Hedgehog Ink

Stampin' Up! Stamps for Sale

2010-01-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have a huge stash of Stampin' Up! stamps and it's time to clean some of them out. Some (as noted) have never even been mounted! I just have way too many stamps and I'm trying to scale things down and realize that I will never use some of them again (or ever)!

I'm giving my blog readers the first crack at these at fabulous prices before I list them on ebay. Please contact me via e-mail at pinkhedgehogpapercrafts@gmail.com. Sets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Prices do not include shipping. I can ship quite a few sets in a flat rate box. No handling or packaging fees apply, actual shipping costs only. I will mark the sets sold as soon as I receive PayPal payment. I may also accept check or money order, but PayPal is preferred. I am also happy to ship to any overseas country.

Here's my list:

All of these stamps are Stampin’ Up! sets in the original boxes with the exception of the background stamps which have no box. Some of the boxes have inventory stickers on them and some stamps have my inventory markings on the wood.

Backgrounds $10
Baroque
Dots & Dasies
Dotted
Fine Lace
Floral
On Safari
On the Spot
Paisley Print
Pretty Petals
Stitched
Word by Word
Word Search
Bold Check Frame

$5 Sets
Around & About
Alpha Shadows
Borders Mini
Itty Bitty Borders
Letter Perfect Backgrounds
Little Shapes
Petite Frames
Shape Ups
Alphabits

$8 Sets
A to Z Accents (Unmounted)
Wonderful Weaves
By Design
One of a Kind
Party Punch (Unmounted)
So Very (Mounted, Never Used)
Letter Patterns (Unmounted)

$10 Sets
The Wheel Thing (Unmounted)
Celebrate the Season
The Shape of Things
Boho Backgrounds (Unmounted) PENDING
Spring Garden
Think Big (Unmounted)
Hebrew Holidays (Unmounted)
Polka Dots & Paisley
Polka Dot Posies
Dolka Dots & Posies
Simple Shaped (Mounted, Unused)
Watercolor Garden
Ferns
Great Shapes
Shapes & Shadows

$15 Sets
Going Buggy (Unmounted)
Frolicking Frogs (Unmounted)
Pretty Amazing (Mounted, Unused) PENDING
Priceless
Computer Quips
All Scallops (Unmounted)
Big Pieces
Petal Prints

$20 Sets
A Cardinal Christmas (Mounted, Unused)
Shore Thing (Mounted, Unused)
True Friend (Unmounted) PENDING
Just Celebrate (Unmounted)
Year After Year (Mounted, Unused)
Nesting Place & Big Birdhouse (2 sets)
Rooster
Framed Fun (The larger set with a full A2 size frame)

$25 Sets
Big & Little Flowers (2 Sets, Unmounted)
Tag Alphabet & Numbers
Tidy Alphabet & Numbers

$30 Alphabets
All Around Alphabet Upper, Lower, & Numbers
Alphabuilders & Accessories
Best Friends Upper, Lower, and Numbers
On the Edge Upper, Lower, and Numbers
Short Order Upper, Lower, and Numbers

An Anniversary Card and a Dollar Spot Box!

2010-01-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit neglectful of my stamping in the past month or so. It's been a busy month around here. To see what I've been up to, see my other blog here.

I found these gift boxes at the Target Dollar Spot a few years ago. They had this one, a hot pink flowered one, and a lime green & black cheetah print one. They all have a stack of paper inside the boxes. The boxes measure about 4" x 4" x 1.5".

Paper: Stampin' Up! Lovely Lilac and Whisper white
Ink: Stampin' Up! Lovely Lilac, Versamark
Stamps: Aspiration (CTMH)
Accessories: Embossing Powder, 3/8" Grosgrain in Lavender ($.20/yd.)

My hubby has been on a business trip to Israel for nearly 2 weeks. He will finally be coming home on Sunday, just two days before our 20th anniversary. Israel is our second home. We lived there from 2003-2006 and grew to love the foods, the culture, the people, and the land. I've been pretty jealous of his adventure, even though he is working; this is especially true because I've been holding down the fort at home with our 4 sons, the dog, and a couple of cats. I hope I get some chocolate out of this deal; they have the best chocolate over there!! I made this anniversary card for my sweetie....hopefully he's too busy to take a peek at my blog this week. I know it's pink and he's a guy, but pink is my thing, so he doesn't mind.

To make the swirly piece of cardstock, I used a piece of the textured Coredinations cardstock, ran it through the Cuttlebug, then sanded the raised portion of the piece. The heart is stamped with Versamark and embossed in black, then cut out and mounted on a piece of black cardstock, then cut out again.

