Movie Night

It is so hard to buy presents for grandparents. They usually have everything they need already and might even be downsizing. So this year, we are teaming up with my husband's siblings to give his grandparents a movie night.

I got the tub of microwave popcorn from Blockbuster along with a $10 gift card (enough for 2 movies). Then we picked up some boxed candy at Wal-Mart to round out the offering. I think it came together pretty well.

For the actual movie night, we're planning to have the grandchildren act as ushers and we'll rent some classic movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's or something. I'm not really sure about that part because I was just in charge of the invitation. I had grand plans for this card, but in the end I ran out of time so I did a simplified CASE of Mary Brown's super cute card.

I used the ticket corner punch to make the sentiment resemble a movie ticket.

Stamps: Treat Yourself, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Basic Black, Yoyo Yellow Marker, Real Red Marker
Card stock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Aquapainter

Happy Holidays to all of you! This will probably be my last post before the new year.

What Cancer Cannot Do

My aunt is going through a rough time with her radiation therapy and I wanted to do something for her to be supportive. I figured if she doesn't like the message in the frame, she can just pop it out and stick her favorite photo inside instead.

This poem has been floating around the Internet for years. AS far as I know, the author is unknown. I printed the poem on whisper white card stock using the SU Harry Paul font from the Write Me a Memory® Journaling Fonts CD, Volume II. After printing the poem, I stamped the pink ribbon on top with classic ink so that the writing would show through. The mat was embossed with Pretty in Pink craft ink and clear embossing powder. Both the mat and frame are from Target.

Stamps: Hope Is…
Ink: Pretty in Pink craft & classic
Card stock: Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Write Me a Memory® Journaling Fonts CD, Volume II

And here is the full poem in case you couldn't read it in the frame:

Cancer is so Limited...

It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot demolish confidence
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit
It cannot lessen the power of the resurrection

~ Anonymous

Sporty Frame

In November, my younger cousin and his girlfriend had a baby. He's 4 years younger than me, so his being a father is a little weird. Anyway, he's always been a big sports fan and the baby's nursery is all decked out with Patriots and Red Sox gear. So, obviously his name frame needed to be a little over the top. I think this fits the bill nicely.

I stamped the baseball, basketball, football and soccer ball from the Good Sport stamp set all over a piece of whisper white card stock to make my own sporty patterned paper. Once again, I used craft ink for everything so that it won't fade over time. To color in the balls, I used an aquapainter and my Watercolor Wonder crayons. I had to use a really light touch with the aquapainter to keep the white card stock from pilling.

Since the background paper is pretty busy, I toned down the letters a little by only using 3 patterns. I love stamping images over the fabric textured background stamps. For this frame, I used the cute little stars from the Starstruck stamp set to tie into my sports theme.

Finally, I embossed the letters themselves in black embossing powder because I found that the white craft ink in the background was bleeding through the black craft ink. Embossing did the trick though and I think it makes the final product look pretty slick.

Stamps: Headline Alphabet, Good Sport, Just Jeans, Houndstooth, Canvas, Starstruck
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White, Brilliant Blue (all Craft ink)
Card stock: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Basic Black Embossing Powder
Tools: Snail Adhesive, Heat Tool, Powder Pal, Aquapainter

Just a note, the Good Sport, Houndstooth and Just Jeans stamps are all retired. :(

Time to Sell-A-Brate!

My Sell-A-Bration pre-order came on Friday and I finally sat down to work on my control freaks swap card. It's not exactly what I wanted, but this close to Christmas I think it's as good as it is going to get.

The color combination came from the Color Coach. This is a great tool that I use to break out of my shell and try different color combinations. I think it looks kind of 80s.

As always, when I need a little inspiration I look over the sketch challenges at splitcoast stampers. This time, I used sketch challenge 100. You should definitely give them a try. There's a new one each week!

Stamps: So Very, Happy Hearts, All in a Row
Ink: Lavender Lace, Basic Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Lavender Lace, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive

Veronika

I made this frame for my co-worker's daughter. They are Russian, so the spelling of her name is a little different. That's the great thing about making name frames. Anything goes! It would probably be really hard to find something with her name on it in this country.

I just love the new Big Things stamp set from the winter mini catalog. It coordinates so well with Little Things from the Idea Book & Catalog.

The frame is from Wal-Mart. I used craft ink for everything so it won't fade over time. And for a little extra glitz, I embossed the big things with iridescent ice embossing powder. When I was all done, I thought the E was blending in a little too much, so I used the paper piercer to punch holes all around the edges and then connected them with a black Stampin' Write Journaler to make it look hand stitched.

If you're in my neck of the woods, check out my name frame class in February. I'll do all the cutting and shopping and all you have to do is stamp. The frame is included in my class fee.

