Too Cool Stamping

Frosted Windowpanes Techniques

Have you seen the cool new Beveled Windowpanes in the Occasions Mini? 

I was inspired to experiment with them after seeing a demonstration at Leadership by Kelly Acheson.  And, I discovered some fun, new ways you can use these versatile little accessories to add a pretty and unique accent to your stamped projects! 

I'll be sharing my discoveries over the next week, but let's start with something that I happened upon during my explorations—Frosted Windowpanes!  It's a completely new look that I've never seen anywhere before!  (Maybe I'll be a trend-setter!  Teehee!)

  

Isn't the Frosted Windowpane SO pretty and vintage-looking!?  I love, love, love this technique!  And, the pictures don't do it justice!  All I did was lightly sand the Windowpanes with a Sanding Block.  Too Cool!

For this one, I sanded the entire piece, back and front, including the beveled edges. But, you could also experiment with just sanding the bevels, or the top and not the bevels.  I tried only doing the underside, but you can't really tell it is frosted while it's lying directly on a stamped image.  However, there is another reason that sanding the underside is useful...

Stamping & Coloring On Frosted Windowpanes

The thing I REALLY love about the frosted Windowpane is that ink sticks to it!  I stamped the butterfly image from the Dreams du Jour stamp set on the back with StazOn ink, and it applied easily without smearing due to the light texture.  Then, I used Markers to color in the butterfly.  I let it dry completely (you could use a Heat Tool to speed up the process). The ink stuck and the colors stayed true!  Woohoo! 

Can you tell that the bevels are inked, too?  After frosting them, I rubbed each bevel over the Soft Suede ink pad for some light coloring.  I thought the results were fantastic!  The ink also hid my use of SNAIL adhesive that I used under the bevels to attach the Very Vanilla cardstock to the backside of the Windowpane (after threading my ribbons through, of course). 

Vintage Wallpaper Distressed Background

I tried something a little different on this dry embossed piece.  The full-card photo doesn't really pick it up, but you can see it a little better on this closeup.  I antiqued the cardstock—really distressed it!

First I added texture to the Soft Suede cardstock with the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder.  Then, I sponged on Very Vanilla Craft Ink over the whole piece to give some highlights.  Lastly, I sponged the entire piece again with Early Espresso Classic Ink to add in some lowlights.  I want to play with this technique more!  I think it would look amazing in other color combinations, don't you?

Supplies Used

• Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla cardstock
• Ink: StazOn Black, Very Vanilla Craft, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry ink & marker, Elegant Eggplant marker, Daffodil Delight marker
• Stamps: Dreams du Jour, Occasional Quotes Hostess set (sentiment)
• Accessories: Windowpanes, Rich Razzleberry 3/8" Taffeta, Daffodil Delight 1/8" Taffeta
• Tools: Crimper, Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder, Sanding Blocks, 1-3/4 x 7/8" Oval Punch, Sponges.

Last Day For January Secret Blog Candy!

One more day to enter to win the Too Cool Secret Blog Candy for January!  Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter!

We'll see more Windowpane techniques tomorrow!

Angie

Too Cool Demo Team—January Showcase!

My awesome team of demonstrators shared some beautiful projects at our team meeting this week.  Let's see what some of them made...

Kari Heitmann used the ala carte Be My Valentine heart stamp, bedazzled with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter for this pretty card.

Kari also shared an easy-to-make treat holder for Hershey's Nuggets!  She found a decorative cello bag, added a Pretty In Pink card stock backer, and a Cherry Cobbler Top Note header.  The header is decorated with 1/4" Pretty In Pink Grosgrain Ribbon and some a silver glitter Full Heart punch. 

  

Kari created another Nugget Treat Holder, similar to one that Carmen Debruce did in this post.  You can find the Top Note Nugget Holder tutorial at Yvonne Metz's blog.

This is a sleeve that slips over a box of Conversation Hearts, also created by Kari.  Cute idea!

And, Kari made this elegant Valentine for her husband!  Beautiful!  She covered her Full Heart punch with pink glitter, but wouldn't it be cool if there was more colors of Glimmer Paper?

I was so excited that my brand new recruit, Jodi Geers, brought something to share!  She doesn't even have her Starter Kit yet, but she created this lovely card using the Great Friend stamp set!  Nicely done!

