Too Cool Stamping

"Last Thursdays" Blended Block Silhouettes Cards

Too Cool Events & Specials!

• NEW Too Cool Stamp Club—Group 2 Signups Now Open!
  
• Buy 3, Get 1 FREE Designer Paper - Thru July 31
• You're Awesome 20% off MDS Print Products - Thru July 31
• 50% Off Paper Pumpkin Kits—Ends September 10
  
• Blendabilities Markers Now Available!
• Browse the NEW Annual Catalog Online PDF 

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Paper Pumpkin Kits—Save 50% For 2 Months 

Right now is a great time to try Paper Pumpkin Kits.  Thru September 10, subsribers will receive 50% off their first two month's papercrafting kits!  Leran more.

Use Promo Code HALFOFF2 when you sign up at www.MyPaperPumpkin.com

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Hi Stamping Friends!

 

I still have some openings for my "Last Thursdays" card class tomorrow. Want to join us?!  Simply RSVP by today, July 30, at 5pm. 

 

 

 

Today, I'm featuring the final card that we will be creating at tomorrow's event.  In case you've missed the other projects, here is a peek at what we'll be creating!

July's "Last Thursdays" Projects

• Moonlight Woven Paper Cards—Choose either the Lost Lagoon or Blackberry Bliss color combination from the Moonlight Papers.
• Gifts of Kindness Square Cards—Try a square card with a fun Window Frame die-cut extension.
• Endless Birthday Wishes Tag Cards—Create a fun background with washi tape and sequins.
• Blended Color Block Silhouette Cards—Stamp a beautiful color blend with a clear-mount block. 

See Complete "Last Thursdays" Class Details!

RSVP Today to reserve your spot at my local class or order your Class-To-Go Kit.

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Here's a closer look at the Blended Color Silhouette Cards...

   

If you're participating in my "Last Thursdays" class, you are going to love this simple and stunning technique using a clear mount block.  

  

Inspired by Mary Brown at Stamper Camper.

Blended Block Stamping—The color block on the background is greated by inking up a clear mount block, spritzing it with water, then stamping with it directly on the paper.  Here's how:

 

• Start by inking the top 2/3 of a clear block with the lightest color.  I used Soft Sky on an "H" size block.

 

• Then, ink up the bottom 2/3 of the block with the medium color.  I used Marina Mist.

 

• Finally, ink the bottom 1/3 with the darkest color.  I used Night of Navy.

 

• Lightly spritz the block with water using a Stampin' Spritzer.

   

• Stamp the block on your card stock.  When you first lay it on the paper, the color will bleed and blend, then almost immediately you'll see the ink being absorbed into the paper.  It's cool to watch it, actually.  Wait for the ink to be fully absorbed (the "movement" under the block will stop) before you lift the block. 

 

• TIP: If you don't have enough water, the color won't blend smoothly and you'll get more of a distressed background like my Night of Navy color above.  Still cool, just different.

 

Silhouette Stamping—Let the blended block background dry completely, then stamp your silhouette image over the top in either StazOn Black or Memento Black ink.  My wildflower image comes from World of Dreams, but there are some awesome silhouettes in both Summer Silhouettes and Serene Silhouettes, as their names imply.

   

Finishing Touches—I added a sentiment from Too Kind to the 3-3/4" x 5" Whisper White background, mounted it on a 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" Soft Sky layer, then tied some retired Soft Sky Seam Binding around it.  It's adhered to a Night of Navy card base and I added one Rhinestone Jewel to the corner (oops...I cropped that corner right out of my photo!).

  

On my second version, I used the blended block technique on a size "D" block.

   

I had lots of water on the block and I love how the it made the edges uneven.  This time I stamped the World of Dreams birds nest image over the top and added a sentiment from Bloom with Hope.  Yay, I didn't cut out the trio of Rhinestones in this photo!  LOL.

