Roses are Red...Sometimes

It was a little over a year ago, last Summer, when I made my first paper rose. That's it below. I was pretty pleased with the results...a pretty color combo and the resulting flower looks almost real, especially when you photograph it sitting on a climbing plant! LOL

Paper roses are beautiful attached to gift boxes and bags instead of bows, and they are easy to make. I have received many compliments on the original rose, so I decided it was time to make another one with my club members! We did a red rose using Real Red card stock edged with Cherry Cobbler Classic ink. We used a total of 18 petals to create the whole flower.

The hardest part of the whole process is taping the petals down. I recommend double stick tape since it's strong...but maybe a little liquid adhesive for the final center pieces since the "tab" holding them down is kinda small.

Here's a rundown of the process:

1. Punch 18 petals in any color of card stock using the Ornament Punch (119847 $16.95).
2. Use the "Direct to Paper" method to ink the edges of your petals. Make sure you do BOTH sides! Sponging works too, but I didn't find it very effective on darker colored card stock.
3. Punch a circle in the same color card stock as your petals. I used the 1-3/8" Circle Punch (119860 $15.95).
4. Curl your petals around the handle of a stipple brush, a marker, a pencil, or anything that you have on hand.
5. Begin taping them down to the circle, layering 4 petals that aren't as curled (you can flatten them some leaving them slightly curved), then adding 4 more in a staggered pattern.
6. Keep building in sets of 4, staggering each time and ending with the last 2 petals in the center. They should have the most curl!

Here's a view from the bottom of a paper rose...

Stampin' Supplies (Red Rose): 
PAPER - Real Red
INK - Cherry Cobbler
OTHER - Ornament Punch, 1-38" Circle Punch, Stipple Brush (for curling), Double Stick Tape

Just 3 More Days...

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/sally/promotions

Top 10 reasons why YOU should become a Stampin' UP! Demonstrator: 

10. Never pay retail for crafting supplies again

9.   100% Support from SU!, you don't even have to be creative

8.   Bonuses and other perks from SU! such as the monthly magazine exclusive to demonstrators
7.   Craft with your friends and call it a workshop
6.   Flexible hours

5.   Attend corporate events such as regionals, convention, and someday leadership!

4.   Meet demonstrators who shares your love of crafting
3.   Be your own CEO
2.   Earn cash $$$$$$$$$$...
1.   Do what you love most -STAMP!

With the current promotion ending on Sunday July 31st, you can get $185 worth of quality SU! products for only $99, that's nearly half off! Go to my promotions page to see the list of items included...you also get a bonus Christmas Keepsake Kit, so cute!

If you are like me and you love to stamp, you're already spending plenty on your "hobby" so why not join and spend less. Please contact me if you want more information. I would love to share this amazing opportunity with you!!!

Altered Art and Secret Compartments

A really, really, REALLY long time ago I did this challenge where you take a hardcover book and convert it into a unique photo frame. I actually thought it was so long ago that I hadn't ever blogged about it, but I checked my archives, and wow, it is in there: http://stampinsally.blogspot.com/2007/07/read-any-good-books-lately.html

In all the time I've had this fun frame within view, I've often thought, why not carve out the INSIDE of the book and make myself a SECRET COMPARTMENT?! Everyone should have little hiding places for their treasures, and while this particular book is just begging to be picked up and held, I couldn't resist altering it further!

I didn't want the compartment to be just inside the cover so I skipped a few pages before I started cutting. I used a metal ruler and a craft knife to cut into the pages as many at a time as the knife would penetrate. Once you have the first few pages removed you don't need a straight edge anymore. But you do have to hold the cover "up" to keep the pages straight as you're cutting. To be honest my hand got pretty tired before I made it to the end, so I set this project aside for a couple of days before I completed the cutout.

Once I had all the pages cut to my preferred depth, I began adhering the pages together, starting with the back pages. I was using a liquid glue with a foam brush at first, but the pages were puckering a bit so I switched to Snail Adhesive. Either way is very time consuming, and I'm actually not really done yet, but the end result will be worth it!