   

Darla Eigenschink created this card using the Button, Button stamp set.  I love the color combination of Perfect Plum, Pear Pizzazz and Baja Breeze!  She added some Dazzling Diamonds to some of the buttons, too!  She also used the Eyelet Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, White Taffeta Ribbon and the Occasional Quotes Hostess stamp set. 

  

Darla also created a whole batch of cards with the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper.  She said she got 30 cards out of five sheets of DSP using this design.  The Tasteful Trim Die was used for the scallop border.  Other supplies: Just Believe stamp set, Modern Label Punch, Silver Brads, Hemp Twine, and Tangerine Tango, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Early Espresso Markers.

  

Finally, Darla shared a cute paper bag album she had made with some a retired Simply Scrappin' kit.  She used a video tutorial she found on Dawn Griffith's blog: Paper Bag Album.  Did you know that you can set the Jumbo Eyelets back-to-back for a finished look on both sides of the binding?  Find out about this and more tips on using the Crop-A-Dile at Alana Galagher's blog: Crop-A-Dile tutorial.

  

And, I saw these cute Owl Punch cupcake toppers on Darla's facebook page a few days!  Now, why didn't she bring these to share at our meeting, I wonder?!!  YUM! 

*************************

Fun stuff!  Thanks for sharing, ladies!  I love to see what you all bring to share with us each month!

Are you interested in becoming a demonstrator?  If you're in the Fort Wayne, IN, area, you are welcome to check out our Too Cool Demo Team monthly meeting to see what it's all about!  We share project ideas, try out new products, learn tips and techniques, and more!  Contact me for details!

Until next time...

Angie

Red Glimmer Valentine's Nugget Box

  

Here's a sweet treat you can make for your Valentine!  This cute slider box holds four wrapped Hershey's Nuggets!  Easy to make, fun to give!  It's a great idea for little Valentine's favors at school parties, for co-workers, for weddings, and more!

The box is made with the Matchbox Die and, although you don't need any adhesive on the bottom, I used Sticky Strip on the sleeve because SNAIL won't hold the Glimmer Paper very well.  The Nuggets are wrapped with Basic Black card stock cut in 1x3" strips and adhered with SNAIL.  TIP: If you don't adhere the card stock to the Nugget, you can slide off the paper sleeve to see what flavor it is.

Supplies Used: Red Glimmer Paper, Matchbox Die, Black Satin Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, Love You Much stamp set, Basic Black Classic Ink, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Small Heart Punch, Basic Grey, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock, SNAIL, Sticky Tape.

Project inspired by Mary Fish: All That Glimmers...

Now Is A Fantastic Time To Buy The Big Shot!

With Sale-A-Bration in full swing, it's a great time to consider buying some of those larger items on your Stampin' Up! wishlist—like the Sizzix Big Shot! 

For example, when you order the Big Shot, Matchbox Die, and Extended Cutting Pads (a must to use the Matchbox Die), you'll not only will you be able to select three Sale-A-Bration items of your choice, but you'll also qualify for Hostess Benefits!  That means you can choose a Level 1 Hostess set, and $15 in free merchandise from any current catalog!  You'd be getting about $80 in free products—it's SO worth it!

Order Online Now to save!

Until next time...

Angie

Leadership Highlights—Project Ideas!

At every Stampin' Up! event, you come away with LOTS and LOTS of ideas and inspiration!  I wanted to showcase some of my favorite projects that I saw at Leadership...and oh, it was so tough to narrow down my pictures for this blog!  This doesn't even begin to cover all the awesome card samples that were being swapped and featured on the display boards.  It is completely overwhelming in a truly awesome way!

I'm not going to spend a lot of time with details of each project, so if you want to know more about how it was made, please leave a comment below!

First, let's see some of the cute projects that Shelli and crew featured during our Main Stage presentations.  I was taking photos of the Jumbotron, so they aren't the best pictures, but you'll get the idea.  Please ignore all the crazy cameras being held up in the air...mine was as well, so I can't complain!  Haha!  Click to enlarge to see the details.

An invitation created on My Digital Studio, accented with Basic Pearls by Sara Douglas.

