Beautiful Desert

Posted on by tmcentee64

Living in the desert can be very peaceful and colorful. When the cacti bloom and add color to the usually brown desert, it is breath-taking!

Today I am using the Stampin’ Up! stamp set called Flowering Desert. I have had a great deal of fun with this set! I am using the same colors I have used in previous blog posts, Shaded Spruce and Pineapple punch. I have added Granny Apple Green.

Here is today’s card. In addition to the cardstock and ink in Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green and Pineapple Punch you will need Whisper White cardstock and some adhesive. If you would like pink flowers on top of the cacti, you may use Melon Mambo ink.

I started with Whisper White cardstock cut at 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches using the larger cactus ‘leaf’ stamp in Granny Apple Green ink.

I added a couple more leaves allowing space in between for other smaller cactus leaves.

I added more to the cactus with the smaller leaf.

Keep adding more of the small leaves until you like how it looks.

Next I used the Agave leaves stamp in Shaded Spruce ink.

Top the cactus using the Pineapple Punch ink and the larger flower stamp.

To finish the design, I used Pineapple Punch ink to add the flower branch.

I used the Shaded Spruce ink for the sentiment “Hi There!”.

I am now done with the stamping.

Tip: Some of the ink will get on your Pierce Mat. This can easily be removed with a baby wipe or wet washcloth. Another option is to wrap white copy paper around the mat so the extra ink goes on the paper instead of the mat.

In order to assemble the card I cut a piece of Pineapple Punch cardstock at 5 1/4 x 4 inches and adhered it  to the Whisper White card base. The card base measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 and is folded in half.

I cut a piece of Shaded Spruce the same size as the stamped piece of Whisper White, 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches.

Place the Shaded Spruce piece at a slight angle and adhere to the card.

Adhere the stamped piece horizontally parallel to the Pineapple Punch piece.

And now you have the completed card! Be sure to send it to someone special. It’s always nice to get a handmade card in the mail from a good friend just saying “Hello”!

Here are some other variations. Have fun creating your own. To order any of the supplies listed below, click on the shop now button at the top of the blog and you will be connected to my store. If you have any questions about ordering please contact me. There is a special sale right now called Sale-a-bration which lasts until March 31, 2019. During Sale-a-bration, for every $50 ordered, you my choose a free item from the Sale-a-bration brochure. So, check out my store and get your deal on stamping supplies today!

Products used included: Stamps: Flowering Desert  #148700; Cardstock: Shaded Spruce #146981, Pineapple Punch #146971, Granny Apple Green #146990 and Whisper White #100730; Ink: Shaded Spruce #147088, Pineapple Punch #147141 and Granny Apple Green #147095; Clear Blocks: A, B, C and D; Multipurpose Liquid Glue #110755 If you wish to have pink flowers on top of the cactus’ you may use Melon Mambo ink # 147051.

Butterflies in Winter

Posted on by tmcentee64

One of the scenes I love in Spring is of the butterflies and flowers. So, even though it is still winter I can bring this scene to life on a card. For this card I used Stampin’ Up! Beauty Abounds and the ‘You’re so Awesome’ sentiment from Flowering Desert. The colors are Shaded Spruce and Pineapple Punch. The card base is in Whisper White cardstock.

I started out with this stamp from Beauty Abounds, and the Shaded Spruce ink.

Apply the ink by tapping on the ink pad, straight up and straight down, until you have ink evenly on the raised part of the stamp. If you have ink on the red rubber around the stamp, or on your block, try tapping more lightly.

Press the stamp straight down on your cardstock and apply moderate but even pressure for about 5 seconds. Take care not to rock the block. Lift the stamp straight up. Following this procedure each time will allow you to get a nice clean image.

Add a few butterflies in Pineapple Punch ink.

Stamp the sentiment from Flowering Cactus in Shaded Spruce onto a strip of Whisper White cardstock measuring 3/4 inch by 4 inches.

The trick to getting a nice banner edge, is to start by cutting straight in at the middle.

Next, cut from one corner to the middle.

Then from the opposite corner to the middle.

Viola!

Now, adhere the Whisper White with the sentiment onto a strip of Pineapple Punch measuring 1 inch by 4 1/2 inches. Then cut the banner edge as shown.

I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to apply the sentiment to the card. These are a piece of foam with adhesive on both sides.

I applied the Dimensionals as shown. This will lift the sentiment up from the card a bit and add, well, add dimension to your card.

The Whisper White card base measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches and is folded in half. I trimmed the butterfly and flower piece to 2 1/2 x 3 5/8 inches and adhered it to a piece of Pineapple Punch measuring 2 5/8 x 3 3/4 inches. The first layer is Shaded Spruce at 5 1/4 x 4 inches. I added sequins to put some sparkle on the card.

Supplies used are : Cardstock: Whisper White #100730, Shaded Spruce #146981, and Pineapple Punch #146971; Ink: Shaded Spruce #147088 and Pineapple Punch #147141; Stamp sets: Flowering Desert #148700 and Beauty Abounds #148726; Clear Blocks: E #118484 and H #118490; Gingham Gala Adhesive Backed Sequins #148561; Paper Snips #103579 and Multipurpose Liquid Glue #110755.