Paper: Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink & Basic Black; Papertrey White (card base), Coredinations
Stamps: Soul Mates (CTMH)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Sanding Block, Black Embossing Powder, 5/8" Striped Organdy in Black ($.10/yd.), Black Licorice Oregon Raindrops ($1/jar)

Embossed Shimmer Snowman

2009-12-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

This card employs a technique called Embossed Shimmer. The technique was one of the Technique Lover's Challenges and you can find the directions here: Embossed Shimmer

In a nutshell, basically you smoosh Lumiere paint and ink around on one side of acetate, wait for it to dry, then run it through an embossing folder, and what you end up with is this wonderfully shimmery, shiny piece of acetate. The paint/ink side of the acetate goes face down, so you are left with the nice shiny side facing out. I love this technique. It's very easy, and except for the waiting time, doesn't take very long either. It's also very impressive!

Stamps: Unity Kissmas and Mistletoe
Ink: Versamark, SU Orchid Opulence and Taken with Teal refills
Paper: SU Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Acetate
Accessories: Lumiere Pearl White paint, Satin Ribbon, Kaiser Rhinestones, Nestabilities, Silver Embossing Powder, Silver Cord

Limited Supply RAK Challenge

2009-11-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

The limited supply challenge today was to make a Christmas card and send it as a random act of kindness to someone. I chose to send it to a little boy who is dying of cancer and will not live until Christmas. He is 5 and his name is Noah. His family is having an early Christmas and his one wish is to get lots of cards in the mail. They told us about his story on SCS today and I had a strong desire to make a special card just for him. I thought this stamp would bring a smile to his face because it always brings a smile to mine!

Paper: PTI White and Chocolate; SU Dusty Durango & Frosty Days
Stamps: House Mouse, Take a Bough (PTI)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: 5/8" Grosgrain and Chocolate Pearls from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol, Art Deco Glistening Snow Writer, SU Glitter

If you want to send him a card, hand stamped or not, here is the address:

Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain View Circle
South Lyon, MI48178

It's a Three Challenge Day!

2009-11-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

This card is for the Embellish Magazine challenge, and also the SCS Sketch challenge for today.

Paper: Basic Grey Archaic; SU Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, and Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Wise Owl (PTI), CHF background
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Chocolate Brads, 7/8" Chocolate Organdy, Nestabilities, Sponge, Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol

This card is for The Cat's Pajamas challenge this week. I used some Cuttlebug dies to cut the leaves out of a soda pop bottle! It was hard to photograph, and in person it's even more stunning.

Paper: SU Basic Black, Basic Grey Indian Summer
Stamps: PTI Mixed Messages
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Gold Cord, Gold Brad, Cuttlebug Dies, Soda Bottle

I need a thank-you card for our local firefighters who gave a tour of the firehouse to our Wolf Cub Scouts. Of course, since they are men, I didn't want to give them something feminine. I got this Firefighter Riley a while ago in anticipation of this event. It's hard to photograph the details....I added Crystal Effects to the water, and to simulate the reflective stripes on the uniform, I colored them first with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol, then with a Sakura Stardust pen. It looks soooo cool in person!

Paper: East Coast Prep, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White (all SU)
Stamps: Riley (Hanna Stamps), Much Appreciated (SU)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Tempting Turquoise
Accessoried: Fire Engine Buttons, Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol, 1/2" Circle Punch, Sakura Stardust Pen, Crystal Effects, Nestabilities

Verve Monday Mojo and SCS Color Challenge

2009-11-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

Two challenges with one card tonight. Time for a shaker card, I think. Shaker cards are irresistible! Nobody who sees one can keep themselves from picking it up and shaking it. We all turn into little kids around these things!

I turned Verve's bird into a Christmas Cardinal. I love these birdies that Julee designed. There are three sets with birds in them and they are all just adorable. This card is for two of this week's challenges. I'm a bit behind, so I'm playing catch up.

Paper: SU Basic Black, PTI White, The Story of Us (ATD)
Ink: SU Real Red
Stamps: Anniversary Birds (Verve), Take a Bough (PTI)
Accessories: Kaiser Rhinestones, 7/8" Satin Ribbon, window sheet, Nestabilities, microbeads and tiny star confetti

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge

2009-11-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

Love this cupcake challenge! I love ladybugs, they just make me happy!!!

The sentiment is actually a straight stamp, but I made it wavy on the clear block before stamping. I did it partly to fit the space and partly because I didn't want to mess with placing it on the blog in a straight line. If in doubt, make it crooked on purpose!!