A On Board Art Journal decorated with Springtime Vintage DSP and Beautiful Butterfly die-cuts by Shelli Gardner.

Closeup of an Easter Blossoms card by Shelli.

Tag created by Shelli with Two Tags Die and Clearly For You stamps set.

Closeup of a Nature Walk card by Shelli.

   

Card created by Carrie Cudney with Sew Suite stamps and Sweet Stitches Fabric.  And, a whole bunch of yo-yo fabric flowers!

  

Pin cushion button jar created by Carrie Cudney.  Love that Pompom Trim!

Springtime Vintage Fabric flower and pleats on a card made by Carrie Cudney.

Now for some other projects I found on display boards, in friends' swaps, and even from other demonstrators sitting near me!  Inspiration was everywhere!

Cute dress made from Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric on the product display wall.

  

Binder cover front and inside with pockets, sewn from Springtime Vintage Fabric created by unknown fellow demo who was sitting next to me.   

Full Heart punches featuring Red Glimmer Paper, and all colors of the Glass Glitter.  This was on an product display.

  

Chipboard heart pin, painted with Black Craft ink and adorned with Antique Brads.  Brads were adhered with Crystal Effects after the shanks were removed.  And, earrings made from the Vintage Adornments. 

A swap card created by Jackie Walker. 

Swap card created by Joanne Rolston with Easter Blossoms and Springtime Vintage DSP.

Swap card created by Karen Duke.  She used Awash With Flowers upside-down for the dress, combined with All In The Family!  Cute!

Swap card created by Mary Anne Pane with Be My Valentine ala carte stamp.

Swap card created Sharon Field with the Framed Tulips Folder and the Sale-A-Bration Bliss set.

Swap created with Nature Walk set and Botanical Gazette DSP, by unknown artist.

Well, I'm gonna stop there...I could go on and on with all of the super cool projects on my camera.  I wish I could share them ALL!  You'll have to come with me next year, if you want to see everything! 

Stamp with you later!

Angie

FREE items for every $50 Order!  See complete details or Shop Now!

 

Leadership Highlights—Goodies Galore!

I still have so many things I want to share from Leadership!  There is so much that we experienced—it was a jammed packed, fun-filled two and a half days—it's hard to fit it all in a few blogs! 

Between the Manager's Reception, the helpful business classes, the Main Stage presentations, the Grand Opening Night Party, the sit-down lunch and dinner, Momento Mall, Ronald McDonald House Charities cardmaking, and Make & Takes, they kept us busy from 8am to 10pm each day!  Whew! It was absolutely fantastic!

  

I think I mentioned how "surprised and delighted" I was about all the FREE stuff we received—it was incredible!  In addition to the stuff we received at Manager's Reception, these were all the items I accumulated throughout the event! 

Each day after our Main Stage presentation, we were given a packet of freebies!  Above is a picture of everyone dancing with their Red Glimmer Paper, Glimmer Brads and Glass Glitter packages as the music is blaring and the Stampin' Up! staff was racing down the aisles handing them out!  Talk about excitement!

The second day our package was a piece of Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Sweet Stitches Designer Buttons, Something To Celebrate Level 2 Hostess set, and the So Much To Sale-A-Brate Digital Content CD for My Digital Studio (you can earn this for FREE with Sale-A-Bration!).

We also picked up some Paper Daisies, Windowpanes and Trinket Crowns at some of the demonstrations booths during our Opening Night Party! 

Although I didn't win a prize from the Prize Patrol (we each got a colored button and if they called your color, you won a prize from the Patrol at various times throughout the event), but I did win another exclusive prize!

  

One of the presenters was Richard Garay, who is the lone male in the Stampin' Up! Top 100 Demonstrators.  He showed us some projects using the Oh Sew Suite products from the Occasions Mini, and was wearing an apron that was made with the Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric.  When his demo was finished, they had 8 handmade aprons to give away to people with ribbons tied to their chairs...and I won the one he was wearing!

  

Another sweet treat was that we were served dinner on the first night and lunch on the second day (by an awesome wait staff at Opryland, by the way!).  Each meal came with a delectible dessert: cheesecake for dinner, and a Twix carmel torte (that was SO much better than the candy bar!) for lunch.  There was sea salt on top of the chocolate and it made your tastebuds tingle!  Yummy!

