Banners Framelits Video!

Several weeks ago I posted a card I made for the birthday of my wonderful Stampin' Up! upline Brian King. The card contains a crown made using cardstock and Stampin' Up's Champagne Glimmer Paper, which I cut using Stampin' Up's new Banners Framelits. These Framelits are on page 27 of the new Celebrate the Everyday Catalog. (You can see a PDF of this catalog along the right side of this blog.) They are designed for making banners but can be used for many other things. For the crown I made I used the three smallest Framelits. These Framelits coordinate with a new stamp set called Pennant Parade. The Framelits and stamp set are available individually or together in a bundle. Here is a video showing the Framelits and the Pennant Parade stamp set being used on a gift bag but you could just as easily use the same pieces on a card or to decorate a package. 






The Celebrate the Everyday Catalog is full of lots of other fun papercrafting products. Check out the super cute Word Bubble Framelits dies and the coordinating Just Sayin' stamp set on page 36. These would be great on any papercrafting project. If you don't have a demonstrator and would like a hard copy of the Celebrate the Everyday Catalog send me an email and I will get one in the mail to you!

To order click on the ordering tab above just under the header. You can email me  with any of your papercrafting questions or ask them in a comment below!

Quick and Easy New Year Card

I have a great, fast solution for those of you who really wish you had sent holiday cards but had too many constraints on your time during such a busy season. More and more people are waiting until after all the holiday hustle and sending New Year cards - and what could be easier than a New Year card with a My Digital Studio (MDS) template. All you have to do is insert a picture and you are done!! You can send it to Stampin' Up!'s Print Services or print it on your own printer. More information about using MDS is available on my previous blog post Chalkboard Christmas or by clicking on the My Digital Studio tab under my blog header. Here is a card that was made using the Hello New Year Postcard Template.

This template creates a 5X7 double-sided card. The sample pictured is made using Pool Party and Pumpkin Pie "ink" but in MDS these colors can easily be changed to any of Stampin' Up!'s colors. If you think you might like to give MDS a try you can download a trial version, good for 30 days, for free. You can then purchase the Hello New Year Postcard Template (or any of the other available downloads) and create and print projects. After 30 days you can decide whether you want to purchase the software for $19.95. Either way you still own all of the downloads you have purchased. MDS downloads can also be used in other software applications such as Photoshop Express. The Hello New Year Postcard Template can be purchased in the Stampin' Up! store.

To order click on the ordering tab above just under the header.  You can email me with any of your papercrafting questions, including MDS, or ask them in a comment below!

Happy New Year!

I recently saw a card that used the Stylish Stripes embossing folder with random skinny strips of Silver Glimmer paper. I loved it! What a great idea for any card that calls for bling. I couldn't wait to use it on a card and the New Year seemed like a perfect occasion! When I thought of New Year and silver I also thought of Midnight Muse. Here is the card I made.

I randomly adhered various thicknesses of skinny strips of Silver Glimmer paper into some of the grooves of the stripes. I found that varying thicknesses and random application of the strips made for a more visually pleasing element. (Which is a good thing since, for me, it is almost impossible to cut the strips exactly the same thickness!) While many embossing folders, like Wildflower Meadow, have a clear direction, others, like Chevron have no specific direction or like Square Lattice, have no direction at all. Also, while the look will vary, they generally can be used with either side up. You need to remember this when planning your cards. I had my card basically designed in my head but when I started to assemble the card I discovered a problem. I wanted to make a horizontal card with three party hats and assumed that the stripes would work fine with that design - but when I began to assemble the card with the side I wanted to use up, I noticed that the stripes flowed from the upper left to the lower right. I did not like that look, especially with the addition of the Sliver Glimmer paper.  I wanted the stripes to flow from the lower left to the upper right. I am not clear if it really would make any difference but it did for me! I finally decided I could create the illusion I wanted by using two pieces of embossed Whisper White and cutting the pieces into three sections and splicing the pieces to make one horizontal piece. I used thin strips of Midnight Muse to visually create the three sections and cover my seam. I realized two things after the fact. One, to add a little more bling, I meant to use Shimmery White cardstock instead of Whisper White but got totally distracted by the stripe issue (darn!); and two, I could have cut my finished embossed "piece" into three sections, shave a little off each piece where the sections would join and then mount them to an additional piece of Midnight Muse. That is an idea for next time!

Even in MDS, Stampin' Up! has an extremely limited selection of New Year stamps and none fit with my design so I created an MDS text box that said "Happy New Year!" in a font I liked. I printed it in MidnighttMuse "ink" on Whisper White cardstock.

I have some good news and some bad news for you. First, the good news is that tomorrow is the launch of the new Celebrate the Everyday Occasions catalog. I plan to post a PDF on the right side of my blog once it is available. The catalog contains lots of exciting new stamps, Framelits and accessories that I will be showing you over the next few months. Now the bad news. With the exception of the carryover items (see the carryover PDF on the right of this page), today is the last day to order from the Holiday catalog. This includes the Stylish Stripes embossing folder that I used here and which is not carried over. I really like that folder and find it to be very versatile. If you would like to have it you need to place an order today!

Hope you have a wonderful New Year!!

Supplies Used:

• Stamp Set: Pennant Parade (Clear-Mount 122742) (Wood 128697)
• Cardstock: Midnight Muse (126843); Whisper White (100730)
• Ink: Midnight Muse (126860), Versamark (102283)
• Tools: Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder (132174); Postage Stamp Punch (122344); Petite Pennants Punch (122361); Owl Punch (118074)
• Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder (109130); Basic Rhinestones (119246)
• Font: Viner Hand ITC

To order click on the ordering tab above just under the header or email me if you prefer. You can also email me with any of your papercrafting questions or ask them in a comment below!