Card Deets:

Stamps: Little Lady (PTI)
Paper: SU Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, PTI patterned paper
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories: SU corner punch, Angel's Landing piercing template, Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Snowman Treat Box Tutorial

2009-11-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry, snowman treat box pattern is out for publication.

MTSC45 and The Cat's Pajamas Challenges

2009-10-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time to type, I really need to be on the way out the door, but wanted to get these two cards posted.

The first card is for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch this week and for the Color Combo Sketch on SCS. Stamps are from Verve, striped organdy ribbon, button, and string are from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts. Paper colors are Kraft, Black, and Melon Mambo.

This card is for The Cat's Pajamas color challenge this week, and for the CAS challenge on SCS. The CAS challenge was for ways to use brads. I put brads on the lowest snowflakes on the ornaments and next to the sentiment. The papers are Soft Sky, Basic Black, and Taken with Teal. Brads are made to match and available at Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, as are the 1/8" organdy ribbons. Love those tiny ribbons for making tiny bows!!

Advent Calendar Tutorial

2009-10-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

I made some ornaments using tins last week, and for some reason this idea started developing in my head to use them on an advent calendar. I remembered a cheap silver metal pizza pan I had when we were in college. It was seriously a piece of junk, but it would be perfect for this project. Sadly, as soon as we had a decent income, the pizza pans went down the long road to the scrap heap. I set out on a quest yesterday to find some cheap pizza pans and it turned into a very long quest indeed. I thought the dollar store might be the perfect place to find one, but I was wrong. I hit every store there was along my route, and still had no luck until I went into Target.....Score!!! Lucky me.....and, the best part? They were only $2.99....yahoo!!!

A couple more notes: Some of the tin lids fit loosely, so when I fill the tins with candy, I plan to tape them shut until we open them. This project is also heavy, so it will require a sturdy picture hanger to hold it up, especially when it is filled with treats.

Here is the finished project. It's not the best photo, but the light is gloomy here in rainy Oregon, and it's hard to get a good daylight photo to avoid the flash glaring off of the pizza pan. This is the best I could do. I used the 2" tins for each of the first 24 days of Christmas and a 3" tin for Christmas morning.

I thought of many variations I could have used. I was tempted to cover the main part of the pan with patterned paper, but I would have to deal with a seam, which did not appeal to me. The pan is a 15" pizza pan, but is actually more than 15" across, so the flat bottom of the pan is larger than 12", which is the largest paper I have. I opted to stick with the silver, which is a nice finish anyway.

A photo of the pizza pan. It was in the baking section at Target. They only had 4 of them at the closest Target to me and of course I bought them all. So, if you live locally, don't bother going to the Target at Sunset Esplanade....LOL.

My sweetheart handy hubby was given the task of making holes in the pan. He headed out to his shop and this is what came back. I wanted the holes about 1/2" from the sloped side of the pan and about 1" apart. He said he just used a regular drill, and the holes were smooth enough that they did not snag the satin ribbon I later pulled through them.

Here is the layout I went with. I left a space at the top for a bow. There are 14 tins on the outer layer, 10 on the inner, with a space in the center for the large tin for Christmas day.

I did some testing to make sure my magnets would hold up the tins. I used these self-adhesive business card sized magnets. I normally use these to keep my Nesties in their CD cases, but it worked well for this project also.

I cut each magnet in eights and used that size for the small tins. I used half of a magnet for the large tin.

The bottom of a small tin with 1/8 of a magnet. Self-adhesive is a bonus!

I used Verve's Winter Wonder to stamp borders in three colors: Taken With Teal, Ballet Blue, and Lovely Lilac. I stamped 24 in all and then headed for the cuttlebug.

I die cut the frames into circles and made larger scalloped circles in shades of teal, blue, and purple to mat the white circles. I cut one larger circle to go under the large tin.

I stamped more borders in black onto cardstock in the same shades as my ink. I will use these circles to write Christmas activities for us to do each day as we open the tin.

Next, I cut circles small enough to fit inside the tins and stamped an assortment of Christmas images on each circle. I suppose I could have taken the time to find 24 different images, but since I was feeling a little lazy at this point, I used only 8 images, making 3 of each one. I may go back and change them so there is an "surprise" on each day, wondering what the picture in the bottom of the tin will be.