Another highlight was shopping at Momento Mall, which has promotional products that are generally exclusive to the event!  We were allowed to shop as they called our button colors, and while we waited, we made cards for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  I was the last color called.  Boo!  But, that did give me a chance to sneak a picture with Stampin' Up! CEO Shelli Gardner and her husband Sterling.

  

Once I got inside Momento Mall, there were lots of fun stuff to buy!  Here are some of the items I came home with...

  

Magnetic bookmarks in the In-Colors.  I had to take a picture of one of the display frames holding projects with the bookmarks.  So creative!  They had a frame in each In-Color (click to enlarge for project details).

  

I loved the Baja Breeze travel coffee mugs, even though I don't drink coffee!  And, to go along with the purse that we received on the first day, there was a matching wallet and purse holder.  Too Cool!

     

I couldn't resist the Cherry Cobbler scarf with a pattern from the Friends Never Fade stamp set!  And, I had to have both the Rich Razzleberry tee with Jayne's Type letters, and the Baja Breeze ruffly sweater—my two favorite Stampin' Up! colors!  Love, love, love those!

Wouldn't YOU Love To Be Spoiled By Stampin' Up!?

Can you believe all the fun stuff Stampin' Up! provides at Leadership?!  They completely SPOIL their demonstrators!  Wouldn't you like to join me next year in San Antonio! Become a demonstrator now and you'll have plenty of time to qualify for this awesome event!

Join now during the Sale-A-Bration promotion, and you'll not only receive a 15% discount off your Starter Kit, you'll receive a free Bonus Bundle of products worth more than $50!  Offer ends March 31!

Find out more about the ongoing benefits of being a demonstrator and joining my team, or contact me today and we can talk about this awesome opportunity! 

Angie

 

 

 

 

It's Time To Sale-A-Brate!

Woohoo!  Are you ready?!!!

It's time for the coolest, most ultimate, super fun, and free-tastical Stampin' Up! promotion of the year—Sale-A-Bration—now through March 31!  And this year it's more exciting than ever before! 

3 Easy Ways To Earn FREE Products!

1. $50 Orders—For every $50 order, you can select one FREE Sale-A-Bration product of your choice!  Order Online now!
2. Host A Workshop—Host a workshop of at least $300 and earn fone FREE Sale-A-Bration item of your choice, in addition to the generous hostess benefits!  Contact me today!
3. Join Stampin' Up!—Become a demonstrator during Sale-A-Bration, and receive 15% off your Starter Kit!  Plus, get a bonus product bundle filled with more than $50 in FREE products!  The Bonus Bundle includes a Color Coach, any Simply Sent Kit, any Simply Sent stamp, and any $16.95 punch!  Learn about all the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, then sign up today! 

Check Out Awesome Sale-A-Bration Flyer Items!

This year, there is a fantastic variety of free items to choose from—stamps, Designer accents kit, Décor Elements, even digital content for My Digital Studio!  Plus, there is an additional list of catalog stamps sets you can choose from, as well! 

See the complete selection of items in the Sale-A-Bration Flyer!   

Schedule Your Sale-A-Bration Workshop!

Sale-A-Bration is the perfect time to host a workshop!  Guests tend to purchase more to earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration sets, and that means more FREE goodies for you!  Check my Event Calendar for days that I'm free, then contact me to schedule!

Can't wait to stamp with you during Sale-A-Bration!

Angie

 

Sweet Valentine Masked Heart Card

  

Here are a couple card examples from the workshop I'm doing today.  I CASEd this beautiful, masked heart card from one created by Tami White.  You can see a video tutorial on her Stamp with Tami blog: Masked Heart Tutorial.  (She also shows you how to mount clear stamps in the video—very helpful!)

Background Details: The background is embossed with the new Framed Tulips Impressions Folder.  Then I layered some Pretty In Pink Designer Paper from the Love Patterns Pack (only available through Monday!), as well as a large scallop, Whisper White border from the Tasteful Trim Extended Die.

Masked Heart Details: I punched a Full Heart from some scrap paper, and temporarily adhered it with Dotto Adhesive to my 3x3" Whisper White cardstock.  Using a Sponge Dauber and Pretty In Pink ink, I sponged around the heart mask.  TIP: Always sponge from the heart outward so you get nice gradation in your color (no severe ink lines), and so that you don't accidently move the edge of the mask.