New Cling Stamps from Stampin’ Up!

Posted on by tmcentee64

Hello awesome stampers!  I would like to show you how to make this card, but I first want to spend some time on the new type of stamps called Cling Stamps. These are extra sticky so that they will stay on the acrylic block. However, some folks have had problems with them sticking to other things.

The ‘Beauty Abounds’ stamp set by Stampin’ Up! is an example of a Cling Stamp. You will know this by looking above the title of the stamp set.

Inside the case there will be the red rubber stamp attached to foam with a protective paper on the back, and the plastic vinyl sheet with the images on it.

First, gently remove the stamp from the red rubber/foam sheet.

Next, peel the paper off the back.

The plain foam will stick to the acrylic block, but you cannot see the image. Many stampers leave the images off and just use the stamp like this. However, sometimes you cannot see the orientation of the image.

I accidentally put the butterfly on at the wrong angle because I was using the stamp without the image on it.

Carefully peel the protective cover off of the vinyl image and do not let anything touch it. It is very, very sticky!


Taking care to line up the edges, place the rubber stamp over the image and press lightly to adhere them together.


Gently pull the stamp away from the image sheet. Again, it is very sticky!

Place the stamp with the image on it directly onto an acrylic block. DO NOT LAY THE STAMP DOWN ON PAPER, THE DESK OR ANYTHING ELSE!  It will stick to the paper and then be unusable! You may not be able to remove it from the other surfaces.

When you are done stamping, carefully remove the stamp with the image on it from the block and put it back in the stamp case. When removing the stamp with the image on it, be sure the plastic sheet with the image comes off first and does not tear away from the foam layer. The best way to do this is to slide something between the image sheet and the block–like a fingernail or guitar pick.

Join me tomorrow and we will make the card above!

Let’s Get Stamping!

Posted on by tmcentee64

Today I will show you how to use the Photopolymer stamps that Stampin’ Up! has. This set is Flowering Desert and is found in the Occasions Catalog. I just love to give a handmade card to someone to let them know I think they are awesome!

These are the supplies you will need to make this card. In addition to the stamp set, I used Shaded Spruce ink, Whisper White cardstock, Clear Block E, the Stampin’ Pierce Mat, and (not shown- Clear Block H, Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins, Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive and Stampin’ Dimensionals)

The first step is to carefully remove the Photopolymer stamp from the sheet and place it on a Clear Block as shown.

Next is to tap the stamp onto the ink pad with a light to moderate pressure. You want to get ink on the image and not around the image. Be sure to press straight down, and lift straight up. If there is ink on your block, try using a lighter pressure.

When using the Photopolymer stamps you will need to have the Pierce Mat or a magazine under it to get the best image. Place the stamp straight down onto the paper and apply light to moderate pressure for about 5 seconds. This allows the ink to transfer onto the paper.  Lift the stamp straight up. It may take some practice to get a nice clear image. If there is ink around the image, that is called a halo, and it means you need to place the stamp on the ink with a lighter touch.

To finish the card, I stamped the sentiment onto a 3/4 inch strip of cardstock and cut a banner on one end. The cactus was cut to measure 4 x 2 1/2 inches and adhered to a 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch piece of Shaded Spruce. I then adhered the cactus piece onto a card base which measured 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, folded in half length-wise. The “You’re So Awesome” sentiment was adhered using Stampin’ Dimensionals to give it lift and add dimension to the card. I finished it off with some sequins.

This is a really nice, simple card that can definitely be given to someone to express how you feel about them, and pass on some positive energy!

Tips for the New Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad

Posted on by tmcentee64

Hello! It is a lazy day for me and Cutie here. The boys are back in school so it is nice and quiet and I can get some work done.

The Stampin’ Up! ink pad was recently redesigned. It can be somewhat difficult to open. The following are some tips to make that easier.

Also, in order to help the stamp pad slide more easily when you open it, you can take a birthday candle and rub it along the track to put a little wax on it. Blow off the small flecks of wax so they do not get into your ink.

You may think doing a video on how to open the stamp pad to be silly, but when someone new comes to my card-making classes, that is the first question they ask.

I plan to address the difference types of stamps and how to get the best stamped image in the next blog. So I hope you will join me for that soon!

I apologize for this blog to have taken so long. I am learning how to do this, and found putting the video in to be quite challenging to say the least.

Adhesives and Measurements

Posted on by tmcentee64

Happy 1st Friday of 2019! I hope you have something fun planned for the day. The snow is all but gone and the temperatures are a little warmer here in Bisbee. It’s hard to tolerate 17 degrees Fahrenheit when you are used to putting on a sweater for anything under 80 degrees Fahrenheit!

  I got a little ahead of myself at the end of the last blog. I was supposed to talk about adhesives next, but I said I would talk about measurements. So, today I will do both!

This comparison of adhesives is on page 213 of the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.


The best way to learn about different adhesives and what they are used for is to look at page 213 in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. I recommend going to https://www.stampinup.com to get a better view of this page. I usually use the Multipurpose Liquid Glue because when I first lay something down, I can “wiggle” it to be straight for a second or so, before the glue sticks. Also, the liquid glue is the strongest adhesive and I like my projects to stay together!