Images used are:

Riley (Hanna Stamps)
Snow Wonderful, Poinsettia Christmas (Verve)
Christmas Fishy (CHF)
Winter Blast (MFT)
Elzybells (Amuse)
Wings of Joy (Taylored Expressions)
Jolly Little Winter (Unity)

Next, I adhered the circles in the bottom of the tin. The main adhesive I used in the whole project is ATG. If you do not have an ATG, I would suggest using Sticky Strip or red line tape.

To tie the bow at the top, I threaded teal ribbon through both holes from the back, then tied a knot and left long tails. I then tied a bow using purple satin ribbon over the knot in the teal ribbon. This gave me two different colors of tails. I may actually make a big poofy bow with lots of loops, but since we are a house of boys, I thought putting this much ribbon on a project was already pushing it. LOL

I stamped the numbers (retired SU set called Newsprint Numbers) onto the circles and adhered the whole mess together, and the circles to the pizza pan using ATG. Once upon a time I was addicted to alphabet stamp sets, so I have bunches of them kicking around. I'm surprised at how often they come in handy. I started with the numbering at the top left and went around the outside counter clockwise, then did the inner circle clockwise, ending up back on the left side.

It was a little tricky coming up with a tiny tag for the numbering on the tins themselves. I tried so many things, but everything was just too large and hid the image in the tin by covering up too much of the front. Finally, my creaky old brain thought of using 1/2 of a Word Window Punch (SU). It was perfect! The numbers come from PTI's Ambassador Monogram Alphabet.

I tied a bunch of tiny bows using 3/8" polka dot organdy and 3/8" satin edge organdy in the three colors to match the project. I tied a piece of silver cord around the center knot, tying just once, then threaded the tag onto the cord and tied twice more, in a granny knot.

I wrote an activity on each of the inserts for the tins. I plan to put these in the tin, then the candies. When we open a tin, we'll eat the candy and do the activity sometime that day. Some activities are simple, some more complex, some are service, some are just fun. Here's my list (in no particular order...actually, in the order they occurred to me):

Bake cookies
Christmas tree hunt
Decorate Christmas tree
Take family photo
Put up Christmas lights
Take cookies to firemen
Decorate the house
Sing 12 Days of Christmas
Start playing Christmas music (at my house, this has already begun, so I should have written "stop complaining about Mom playing Christmas music")
Make ornaments
Take cookies to neighbors
Do a secret service for someone
Decorate sugar cookies
Make a gingerbread house
Wrap family gifts
Mail Christmas cards
Buy gifts for charity
Write letters to Santa
Plan Christmas dinner
Make a Christmas craft
Read a Christmas story
Hang stockings
Sing carols
Read "The Night Before Christmas" (obviously on Christmas Eve)
Read Luke 2:1-14 (Christmas morning)

Another shot of the finished project.

Closeup of the rim. I thought the finished calendar was a bit plain, so I used nearly a whole jar of Aqua and Lavender buttons and hot glued them around the rim. It added a lot to the project and gave it some extra interest. It also burned the crud out of my fingertips!

Happy Stamping~~

Heidi

2009-10-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

A tag design I did for a customer who is a jewelry maker and wanting tags to tie to her creations with space inside to write information about the piece. Very simple design, computer generated business name, copper embossed moon (PTI Out on a Limb), then I dragged the edges in Versamark and embossed in copper for a rough look.

2009-10-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

This first card is for the Embellish Magazine color challenge and the Sweet & Sassy Stamps sketch challenge.

One of the requirements of the sketch challenge was to use something recycled. I used a 2 liter soda bottle to cut out the snowflakes with a Cuttlebug die. I was surprised because the piece of the bottle was really curling and driving me crazy until I ran it through the machine. Something about the cutting process made the snowflakes lie flat! I love my clear snowflakes, and I think I'm going to try even more shapes cut from soda bottles. I think green bottles would also be a fabulous choice!

The colors were to be PTI's Raspberry Fizz, light pink, and a dark grey, plus you had to use bling! I added rhinestones to the snow lady's buttons and hat, plus the centers of the snowflakes.

I cut out a mask of the snowman and sponged in the sky using Bashful Blue ink. Afterwards, I added Fun Flock to the ground using a Quickie Glue Pen. I stamped snowflakes on the Basic Gray layer with Whisper White craft ink and then sponged the edges to soften it.

