Shadow Stamping

Hi all!! I hope your week has been fab!
Today I'm sharing a card that is a variation of a card we will be creating in my February Stamper's Night Out class!
My students will get to learn this FUN shadow technique in person, but I'm going to give you the quick How To today. I will be sharing my class card and a more detailed How To after my classes.
For this card I used the Thanks for Caring and Nature Walk stamp sets. I also used the Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper.

The ink pad colors I used are:
Floral Stamp (Old Olive)
Birdcage (So Saffron for background and Early Espresso for the outline)
Butterfly (Pumpkin Pie)
Sentiment (Marina Mist)

Now the technique is the same for all of the stamped images on the card, but to make it short I'm only going to tell you how to do the birdcage image.

Birdcage Image:
1. Ink your stamp with So Saffron and stamp onto watercolor paper
2. Use your blender pen and go over the image with it so that it blurs the lines. You are just creating a shadow and this does NOT have to be perfect. The messier it is the better!
3. Ink the same stamp with the Early Espresso ink and use your Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line up the image and stamp right over the blurred image.

That's it! That's how I created these beautiful images!
For the images that are one color, I simply stamped off on a scrap piece of paper before stamping the first image. Then I just blurred it with my blender pen as in the steps above and stamped the second time with the same color!
I hope you have fun with this technique! If you have ANY questions please don't hesitate to send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

To My Friend

I love my friends! My life wouldn't be the same (or as entertaining) without them! So why not use Valentine's Day as a chance to say just that?
This card I made today is PERFECT to give a friend! I used the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper (DSP) and the stamp set Great Friend.
I made this card and photographed it. When I went to edit it I thought it needed something. I went back and added the little white hearts and when I looked at both photos I couldn't decide which one I liked better! That's why there are two photos of the same card. ;)



I wish you could see this card in real life. I couldn't get a photo to do it justice. I punched the hearts out of the card and backed them with different DSP. This doesn't really show up well in the photo. As an alternative you could also punch the hearts out of the DSP and then add them to the card. Directions for the bottom card and supplies are listed below!

Supplies:
White Card 5.25x5.25 inches
Very Vanilla Cardstock
Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Heart to Heart Paper Punch
Scallop Border Punch
Large Scallop Circle Punch
Sheer Pink Ribbon
Ink in Rose Red
Great Friend Stamp Set
Foam Adhesive Squares (FAS)

Directions:
1. Trim 1 inch off of the front flap of your card. Set the trimmed piece to the side.
2. Use your Heart to Heart punch to punch hearts out of the front flap turning the punch as you go. (To see where you are punching simply turn the punch upside down as you punch.)
3. Take your Springtime Vintage DSP and cut it to fit the hearts you just punched out. Adhere the papers behind the punched hearts so that the desired pattern shows through.
4. Cut a piece of purple DSP to 3.75x2.25. Punch a hole in the top and trim the edges to look like a tag.
5. Punch a large scallop circle out of the Very Vanilla cardstock. Adhere the scallop circle to the bottom of the tag. Trim the excess to fit the tag.
6. Punch the bottom of the tag with the Scallop Border punch. Stamp your sentiment in Rose Red.
7. Cut a rose bouquet out of one of the pieces of DSP. Add it to the tag with FAS. Punch two hearts from the DSP with the Heart to Heart punch. Add them to the tag with FAS.
8. Trim a piece of brown DSP to 1x2.25 inches. Punch with the Scallop Border punch and add it to the bottom of the tag with FAS.
9. Tie your ribbon to the top of the tag. Adhere the tag to the front of the card with FAS.
10. Trim a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock to 1.5x5.25 inches. Punch the edge with the Scallop Border punch and adhere to the inside edge of the front flap.
11. Trim a piece of the green striped DSP to 1.5x5.25 and adhere to the right side of the back flap.
12. Take the piece of cardstock you trimmed off of the front of the card in the first step. Punch out 5 of the smallest heart from the Heart to Heart punch. Add to the front of the card with FAS.

If you have any questions about this card please send me at email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
Don't forget Sale-A-Bration is going on RIGHT NOW!! Also, if you want to come to Stamper's Night Out you need to RSVP!!

Sale-a-Brate Good Times....COME ON!!!

