Stamp Things

Adorable Punch Giraffe

I just had to share these cards that I made for a friend, special thanks to Karen for getting me to blog again. 

 

The Punch Art Giraffe was absolutely adorable and after making over 80 of them, I have to share how they were made and the little tricks I learned.

The Tools needed.

• 1/8" Circle Punch
• 1/4" Circle Punch
• 1/2" Circle Punch
• 1-1/4" Circle Punch
• Large Oval Punch (3/4" x 1-1/2")
• Scissors


Supplies Needed:

• Yellow, Orange, Pink and Brown Cardstock.
• Glue

The pieces used to create the giraffe include:

 
 
The ~1/4" punch and ~1/8" punch came from the Owl Builder Punch (PN 118074).

Assembling the Giraffe

1. Ears: The ears are made from a 1-1/4" yellow punched circle and a 1-1/4" brown punched circle.

a. Outer ear: Using a Yellow 1-1/4" circle, punch 2 outer ear parts from the Yellow circle by sliding the punched circle about a quarter of the way into the 1-1/4" circle punch.  The sequence of pictures below demonstrate this technique.

 

b. Inner ear: Repeat the step above with the Brown 1-1/4" circle. Making sure to slide the brown circle in to the punch slightly little less than you did with the yellow circle to create a smaller piece.

c. Glue the inner ear and outer ear pieces together, then set them aside.

  
2.  Ossicones (Ossicones are the antler- like or horn-like protuberances on the head of giraffes.):  To create an ossicone, Glue 1/4" circle to the end of a ~1/8" x 1/2" scrap to create one.  Repeat to create the second. :)

 
3. Muzzle - To create the muzzle of the Giraffe, use a yellow Large Oval circle and a brown 1/2" circle.

a. Trim the 1/2" circle so that it looks like the one shown below.

 
b. Glue the trimmed circle to the upper center section of the large oval as shown below.

4. Mouth -  For the mouth a  a yellow 1/2" circle and a pink 1/2" circleTo create the mouth trim the 1/2" pink circle and cut it into quarters as shown below.

 
Glue the pink piece to the yellow 1/2" circle as shown below.

 
Put the pieces asside for later.

5. Eyes - Glue the ~1/8" circles (Blue or Brown) to the 1/2" white circles as shown below.

 
6. Neck - Use 1/2" Orange Circles and ~3" x ~1/4" scrap pieces. Cut the Orange 1/2" circles in half.

 
Randomly glue the orange pieces on the yellow scrap piece.

 
Trim piece as needed to fit.

7. Assemble the remaining pieces.

 
The animated image below provides some guidance for assembling the giraffe.

 
If you want your giraffe to look more child-like, place the eyes slightly behind the large oval circle.  The images below shows the different looks you can achieve simply by moving the eye placement.

 
I hope you enjoyed this punch art creation. 

As always, Happy Creating!

Priceless Scrap Card Directions

 

This card was created using scraps. The most difficult part was creating the striped Top Note pattern. Like everything, once you know how to do it.  It is very easy!  This tutorial details how to create this pattern.

Several pieces of scrap paper at least 5-1/2" x 1/2" to  2" were selected from a scrap bin.  7-9 strips of varying widths x 5"-1/2" long work best.  

When creating the card shown above, the scraps were stamped using various inks and the Priceless Stamp Set.  You can use whatever stamp set you wish to give variety to the paper or use pattern paper like the designer series paper.   (Tip: I don't own a lot of Stamp Pads.  I "colored" the stamps with Stampin' Write Markers instead.). 

FYI: The sample shown below is not stamped to focus on the technique. 

 

These strips were glued on to a scrap piece of Designer Series paper ~5-1/2" x 6" (you can use Card Stock) referred to as the base paper.   (Tip: A thin layer of TomBow Multipurpose Liquid Glue was used to glue the scraps to the 5-1/2" x 6" base.  I do not suggest using the SNAIL Adhesive as previous samples that I have created did fall apart.  The samples using the liquid glue did not.)

  The assembly was then trimmed to ~5-1/2" x 6".

 

 

The assembly will then be die cut using the Top Note Bigz die and the Big Shot. 

For those not familiar with the "sandwich" used in the Big Shot.  The sandwich includes a bottom cutting plate, followed by the Top Note Bigz Die and the paper assembly shown above followed by the top cutting plate. 

(Tip: This assembly should be placed face down (finished side down) over the Top Note Die cutting surface.  This is done to prevent the scratches in the cutting plate from transferring onto the die cut surface.) 

This sandwiched assembly is then run through the BigShot.

The resulting die cut  

Flipping the die cut over reveals the final product.