Measurements to Make a Card

Today I will share with you the standard measurements for cards made in the United States. Cardstock is 8 1/2 x 11 inches or 12 x 12 inches. The 12 x 12 inch is generally used for scrapbooking so I will only be talking about the 8 1/2 x 11 inch cardstock here.

First you take one 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet and cut it in half at the 5 1/2 inch mark along the 11 inch side. This gives you 2 card bases once you fold them in half along the 8 1/2 inch side.

The next step is to make layers.

The black sheet represents the 1st layer and measures 5 1/4 x 4 inches. Each successive layer will measure 1/4 inch less . So the 2nd layer will measure 5 x 3 3/4 inches.

The most simple card has one or two layers.

This cute card with this hoppy frog is an example of a 2 layer card. If you add a colored cardstock and use some colored pencils you can make a card like this:

You can do anything!

This particular stamp set, So Hoppy Together, is free with a $50 purchase from Stampin’ Up! during Sale-a-bration. There are other free products with each $50 purchase. Go to my store and shop the Annual Catalog or the new Occasions Catalog. Then look at the Sale-a-bration brochure for the free product.

If you want to purchase items to make your first card, you will need: a Stampin’ Trimmer (item # 126889), Paper snips (#103579), Whisper White cardstock (#100730), Happiness Blooms cardstock pack (#148802), Multipurpose Liquid glue (#110755) or Snail Adhesive (#104332), clear blocks to put the stamp on, E (#118484) and B (#117147) and Memento Black Ink (#132708). This will allow you to get 2 free products! There are several free stamp sets as well as Butterfly Designer Series paper and foil cardstock.

In the next blog I will discuss the Stampin’ Up! ink and how to go about stamping!

Cutting Paper to Make Cards

Posted on by tmcentee64
Sunny Snowy Arizona!!

Good Morning!! Well the snow melted completely and is now back. Its very peaceful outside. Inside it is cozy and warm, just the right feeling to be making cards. Check out my facebook page to see some of the cards I have recently made.

So once you get some good quality paper, you’ll want to have the right tools to cut it. It is important to invest in a paper-cutter that makes good clean cuts without snagging your paper. What do you need?

Guillotine style paper-cutter

I am partial to the guillotine style paper-cutter. Mine is an old one from my college days, but I have recently purchased a new, lighter weight one from a hobby store. I like it because I can cut two or more pages at once and still get a clean cut. I also feel I can see the measurements better.

Stampin’ Up!  Stampin’ Trimmer

I also have a Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Trimmer (item #126889), which some prefer for all their paper cutting. This one cuts with a blade that you move down from top to bottom. It is important to keep your blade sharp. I only cut one paper at a time. There is also a scoring function. This is a good cutter to have when making fun-fold cards or 3-D projects. 


You also need several types of scissors. A larger pair of scissors is helpful at times, but I more often use the smaller scissors. You will need 2 pair, one to cut paper and one for cutting ribbon. The paper dulls the scissors over time. This makes cutting ribbon difficult, so it is helpful to have a pair dedicated to ribbon. The paper scissors are useful for “fussy” cutting, which means to cut out a stamped image.  Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips (the black handled scissors pictured above) are item # 103579.

So that is the scoop on cutting paper.  The next post will discuss measurements for cards, so gather up all your cutting tools. Soon we will start making cards. Again, visit my Facebook page to see cards I have made recently and visit my store today!

Starting out to make your first card

Posted on by tmcentee64

Hello! It’s a snowy day here in Bisbee, Arizona! Didn’t expect snow in Arizona? Well, it doesn’t happen often, but we are in the mountains at a mile high. It’s a great day to stay warm inside and make cards!

Where to start? First, you need good quality paper. I have tried many types and have found Stampin’ Up! cardstock to be superior. Why? It is just the right thickness and the colors all coordinate with the Stampin’ Up! inks! Also, the color goes all the way through- no white in the middle, and the color does not easily fade. I have had some of my colored cardstock for 5 years without seeing it fade. Lastly, one ream of a color matches the next ream.

Here is a simple card I made using Night of Navy (item #100867) and Whisper White (#100730) Stampin’ Up! cardstock. I also used Twinkle Twinkle Designer Series paper (#146284), Night of Navy ink (#147110), Silver edged ribbon (#144213) and the Warm Hearted Stamp set (#147777)

In future posts I will address what you need to cut the cardstock, adhesives and other accessories. So hop on over to my store and start to gather the supplies needed to make your first card!

Get to Know Me

Posted on by tmcentee64

Hello everyone,

This is my first blog post and I am so excited!

I live in Bisbee, AZ with my wonderful husband of 26 years and two of our lovely children and three cats. I have been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for almost three years now and it has allowed me to travel, meet new people, and stamp my heart out.

My goal for this blog is to inspire you to create your own handmade cards and other fun projects. I hope to motivate you to follow me on this crafting and blogging journey.

Check back soon for more tutorials on basic card making, techniques, and 3D-projects,

Theresa