I'm sorry if you can't get that song out of your head now! ;)
I have some exciting news! Sale-a-Bration starts TODAY!!
If you are new to Stampin Up, Sale-a-Bration(SAB) is a super sale that lasts from January 25 to March 31 2011.

During this time:
-Earn one FREE Sale-a-Bration product of your choice for every $50 you spend!
-Host a $300 workshop and earn one FREE Sale-a-Bration product of your choice!(Not to mention some really great hostess benefits)
-Join Stampin Up during SAB and receive 15% off your kit PLUS $50 in bonus products!

If you have ever considered hosting a Stampin Up workshop OR joining SU this is the time! A Stampin Up workshop is a fun night where you get your friends together to make a couple of cute projects(like the one above)! It's free to attend and the hostess benefits from the sales that night! It's also a perfect excuse to get out of the house! ;)
I have several of the stamp sets that are listed in the SAB mini catalog! HERE is a card using the So Many Thanks stamp! There are also several brand new and super cute stamps sets as well as embellishments, ribbons, papers, and decor elements. To view a PDF of the SAB catalog click HERE!
Well I just wanted to let you know about Sale-a-Bration! Wahoo! If you would like to receive a SAB mini catalog in the mail send me your mailing adress. I can also email you a PDF of all of the additional Sale-a-Bration stamp sets that are listed in the back of the SAB mini catalog. If you have any questions please send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

February Stamper's Night Out!

I'm in love. No I'm not talking about Eric or Brodey! ;) You already know I love them! I'm talking about the new Vintage Flower adornments and the new Botanical Gazette paper from Stampin Up. Guess what!?!?! We are using BOTH of these (and a bunch of other fun stuff) in my next Stamper's Night Out in February! I can't wait!
We will be making these 4 cards PLUS a bonus project! I will be showing you some FUN new techniques and you will leave with 5 beautiful handmade projects! Who needs Hallmark? ;)

February Stamper's Night Out
February 8 & 22 @6:30pm
at the Scrappin Pad
You must email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com to reserve your spot! There are only 6 spots left for the 22nd and 11 spots for the 8th

Please bring these supplies:
(If you do not have these I will have them for you to use)
Your Favorite Adhesive(s)
Fine Tip Scissors
Paper Trimmer
Filing Kit/Sandpaper
Stamp-a-ma-Jig
Blender Pen

If you have these stamp sets or ink colors you are more than welcome to bring them to use!

Stamp Sets:
Elegant Thank You
Great Friend
Thanks for Caring
Birthday Bakery
Punch Potpourri
Nature Walk
Lovely as a Tree

Ink Pads and/or Markers:
So Saffron
Early Espresso
Cherry Cobbler
Not Quite Navy
Marina Mist
Old Olive
Baja Breeze
Rose Red
White Craft
Stazon in Black and Brown

Stamper's Night Out is a fun and relaxed environment where everyone works at their own pace. If you are new to papercrafting I would love to have you!
This will be a FUN class! Dress comfy and be prepared to GET CRAFTY! ;)
If you have ANY questions please don't hesitate to send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
Hope to see you there!

Bitty Bot Card!

Wow! It's Friday already!?!?! Having Brodey home for the second snow day in a row has made the week fly by!
This last week I have been (not so patiently) waiting on my new Stampin Up goodies to arrive. These new goodies are what we will be using in our next Stamper's Night Out classes. So...you can imagine that I am very anxious for them to get here! They have been delayed because of "adverse weather conditions" so hopefully they will get here this afternooon!
In the meantime I have been trying to use some of my stamp sets I haven't used very much! The Lots of Bots set falls into this category. I used it to make this little bitty Get Well Soon card.

This poor little guy is so cute I want to give him a hug and a kiss on his little metal cheek! ;)
I got out my paper crimper for this one. I haven't used it in well over a year and I love how it adds a little texture to the card!