Next, ink the En Francais background stamp in Crumb Cake, lay it on the table rubber-side up, and lay your masked heart piece on top.  Hold the piece firmly in place (so you don't smear it), and burnish the entire piece.

Adhere a piece of 3x3" Vellum Card Stock to the top corneres of the image with Silver Brads.  Then, stamp an image from Define Your Life (click to enlarge above) in Early Espresso ink.  Be sure to allow the ink to dry; it will take a little longer than normal since the vellum is not as porous.

Sentiment: I used the "sweet valentine" sentiment from the Something To Celebrate Level 2 Hostess set (which I received FREE at Leadership!), inked with Early Espresso and punched with the Modern Label Punch.  The greeting is layered with either a Modern Label Punch or Curly Label Punch that's cut in down and adhered as a frame.

Filled With Love Promotions—Only Two Days Left!

There's still time to take advantage of the Filled With Love Promotion, but hurry!  It ends Monday, January 24th!  Purchase the Filled With Love Bundle, which is the stamp set and Love Patterns Designer Series Paper, and receive a package of Bitty Buttons for FREE.  You can also purchase the Love Patterns Paper separately, which is great for use with any Valentine's project!  

Until next time...

Angie

 

Nature Walk Thank You Cards

I used the new Nature Walk stamp set to create these cute little 3x3" thank you cards.  The background is stamped with the Sanded stamp in River Rock.  Then the flower from Nature Walk is stamped in Bravo Burgundy.  The "create" comes from the Charming set, and is inked in Not Quite Navy.

There are three techniques going on in this project:

Watercolor Crayons: I stamped the butterfly on the background, as well as on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla, in Basic Black permanent ink.  I colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons, then smoothed the colors with a Blender Pen.  I cut the colored butterfly out, and popped up one side with Dimensionals.

Painting with Shimmer Paint: I used a wet brush dipped in Champagne Shimmer Paint to add some shimmer to the wings of the butterfly and the flowers.  Click the photo to enlarge. 

Scrunchy Seam Binding: I pulled a thread in the middle of the Crumb Cake Seam Binding to make an easy, gathered look.  I saw this first on Mary Fish's Scrunchy Satin Ribbon video, then saw Shelli Gardner do it with Seam Binding.  Wow—it works so much easier with Seam Binding! 

At Leadership, I discovered how lovely Champagne Shimmer Paint and Crumb Cake Seam Binding look together!  Both have a similar color and both glisten beautifully in the light.  Be sure to try this combination!

And, speaking of combinations...I used the Color Coach to come up with the Baja Breeze, Bravo Burgundy and River Rock combination.  I was looking for something a little different.  I wish I would have had some River Rock ribbon—that would have been perfect—but Crumb Cake is a nice substitute.  Whenever you need a little color inspiration, the Color Coach is a very handy tool!

Until next time...

Angie

Leadership Highlights - Make & Takes Part 2

Congratulations To My New Team Member!

First of all, I want to congratulate the recipient of the FREE Starter Kit...my newest Too Cool Demo Team member...Jodi Geers!  I'm so excited that she is joining our team and I'm looking forward to helping her grow her stamping business!  She told me that she already has a booking in the works!  Woohoo!  If you know Jodi, help her get her business off the ground by booking a second workshop with her during Sale-A-Bration!

Make & Takes Part 2

Yesterday, I posted about some of the fabulous Make & Takes we created on our last day of Leadership: Clearly For You Card, DVD Notebook Holder, and Springtime Vintage Brooch.

Today, is Part 2 of our Make & Takes, featuring beautiful Simply Adorned Jewelry! 

      
Have you seen this line?  It's on p189 of the current Idea Book & Catalog.  It's a beautful selection of high quality chains and charms that can be decorated with your stamped artwork!  Larger charms have beveled, tempered glass on the front and back, and all charms come with lobster clasps for secure attachment to a 24" or 34" chain or 8" bracelet. 

We received a 1-1/2 x 2" Charm and 34" Chain, and created three inserts for our new jewelry!  I was so excited!  Check it out!

