Stamp With Kriss

Sweet Centers Halloween Card

I can't get enough of this fabulous new stamp set!  Sweet Centers with the Sweet Treat Cups is the cutest idea yet!  Here I've created a Halloween card using the color scheme that Stampin' Up! features in their Halloween collection on pages 22 and 23 of the Idea Book & Catalog.  Whenever I want a fresh, new color palette, I turn to Stampin' Up!'s fantastic color choices and the Catalog helps me so much!

The card base is Basic Black, with the 8-1/2"x11" paper cut lengthwise to 4-1/4"x11".  This allows me to wrap that gorgeous Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon around the end of the card.  I used the pretty flourish stamp from Friends 24/7 to stamp on the Old Olive card stock in two of the corners, then tore the opposite edge.  Next comes a piece of Crushed Curry card stock.  I stamped my Halloween image in Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink on Whisper White card stock, punched out the center with the 1-3/4" Circle Punch, then filled my Sweet Treat Cup with gourmet lemon jelly beans--the perfect color!

I didn't want to waste that cute little saying that I punched out of the main image, so I adhered it to the inside of the card, then drew a line with my White Gel Pen to "hang" the spider from the card.

• Item No. 116521 Sweet Centers stamp set   $29.95
• Item No. 113218 Friends 24/7   $25.95
• Item No. 116602 Sweet Treat Cups (12) $2.95
• Item No. 116911 Sweet Treat Padded Envelopes (3)   $2.95
• Item No. 115614 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon--Crushed Curry (15 yds.)   $9.95
• Item No. 112004 1-3/4" Circle Punch   $15.95

Bet you're just dying to have these great new items from Stampin' Up!  Just go to my online store at www.stampwithkriss.stampinup.net to place your order, or email me with your order at krisshuels@gmail.com, and I'll see to it for you!

Congratulations, Teri!

A good customer of mine just had her first child--a beautiful little girl named Elaina.  I just finished making her this special card.  I'm sure she's too busy to be checking my blog right now, so I'll give you all a peek before putting it in the mail.

I really had a hard time photographing these beautiful purples.  I must have taken 15 pictures, and the color just isn't quite right.  Anyway, pull out a piece of Orchid Opulence and see what a rich, gorgeous purple it is, and then imagine that that's the color of the base of my card!

I began designing this card by looking up the sketch challenge for the week at Splitcoast.  It seemed one I could work with for a baby card, so I went about figuring out a designer paper to incorporate.  I didn't have to look long to know I needed to use the new Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper.  The delicate purples are just right for a baby girl.  I cut two pieces of that paper, then backed them both with Rich  Razzleberry, my absolute favorite new In Color.  I then tied a beautiful piece of White Organza Ribbon around the entire card and snipped the ends off.  TIP: Just fold the ribbon in half and cut at a slant to get those cute ends. The main image is a single stamp called Beautiful Baby.  It's stamped on Rich Razzleberry with Whisper White craft ink, then I poured on White Emboss Powder and set it with my Heat Tool.  After that was cool, I paper pierced around the edges, used my White Gel Pen to create faux stitching, mounted that on a piece of Whisper White card stock, then adhered that to my card using the leftover rubber scraps from mounting my stamp sets.  That gives it even more "pop" than the dimensionals.  I ran another print from Cottage Wall through the Big Shot using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, wrapped a piece of Silver Cord around its body and tied it off to look like antennae.  I used a small bit of SNAIL Adhesive down the center to leave the wings free to flap!  The final addition was three small white half-back pearls from the Pretties Kit. 

• Item No. 114492 Beautiful Baby stamp   $7.95 (on the dormant list; not in catalog but still available)
• Item No. 115671 Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper   $9.95
• Item No. 109132 White Emboss Powder   $4.75
• Item No. 101731 Craft Whisper White Stampin' Pad   $7.50
• Item No. 100005 Heat Tool   $29.95
• Item No. 116631 Paper-Piercing Tool   $3.50
• Item No. 105826 Mat Pack   $9.95
• Item No. 105021 Signo Gel Pen   $3.95
• Item No. 109114 Pretties Kit   $29.95
• Item No. 114319 Whisper White Organza Ribbon   $5.95
• Item No. 114507 Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die   $21.95
• Silver Cording - coming Sept. 1st in the Holiday Mini Catalog

Convention Swap 20009

I'm just putting the finishing touches on my over 100 swaps for Convention 2009!  I thought I could possibly make more than that, but with less than a week before the trip, it looks like I'll have to be happy with what I've got completed.  I liked how this card turned out, so I used it for my July workshops as well.   Customers commented that it's a layout they'll use again, and they also enjoyed seeing the VersaMark flower behind the "Happy Birthday" sentiment.