Directions:
1. Trim your Baja Breeze card stock to 3.5x7 inches. Score lengthwise down the middle at 3.5 inches.
2. Take the nuts and bolts stamp from the Lots of Bots set and stamp randomly on the front of the card with Baja Breeze ink.
3. Trim a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock to 0.75x3.5 inches. Stamp the numbers stamp from the Lots of Bots set with black ink. Attach this piece to the front of the card at 1.5 inches from the top.
4. Trim a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock to 0.75x3.75 inches. (always add at least a quarter of an inch to the length of cardstock when crimping it with the paper crimper) Run it through the paper crimper and adhere below the Pumpkin Pie strip.
5. Stamp your Bot image onto watercolor paper. Using the blender pen, color the bot with Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, and Baja Breeze markers. Punch out the image with the scallop square punch. Add metal brads to the corner and adhere to the center of your card.

Supplies:
Lots of Bots Stamp Set
Cardstock in Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, and Pumpkin Pie
Blender Pen
Markers in Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, and Pumpkin Pie
Black Ink Stazon
Metal Brads
Paper Crimper
Scallop Square Punch

If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com! You can buy any of these supplies by visiting Stampin up!
Have a wonderful Friday and STAY WARM!! :)

Ready for Spring!

It is a cold, icy, snowy day here in Oklahoma! I am SO ready for spring so I decided to use some pretty spring colors on this card today!

The sweet little birdie is from the Fun & Fast Notes set! I stamped him on watercolor paper in black Stazon and colored him with my markers and blender pen. I then punched him out with my large scallop square punch.
The pretty little flowers are from my flower stamp from the Punch Potpourri stamp set. I used the coordinating Boho Blossoms punch to punch them out.

The Rose Red cardstock is embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder and the Daffodil Delight cardstock is punched with the Scallop Border Punch.

To make my little sentiment label, I stamped the Thanks I Needed That sentiment from the bird stamp onto watercolor paper. I punched it out with the Modern Label Punch. I went over the letters with the small end of my Rose Red marker and I stamped the flowers on the outer edges.

This was a fun card to make! The colors are bright and cheery and I LOVE any excuse to play with my paper punches!

If you have any questions send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com! I would love to hear from you!

The sun is out now so I have to admit the snow is beautiful....no matter how much I long for spring! ;)

So Many Thanks!

Good morning!! :)
I wanted to share this card I made yesterday! I have had this stamp, So Many Thanks, since October, but I have never used it! I saw it yesterday and I instanty knew what I wanted to do with it!
I used Baja Breeze and Cajun Craze (yes I'm stuck on these colors lol) but the great thing about this card is that you could use any color combo you have handy!
There are two ways to make this card. The first is with the handy dandy Stamp-a-ma-Jig and the second is with a paper trimnmer.
Below is the video for how to stamp the front of the card using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig.

Now I have to apologize for the poor quality of the video. It was a bit longer than I wanted so when I uploaded it YouTube resized it. BUT I just watched it and I think you can tell what I'm doing! If NOT please let me know! I'll repost another How To using photos!

If you do not have a Stamp-a-Ma-Jig you can make this card using your paper trimmer!
1. Stamp the images on a piece of Whisper White cardstock
2. Cut out the stamped images as a square with your paper trimmer
3. Adhere them together on the front of the card

Supplies:
Thanks So Much Stamp
Small Heart Punch
Circle Punch
Scallop Border Punch
Ink in Baja Breeze and Cajun Craze
Cardstock in Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Baja Breeze, and Kraft
Stamp-a-ma-Jig

Well I hope you enjoy making this card! It's a fun one!
If you have ANY questions please send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

Got Cupcakes?

Cupcakes are everywhere lately and I LOVE it! I mean who doesn't love a cupcake? Just typing about them makes me want to eat one! ;)
I made this fun birthday card with the Got Treats? stamp set! We used this set at my last Stamper's Night Out class to make a cute little mini milk carton with treats in it! I wanted to use the set today to make a card! The directions and supplies are listed below!