Paper: Raspberry Fizz and White (PTI), Basic Gray (SU)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Whisper White Craft, Versamark
Stamps: Made of Snow (PTI), Winter Wonder (Verve)
Accessories: Soda Bottle, Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug Dies, Hot Pink Kaiser Rhinestones, Copic Markers, Black Detail EP

I combined the color challenge with the technique challenge this week on Split Coast Stampers. The piercing comes from an Angel's Landing digital template. It's so great, you just print them over and over on copy paper or cardstock to use again and again. I only reprint a new one if the old one gets wrinkled or ink-stained. I stitched around the border of the large artichoke layer and on the back edge of the smaller artichoke layer. The edges of the main image panel are distressed and nearly everything is sponged!

Paper: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Apricot Appeal, Designer Prints Pack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bravo Burgundy
Stamps: Penny Black, Winter Wonder (Verve)
Accessories: Digi Template (Angel's Landing), Copic Markers, Kaiser Rhinestones and Pearls

Versamark Resist and Using Fabric on Cards

2009-10-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

This card uses the Versamark Resist technique. To make the main image panel, I stamped acorns (Abundant Blessings by Verve) onto glossy cardstock using Versamark and let dry. Then I sponged More Mustard, Dusty Durango, and Bravo Burgundy ink over the acorns. The Versamark will resist the other colors of ink and remain white on the multicolored background. I also used this technique on the snowflake card below.

The layout for this card comes from Verve Visual's October release sketch challenge VSOCT09B. The colors in the card got inspiration from The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday Challenge.

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer ($5.50), Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgundy, Glossy White
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Abundant Blessings (Verve)
Accessories: 7/8" Satin Ribbon in Burgundy ($.35/yd)

Another Versamark resist card.

Paper: Designer Prints Pack (SU), Night of Navy, Whisper White, Glossy White
Ink: Versamark, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy,
Stamps: Verve Winter Wonder & Snow Wonderful
Accessories: 7/8" satin in navy ($.35/yd), 3/8" striped organdy in light blue ($.11/yd), Kaiser Rhinestones in dark blue and silver

I just found Mercy's blog today. I decided to participate in her sketch challenge. The main burgundy panel is stamped with the Aida Cloth background, then I cut a hole in it with a scalloped rectangle die. The printed background is actually fabric that I stitched onto the backside. The center poinsettia is popped up and all 3 flowers have gold glitter in the centers. The stamps are from Poinsettia Christmas by Verve.

2009-10-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

I made this card to meet the requirements of two challenges today: Verve's Monday Mojo Sketch Challenge and the Creative Clear Stamps Elegance Challenge (Using only black, white, gray, and/or silver, with absolutely no other color).

The white background (Pretty Petals from SU) is stamped in Versamark and embossed using black embossing powder. The silver background and main image (Abundant Blessings by Verve) are also stamped in Versamark and embossed with black EP. The sentiment (Black Tie Birdies by Verve) is stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver detail powder. The rhinestones (black and silver) and black satin edge organdy with silver stripe are from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts.

2009-10-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

OK, this has to be one of my favorite cards ever! I was so crazy about the way it turned out, and I can't think of one single thing I would change about it. This kitty is one of my most beloved stamps, she's just sassy and cute, just purrfect!

I stamped the Geometric background stamp on a piece of Wintergreen (SU) DP in black ink. The "MEOWY" letters are from Retro Alphabet (SU); the "Christmas" is part of a sentiment from Wishes Awash (SU). The snowflakes stamped on the red background are from Snow Wonderful (Verve), the hat is from Holiday Sampler (SU), and the kitty, of course is from Cool Cat (SU). The kitty has Dazzling Diamond glitter on her collar and the white part of her hat.

People ask me all the time about my bows. This bow, which looks so "perfect" is actually a trick bow! I ran a piece of ribbon across the green panel and adhered to the backside, leaving just a touch of slack. I tied a piece of red burlap string around the straight piece of ribbon and snipped the ends super close to the knot. Then I tied the bow and stuck it on with a glue dot! It's so much easier to do it this way, and it looks like it was tied around the panel, plus it takes less ribbon!

A Few More Ornament Samples

2009-10-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

This one has embossed silver around the edges of the tag, navy organdy ribbon, and a layered snowflake with bling on the ornament front.

This one uses burgundy satin ribbon, and a snowflake with bling in the middle of it. The edges of the white tag are dragged in burgundy craft ink and embossed with iridescent ice EP.

This one has embossed "snow" around the edges of the tag, light blue satin ribbon, and a snowflake with bling on the ornament front.

This one uses our fabulous Puff Dotty Ribbon and has holly with rhinestone berries on the front of the ornament.