I never throw anything away, and if you are a true crafter, you are probably hoarding some things for "that special project" that will come along someday. I used a lot of these cut out pages to make a layered die cut flower.

Of course I sponged them with ink to give them more appeal before I layered them together. The flower stem is also made of paper. It's a card stock strip that I just folded in half lengthwise and pinched it all the way up to distress it a bit. It's actually inserted into the bottom three or four layers through a small hole and then the rest of the flower is layered on top holding it all together.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Love & Care*
PAPER - Tangerine Tango, Certainly Celery, "First Edition DSP"

INK - Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Distressing Essentials Tea Stain

OTHER - Glass jar, Sponge, Top Note Bigz Die, Fun Flowers Bigz L Die, Textured Impressions Vintage Wallpaper, Satin Ribbon, Button
*Summer Mini

Stampin' Up! has many GORGEOUS packs of Designer Series Paper. One 12x12 pack called First Edition would give you the same look as above and also be archival safe. That's a pretty important feature when you plan to use it in your scrapbooks with photos. Here's a look at this paper pack:

Item No. 121878 - 24 sheets for $12.95

Best Dad Ever

Here are a few cards suitable for Father's Day. My daughter Sydney (she's 9) said the perfect Father's Day card should have footballs and beer on it! LOL Well, that is a good thought, I'll have to see what I can come up with for next year. Maybe she will draw them on the card she makes! ;)

This first card we made at Stamper's Club last Friday. It's a matchbook card...a fun card style I hadn't done in a while. The front of the card is tucked into a small flap at the bottom, just like a matchbook! To do this yourself, you just need to score and fold about 1" on one end and then measure 5.5" to the next score and fold. The center section is the back of the card.

I used an 11.5x4.25" piece to start. The front of the card should be a little short...you don't want it to meet the bottom fold, you'll have to leave it about a half inch shorter than the back so you can staple the flap up and have room to tuck it inside. My staples are hidden under the ribbon, but there are two of them under there!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Best Dad Ever*, All Holidays** (inside)
PAPER - Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Perfect Plum

INK - Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze

OTHER - Curly Label Punch, Marina Mist Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Crimper
*Summer Mini
**Retiring as of 6/30/11

The second one is another variation of the same card...even without beer and footballs I love this stamp set! It's called Best Dad Ever. The neckties are one stamp, and that's how I used it on the card above. I figured since I was using my markers to make them each a different color, why not stamp them one by one!?

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Best Dad Ever*
PAPER - Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Perfect Plum

INK - Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze, StazOn

OTHER - Marina Mist Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Crimper
*Summer Mini

I kinda hid this one at the bottom of this post...my dad isn't one of my blog subscribers, but he is on Facebook and I don't want him to see it until I give it to him! :)
I spent every Summer as a kid at the lake or sailing the ocean because of his love of boating! When I saw this "a la carte" stamp in the Summer Mini I fell in LOVE with it!!!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Sail Away*  
PAPER - Confetti White, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Bravo Burgundy
INK - Not Quite Navy Craft
OTHER - Cherry Cobbler/White Bakers Twine*, Textured Impressions Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool
*Summer Mini

Happy Father's Day to all you GREAT dads out there! :)

3D Flower Medallions

The first trick to making one of these is to cut your card stock into a long strip. This one was 1-1/2" wide by 9" long before trimming.

Choose a punch to use down the length. In this example I used the Scallop Trim Border Punch. Scallops always work, but so could nearly any design.  Punch along the length of your paper strip.

Then using your bone folder, score at small intervals all the way down your paper strip. I use my paper trimmer, just run your bone folder into the cutting grove. Score at the "valleys" for scallops, with other punches look for the repeating pattern and choose a "natural" location for the folds.

Fan fold the whole strip...don't worry if it's not perfectly even, it won't matter!

Now look at your ends, feel free to trim a small amount to even things up, and attach the strip end to end creating a circle.

Next we "flatten it" and use a liquid adhesive on the peaks of the paper folds.

Glue it down to a paper scrap that measures at least 1"x1."