Directions:
1. Stamp the pedestal base from the On a Pedestal Stamp Set on a piece of Whisper White cardstock. Trim a piece of brown cardstock with the Pinking Hearts Border Punch and adhere at the top of the stamped pedestal. Top with a strip of Baja Breeze cardstock.
2. Use your markers to color the cupcake stamp from the Got Treats stamp set. Remoisten the inked stamp by huffing or blowing your breath on the stamp. Stamp the cupcake images above the cardstock pedestal. Stamp the candle from the On a Pedestal set on top of the stamped cupcakes.
3. Use the Heart to Heart paper punch to punch out small hearts from cardstock. Ink the edges of the hearts with your markers. Adhere to the stamped cupcakes.
4. Punch a piece of white cardstock with the Curly Label punch. Cut it in half and stamp with the Got Birthday word from the cupcake stamp. Adhere to the cardstock pedestal.
5. Add a square of Rose Red cardstock to the card. Cut out your stamped image and adhere over the square of Rose Red cardstock. Add the strip of Baja Breeze cardstock on the left side and overlap with a piece of lace.

Supplies:
-Markers in Baja Breeze, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, and Chocolate Chip
-Pedestal and Candle Stamp from the On a Pedestal Stamp Set
-Cupcake and Got Birthday Stamps from the Got Treats Stamp Set
-Pinking Hearts Border Punch
-Heart to Heart Punch
-Cardstock in Whisper White, Rose Red, Baja Breeze, and Kraft

The cupcake stamp I used on this card is super cut, but there are several other Stampin Up sets and products with cupcakes.

Sock Monkey Stamp Set 111550
Birthday Bakery 117034
Build a Cupcake Paper Punch 121807
Crazy for Cupcakes Stamp Set 111618
Create a Cupcake Stamp Set

They are ALL cute!!
Well I hope you like today's card!
If you have any questions please email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
It's a COLD day here in Oklahoma! Stay warm!

I LOVE Color

Color is fun. Color is beautiful. Color is exciting!!! So why are people scared of it? ;)
I'll admit it can be intimidating sometimes to figure out that perfect color combination, but I have the perfect solution...Never fear! The Color Coach is here! Haha! I had to!
I love this thing! It has all the Stampin Up colors on one side and it has two different color combos on the other.
The color combos are awesome! I use this almost every time I make a card. I even used it today to make this fun card with the Love Defined stamp set.The colors I used for this card are Cajun Craze, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, and Chocolate Chip! LOVE that color combo!
The directions and supplies for making this card are below.

Directions:
1. Take your Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, and Basic Gray markers and color the hearts on the tree stamp. (Coloring three hearts at a time gives the tree a more unified look) Once you have the hearts colored, color the tree trunk with your Chocolate Chip marker.
2. Remoisten the inked stamp by huffing or blowing your breath on the stamp. Stamp the tree onto Whisper White cardstock and cut out with a scalloped square. Mat the scalloped square with Baja Breeze cardstock.
3. Color your LOVE stamp with the same markers and stamp onto Whisper White cardstock. Punch the LOVE out with your small oval punch and adhere to a large scalloped oval punched from your Cajun Craze cardstock.
4. Adhere your tree, LOVE oval, and two hearts punched from Cajun Craze and Baja Breeze cardstock to your card.
5. Punch the edges of your Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, and Chocolate Chip cardstock with your decorative edge punch. Trim to fit your ribbon width.
6. Adhere your trimmed cardstock on top of each other, leaving a peek of the color at the bottom. Tie your ribbon across and you are done!

Supplies:
-Love Defined Stamp Set
-Stampin Right Markers in Basic Gray, Cajun Craze, Baja Breeze, and Chocolate Chip
-Small Oval Punch
-Scallop Oval Punch
-Small Hearts Punch

Well I hope you are having a marvelous Monday! Brodey is at school today learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. They were supposed to be out, but had to make up a snow day.
I hope you enjoyed today's card share! If you have any questions please send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com! Remember you can shop for Stampin Up products 24/7 online HERE!

Heartfelt Thanks!

Howdy folks!
Today I wanted to do a super quick card using the Sweetheart stamp set!
This set was created to use with the Heart Treat Cups, but there are so many other ways to use this super cute set!
One of my favorite customers purchased this set recently to make little Valentine's cards with the Treat Cups. I wanted to show an easy alternative way to use this stamp set year round and without the treat cups!
I simply stamped the scalloped heart three times in Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, and Baja Breeze.
I used the Heart Punch (which is also perfect size for the Treat Cups) and punched three hearts. I dry embossed the three hearts with the Elegant Lines embossing folder. I adhered the punched hearts to the center of the stamped hearts with foams adhesive squares.
I then punched a strip of red cardstock with the Scalloped Border Punch and added it to my card.
I stamped my sentiment and punched it out with my Small Oval Punch and adhered it to a scalloped oval I punched with my Scalloped Oval Punch.
I LOVE the little birdie stamp so I stamped him on top of my sentiment and embellished with two cute little flowers I stamped with the Punch Potpourri set and punched out with the coordinating Boho Blossoms Punch.
This card took no time to put together! You can shop for any of these items 24/7 on my website OR you can come to a Stamper's Night Out to create fun cards just like this one!