I decided that having so many cards to make, they would really go a lot more quickly if I used punches.  I stamped the flower image from Petal Pizzazz three times--once in Rich Razzleberry, once in Bashful Blue and a third time in Old Olive, then punched them out with the 1-1/4" Square Punch.  I added a Silver Brad in the center using my Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat Pack, then used Dimensionals to adhere them to a piece of Dusty Durango punched out with the Scallop Square Punch.  (Yes, I used 12 dimensionals on each of 100 cards, but it made such a HUGE difference!)  The main card stock is Bashful Blue with a strip of Rich Razzleberry at the top, tied off with a piece of 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon in Old Olive.  I stamped a larger flower from the same Petal Pizzazz stamp set in VersaMark onto the Bashful Blue card stock in the lower right-hand corner, then stamped over the top of that flower with Birthday Wish in Rich Razzleberry.

• Item No. 113417 Petal Pizzazz   $32.95
• Item No. 114486 Birthday Wish (on dormant list--not in catalog but still available)   $6.95
• Item No. 104400 1-1/4" Square Punch   $15.95
• Item No. 112081 Scallop Square Punch   $15.95
• Item No. 116631 Paper-Piercing Tool   $3.50
• Item No. 105826 Mat Pack   $9.95
• Item No. 102283 VersaMark Pad   $7.50
• Item No. 111368 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (Old Olive)   $4.95
• Item No. 104430 Stampin' Dimensionals   $3.95

Animal Stories Happy Birthday

I found a few minutes this morning to be creative!  Wow, does that ever start my day on the right note!  Anyway, I thought I'd check out the challenges at Splitcoast for this week.  I combined the sketch challenge at the left with the color challenge to use Really Rust, Not Quite Navy and Pretty in Pink IN THE SAME CARD!!!  Oh, my gosh, can I just say that those colors were really a challenge!  I'm still not sure what I think of them, but here goes:

I hadn't had much of a chance to use my new stamp set Animal Stories.  The color scheme reminded me of the circus which reminded me of animals.  The base of the card is Really Rust stamped with the same ink using the Polka Dot Background Stamp.  This basic background stamp is my very favorite--you won't find it in the new catalog, but it is on the dormant list and can be ordered.  I used the Scallop Edge Punch to punch both sides of a piece of Pretty in Pink card stock, tied a piece of 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in Pretty in Pink around a piece of Not Quite Navy card stock, then adhered them together.  I stamped each of the animals on Whisper White card stock, then punched them out using the Scallop Square Punch and adhered them with Dimensionals.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped on Whisper White card stock and punched out with the brand new Modern Label Punch, then I applied the Not Quite Navy brads from the Earth Elements Brads pack to each corner.  Yes, and (drum roll, please) we now have the Paper-Piercing Tool sold separately this year, along with the Mat Pack, for easy brad setting!  That's also put in place with dimensionals over two circles punched using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch with Not Quite Navy and the 1" Circle Punch with Pretty in Pink.  You can see how much I use my punches--I just love all of the great time-saving punches that Stampin' Up! has to offer!

• Item No. 116716 Animal Stories stamp set $15.95
• Item No. 115370 Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set $36.95
• Item No. 109276 Polka Dot Background stamp $17.95
• Item No. 112091 Scallop Edge Punch $15.95
• Item No. 116630 Modern Label Punch $15.95
• Item No. 104403 1-1/4" Circle Punch $15.95
• Item No. 109046 1" Circle Punch $10.95
• Item No. 106955 Earth Elements brads $8.95
• Item No. 112081 Scallop Square Punch $15.95
• Item No. 113882 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in Pretty in Pink $7.95
• Item No. 104430 Dimensionals $3.95
• Item No. 116631 Paper-Piercing Tool $3.50
• Item No. 105826 Mat Pack $9.95

To order any of these fabulous Stampin' Up! products, visit my Stampin' Up website at www.stampwithkriss.stampinup.net and click "Shop Now", or contact me via email at krisshuels@gmail.com and I'll place your order for you.

Whooo Loves You

I love all animals, but especially birds of all kinds.  I'm lucky enough to live in the woods on 60 acres of land in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.  It's absolutely beautiful, and we're often visited by many different kinds of wildlife.  I've only ever seen an owl on our property once, but I can hear them as I lie in bed at night.  It's such a peaceful sound, and I imagine them cooing to their partners much the same as the picture I've created on this card.