 

Isn't that easy! Now it is your turn!  Don't forget to share youre creations, I'd love to see them.

Happy Creating!

Priceless - Scrap Card

 

This card was made from scraps!  If you would like to recreate it, these are the supplies that you will need.

Stamp Set - Priceless – PN 115052

Colors:

• Concord Crush - Card StocK PN: 119785, Ink Pad PN:  119792
• Pear Pizzazz  - Card StocK PN:119784, Ink Pad PN:  119795
• Peach Parfait  - Card StocK PN:119783, Ink Pad PN:  119794
• Daffodil Delight  - Card StocK PN:119667, Ink Pad PN: 119683
• Tangerine Tango  - Card StocK PN:111834, Ink Pad PN:  111349
• So Saffron  - Card StocK PN:105213, Ink Pad PN:  105118
• Early Espresso  - Card StocK PN:119670, Ink Pad PN:  119686

Punch:   2" x 1 3/8" Oval XL – PN 119859

Sizzix Accessories:

• Embossing Folder – Final Press PN - 115963
• Bigz Die - Top Note PN – 113463

This card was a lot of fun to make and easier than it looks.  If your interested in step by step directs, level a comment.  I'm in need of some motivation to post the directions!

As Always, Happy Creating!

VersaMark vs. Stampin' Ink

Sometimes it is just nice to compare products to see the different results.  I'm hoping this little experiment with help you decide when to go for the Versa Mark and when to simply stamp with the same color classic stamping ink (as the paper you are using).

This exampled uses Crushed Curry Card Stock from Stampin' Up!, VersaMark Ink and Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Ink.  The Eggs were created using "A Good Egg" Stamp Set (PN 114974).

Hope this quick comparison helps you decide which ink to use!  If there is a product that you would like compared, please let me know.  I'd be happy to show you the difference and various uses!

Quintuple fold Easter Card (Paper Doll Easter Card)

To make this cute little Easter Egg Card you will need an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of paper.

Step 1: Score the paper along the 11" side at 1-13/16", 3-5/8", 7-1/4" and at 10-1/16".  Mark the Paper at 10 - 7/8"

Step 2: Cut the paper at 10-7/8" along the 11" length  and then in half, along the 8-1/2" width.

 

 Step 3: Fold Along the score marks as indicated below.

Step 4: Print out egg template, paper clip it to the folded closed card and trim off edges.

Your Egg is ready for decorating!

I can't wait to see how you decorate your eggs!

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Hope you enjoyed this easy little egg!  Don't forget to share yours with me, I'd LOVE to see it.  You can email me your creations at marie@stampthings.com or add a link to the comment section below!

Brayer Sunset - Scrapbook Example

Today's post is about taking an element from a favorite card and incorporating it into a scrapbook page.  This card created by Michelle Zindorf  inspired the Brayer Sunset Revisited post which discusses how to make a slightly different version of Michelle's card below. 

 
Comparing the card above to the scrapbook page below, you can see the elements that were used to create the pages below.

 
 Supplies used are listed below.
 

Stampin' Up! Part Number	Product Description
102599	Glossy White 8-1/2" x 11" (25 pc)
111656	Inspired by Nature Stamp Set
105225	So Saffron Ink Refill
102931	Only Orange Ink Refill
103287	Real Red Ink Refill
102395	Brayer Handle with Rubber Attachment
-	2-3 Baby Wipes
101179	Basic Black Stampin' pad
102851	Basic Black Paper
102395	Brayer Handle with Rubber Attachment
*	Bird die cut or punch, Some Suggestions are listed below
107088	12" x 12" So Saffron Card Stock
106532	12" x 12" Basic Black Card Stock
106545	12" x 12" Real Red Card Stock
107107	12" x 12" Only Orange Card Stock
118402	Scallop Trim Border

Some Suggestions for the Bird

• Holiday Windows Magnetic Stampin' Up! Movers & Shapers Die (PN 116821)
• 2 Step Bird Punch (PN 117191)

• Birds & Branches Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die (PN 114529)

Until then, Happy Creating!

Brayer Sunset Revisited

I was looking for some new inspiration and came across a card that inspired me, so much that I had to case it.  Okay, so I didn't recreate it exactly but it is too similar to call the idea my own! Of coarse, I can't find the original now to give the designer credit.  If you know her, please leave a comment with her info, so I can add a link.

To recreate this affect first review my very simple  baby wipe technique to create a the background.  It is VERY simple, click here for a tutorial. 