If you have any questions feel free to send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

Well I hope you enjoyed this card and have had a fabulous Friday!

Love Defined...

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this stamp set!
I love the kissing flamingos, the tree, the strings of hearts...ALL of it!
Several of the stamps are very versatile and aren't just limited to Valentine's Day!
We used this set at my last Stamper's Night Out on this card.
A few of my new papercrafters said "oh this looks difficult!" I assured them that it wasn't and when they were finished they were so excited and couldn't believe how easy it was to put together!!
I'll share the steps and the supplies below!

STEPS:
1. Take a 5x5 card and trim the front flap down to 4 inches.
2. Trim a piece of pink cardstock to 4x5 inches. Stamp and emboss with white embossing powder. Adhere to front flap of card.
3. Take a red strip of cardstock and punch with the Scalloped Border punch. Adhere this to the edge of the front flap.
4. Using the Love Definition stamp, stamp the back flap so that it shows where you trimmed the front flap.
5. Cut a piece of white cardstock with your Top Note Die. Score at 3.5 inches. Adhere the shorter flap to the back of the card so that it wraps around to the front of the card. Embellish with hearts punched with the Glitter Paper and scalloped ovals.

SUPPLIES:
SU Top Note Big Shot Die (p.207 Catalog) 113463
SU Heart Punches (p.203 Catalog) 119881 and 117193
SU Red Glitter Paper (p.7 Mini Catalog) 121790
SU Scalloped Oval Punch (p.201 Catalog) 119856
SU Small Oval Punch (p.203 Catalog) 119863
SU Scalloped Trim Border (p.201 Catalog) 118402
SU White Embossing Powder 109132
Versamark Ink
SU Love Defined Stamp Set (p.9 Mini Catalog) 121941

Well I hope you like this card as much as I do!
Today is my little boy's 5th birthday! I'm baking ice cream cone cupcakes! My house smells yummy!
Stay warm and enjoy your Wednesday!

For the Kids!

Who says Valentine's Day is just for lovebirds!?! I say Valentine's Day is for EVERYONE you love!
At my last Stamper's Night Out we made cards for everyone on our love list...even the kiddos! We cherish everything they make for us so wouldn't they love something we made for them? Of course they would!
Everyone who came to SNO had so much fun making this card! I think the hardest part was deciding what people to make with the All in the Family stamp set. I had a few girls who made them for their hubbies with cute little people holding tennis raquets or wearing a suit and tie. It was fun and we had a few laughs! ;)
You can find the supplies I used to make this card listed below!

Stamp Set: All in the Family
Heart Border Punch
Heart Punch
Markers
Blender Pen
Temping Turquiose and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock

You can shop for these items 24/7 on my Stampin Up website. If you would like to get some of these products for free you can always host a workshop! You bring the friends and I bring the fun! We will make a couple of cards and you will be rewarded according to the workshop's total sales! It's that easy!
If you have any questions send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com! I would love to hear from you!

Apple Blossoms

Happy Monday stampers! Today is a snow day for us so I took advantage and made a couple of cards!
I love this set! It's called Apple Blossoms. It's a hostess set that you can actually get for free with a qualifying Stampin Up workshop OR order.
I LOVE the colors on these cards. I used the Color Coach to come up with the color combo. I knew I wanted to use Basic Gray and when I looked it up in the Color Coach it suggested Basic Gray, Melon Mambo, and Old Olive. Beautiful!
My next Stamper's Night Out will be Tuesday February 8 at 6:30! The spots fill up pretty quickly so if you would like to reserve a spot email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
Well I'm off to make a pot of stew! It's the perfect day for it! Yum!