Hold your medallion between your fingers for a few minutes to let it set.

You need to sandwich your flower Medallion for stability. So repeat the process with a punched circle or any other "flower center" you'd like to use. Here I tried out the new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch. Have fun with these medallions, they can be used to decorate many different items.

Here's a card adorning a flower medallion. This one was the full 11" long. It passed the envelope test, but I wouldn't recommend trying to mail a card with one this thick. Did you also notice the rich color of the stamped butterfly? It's embossed with one of SU!'s new colored embossing powders, Melon Mambo.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Bold Blossom*
PAPER - Pear Pizzaz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Melon Mambo

INK - Pear Pizzaz, Daffodil Delight, VersaMark
PUNCHES -  1-3/4"Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, 1" Circle Punch

OTHER - Melon Mambo Embossing Powder*, Basic Rhinstones

*As featured in the Summer Mini
Sale Dates May 1 - Aug 31

Try making one of these today...it'd be a fun Summer activity to do with the kids! :)
 

Mini Scrappin'

Travel Log is a really fun stamp set! We love to take road trips as a family every year and I can see myself using it on lots of scrapbook pages to come. It's on page 12 in the Summer mini and it includes 8 stamps. This little 6x6 scrapbooking page uses 5 of them.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Travel Log
PAPER - Pacific Point, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry

INK - Pacific Point, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry

OTHER - Decorative Label Extra-Large Punch, Pacific Point Marker

May is National Scrapbooking Month...just 3 days left to order any of the 10 select stamp sets offered for 30% off! Visit the Promo Page of my website for more details.

This is another little 6x6 that I stamped with the beautiful flourish image from Strength & Hope.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Strength & Hope
PAPER - So Saffron, Paisley Petals DSP

INK - Peach Parfait

OTHER - Scallop Trim Border Punch, Trinket Keys, 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Strength & Hope
Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from every purchase of this stamp set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide.

Something for Thomas

A little card I whipped up for my bosses birthday last month. :)
Click on the image to see it in more detail.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Birthday Bliss, Medallion
PAPER - Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray (textured)

INK - Real Red, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

OTHER - 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips

A Quick Card and a Sneek Peek

This was a quick card we did at my last stampers club workshop. This pretty designer series paper is called Paisley Petals and the stamped image is from Four Frames. It coordinates with the Decorative Label Extra-Large Punch which I love and have used often! 

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Four Frames, All Holidays
PAPER - Sahara Sand, More Mustard, Whisper White, Paisley Prints DSP

INK - Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy

OTHER - 5/8" Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Decorative Label Extra-Large Punch, Eyelet Border Punch  

Both the stamp set and the DSP will be available with the release of our new catalog this Summer...however, when you spend $20 you can order the paper and/or the stamp set right now! This is a special only during the month of April, after that you'll have to wait for the new catalog in July.

Visit my website (sally.stampinup.net) and click on [SHOP NOW] to see all the stamps and fun paper crafting accessories available. If you have any questions, or need help with ordering, don't hesitate to contact me.


Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper
12 sheets of 6 double sided designs: 
 item 122367 | $9.95
Featured Colors - Bravo Burgundy, Tangerine Tango, Marina Mist, River Rock, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Early Expresso and Whisper White.

Four Frames Stamp Set
Wood Mount: item 123440 | $20.95
Clear Mount: item 123442 | $15.95


Decorative Label Extra Large Punch
item 120907 | $16.95
Featured in the Occasions Mini
Sale Dates Jan 4 - April 30

Cool Beans!

Grab a bag of Stampin’ Up! products! Only available through online orders on my website, you can choose $5, $10, or $15! The $15 Grab Bag contains at least $60 worth of discontinued products. It won't have stamps or tools, but you can expect to receive any combination of products like the following: 

• Ribbons
• Accents & Elements
• Chipboard
• Designer Series Paper
• Simply Sent kit components

No refunds or exchanges are available, all grab bag sales are final.