The tools and supplies that you will need include

Stampin' Up! Part Number	Product Description
102599	Glossy White 8-1/2" x 11" (25 pc)
111656	Inspired by Nature Stamp Set
105225	So Saffron Ink Refill
102931	Only Orange Ink Refill
103287	Real Red Ink Refill
102395	Brayer Handle with Rubber Attachment
-	2-3 Baby Wipes
101179	Basic Black Stampin' pad
102851	Basic Black Paper
*	Bird die cut or punch, Some Suggestions are listed below

Some Suggestions for the Bird

• Holiday Windows Magnetic Stampin' Up! Movers & Shapers Die (PN 116821)
• 2 Step Bird Punch (PN 117191)

• Birds & Branches Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die (PN 114529)

Come back on Friday to see the card and scrapbook page that were made with these eye catching creations!

Until then, Happy Creating!

Pennant Die - Making Pennants

In the past I have used the Pennant die to create anything BUT a pennant including:

• Pennant Card Tutorial
• Trees & Table Settings

This post contains actual pennants that were made with the Stampin' Up! Exclusive Pennant die for use with the Sizzix Big Shot, BigKick & the new Big Shot Pro machines.

To create these pennants you will need the following tools.

1. PN 113483 - Stampin' Up! Pennant Die
2. PN 113439 Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (Or the BigKick or Big Shot Pro)
3. PN 113478 - Extended Cutting Pads
4. Alphabet Dies of your Choosing to create letters.  These letters were created using the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge and the Cricut Expressions.

For each Pennant you will need:

• Two piece of 8 - 1/2 " x  9" for the creation of the Pennant in the color or pattern of your choosing.
• Additional piece of paper for creating the letters.

TIP: The tip regarding the pennant die is to use old remnants from stamp dies to create alignment edges along the side and bottom of the pennant die edges as shown below.

These alignment edges allow for consistent and accurate die cuts.  Be careful placing the remnant die pieces.  Don't worry they are easy to remove if you need to remove them or move them.

 Instructions

1. To create the pennant, fold the 8 - 1/2 " x  9" (or larger) piece of paper or card stock in half to yield a 4-1/4" x 9" (or larger) folded paper.
2. Place 1 to 2 pieces of folded paper on top of one another, make sure that the folded edge is aligned against the long edge of the pennant using the alignment edges described in the above tip.  I've found it best to cut 2 at a time.  You may be able to do more. 
3. To create the top layer of the pennant, trim the pennant along the perforated lines.  If you don't want the perforated edges on your finished pennant, trim the edges just a smidge on the inside of the perforations.
4. Unfold the die cuts and glue them together as desired.
5. Place large eyelets in the upper corners of the pennant.
6. Create and attach letters to each pennant as desired.
7. String pennants together with ribbon or desired string to complete pennant. 
    

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and that you will come back on Wednesday for a little fun with stamps.  Yes, Stamps, I do use them occasionally!

Until then Happy Creating!

Decor Elements - Monkeys have Invaded my Bathroom!

Monkeys are well loved in our house, and not just because I've nicknamed my littlest one "Monkey".  We love them all from Curious George to Jack (Pirates of the Caribbean).  There was no question that when these monkeys appeared in the Decor Elements 2010 Catalog that they would adorn at least one wall in my house!

What I did not expect when I was putting these cute little monkeys on my bathroom wall was the help from my biggest monkey!

He did a great job!

  
Here is the completed walls!  They are so stinkin' cute (but very difficult to photograph). 

If you would like to check out some more Decor Elements from Stampin' Up! including the new chalk board elements click on the link below.

 Decor Elements 2010 Catalog

Don't forget to come back on Monday for some Sizzix fun with my favorite die!

Until then Happy Creating!

Personalized Journals - Part II: Assemblying Jorunal - Bind it All

To assembly a journal with the Bind-it-all by Zutter, you will need the supplies pictured below.

Step 1: Punch the Chipboard covers and internal pages of the journal using the Zutter's Bind-It-All before assembling the layers.

Step 2: Assemble the stack as directed in the below.

 

Step 3: Thread the Spiral Wire through the assembled stack.

Step 4: Once the stack is formed, Set the Wire Binding Channel to the Spiral Wire Size using the gages that came with the Bind It All.  Make sure to use the smallest width of the gage.

Step 5: Hold the spiral binding in the Wire Binding Channel, and then pull the handle down.  BE SURE TO HOLD it, DO NOT place it as shown below.  Repeat this for each section of wire.

Enjoy your newly finished JOURNAL!

Do you want to make your own little journal with me?  Come to my house on March 6th for the Saving StampThings Stampin' Up! Party from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm on where you can make one of your own and purchase Stampin' Up! products!  E-mail me at marie@stampthings.com for more information.

Link to Part I: Decorating Chipboard