Complete Supplies List

• Stamps—World of Dreams (wood), Too Kind (wood) card #1, Bloom With Hope (wood) card #2
• Ink—Memento Black Ink; Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Night of Navy Classic Ink
• Paper—Night of Navy, Soft Sky and Whisper White card stock
• Accessories—Soft Sky Seam Binding (retired), Rhinestone Jewels
• Tools—Clear Mount Block H (card #1), Clear Mount Block D (card #2), Stampin' Spritzer, SNAIL

Find all the supplies to create this project & more at my Online Store!

RSVP For The "Last Thursdays" Card Class Today by 5pm! 

Hope to see you there!

Angie

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Don't Miss These!

• NEW Project Life Product Line—Quick & easy memory keeping system!
• Pre-Paid Paper Pumpkin Subscriptions—Now available for easy ordering!
• NEW Arrivals—See the latest product releases!
• Weekly Deals—New specials announced every Tuesday!

Sunday Showcase—Let's Get Ready To Bundle!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Today's Sunday Showcase is a little more informative than inspirational, but hopefully you'll find it to be a helpful resource. You may even want to bookmark this post so you can reference it when you are ready to order.

Save 15% When You Purchase In Bundles!

Have you noticed all of the too cool Bundles in the new catalog?  There are LOTS of them! 

In fact, many of the most popular new stamps and accessories are conveniently bundled together and offered at a 15% discount!  Woohoo!

Unfortunately, when you're flipping through the catalog, and especially if you don't yet have a catalog (contact me if you don't) and are looking online, those money-saving bundles are easy to miss!  I've had way too many customers order the products individually and lose out on the discount.  Heck, I even mistakenly ordered two of the products separately because I forgot there was a bundle. 

It's even more confusing that there used to be some bundles that are now retired (ie: Secret Garden Bundle and Oh, Hello Bundle).    

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A Complete List of All Current Bundles

Let's take a quick look at ALL of the bundles that are currently being offered.  I don't want you to miss a thing!

Backyard Basics Bundle (wood)—Backyard Basics stamp set & coordinating Backyard Basics Framelits.

 
Beautifully Baroque Bundle—Beautifully Baroque single wood stamp & Beautifully Baroque Texture Impressions Folder. 

 
Chalk Talk Bundle (wood)—Chalk Talk stamp set & matching Chalk Talk Framelits.

Flower Shop Bundle (wood)—Flower Shop stamp set & coordinating Pansy Punch.

 
Label Love Bundle (wood)—Label Love stamp set & matching Artisan Label Punch.

 
Mosaic Madness Bundle (wood)—Mosaic Madness stamp set & matching Mosaic Punch.

 
Six-Sided Sampler Bundle (wood)—Six-Sided Sampler stamp set & coordinating Hexagon Punch.

Wildflower Meadow Bundle (wood)—Wildflower Meadow background stamp & Wildflower Meadow Texture Impressions Folder.

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Other Great Bundles To Know About

There aren't just stamp and tool bundles.  You can 15% off save on these products, as well!

Tag A Bag Bundle—Includes Tag A Bag treat bags and Tag A Bag Accessory Kit for decorating.

• 10 food-safe Kraft bags with White chevron ombre print, each 5-1/4" x 8-1/4"
• 10 large base tags
• 10 medium builder tags
• Baker’s Twine, 20' each of 3 colors: Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Bermuda Bay
• 10 mini clothespins
• 5 Smoky Slate self-adhesive strips, each 12"
• 40 Stampin’ Dimensionals

Tag A Box Bundle—Includes Tag A Box gift boxes and Tag A Bag Accessory Kit for decorating.

• 8 sturdy Kraft boxes, each 6-7/8" x 2-1/8" x 2-1/2", and acetate sleeves
• Food-safe
• 10 large base tags
• 10 medium builder tags
• Baker’s Twine, 20' each of 3 colors: Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Bermuda Bay
• 10 mini clothespins
• 5 Smoky Slate self-adhesive strips, each 12"
• 40 Stampin’ Dimensionals

Show & Tell Bundle—Includes both the Show & Tell 1 and Show & Tell 2 Photopolymer stamp sets, plus an downloadable Online Class so you can maximize your creativity with these sets. 