Valentine's Amour Insert

   

Using our Clearly For You free set, we clear embossed the background on Basic Black for some shiny texture.  Next we stamped on a sheet of Botanical Gazette DSP, tore the corner so the background would peek through, and curled up the edges for extra detail (click to enlarge). 

The Small Heart punched from Red Glimmer Paper makes this an elegant Valentine's themed charm, but imagine how you could switch out inserts for ANY occasion or to match ANY outfit!  Love it!

   

Of course, no Simply Adorned jewelry would be complete without a dangling trinket of some kind!  We adorned ours with a Trinket Key tied on with 1/8" Black Taffeta Ribbon! 

We received a long piece of 5/8" Black Satin Ribbon to use as the chain for this one...I had never thought to use a ribbon instead of the chain.  That's a great idea, especially if you want to save some money and focus on decorating the charms. 

The back is just a simple stamp on more DSP.  You could definitely spice up that side, too, but we only had so much time at our event!

Shimmering Blue Birds Insert

 
  

This insert is a great way to show how much room there is between the beveled glass panes in these charms!  I used Dimensionals for the sentiment and it's layered on top of two pieces of ribbon.  You can definitely create some amazing 3-D artwork in there!

The background was sponged with Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake.  The stamps are from the Clearly For You set—they are the perfect size for this project! 

We outlined the bird images with Crumb Cake Marker, then painted them with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to make them glisten (click to enlarge to see the detail).  We added two 1-1/4" scrunched scraps of ribbon: Crumb Cake Seam Binding and Victoria Crochet Trim.  Just another reason to save all your scraps!

  

I added this charm to a 24" chain that I had already purchased (I used the 34" one we received on the next project).  I wanted you to see how nicely constructed the chains are!  They are lightweight, yet very secure, with an easy-to-use toggle clasp and decorative clasp charm (the mini charm by the toggle). 

We received the Trinket Key, Trinket Crown and Vanilla Pearl Bauble to decorate our chain, and those are all sold separately.  As someone who used to create hand-made earrings with glass beads and crystals, I can tell you that these trinkets and baubles are very high quality and are competitively priced!  

The matching back insert (at right) is another piece of Botanical Gazette DSP.  I'll have to stamp something on it...it's way too plain!

Oh, I don't think I mentioned that each piece of Simply Adorned jewelry you receive comes beautifully packaged in a lovely, padded, brown box...

This is the box for the charm, but the chains and baubles all come in separate boxes, which makes it perfect if you want to give it as a gift!  Stampin' Up! never goes half-way with their products!  Awesome!

Springtime Vintage Monogram Necklace

This was the piece de resistance of the Simply Adorned Make & Takes!  We created a pretty monogrammed insert (that also matches the Springtime Vintage Brooch), and a matching tied-ribbon, 34" chain!  Love, love, love it!

  

We sponged and stamped with Baja Breeze, Rose Red and Crumb Cake, then added a Basic Black monogram from the Broadsheet Alphabet set.

Talk about scraps!  We used the teeniest little bits of paper and Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric to make a mini collage!  When I was tearing my paper, I noticed one piece said "The blossoming."  "Blossom" is my word for the year!  Too Cool!  I had to add that to the top and it's my favorite part of this piece!  Well, that and the Rhinestone bling! 

The chain was fun to make, too!  First , we weaved a long strip of Baja Breeze Seam Binding in and out of the links and tied off the ends.  Then we tied ribbon and fabric—more scraps!—to the chain, and added the trinkets and bauble we had received (I just transferred them from the previous project—they are interchangeable!).

This one had another simple Springtime Vintage DSP back that will have to be jazzed up! 

I had SO much fun creating our versatile jewelry!  I was very surprised that the charm wasn't very heavy considering its size.  I think it would make a fabulous Christmas ornament filled with photos or beautiful holiday stamped images. 

What type of insert would you put in your Simply Adorned jewelry?  Who would love to receive one of your Simply Adorned creations as a gift?  Let me know in the Comments section!

Angie

 

 

 

Leadership Highlights—Make & Takes Part 1

One of my favorite parts of Leadership was the Make & Takes! 

We kept getting little glimpses of all of the projects we were going to be making on the last night, and it ended up being a complete "surprise and delight" each time a project was revealed!  (Shelli said at Convention that they were going to keep surprising and delighting us!) 

