goblins: W1, W3
• shadow: C1
• Dots: R20, BV04, V25 & V28

Size of finished card: 5.5in x 4.25in
Envelope: fits standard A2 envelope.
 

Welcome to the Card Post

Welcome to the Card Post  

August 30, 2013

I recently (like 5 months ago) discovered YouTube.  Oops!  Can of Worms - opened.

Darn.

I've been learning a TON of card techniques from my fave channels.  And of course, shopping around for the materials to replicate some of these amazing cards. 

my fave YouTube Channels:

Connie Stewart
website: www.simplysimplestamping.com

Why I like her: Connie is a stampin' up demonstrator.  She posts these video series' that she calls Flash Cards and Flashcards 2.0.  LOVE THEM!   Using her template, she shows you how to pre-cut cardstock.  And when you "need a card in a flash", you can pull two pieces of pre-cut card stock and a card base to make your card.  She's super creative, easy to follow, and minimizes wasted materials.  She finds a use for most scraps!  I love her beautiful cards.

Darlene DeVries
website: www.darlenedesign.com

Why I LOVE her: Darlene is awesome. I want to be like Darlene when I "grow up".  She is not a stampin' up demonstrator, so she can use any materials she wants...  She uses all types of stamps and supplies from various manufactures.  I love how she blends materials from different companies: Stampin' Up and Copics, Hero Arts and Tim Holtz, Simon Says Stamp, There She Goes Stamps...etc... etc....  She's super creative and everything she touches looks so professional.  She doesn't make things complicated - she makes it look easy! She also tells you where she buys all her materials, or at least the brands.  If I had to recommend only one YouTube channel, I would recommend Darlene's.    However, there are several more I really enjoy and want to share with you too...

Brandy Cox
website: www.brandyscards.com

Why I like her: Brandy is the crafting momma next door. She is quarky and her demos are so cute.  She is also a stampin' up demonstrator, so her YouTube demos and website only show stampin' up products.  She is totally down to earth.  If she makes a mistake on camera, rather than edit it out, she shows you how to fix it or cover it up. I super appreciate that!  She demos everything from punch art to card boxes to notepad covers. 

Tami White
website: www.stampwithtami.com

Why I like her: Tami is hilarious.  She has me giggling all the time.  She is a stampin' up demonstrator and demos only stampin' up products.  I have bought a number of stampin' up stamp sets just so I could replicate a few of her cards.  She's super creative and her cards always look so sleek.  love it!

Kristina Werner (Star of May)
website: www.kwernerdesign.com

Why I LOVE her: Kristina is another stamp wonder!  She currently works for SimonSaysStamp and designs their monthly card kit.  She is another person who demos all kinds of products, although my favorite demos are of her copic tutorials.  She is easy to follow and has beautiful results. 

Sandy Fleming
website: http://stampwithsandy.blogspot.com

Why I like her: Sandy is MY stampin' up demonstrator.  She doesn't have a YouTube channel, but she does post detailed instructions and pictures of her cards on her blog.  Super easy to follow, super cute cards.