 
What To Washi Bundle—Includes 12 rolls of Washi Tape, plus the What To Washi Online Class to maximize your creativity with washi tape.  

Clear Block Starter Bundle—Includes three of the most popular block sizes to get you started. 

Clear Block Bundle—Includes one each of every size of clear block.

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So, did you discovering any new bundles that you didn't know about?  Be sure to bookmark this post for easy reference the next time you order. 

Start Saving On Bundles!  Order from my Online Store now!

Thanks for stopping by today's Sunday Showcase!  Our Too Cool Demo Team event is tomorrow and we always take home lots of great project ideas, so I'll have lots more project ideas to show you next week.

Angie

Merry Moments Class-To-Go & One-Layer French Foliage

The Online Extravaganza continues on today with dozens of items discounted from 20% - 50% off—now through Wednesday, November 28, 2012!

See the complete selection of sale items at my Online Store! 

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Merry Moments Scrapbook Class-To-Go Deadline Extended!

The December 2nd class registration is now closed, but I'm extending the deadline for the Class-To-Go option in case there are any other crafters that want to take advantage of this awesome kit! 

You'll get all the pre-cut supplies, ready-to-assemble into 20 beautiful, 12x12" divided scrapbook pages.  The kit comes complete with photos and tips for assembly.  Plus, you'll keep all the leftovers!

Order now and you'll be all ready to go as soon as you have your holiday photos taken!  Or, purchase a kit or two as gifts to make for grandparents, or to give to your scrapbook friends! 

Kit Includes:

• Pack of Divided Page Protectors ($7.00 value)
• Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' Kit ($25.84 value), pre-cut and ready-to-go!
  
• Pearl Jewels ($5.83 value)
• Additional ribbons and embellishments.

Cost: $45 pre-paid, or just $35 if you place a qualifying order.* Wow!  That's only $2.25 per page, or $1.75 per page if you place an order!

12x12" Linen Album Option: Add $30 if you would like to purchase a beautiful 12x12" Linen Album to hold your scrapbook pages!  Choose from Crumb Cake or Early Espresso ($35.26 value).

*To qualify for reduce Class-To-Go price, order must be placed at the time of registration via email, phone or in person.  Online, Club, other class, and workshop orders do not qualify. No refunds.  Minimum $50 order. Linen Album option does not qualify as part of the minimum order.  All orders will be shipped Priority Mail and billed at actual cost.  There is no additional shipping if the kit can be picked up at my Too Cool Stamping Studio in Fort Wayne, IN. 

Contact me today to register for your Merry Moments Class-To-Go!

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I've been showing lots of holiday cards, but I realized that I only have a few days left to focus on Fall and Thanksgiving!  Whoa!  How did that happen?  Well, I'm gonna sneak a couple leaf cards in under the wire...

I know you're not going to believe this, but I made a one-layer card!  ME!  ONE.FLIPPIN.LAYER.  It's an amazing feat, I know, but I am truly happy with the results of these two cool cards featuring the gorgeous French Foliage stamp set! 

I started by clear block stamping with my "H" Clear Block!  That's right!  Ink that block right up in some More Mustard Classic Ink, then lightly mist the block with water using a Spritzer Bottle, and stamp onto the Very Vanilla Card stock.  The new Firm-Foam Ink Pads work great for this technique! 

TIP: When stamping onto your card stock, if you press firmly and wait for a couple seconds for the ink to soak into the paper, you'll get a better block shape. 

Then, I simply stamped each of three French Foliage leaves in different colors: Midnight Muse, Old Olive, and Raspberry Ripple.  I like that they're not the traditional colors...it's a fresh, clean look!

My second card is done the same way, but I added in some additional background images to give it more of a collage look.

The water droplet image was inked in Old Olive, then stamped off once before randomly stamping over the card.