I thought this card would make the perfect one to give to a husband.  It has a decidedly masculine feel.  The owls are from a brand new stamp set Animal Stories.  I've stamped them on a separate piece of card stock, cut them out with my Paper Snips, and adhered them with dimensionals. 

The branch I borrowed from the birds in Cheep Talk, and I used my markers in Soft Suede and Old Olive to ink up the rubber before I stamped. 

The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is punched out with our new Modern Label Punch, Night of Navy brads placed in the corners and then the whole image popped up on dimensionals. 

The strip of designer paper is from the Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper pack.  This paper is destined to be my favorite this year!  I backed it with a piece of Crushed Curry and wound a piece of Linen Thread around the piece before adhering it to the main card stock of Night of Navy. 

I wanted to create a moon but didn't want the harshness of just punching a circle.  So I took a scrap piece of paper, punched a hole with the 1-3/4" Circle Punch, then used that as a stencil.  I laid it over the area on the main image Whisper White card stock and with a Stamping Sponge and Crushed Curry ink, sponged the color onto the mask I created, then just remove the mask.

I love dimension on my cards and so I backed the main image with Old Olive card stock, then used my scrap pieces of rubber from my stamp sets to pop up that main image even further that I'm able to with dimensionals.  It's also a great way to put those rubber scraps to good use.  Here's a picture of how I've raised up all the images:

Item No. 116716 Animal Stories Stamp Set
Item No. 113204 Cheep Talk Stamp Set
Item No. 115370 Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set
Item No. 116630 Modern Label Punch $15.95
Item No. 112004 1-3/4" Circle Punch $15.95
Item No. 103579 Paper Snips $9.95
Item No. 104430 Stampin' Dimensionals $3.95
Item No. 101610 Stamping Sponges $3.50
Item No. 106955 Earth Elements Brads $8.95
Item No. 104199 Linen Thread $4.50
Item No. 115673 Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper $9.95
Various markers $3.25 each

Christmas in July

We've all heard of Christmas in July!  I just had to show you two of my favorite new products from the new 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalog.  The minute I saw Thoroughly Modern, the gorgeous new designer paper using Rose Red, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede and Sahara Sand, I thought of what fun and unusual Christmas colors they would make.  Then I ordered the new Level 1 hostess exclusive stamp set Holiday Best and knew the two would combine beautifully for just the right look for the holidays. 

This card was made easy by the new In Color Markers.  I was able to ink up three separate parts of the rubber stamp to create a multicolored main image.  Then I stamped it again and cut out the "Merry Christmas" and yes, the cardinal, too!  Aren't you terribly impressed with my paper snipping skills!  But I can't take all the credit.  My Stampin' Up! Paper Snips make it easy!  Both those images are popped up with dimensionals to add some more interest.  I used a Rose Red Button tied up with a bit of Linen Thread as an accent.  And, of course, the new In Color Polka Dot Ribbon finishes the card.

The main card stock is Soft Suede, one of the new In Colors.  And did you know the In Colors now come in 8-1/2" x 11" Textured Assorted Packets?  For just $.08 more per sheet, you can be using these beautiful card stocks on your projects rather than the plain card stock.  It doesn't show up that well in the photo, but believe me, it really puts a lot of pizzazz into your project.

Here's a picture of Holiday Best, Item No. 115364, an exclusive Hostess Level 1 stamp set. You can only earn, not purchase, this great little set, by either hosting a workshop that totals $150 or by placing your own order of $150 either online here or by emailing me your order at krisshuels@gmail.com.  I'd love to come to your home in the Finger Lakes area and show you more ways to use this versatile set.  Why not contact me to get your workshop on the calendar.

• Item No. 115719 In Color Textured Card Stock 8-1/2"x11"   $10.95
• Item No. 116329 In Color Markers set of 6   $17.95
• Item No. 115610 Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon   $9.95
• Item No. 115673 Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper   $9.95
• Item No. 107422 Fresh Favorites II Colored Buttons   $6.95
• Item No. 104199 Linen Thread   $4.50
• Item No. 103579 Paper Snips   $9.95

New Embossing Folder

One of my favorite Big Shot accessories in last season's catalog was the Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Manhattan Flower.  With the release of the new 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalog, we have two additional Embossing Folders.  This one is called Elegant Bouquet.  I ran it through the Big Shot with Whisper White card stock, then used the Stampin' Pastels in Old Olive, Regal Rose and Summer Sun and with the applicators that come with the pastels, rubbed over the embossed pieces to create this beautiful background.  I nipped the corners off with the Ticket Corner Punch.  The sentiment is stamped from Sincere Salutations with a Versa Mark Pad and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder.  I then punched it out with the Wide Oval Punch, added a Regal Rose flower that I die cut using the Big Shot and the Birds & Blooms Sizzlits and centered a white 5/16" Jumbo Brad on the flower.  There's a piece of 5/8" Rose Red Grosgrain Ribbon underneath the sentiment.  

