This week for the Keep Christ in Christmas Insta Hop, I pulled out some of my retired products to create a beautiful focal image of Bethlehem town.
I die cut the village scene from Basic Beige, Mossy Meadow and Garden Green Cardstock, layering the Basic Beige die cut with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then I added some extra trees in Garden Green. The actual die is long enough to fit across the entire card but I wanted to create a different look with this die.
The little village scene was added with Dimensionals and a little bit of glue at the bottom so it would sit under the torn paper. You can substitute the main image with some of our current products like the Yuletide Village stamp set which has a beautiful church image in it.
My card has been inspired by the colours of Sunday Stamps Challenge #SSC349 where we had to use a minimum of 3 colours. All these colours together are such an elegant palette.
At this point, I really was missing Evening Evergreen – one of our retired colours. It would have been the perfect shade of green for this challenge.
I chose Mossy Meadow/Garden Green, Basic Black and Gold.
I tore up some paper from the Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper then die cut it with the Spotlight on Nature circle die. This created a cohesive look as I was able to perfectly align it with my Basic Beige circle. You could do this technique by adhering the paper first to the Cardstock and die cutting it all together.
The sentiment I chose is from another retired Night Divine stamp set on a label which I made smaller to fit the sentiment. To do this, re-align your die over the image and run it through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine until you get your desired size.
TIPS
While this project features some retiring products, it’s filled with ideas to inspire your creativity today! Here are a few tips to help you adapt and personalise it using what you have in your stash:
CASE the Sketch – The sketch I used is versatile and can be transformed to suit your needs. Try swapping the circle for a different shape or even an image that complements your design.
Add Texture with Torn Paper – Get playful with paper! Tearing it creates lots of texture and adds an organic, artistic feel to your projects.
Layer Your Die Cuts – Bring dimension to your designs by layering die cuts. Experiment with colours and textures to make them pop!
Resize Your Die Cuts – Adjust the size of your die cuts to better suit your project. Sometimes, a little tweak makes all the difference.
Think Outside the Box – Look for other products that can be used in unexpected ways. In this project, I cut apart a card from the Calming Creek Mix & Match Cards & Envelopes to create a striking panel for this card.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a Blessed Sunday!
My handy hint for you today is to do with assembling the new cling stamps. I for one absolutely love that our stamps have gone from clear and wood to cling. You still get the the same great rubber stamp image but you don’t have to worry about the stamps falling off the blocks.
I thought I’d share this tip with you because it’s something I learned as a result of a mistake. Now, it maybe something you already know but it’s worthwhile sharing so you don’t make the same mistake I made. The image stickers that come with the cling stamps are S-T-I-C-K-Y. They stick to anything they touch.
In this photo you will see what I did.
I took the backing off one side and then released the other side which immediately got stuck onto the other half of the image. That sticker is clingy! It was stuck really well and I had to work calmly to pull it apart without ripping it. I was fortunate and this may not always work.
Here’s how I avoided it happening again. Remove the backing off one half of the image and position your stamp on top. Then place your finger between the section that has been attached and the other half you are going to pull the backing off. This stops the 2 halves from sticking together as it just sticks to your finger. Then release it gently and align on the rest of your stamp.
Hope this little tip helps you when you put these stamps together. If you haven’t tried them already, I am certain you will love the stickability of the new cling stamps.
Just recently I had the opportunity of participating in a swap with the Pennsationals team. If you are new to the ‘swap’ thing, it’s where you create a card or card front and make several of them to ‘swap’ with other demonstrators who in turn, will do the same. This gives you the fun of meeting new people and seeing what they create.
Our swap was around the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogues. I received 13 beautiful card fronts – all so different. It’s given me some great ideas for different suites and stamp sets.
When doing this mail-out, I thought of an idea I had come across whilst reading through a demonstrator site. I can’t remember who suggested it but if it was you, please holler. It was such a fantastic idea that I thought I should share this handy hint with you.