Usually, at the Convention Make & Takes I've experienced, we create several basic cards and a simple 3-D item, like a box.  To tell you the truth, I've never gotten very excited about the projects, because they weren't very unique or challenging.

That wasn't the case this time!  Not only were the projects exciting and fresh, they were challenging, showcased a lot of product, and frankly, weren't very inexpensive to make!  More spoiling!  Too Cool!

For You Card

  

This was one of the basic cards, because you can't have Make & Takes without doing at least one card, right?!   Our free Leadership stamp set was the Clearly For You set from the 2011 Occasions Mini.  We used that set for all of our projects, so you'll see how very versatile it can be.

Card Details: Card base is Baja Breeze, crimped half-way up with the Crimper Tool.  We rubbed a VersaMark Ink Pad over the crimps to accentuate the "depth" of the lines.  We added VersaMark randsomed stamped images to the Baja base, and the Old Olive piece.

The Soft Suede circle was die-cut with the Circles #2 Die, crumpled, then distressed with Soft Suede Ink.  Next, we added a 3/8" Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon with a "for you" tag.  

The Petal Card Punch was used to create the Crumb Cake layer, which was also randomly stamped with the flower image in Soft Suede.  The butterfly image was colored with More Mustard and Cherry Cobbler Markers, then cut out and layered on a crimped 3/4" punched circle. 

DVD Notebook

  

We also made a cute, and very functional, notepad holder out of the plastic DVD cases like the cases for the Clear-Mount stamps.  Did you know that you could buy empty cases?  You can! 

You're supposed to fill the case with a decorated 5x7" notepad.  I first saw this project at Jackie Bolhuis' Klompen Stampers blog: Easy Gift Idea. 

Here is a picture of one of her projects opened to show the decorated notepad.  She used a 5x8" mini legal pad that she had cut down to 5x7" at her local office supply store.  The chipboard backing slips right into the DVD pocket to hold it into place. 

You can see more of her samples here: DVD Notebooks.

Project Details: We used the Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper for the base and the Top Note die-cut.  The Crumb Cake Wide Oval Punch is stamped with images from the Clearly For You stamp set in Early Espresso Ink, then layered on an Early Espresso Decorative Label punch.

Crumb Cake Seam Binding is wrapped around the spine of the case and a Victoria Crochet Trim bow is tied to that.  They also gave us a Trinket Key to dangle from the ribbon, but I decided to take it home to use on another project. 

Fun Flowers Brooch

The most fun project we created (in my opinion, anyway) was a pretty, vintage fabric flower brooch!  It's so lovely!

  

I loved this project!  It's created with the new Fun Flowers Die and Springtime Vintage Designer Series Fabric...Too Cool!

   

The basic fabric flower is super easy to do!  This one is made with six large flowers, three medium flowers, and three small flowers.  Once you have them die-cut from the fabric, lightly spray them with starch, crumple, then loosely uncrumple, and let them dry. 

Once they were dry, we just glued them together with a hot glue gun.  For interest, we added a layer of designer paper punched with the Circle Scallop punch (should be available again soon), as well as a Paper Daisy that was painted with Champagne Shimmer Paint (oooh, I loved the look of this!).   We also added some loops of Baja Breeze Seam Binding and tails of Victoria Crochet Trim.

I stacked everything directly on top of each other, so my flower is pretty full.  You could also offset some of the flowers to make the brooch a little wider and flatter. 

Finish it off by hot gluing a barrette or a pin on the back (near the top, so the flower doesn't hang funny) and you're good to go!  Or, add even more embellishments...

We adorned our flower with a small Windowpane highlighting a butterfly image glistening with more Shimmer Paint.  The beveled Windowpane is threaded with Crumb Cake Seam Binding, and attached with hot glue. 

Finally, we used a 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon to tie on a Trinket Key.  I love those little dangly Keys—so much fun!

Well, what do you think?  Do you like these Make & Take projects as much as I did?  Would you be interested in making the flowers or DVD Notebook in a class?  Let me know in the Comments Section (and be entered to win blog candy!).

And, that wasn't all!  We created more awesome Make & Takes—Simply Adorned Jewelry!  I'll show you those projects next time!

Until then...

Angie