Stamps: Headline Alphabet, Big Pieces, Little Things, Label Classics, Paisley, Linen, Canvas
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Regal Rose (all Craft ink)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Barely Banana, Regal Rose
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler
Tools: Crafter's Toolkit, Snail Adhesive, Heat Tool, Powder Pal

More Coaster Info

I've received lots of questions about the coasters from yesterday. So I figured I'd address them all in a new post.

I buy my tiles from Lowe's. They are tumbled tiles and come nine to a box. I know it's kind of cheating, but I go through the box in the store to make sure all nine tiles are smooth on top. I figure that the people using the tiles to actually tile a wall won't mind if they get more textured tiles. :)

When you get the tiles home, they will be covered in a chalk like dust. So, you must rinse them off and dry them completely before stamping.

Once dry, stamp away. You can either use solid image stamps with different colors of Stazon or you can you a line stamp with black or brown Stazon. For the Santa, I used Jet Black Stazon. If you aren't planning to color in your tiles, you can stop here. Just set your tiles aside for 48 hours to let the ink cure before using them. I know that some people bake their tiles to set the ink, but I think this is completely unnecessary. Why do extra work?

To color in your images, load a Q-tip up with chalk and then rub in a circular motion on the tile. It's okay if the color is a little lighter than you'd like. Once you seal the tile the color will get brighter and more vibrant.

When you're all done coloring, take the tiles outside and spray two light coats of matte sealant on the tiles. I use Patricia Nimrock Matte Sealant which can be found at Wal-Mart or Michael's. I also let the first coat dry for 15 minutes before applying the second coat.

That's it. Once the second coat dries, your tiles are ready to be used. I've been using one at work for a couple of years now and it looks as good as the day I made it.

Tray of Coasters

Well the open house went fairly well on Monday night. I sold a bunch of retired sets and some stuff from the catalog. I did not sell any of these though.

I made six sets of coasters using the retired Yuletide Montage stamp set. I bought this set from my upline after it retired just to make coasters with the Santa. Isn't he perfect?

The tumbled tiles are from Lowe's (I think they have better ones than Home Depot.) I stamped with StazOn, rubbed the chalk onto the tile with a Q-tip and then gave two light coats of Patricia Nimrock Clear Matte Sealant that I bought at Wal-Mart. I'm planning then glued cork to the bottom of each one to protect the furniture.

I guess I'll just pack these away to use as gifts for next Christmas.

Stamps: Yuletide Montage
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels

Simple Snowflakes

I am part of the welcoming committee for one of my online swap groups -- the Exclusive Swappers. Anyway, I made a bunch of these cards to get ahead for the next round of new members.

I was inspired by this super cute card by jul716 on splitcoast stampers. I used three shades of purple on the snowflakes to add depth. The only embellishment is a line of piercings which was done with the paper piercer and template in the crafter's toolkit.


Stamps: Snowflakes, Warm Words
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Vintage Violet, Almost Amethyst
Cardstock: Whisper White, Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Crafter's Toolkit, Snail Adhesive

Holiday Open House

Tomorrow I am representing Stampin' Up! at my neighborhood's holiday open house. This will be the make-n-take for 19 lucky people. (That's all the supplies I have.)

This is a petal card from the die cut petal cards & tags on page 217 of the Idea Book & Catalog. It was super easy to make! The red petal card, and confetti white scalloped rectangle, belly band and 1 1/4 inch circle are all from the die cut sheets. The only thing I added was the bordering blue cardstock and 1 3/8 inch always artichoke circle. I used the new cutter kit to distress the edges of the bordering blue cardstock. I think these would make great party invitations, but for the open house, I just went with a holiday theme.

On the inside, I think there's room to include a wallet size photo or a nice holiday note.

If you're in the neighborhood tomorrow night, stop by! Here's the rest of the scoop.

Stamps: Hung up on the Holidays, Happy Everything
Ink: Real Red, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Always Artichoke, Bold Brights Petal Cards & Tags
Accessories: French Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1/8" circle punch, Cutter Kit, Snail Adhesive

Odd Combination

This card didn't turn out the way I was planning at all! In my head, it was pretty in pink and barely banana -- kind of soft and flowy. Somewhere along the way though, it took a surprising turn to rose red and vintage violet -- much more elegant than I envisioned. I'm not really sure where the colors came from. I just pulled them out and gave it a shot. After all, it's just paper right?

The layout is from sketch challenge 84 at splitcoast stampers. I especially loved the way that Trudee used organdy ribbon in her Marigold Petals card here.

This card features another way to use watercolor wonder crayons with watercolor paper. Instead of using the direct to rubber technique that I used for this card, I stamped the flowers and butterfly with Timber Brown Stazon ink on the watercolor paper. Then with my aquapainter, I picked up color from the bottom of my crayons and colored in the images. By using watercolor paper, I had more time to blend colors than I would have with cardstock.