Ornament Tutorial

2009-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I had an idea for an ornament a few years ago and made a bunch of them for my siblings using clear glass balls. This time around I'm using glass topped tins. They idea is this: A snowman kit, everything you need to build a snowman, snow, a scarf, arms, nose, buttons, eyes, mouth, and hat. The tag says "Snowman Kit Some Assembly Required". I love fun and clever ornaments and I was rather proud to think of one on my own!

Here is one that is finished. The bow is made from a fabulous ribbon we carry in our store. It's called "Puff Dotty" ribbon. We have both satin and grosgrain in 5 colors. There are puffed up dots of different sizes all along the length and width of the ribbon. It's an incredible ribbon and it's impossible to resist touching it when you see it!

OK, now for the tutorial: Step 1, gather the ingredients. I used 3" clear top tins.

For the "snow" inside the ornament, I like using these iridescent sprinkles. Last time I checked they were available from JoAnn. They're also really cheap, which is a plus. When I made the glass ball ornaments, I used snow that looked more like real snow. Over the years, the other kind of snow has made the inside of the balls a bit cloudy, which the iridescent snow does not seem to do.
Now, decide what you want your snowman parts to look like. This time around, I opted for stamped scarves. Last time, I used thin strips of plaid fabric, and even frayed the ends to make it look like a real scarf. The hats, noses, and arms are all from a Cuttlebug snowman die, "Snow Fun". To make the hat band, I cut a super thin (probably 1/16") strip of cardstock with a pair of scissors and glued it to the hat using a Quickie Glue Pen. The "mouths, eyes, and buttons" are just black beads. Last time I made noses from Fimo clay and baked them. This time....#1: no Fimo, #2: no desire to go get some, nor to make noses when I can just die cut them.

Next, cut a circle to fit inside the tin and adhere it to the bottom of the tin. I used the closest Nestabilities size that would fit in the tin. It doesn't matter if there is space around the edge because it will be covered by the rim of the top of the tin anyway. I would not suggest using a tin smaller than 2" because it will be too cramped inside and you will not have enough room to shake around the snowman pieces and snow.

Next, add your snowman pieces and snow. I suggest pouring a pile of snow into the tin, then put the lid on and see how it looks. You don't want too much, nor too little snow. I have found that about 1/2 full when tipped up on it's side is just about right. It's hard to gauge when the tin is laying flat.

Next, close the tin and cut a piece of patterned paper 3/4" wide and 9 1/2" long. I used Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses paper here. It is only 6" long, so I had to cut two pieces. Put adhesive all over the back of the paper strip(s), and I do mean all over. You want a strong adhesive such as ATG or red line tape. You will be sorry if you try to use Mono adhesive. Cut a piece of sheer ribbon long enough to go around the tin with about 3 inches to spare. Determine which side of your ornament is the top. Some patterned papers don't have an "up" side, but if you scroll down to the last photo, you will see that I forgot to check this when making my first sample ornament. My patterned paper lies sideways! Ugh!! Now, put a glue dot at the top of the ornament, where the knot from the sheer ribbon will lie. I used 5/8" white organdy with a silver edge from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts. Tie the sheer ribbon around the the ornament tightly, making sure to tug the knot until it is nice and tight. Snip the ends very close to the knot. Cut a piece of cord about 6"-8" in length, place both cut ends together, and tie in a knot. Slip the knot under the sheer ribbon knot as shown in the photo. Note that the knotted end is toward the front of the ornament.

Now, pull up the knotted end and slip the looped end through the opposite loop. Look carefully, you can see the detail. Trust me, this will make the knots all end up in the right place. I played around with it to find the right direction.

Tug gently on the loop end until the knot tightens around the sheer ribbon knot.

Tie a bow with any ribbon you desire. 7/8" or larger works best, but you can really use anything. For this ornament, I also used white sheer with a silver edge.

Next, add your finishing touches as desired. The "instructions" are computer generated, then punched out using an SU tag punch, the mat is the larger SU tag punch. Sometimes I use a Versamarker and emboss "snow" around the edges of the tag using Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I added a snowflake cut using my Cuttlebug (rhinestone in the center). I also stamped snowflakes on the white part of the tag. (Darn sideways ornaments, this is why you need to pay attention to which way is up when you start tying ribbons! LOL

Enjoy, and please share your versions of my project. I'd love to see your take on it!

2009-10-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

There was a fun sketch challenge on Paper Craft Planet today. It was designed to show off the background, but this idea came into my head, so I ran with it. I love it when a card designs itself in my head and turns out like I thought it would. Sometimes it designs itself right into a disaster and makes me wish I'd never started!

The birds are paper pieced, rather tedious, but worth the work. The scalloped circle at the top of the card is there to cover a slightly crooked sentiment that I stamped directly on the card. It was a happy mistake because I like the scallop there!

Paper: PTI White, SU Pretty in Pink cardstock, SU Designer Prints Pack
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black
Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me and Smarty Pants (both SU)
Accessories: 1/4" grosgrain in Cantaloupe, Strawberry Oregon Raindrops ($1/jar)

Taylored Expressions Sketch 10/16

2009-10-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

I just can't seem to stop reaching for my Riley stamps. Maybe it's because they're just too darn adorable!

I made this card for the Taylored Expressions challenge today. This is a very straightforward, clean and simple card. The Riley is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. The buttons, brads, and burlap string are from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts. The sentiment is from Birthday Surprise (Verve Stamps). I totally stole the idea for the sentiment tag from my friend Michelle Woerner. I was at her house yesterday and she was finishing up one of the cards for the Unity challenge. I kept throwing out suggestions and she kept trying her own ideas and nothing was working right. She finally came up with a tag similar to the one I used on my card. The only difference is that my tag has asymmetrical tails. This was actually by accident, but then I liked it so I left it! I just love happy accidents!!

Snow Wonderful Riley!

2009-10-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

I can't help but smile when I see Riley on a card! He just makes life seem better, what a clever moose!

I made this card for two different challenges: First: Embellish Magazine (round cards), Second: Creative Clear Stamps (using scallops).

To make this card, I used my Cricut with the Tags, Bags, Boxes & More cartridge and using the blue polka-dot paper (PTI), I cut out a 5 1/4" flower. Then I cut out a shadow of the flower in the same size using a random piece of cardstock from my stash. I cut a piece of Cocoa cardstock 5 1/2" x 11", folded it in 1/2, then traced the "shadow" onto the folded cardstock putting the top two petals slightly over the edge of the fold. This allows for a flower shaped card to still have a hinge. I adhered the blue paper to the cocoa card base.

Then, I stamped Riley onto a piece of white cardstock and cut him out with a Nestie circle. I also cut out a scalloped circle using Certainly Celery cardstock. The Riley is colored using Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. The Riley circle is masked with the Nestie and sponged using Cocoa ink, then, I removed the Nestie and sponged the whole edge with Bashful Blue ink. I adhered the Riley to the Celery circle and popped them both up on foam tape on the card base.

The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I alternated Split Pea and Ice Blue rhinestones on the individual scallops.

Paper: PTI Bitty Dot Basics & White; SU Close to Cocoa & Certainly Celery
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; SU Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue
Stamps: Riley (Hannah Stamps), Snow Wonderful (Verve Stamps)
Accessories: 3/8" Striped Organdy in white/silver ($.10/yd), silver cord ($.17/yd), Kaiser Rhinestones in Ice Blue and Split Pea ($1.75), Iridescent Ice EP, Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol

Three Fall Leaves Cards

2009-10-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I made three cards last night for Splitcoast's Ways to Use it Challenge. The challenge was to make use of fall leaves. I can't believe how different all 3 cards turned out, especially because all 3 use Basic Grey's Indian Summer paper. I can't decide which is my favorite. My hubby likes the first one the best.

This card is a tri-fold faux envelope card. The finished card measures 4.5" x 4.5". The sentiment is stamped with Versamark and embossed with Black Detail powder.

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer, PTI Black
Ink: Versamark, Really Rust, Ruby Red, More Mustard
Stamps: Psalm 37:4 and Abundant Blessings (Verve Stamps)
Accessories: Black Detail Embossing Powder, 3/8" Black Grosgrain ($.18/yd)

What a fun card this was to make! It was thrilling to see the color of the background paper emerge through the stamped leaves as I heated the embossing powder. It was almost better than chocolate.....almost! The background leaves are stamped with Versamark and embossed with Black Detail Powder. The sentiment and gold leaf are also stamped in Versamark and embossed using Gold Glory embossing powder.

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer, PTI Black, SU Purely Pomegranate
Ink: Versamark
Stamps: Autumn, Friend to Friend (SU)
Accessories: Striped Organdy ($.11/yd), Burlap String ($.10/yd)

I just love perky organdy bows, they make me so happy, almost giddy and I can't help but smile! This card just gives me a happy feeling, and not least because it was very simple to make. Just layers of cardstock and a little Versamark, clear embossing powder, and a shot from a heat gun. then the fun bow!

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer, SU Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, and More Mustard
Ink: Versamark
Stamps: Fall Leaves (CTMH), Out on a Limb & Out on a Limb Additions (PTI)
Accessories: 7/8" Organdy in Chocolate

Pastel Swirly Sparkly Christmas!!

2009-10-14T20:48:00.001-07:00

I designed this the request of a customer. She wanted circles, pastels, pink, swirls, glitter, shimmer, and bling! This card has it all!!

I cut the circles using my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities. The green circle is embossed using the Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder and then painted with Angel Wings Shimmerz. The pink circle is stamped with Versamark and embossed using Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The main panel is stamped with snowflakes in Pale Plum ink, the sentiment stamped in Perfect Plum Craft Ink and also embossed with Iridescent Ice EP.

I punched the bottom of the plum panel with SU!'s Scallop Border Punch and rounded the corners with their larger corner rounder.

Paper: PTI with the exception of Basic Grey Sugared
Stamps: PTI Snowflake Serenade, Take a Bough
Ink: Pale Plum Classic, Versamark, Perfect Plum Craft
Accessories: Antique Pink Kaiser Rhinestones, Striped Organdy Ribbon, Nesties, Word Window Punch, Lg. Corner Rounder, Scallop Border Punch, Angel Wings Shimmerz, Embossing Gun, Iridescent Ice EP

2009-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

One more for the Sketch Challenge today. This one just popped in my head and begged me to make it. I sort of CASE'd myself because I made a card somewhat like this a few years ago: My Other Card, which I suppose is what gave me the idea to make this sketch using tags.

This was a bit of work to make with all of the details. I could not find a single holly stamp in my entire collection (which is huge) that was the right size and feel for this alphabet, so I drew my own. I am not an artist, but these images are very simple. I drew them in pencil first because I was fairly positive that I would mess up....and I was right. I colored the holly using Copic Markers. Then I put glue on the berries using a Quickie Glue Pen and added glitter. To make the tags edges in gold, I drew along the edges, one side at a time with a Versamarker and embossed with Gold Glimmer EP, which has gold glitter mixed in. I love, love, love the way this turned out! I added Olive Buttons laced with gold cord and natural burlap string. I left all of the layers plain with straight corners to allow the tags to be the focal point of the card.

Buttons, burlap string, Basic Grey Wassail Paper, Copics, and gold cord are from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts.

2009-10-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

This card is for the Taylored Expressions sketch. The bird is stamped in Versamark, embossed with clear detail powder, cut out and popped up on foam tape.

Paper: PTI
Ink: Perfect Plum, Versamark
Stamps: Inkadinkado, Filigree Fantasy (Verve)
Accessories: 1/8" Organdy in Eggplant and Azalea ($.10/yd.), Kaiser Rhinestones ($1.75) in Split Pea, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, SU Scallop Border Punch

I did a couple versions of the sketch challenge today.

The whole background of this card is stamped with Versamark and embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder; it is so sparkly. The three filigrees are also embossed with clear detail powder. Each button is threaded with iridescent cord and either tied in a knot or a bow.

Paper: Rose Red, Bermuda Bay, Regal Rose, Basic Grey Lemonade
Stamps: CHF Background, Filigree Fantasy (Verve)
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black, Regal Rose, Rose Red
Accessories: Burlap String in Rose ($.10/yd), Iridescent Cord ($.17/yd), Coral Rose Buttons ($1.50/jar), Lippy Red Kaiser Rhinestones ($1.75)

My second version of the sketch challenge.

Paper: Basic Grey Lemonade
Stamps: PTI Free Anniversary set this year
Ink: Regal Rose, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Kaiser Rhinestones in Lippy Red and Island Lagoon, 1/8" Organdy in Teal, Iridescent Cord ($.17/yd), Oregon Raindrops in Sea Blue ($1.00/jar, just like dewdrops just way cheaper!), .05 black pen, Glitter pen

Color Challenge & Cat's Pajamas TCP Tuesday Challenge

2009-10-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today's challenges are SCS's Color Challenge, (Bermuda Bay, Apricot Appeal, and Chocolate Chip) and The Cat's Pajamas challenge to use buttons. I haven't run across a pocket card in a while, so I thought I'd make one for this challenge.

All in all a pretty simple card, though I messed around with it for a couple of hours and had a couple of false starts. The butterfly is embossed with Chocolate embossing powder and the interior stippled with Groovy Guava Ink.

Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Apricot Appeal, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Versamark, Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal, Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Butterfly Wings (CTMH), Warmest Regards (SU)
Accessories: 1/8" Organdy ($.10/yd.), Orange Juice Buttons ($1.50/jar), Chocolate EP