New Coaster Sets on Etsy!

I finally got around to pulling out my Italian tiles and making a few new coaster sets for my Etsy store!

Fit for a Queen Italian Tile Coasters

"Don't treat me any differently than you would a queen!"

Swaying Leaves Italian Tile Coasters

Adorable Owl Italian Tile Coasters

Each handmade coaster set is available for just $15 on Etsy so please stop by and check them out!  I also have several handmade cards and notebooks in my shop.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Stamping on Candles

 I've had a few lovely, white, square candles tucked away in a closet for months.  A friend gave them to me when she moved and I knew they were perfect for a stamp project.  A few days ago I pulled them out and decided to decorate them for sale at the flea market later this month.

Style Beautiful stamped in Real Red

Artistic Etchings stamped in Chocolate Chip

Apple Blossoms stamped in Wild Wasabi

Punched Posies stamped in Rich Razzleberry

If you'd like to learn how to stamp on candles just leave me a comment and I'll add it to my list of tutorials to share on the blog.

August Stampin' Up! Promotions

Stampin' Up! has some great promotions this month and I want to make sure YOU know about them!

• From August 1–31, get a FREE package of Designer buttons—a $7.95 value—when you spend $35 on stamp sets in the Growing Up section of the catalog or my Online Store.

• Track your children's growth with the limited-time Décor Elements^™ Growth Chart, now on sale for just $24.95. But hurry—it's only available through September 30!

• Country Living Summer Cookout Kit - 40% Off! The Country Living Summer Cookout Kit gives you everything you need to hold a fantastic summer party, including: Creative invitations, Fun food wrappers, Customizable coasters, And more! Now only $14.95 (refill $9.95), the Country Living Summer Cookout Kit will ensure your summer party is a hit. Available through August 31, or while supplies last.

• Have Fun Doing What You Love! From July 15–August 31, you can join the Stampin' Up! family for as little as $85 with the Mini Starter Kit. Have fun helping friends and family create exciting projects, while earning free products and even a little extra cash!

2009-2010 New Catalog Open House

Last week I held my first open house to celebrate the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog.  In addition to having catalogs available to puruse and buy I also had some of my old craft stuff for sale and had munchies and make-and-takes for all who attended.

The make-and-takes were simple enough for most to make without a lot of direction, but still cute.  I got my inspiration for the design from Kim at Stampin' in the Rain. She used designer papers for the squares, but since my new designer papers have not yet arrived I decided to use stamps to create my own.

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Pocket Silhouettes, Eight Great Greetings
Papers: Basic Black, Whisper White, Kraft
Inks: Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, Corner Rounder Punch

June Stamp Class

I know this post is a bit late but I still wanted to share the projects that we made at my last stamp class on June 15.  This was, by far, my biggest workshop/class yet.  I had four tables of four set up and only a couple of empty seats!  I raffled off hostess benefits and the woman who won really hit the jackpot because of last month's hostess bonus promotion.  She was a new stamper and because of the great benefits I was able to set her up with a fantastic kit to get started. Anyhow, here are the projects we made at the workshop.  I hope you enjoy them!

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Trendy Trees
Papers: Rose Red, Whisper White, Raspberry Tart DSP, Cameo Coral
Inks: Old Olive, Rose Red, White Gel Pen
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Earth Elements Brads, Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, 1/16" Circle Punch

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Friends 24-7, Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel
Paper: Kraft, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Inks: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin Around Jumbo Wheel Handle

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Quilt Quips
Papers: Basic Black, Whisper White, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun
Inks: Basic Black, Stampin' Write Markers - Earth Elements
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Earth Elements Brads, Mini Glue Dots, 1/16" Cirle Punch

Masculine Birthday Cards

Yesterday, as I purused the next month's calendar, I realized that I had a lot of men's birthdays coming up.  I looked through the cards I had already made, but nothing fit, so today I made three cards for three different men in my life: my husband's uncle, my grandfather, and my brother-in-law.

For my template I gained inspiration from the Card Sketch A Day blog and used yesterday's Sketch #270.

Here are my interpretations:

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Alphabet Soup
Papers: Autumn Vine DSP, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Kraft
Inks: Chocolate Chip

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Alphabet Soup
Papers: Autumn Vine DSP, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Kraft
Inks: Sage Shadow

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Alphabet Soup
Papers: Autumn Vine DSP, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Inks: Really Rust

All similar, but each is unique!

Father's Day Cards

Lately I have been intrigued by cards that are not quite average (maybe a topic for my next stamp class?).  I found a great design over on Stamp With LisaT to use as a template for my Father's Day cards.

Card Recipe
Stamps: All Stampin' Up! Trendy Trees, Eight Great Greetings

Paper: All Stampin' Up! More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Sage Shadow, Autumn Vine DSP

Inks: All Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow

Accessories: Martha Steweart Crafts Twill Tape (from Michael's)

Card Recipe
Stamps: Stampin' Up!  Eight Great Greetings

Paper: All Stampin' Up! More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Really Rust, Autumn Vine DSP

Inks: Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Texture Bobbin Ribbon Twill Tape (from Michael's)

Stamping with Bleach

For my second workshop I decided to do a class focusing on a specific technique: stamping with bleach. It took a lot of trial and error to get it right, but I finally got it.  If you decide to try this technique there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, each paper reacts differently.  Test the bleach on a small scrap before starting your project.

Second, there are many different ways to use bleach.  I found that starting with gel bleach, in the form of a bleach pen was the easiest for me.

Third, make sure you clean your stamps well.  They won't be damaged unless the bleach sits on the stamp for awhile.  I cleaned mine immediately after using with a baby wipe and paper towel, and then used the Stampin' Scrub with Stampin' Mist to make sure that the stamp was clean and the rubber conditioned.

Finally, bleach is tempermental. It does get old and loses potency. So, if you aren't getting good results open up a new container. It made a huge difference for me.

Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Doodle This, Doodle Jumbo Wheel, Warm Words

Papers: Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum

Inks: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Staz On Black, Stampin' Write Markers

How this is bleached: I stamped the flower in Staz On Black and then used an old watercolor paint brush to paint gel bleach inside the image.  The Pale Plum turned almost white, which became a great base to use the markers.  Just make sure that the bleach is thoroughly dried before using your markers on the bleached part of the paper.

Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Playful Petals, Define Your Life

Papers: Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron, Very Vanilla

Inks: So Saffron

Accessories: Rich Regals Brads, 1/16" Circle Punch

How this is bleached: I stamped the flowers from the Playful Petals set in a "stamp pad" that I rigged from the lid of a plastic container, gel bleach from a bleach pen, and paper towels.  I then "inked" the stamp with the bleach and stamped on the paper to create my background.

Recipe (All Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Warm Words, Cute & Curly

Papers: Sage Shadow, So Saffron, Kraft

Inks: So Saffron, Sage Shadow

Accessories: Curly Label Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

How this is bleached: First, I stamped the flowers from Upsy Daisy in Sage Shadow ink on Sage Shadow paper.  I then cleaned the ink off of the stamp and used my rigged bleach "stamp pad" to "ink" the flower stamp with bleach and stamp slightly offset from the origianlly stamped image to create a shadow effect.

Have you stamped with bleach?  Did you like the results? What techniques did you use?  Please share in the comments section!