Finally I stamped both the vintage violet and rose red layers with the Fine Lace background stamp to soften the layers.

Stamps: Butterfly of Happiness, Fine Lace Background Stamp
Ink: Rose Red, Vintage Violet, Timber Brown Stazon
Cardstock: Rose Red, Vintage Violet, Chocolate Chip, Watercolor Paper
Accessories: Ivory Narrow Organdy Ribbon, Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Regal Rose, Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron), Snail Adhesive, Aquapainter

Sweet Thanks

I am loving the new Loves Me paper in the winter mini. The colors are so me. This card is super simple to make, but uses a bunch of punches.

First I stamped the thank you flower on whisper white cardstock and punched it out with the new small tag punch. Then I punched the regular tag out of regal rose. The horizontal slot punch makes a nice little opening for the taken with teal tab made from the word window punch out. The pretty in pink brad helps tie the whole color scheme together.

This is my favorite layout to showcase tags. I've used it before for this birthday card and originally CASEd it from Jen McCracken whose original card I can't find online anymore but was CASEd here on splitcoast.

Stamps: Tagger's Dozen
Ink: Regal Rose, Cool Caribbean
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Cool Caribbean, Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Loves Me Designer Paper
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads, Small Tag Punch, Tag Punch, Word Window Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch

Happiness is...

I love butterflies. I think I might own all of the butterfly stamps in the Stampin' Up! catalog. So, when I got my Winter mini catalog in the mail and saw the Butterflies of Happiness set, I had to add it to my first order.

To get a soft watercolored look, I colored directly on the butterfly stamp with my watercolor wonder crayons. Then I sprayed the watercolor paper with water and stamped. This is my favorite way to use the watercolor wonder crayons.

Every layer of this card was stamped with the linen background stamp to soften it a little. I also used the cutter kit to rough up the layer behind the butterfly. I think this adds a whispy and airy element that looked perfect. To just stamp the word "Happiness", I inked up the single word with my basic black marker.

The layout is from sketch challenge 86 at splitcoast stampers.

Stamps: Butterfly of Happiness, Linen Background Stamp
Ink: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana
Markers: Basic Black
Cardstock: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Watercolor Paper
Accessories: Light Blue Gingham Ribbon, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Snail Adhesive, Cutter Kit

It's a Good Thing!

The name of this stamp set cracks me up. It makes me think of Martha Stewart saying "It's a good thing."

Anyway, the simply sent kit that I ordered arrived on Wednesday as I was in the middle of Thanksgiving pie making. It's been a busy couple of days, but I finally had the chance to open the box and play today. Let me tell you, I am loving these kits. I have a funny feeling I will be ordering at least one more of them during Sell-a-Bration. I haven't made the cards that came in the kit yet, but popping out the die cut rubber was like heaven. It was so easy to mount the stamps since I didn't have to trim the rubber myself.

I have a winter mini swap due with a wonderful group of demonstrators and I was determined to use my new kit (or at least the stamp set from it). I wasn't feeling the earth element colors today though, so I decided to try something different.

This is my favorite color combination from the Color Coach. (Best tool ever!!) Whenever I get really stuck, I just give the wheel a spin and see what comes up.

I used the word stamp from the Good Things stamp set to stamp the 6 words over and over again on the whisper white cardstock in Stazon Jet Black ink. I used Stazon instead of Basic Black to ensure that it wouldn't bleed on my markers later. To make sure everything lined up correctly, I used my Stamp-a-majig. (Second best tool ever!!) Then with markers, I highlighted some of the words to make them stand out more. I saw something similar in a Hero Arts catalog a few years ago and I guess the idea just stuck with me. The layer with the heart is popped up with a dimensional to help complete the look.

Finally, the layout is from sketch challenge number 68 over at splitcoast stampers. I wish I made time to do the challenges every week, but I usually don't. However, I do go back and use old challenges quite often. I think they are a wonderful resource to get your creative juices flowing. This layout in particular is one of my favorites.

Stamps: Good Things Simply Sent Kit
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Cameo Coral
Markers: Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories: Black Gingham Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive

Nutmeg Stamping

I finally decided to take the plunge and start my very own stamping blog. So far, naming it has been the hardest part. I chose Nutmeg Stamping because I live in Connecticut -- the nutmeg state. I figured it also works because my first hobby was baking. So, there you go! Nutmeg Stamping.

So, a little about me. I have been married for 6 and a half years now to my very wonderful husband. We own our own home and have a puggle puppy named Lucy. No kids yet, but we're hoping to start a family at some point.

By day I am a software engineer, but by night I am an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator -- at least some of the time.

That's enough about me. I hope you'll stick around for some stamping chatter!