Today’s hint uses aqua painters. At $20 for 2 brushes in 2 brush sizes, this is great value. Aqua painters are great tools to seal envelopes. I tell you, this is such a time saver. These aqua painters make quick work of this tedious job. You could use it on your stamps too. I wish I had my aqua painter when I went to the post office to post my swaps. The water well was dry and I had to look for another one – would have been so much quicker with a brush. Perhaps an idea for Australia Post?
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Yes it can be done and it doesn’t hurt the stamp one bit although it takes a bit of courage to do it the first time.
I have a little tip for you today using the Butterfly Gala stamp set. This stamp set comes with 4 sets of butterflies – large and small – joined together. So when you stamp, you get 2 images. The benefit of this is that the Butterfly Duet punch will punch these 2 images at the same time.
However, there are times you may want to just stamp 1 of those butterflies. You could mask it off with a post-it-note or washi tape and that would fine for a one-off but if you wanted to stamp a background of butterflies flying in different directions, it could get messy and you would need a few post-it-notes. Today I was creating a card and wanted a background of stamped butterflies and I really couldn’t be bothered masking each time. So after a bit of thought, I took scissors to stamp, and cut them apart. It felt good. My butterflies were free.
How to Cut Apart Your Stamps
As these are photopolymer stamps, fine tip scissors work fine. You just need to make one clean cut across. If you need to stamp it together, they will fit back like a jigsaw puzzle (see last picture) and you will be able to punch both images together. No harm done. If it’s a rubber stamp, I recommend you use a sharp scalpel and the same method of a nice clean cut so you can put it together when needed.
This is the card I was working and it shows how I’ve used the larger of the butterflies as a background image. This would also come in handy when you want to add an image to the inside of your card or the envelope.
I hope this inspires you to look at your stamps to see what options you have if you cut them so you can get more use out of them.
The Simple Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder gives a classic image which is suitable for both men’s and women’s cards. I really like the clean look it gives on cards.
Yesterday I said I would give you a little tip on using it #TGIFC165.
When I first used it, I found my cardstock was ripping along the embossed lines due to the detailed embossing. To overcome this I had to try some different ways with the embossing folder. I know there are some other methods but this has worked best for me.
Usually when I emboss and teach classes I tell everyone ‘always put the joined end of your embossing folder in first’. Well… ignore me this time! Here’s the way I prepare it for the Big Shot prior to the top plate being put on.
You will notice the join on the left and yes, I have labelled my folder so I don’t forget which end goes in first.
Since doing it this way I haven’t had any issues with the cardstock ripping. If using Whisper White or Very Vanilla, I would recommend using the Thick Cardstock.
You can see in the photo that the Whisper White square has been embossed 2 ways to form squares. It’s another interesting effect you can get from this great product.
So today I had my first play with my Stamparatus. I guess I waited for a while because I wanted to set it up properly and not rush through it. I know there are several videos and tips how to use it. Hence my nervousness was the magnets and the delay in setting up. I think I had done too much prior reading! I have no idea why I waited so long. It is a breeze to use and such fun.
But first – the magnets. They are extremely strong. This is why they they are stored so far apart when they first arrive (I have alrady taken one out of its position in this photo).To get them out the best way is to twist and slide off the base. Don’t pull them up.
To make it easier to handle, I wrapped the magnet in duct tape leaving a little overhang on either end. This gives you something to lift the magnet with.Plain duct tape was a no go for me so I covered it in washi. Then store the magnets on the back of the Stamparatus.
Word of warning – dont bring the magnets remotely close together. While I was putting the duct tape I accidentally did this and they practically ‘jumped’ together and scared the living daylights out of me. This happened not once but 3 times. If they do get stuck together, don’t pull them apart just twist them and you will be all set to go. I think 1 magnet seems sufficient for regular stamping.
The content in this blog is the sole responsibility of Rochelle Laird-Smith as an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. The use of and content of classes, services or products offered is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up!
Plain duct tape was a no go for me so I covered it in washi. Then store the magnets on the back of the Stamparatus.