I also added the French script inked in More Mustard, and also stamped off once before applying randomly.  And, if you click to enlarge, you may be able to see some of the pretty Champagne Mist Shimmer spray that I spritzed over the entire card—so pretty!. 

The "Thank You" is from the Lacy & Lovely stamp set inked in Midnight Muse to match the card base.

Complete Supply List:

• Stamps—French Foliage and Lacy & Lovely
• Ink—More Mustard, Midnight Muse, Old Olive, and Raspberry Ripple Classic Ink
  
• Paper—Midnight Muse and Very Vanilla card stock  
• Accessories—Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, rubbing alcohol (for spray mixture)
• Tools—Clear Block H, Stampin' Spritzers, SNAIL

Find all the supplies to create these projects and more at my Online Store!

Angie

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Holiday Catalog Quick Links!

• See Holiday Catalog PDF
• Browse Holiday Catalog by Flash Player
• Shop Holiday Catalog Items Online
• Holiday Stampin' Supplies List - for samples in the catalog

November Promos Quick Links!

• Ink-redible FREE Ink Pads—For Hostesses & New Recruits!
  
• New Single Stamps now available for a limited time!
• Online Extravaganza—Now thru November 28!
  

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Sunday Showcase: Five Fantastic Fall Projects

12 Days Countdown Calendar Kit & Class Reminders

Sunday Showcase: Sandi Dailey's Fall Projects

Well, it's officially Fall and it sure feels like it all of a sudden...brrrr!  It's my favorite time of year!  I love the smells of a firepit, hoodies & jeans, apples & pumpkins, the crispness of the air, and especially the beautiful autumn colors!  Unfortunately, this year I think we're gonna get cheated on the colors because of the summer drought.  But, we can still create colorful leafy projects!

Today's Sunday Showcase features some amazing projects that Sandi Dailey shared during her presentation at Ronda Wade's Creative Convention earlier this month!  She had some fantastic ideas and tips on making your Fall projects fabulous!  You can check out more about her projects at her blog, Another Chance To Stamp: I Am Fall.

 

Let's start out with Two Cool note card boxes featuring the autumn colors from the Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper decorating a Kraft Gift Box. 

 

Photo by Sandi Dailey from Another Chance To Stamp.

Here is a close-up of one of the Orchard Harvest Designer Fabric flowers...so pretty!  Looks like she scrunched this torn fabric around the top of a Jumbo Sticky Rounds adhesive circle and topped it with a Naturals Designer Button.  The other fabric flower is twisted as it's adhered and it's topped with an Antique Brad. 

She's got some beautifully sponged and embossed Autumn Accents Die leaves peeking out from the flower.  More on those in a bit.

Photo by Sandi Dailey from Another Chance To Stamp.

We didn't get to see the lovely notecards with Mini Envelopes that fit inside the box, but Sandi has them on her I Am Fall blog post.  What a pretty 3x3" notecard set created with the French Foliage stamp set!  An awesome gift idea! 

So let's talk about leaves!  These are Too Cool!  Sandi used the Autumn Accents Die to create a pile of leaves that she had spread about her display table and used as embellishments on several projects.  It's a super fun idea for decorating for Fall festivities! 

Some leaves are embossed with the Woodgrain Impressions Folder, then inked, spritzed, sponged and crumpled.  Other leaves are die-cut from more Orchard Harvest paper and scrunched.  But, my absolute favorites, and the ones that look most realistic, are the ones she created with the packing paper that we receive in our Stampin' Up! orders.  It's thin kraft paper, or butcher paper!

Make Your Own Kraft Paper Leaves

• Die-cut several layers of leaves with the Autumn Accents Die.
• Sponge with oranges, greens, yellows and reds, as desired.
• Crumple, then ink the scrunched piece by running it lightly over an Early Espresso Ink Pad.
• You could add Clear Embossing or a clear spray sealer for a glossier look.