I'm Stylin' ;)

I had a little surprise in my email inbox yesterday...My friend Norma gave me kudos in the form of a blog award! Thank you so much Norma, I'm honored to be one of your recipients! I'm surprised she picked me when I've been such a bad blogger lately. I didn't even post ONE thing last month...can I use my birthday as an excuse? lol

As a "Stylish Blogger" I am supposed to share 8 things about myself and pay it forward to 8 other bloggers.

1.  I have been trying to eat better, but the weight loss that should come with it is not happening as fast as I'd like it to.
2. I spent almost the entire day outside Sunday...did a little yardwork, but mostly just enjoyed being outside sitting on my patio watching the wind blow through the tree branches.
3. I am so far behind on laundry I'm wearing my last pair of clean undies today.
4. One of my long time dreams is to go skydiving, I'd really love to learn to fly a plane, but I think skydiving is a more obtainable goal!
5. I ran the dishwasher on Saturday and still haven't unloaded it...that's what kids are for. lol
6. My favorite "holiday" is Halloween!
7. The last movie I saw on the big screen was Tangled.
8. I love life and tend to look at the bright side of every situation.

Here are 8 blogs for you to check out that I really enjoy:

1. Shelli - So Shelli
2. Kalyn - Kalyn's Kitchen
3. Ree - The Pioneer Woman Cooks
4. Amanda - Diary of a Wanna-be Green Girl
5. Elanah - The Real Suburban Housewives
6. Jill- Scary Mommy
   
7. Susan and Janice - 5 Minutes for Mom 
8. Photojojo

Too Many Pictures!

I had a crop yesterday, and I feel somewhat accomplished since I managed to complete a double page spread. I have several incomplete layouts that I pulled out to focus on, but it just wasn't in me to finish any of them.  I also had some fun Easter photos from 2007 to work with...a bazillion of them actually, so that's what I did!

I started with one of my sketches, but mainly I just looked at it for positioning, and moved on. If I'd had a printed copy it would have been the exact same layout, but it's pretty close. I love these Big Designer Buttons, aren't they fun!?

I used the Color Spritzer Tool with a Garden Green marker and refill bottles of ink in Tangerine Tango and Melon Mambo to make drips and spots on my Newsprint Designer Series Paper. I also blotted it with a paper towel, which made some pretty neat textured spots too! You should have seen my paper towel afterwards...looked like I had a MAJOR nose bleed! lol

This is the second page. Because I had sooooo many pictures, I decided to make a mini album right on the page. I cut some card stock 4" high by 7" wide,  scored it at 1" intervals and then fan folded it so I could use it to mount the pictures on.

I used my 2-1/2" Circle Punch to make tabs for turning the pages.

Here's another look with the mini book opened up. I had a lot of fun working on these pages! :)

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Word Play, Well Scripted
PAPER - Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Pacific Point, Newsprint DSP, Sunny Garden DSP

INK - Ruby Red (to edge the paper), Tangerine Tango, Garden Green, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight

OTHER - Sizzix Naturally Serif Alphabet, Decorative Label Extra-Large Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Sweet Stitches Big Designer Buttons, Pop Up Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Yellow Grosgrain Ribbon, Color Spritzer Tool

A Small Change with BIG Impact

This is my small area in our shared "studio." It has evolved over the last two years and I truly love my space, but there is so much more I'd like to do in this room to make it more functional. One thing I thought would be simple was mounting a towel bar to the wall to hang my punches on. I have seen many other crafters post pictures using this idea and I have been in love with the idea ever since.

BUT...yeah, here's the thing...I used a stud finder to check for studs to mount the bar, and it wasn't going to work. POO! So I've had these bars stashed in the corner with the intention of figuring out an alternative, and I have! After the patio cover we built last Summer I was looking at these leftover pieces of plywood and my light bulb went off...I could mount that to the wall and then it won't matter where the wall studs are!

I bought myself some pretty fabric to cover the board and had my handy husband screw it right to the wall. We mounted two bars, and loading them up with these punches I was able to empty out two of my "skinny" drawers. I'm so happy!!! :)

Isn't it awesome? Here's a closer look: