The Stamper

New Catalog is coming June 1st

This stampin year we will be getting our new catalog earlier, you will be able to order from the new catalog starting June 1st.  That is a fun birthday present to me.  The new catalog will be smaller than in years past but it is packed full of the same quality rubber stamping and scrapbooking supplies.  This card was created with one of the new stamping lines called Smooch.  The stamp set is Bright Blossoms.  This little set and paper pack that matches is very versatile.  I used it for a mini scrapbook I made for my daughter.  

This card layout was copied from a card in Stampin' Up! monthly magazine they produce for their demontrators.  I just changed it up a bit.  The card was cardstock cut 4 1/4x 11 and scored with the strips embossing folder.  The tag is 2" wide, you clip the bottom to make the bottom of the tag, not perfect is best.  The rounded top was created by tracing a brad or button container making sure it was placed even on both sides of the tag's cardstock.  Everything was sponged for an antique look.  The belly band was created by punching two Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border strips from Real Red cardstock and glueing half of each along a piece of Smooch Designer paper.  I used a word window punch for greeting which can be found inTeeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and tucked it under the tag.  To finish the tag I put ribbon behind the tag and glued a button to the front with glue dots.  

I inked the Bright Blossom's stamp set with markers and stamped it on the tag and also one of the flowers on a scrap of cardstock.  Then cut it out and used a part of a dimensional to pop it up off the tag.  

Because the new catalog is quickly coming our way remember you have until the end of May to order the retired products you want before they are gone.  I used the Distressing Essentials kit to antique this card and also the cardstock is the Confetti cardstock that will also be retiring.  So go to my stampin' web site: http://wendythestamper.stampinup.net to order today.

Grad Hat from petal cone Big Shot Die

My friend, Wendy shared this cute graduation hat box that a friend had shared with her, with me.  Sharing is so much fun!

With all the graduations in my life this year I just loved this little box.  It was simple to make and the perfect box to hold a little something for a graduate in your life. 

To create the box, cut black or any color cardstock into 2 pieces 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, lay these cardstock pieces onto the petal cone die so that the rounded edges of the die are covered by cardstock, the pieces will not fit the whole die but that does not matter it is just the top part of the die you want. (cutting one layer at a time is best because of the score lines on this die)  After cutting box pieces, you want to score below the petal cone score lines one inch.  Now, glue the box flaps to each other and fold on score lines.  Tuck the petal or round piece together and then glue the opposite ends together.  You will now cut a 3 x 6 piece of black cardstock and fold it in half and glue over the back part of the box.  And white cardstock that was cut using the petal cone die and loosen the fibers with a bone folder, attach this piece to the top of the card with a antique brad.  Add 2 3/4" pieces of white cardstock to the inside of the card to cover the back of the brad and so you can write a simple message of congrats. 

To order Big Shot and Petal cone die go to my Stampin' web site: http://wendythestamper.stampinup.net

Big Shot Quilting

While I was in Utah for graduations I had the opportunity to visit with one of my good friends who is also a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  It is always fun to network and share ideas.  Her name is Wendy also and she has been doing a lot of teaching of quilting with Big Shot dies.  These quilts are fun and easy to make, even people who have not quilted before can successful make a quilt. 

The quilt Wendy made was done with large squares of fabric which you sew together in strips and then the strips together.  Then using the Big shot and scallop square die, you cut fabric squares and glue them over the corners of the large squares using Stampin' Up!'s glue sticks.  Repeat the process with the fun flower die and then take your quilt to a long are quilter and she will quilt the patterns into your quilt.  After you wash the quilt the edges of the die cut images rag up and create a old worn look that is so charming. 

To order the Big Shot and dies go to my Stampin' Web site: http://wendythestamper.stampinup.net

Preschool Pages

My third daughter is coming to the end of her school days, she will be graduating soon.  For each of my older daughters I have created a 4 scrapbooks of their life for them to take with them to school and their grown up lives.  My third daughter had not seen me working on them and had watched me make the ones for my other daughters, she became worried that she was not getting them and decided to drop some major hints and she wanted a set of scrapbooks for graduation.  It made me smile because I had been working on her books for months, had started before moving here because I knew I would need some of the materials that I was packing and leaving in the states.   I finally had to tell her they were being made so she could calm down and know I was not going to not do them for her.  One of the books I do is a school book with pages recording my child's school years.  This is the book I am currently working on.  What fun to watch them grow again, right before my eyes. 

This two page spread is a page we made in my last scrapbook class.  In class we used pet stamps and created a pet page but I did not add the pet images to my page because we don't have a pet and I knew I wanted to use it for Chay's school scrapbook so I used images found in the From your teacher stamp set.  this layout is a fun one that will work for any themed page.  I love pockets on scrapbooking pages that you can tuck more journaling or pictures and this layout has one, to create the pocket just glue three sides of base designer series paper and across the middle so the tags don't fall all the way to the bottom of your page.  Stampin' Up! designer papers are perfect for this type of layout because they have several coordinating sheets in one pack. 

To order designer series paper go to my stampin' site: http://wendythestamper.stampinup.net  You can shop by paper only which can make it easy to select the right back for your scrapbooking needs.

Sunflower card

When I was in Utah I was able to look over all my Stampin' Success, a magazine Stampin' Up! sends to their demonstrators.   I loved this card I copied from one of the Stampin' Up! magazines.  It was easy and fun and looked great when it was done. 

One of the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the support we get from the company.  There are perks like; magazines, conventions, leadership meetings, great chat group and free product that the company provides for us to help us be successful.  I am excited about the new custom starter kit that for $99 you can become a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! and enjoy these benefits as well.  If you are interested please contact me at [email protected] for more information. 

The sunflower card was create by folding a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 piece of black cardstock in half.  Cut a vanilla and more mustard cardstock pieces to 4 1/4 x 4 1/2 and stamp the sunflower the same way on both pieces.  Glue strips of Stampin' Up!'s first edition speciality paper on the top and bottom on stamped vanilla piece and attach it to the black card.  Now tear more mustard stamped card in a couple of pieces, attach them over the stamped vanilla cardstock positioning it so the sunflower images match up.  Then using your nail rough up the torn edges.  Add  button and small tag greeting. 

Don't forget the retiring list, you have a couple weeks to order these products. To order retiring products go to my Stampin' web site: http:wendythestamper.stampinup.net Remember you have just a couple more weeks and these products will not be available.

Life is always changing

I always write a life's happening in my monthly newsletter I send out to my customers and this month I wrote this note on change and thought I would share it here as well.   This note is about change.  Going back to the states always brings this to my mind but this time it seems like I got hit with it from all angles.  My oldest daughter graduated from college, yea, we are proud of her and her husband. Change... she is married and has a life of her own and not as much time to spend with me when I go back to visit with her.  She is working part time, job hunting, taking care of husband and house and serving others, all great things but I missed the little girl who would shop for hours and just sit and tell me all the things in her life and what she felt and thought about them.
Change...my nieces and nephews are getting big... it was only 8 months and yet they went from little kids to that age when you see the pre-teen trying to break free.  It was no longer cool to let Aunt Wendy take tons of pictures of them.  Change...  while I was gone my maid lost her husband and her sponsor that lets her and her daughter work and live here in Arabia.  By the time I got back she was gone and I will miss her and her quiet way of serving others.  Change... it was winter when I left and I came back to over 100 degree weather, summer is on it's way big time, after the cool temperatures of Utah I felt so hot driving home, thank goodness for air conditioning.  Change... both of my daughters here are graduating this month, Bryn from Aramco's schools and going to the International school here in Dhahran and Chay from high school going to college.  She is going to BYU Idaho in the fall and has an apartment all ready for her there, she is moving out and I am sad to see her go.  Change happens all around us, all the time but every once it a while it knocks you flat and you have to pick up the pieces and change with it.