Sandi added some of these awesome leaves to her Orchard Harvest Thanksgiving place setting.  I love how she made Orchard Harvest Designer Fabric napkins, topped with a Labels Collection tag silver embossed with the Silver Setting ala carte stamp.  What a beautiful way to set a Thanksgiving table!

I can't wait for her to blog more about this super-cool project!  I can't tell if she used tiny leaf punches, or maybe leftovers from the die-cutting, but these mini leaves make fun accents for this seasonal scene.  I see images from Lovely As A Tree, Forever Young, and Serene Silhouettes.  Wow!

Sandi used a Reverse Masking Technique and Wonderful Watercolor Crayons to make this lovely watercolor card.  It's featured on her blog: Wonderfall. Also features Early Espresso Baker's Twine, and an Antique Brad.

She used a Clear Mount Block to stamp a colorful block background for more Autumn Accents die-cut and Woodgrain Folder embossed leaves.  Also features: Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon and Blooming With Kindness stamp set. 

Remember the Triple-Time Technique?  Sandi used a variation of that technique with the French Foliage set on this multi-panel card.  So pretty!  Also features: Always Artichoke Seam Binding, Loving Thoughts stamp set, and Brushed Bronze Buttons.

A special thanks to Sandi Dailey for sharing her Fall-tastic projects with us!  Wow!  So many great ideas!  Looks like this autumn will be pretty colorful after all! 

Angie

Gently Falling Clear Mount Block Stamping

Have you ever used your Clear Mount Blocks to stamp a background?  It's really a beautiful effect!  Check out my Two Cool cards using this technique...

 

I CASEd this design from Ann Clemmer at her StamperDog blog.

Clear Block Stamping: See those three square backgrounds behind the Gently Falling leaves?  Those are made with the A Size Clear Mount Block!  The blocks ink up surprisingly well and lay down a lot of color, even though it doesn't seem like much ink is sticking to the block. 

I can't wait to try this with larger sized blocks! 

Inked Impressions: The other panel is embossed with the Houndstooth Impressions Folder.  I tried inking it in two ways. 

The first card I embossed the card stock first, then lightly rubbed my Pool Party Ink Pad over the top of the texture.  That worked very well on this bold design, and I got a deeper saturation of color.

The second card was made by inking the Impressions Folder, then running the card stock through the Big Shot (you can get a FREE Big Shot when you sign up to become a demonstrator this month!). You can see more details on how to do this technique at this post.

If you look at the closeup, you can see that my inked, embossed image is a little smeared.  The card stock moved a bit when the pressure was applied to it. 

I was reminded by Darla Eigenschink during our Team meeting, that there is a tip to avoid the blurry-inked look.  TIP: Run your Impressions Folder sideways through the Big Shot, that means the long side goes in first.  There is less "play" in the folder when it's pushed side-to-side. 

Oh, now you tell me!  See, I'm really not qualified to do this job! 

Complete Supply List

• Stamps—Gently Falling, Perfect Punches
• Ink—Spice Cake DSP, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, More Mustard Classic Ink Pads 
• Paper—Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Whisper White card stock
  
• Accessories—Rhinestone Jewels (card #2)
• Tools—Clear Mount "A" Block, Scallop Oval Punch, Extra-Large Oval Punch, Houndstooth Impressions Folder, Big Shot, SNAIL, Dimensionals

Order all of the supplies to create this project at my Online Store!

Angie

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You Can Have A FREE Big Shot!

Inked Impressions is just one more of the gazillion cool thiings you can do with the Big Shot.  How about getting a Big Shot for FREE (with no shipping)!  You can with this month's Big Shot Promotion! 

Buy the Starter Kit this month, and you'll get a FREE Big Shot, or $100 in FREE product!  You only have until October 30th, so ACT NOW!  The Kit contents are already at 40% off retail, plus you'll be able to enjoy at least a 20% discount on your orders for at least 6 months!  You could even use the opportunity to start your very own crafting business for super cheap! 

Contact me today for more details.