• Item No. 115964 Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Embossing Folder   $7.95
• Iten No. 113485 Birds & Blooms Sizzlits 4-pack Dies   $21.95
• Item No. 105542 Stampin' Pastels   $24.95
• Item No. 115068 Sincere Salutations Stamp Set   $23.95
• Item No. 112082 Wide Oval Punch   $15.95
• Item No. 107214 Ticket Corner unch   $6.95
• Item No. 109056 Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon   $7.95
• Item No. 112534 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo Brads   $7.95
• Item No. 109132 Stampin' Emboss Powder   $4.75

Mojo Monday Challenge #94

I just got a box of new supplies and found time to play this afternoon.  Here's a card I made for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge.

I started out with Confetti White card stock cut at 5-1/5" x 8-1/2", folded in half, then added a piece of Basic Black cut at 5-1/4"x4" and layered on a piece of designer paper cut at 5"x3-3/4".  The other two pieces of designer paper are cut and backed with Basic Black, as is the main image.  A piece of black ribbon is added.  All of the designer papers are from the packet called Pink Flamingo.  Next I used Razzle Dazzle stamp set (brand new to the catalog!), and using my markers, inked up the image so that it would be tri-colored.  The color scheme was taken from the designer paper pack and is Summer Sun, Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise.  The final touch was to use my Color Spritzer Tool and a Basic Black marker to spritz some color onto the image.  I then used my Big Shot and cut out two small daisies from the Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die(one of my favorites!), staggered them and then placed a white 5/8" Jumbo brad through the center.  The sentiment is from the very fabulous new set called Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped in Basic Black ink.

You can order any of these terrific products online at www.stampwithkriss.stampinup.net, or email me to place your order.

• Item No. 116714 Razzle Dazzle stamp set  $18.95
• Item No. 115370 Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set  $36.95
• Item No. 113976 Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper  $9.95
• Item No. 112533 Jumbo Brads  $6.95
• Item No. 114520 Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die  $19.95
• Item No. 109027 Basic Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon  $4.95
• Various Stampin' Write Markers  $3.25 each

June Stamp Camp Projects Part 2

 

This was a fun card showing two different techniques--an interesting fold to the card, as well as a technique using a dryer sheet for the main image!  Honestly, what clever person ever came up with that one!?

Stamp Set:  Item No. 113218 Friends 24/7 $25.95
Designer Series Paper:  Item No. 119981 Bella Birds $9.95 - only available while supplies last!
Ribbon:  Item No. 109051 Chocolate Chip Taffeta 10 yds. $6.95

June Stamp Camp Projects Part 1

I just love teaching stamp camp classes!  It's my time to show some intricate cards using more of our fabulous Stampin' Up! products that I'm not able to show my customers during a workshop.  This month, I concentrated on 4 different techniques, highlighting one in each of the 4 cards we made.  The first one was the card I used for advertising the class  You can find it HERE.  It taught the Ink, Spray & Smash technique to create the background, and we also got a chance to use the Circle Scissors Plus.

This is our second card using a wonderful stamp set called Doodle This that's retiring at the end of the month.  The main image uses the Marbled Window Sheets technique.  It doesn't show up well in the photo, but the swirls are stamped on a piece of Whisper White card stock, then there is a window sheet overlay that is stamped with the flower, then colored in using reinkers and Crystal Effects.  The results are quite beautiful.

We'll be taking a break for the summer, but if you're in the Finger Lakes area of New York State, mark your calendar for September 18th and 19th, and join us for the next class.  I'll post the other two projects soon!

• Stamp Set:  Item No. 114954 Doodle This $33.95 - only available until June 30th!
• Item No. 111062 A Little Birthday Cheer $13.95 (saying)

Misc. Accessories:

• Item No. 109110 Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads $10.95
• Item No. 106958 Cutter Kit $16.95 (to distress the edges of the card stock)
• Item No. 104832 Black Gingham Ribbon (15 yds.) $7.50
• Item No. 114323 Window Sheets $4.95 (2 sheets of 12"x12")
• Item No. 109109 Vintage Brads $8.95 (50 ea. of 4 colors--Black, Silver, Antique Brass and Pewter)
• Lots of Stampin' Up! circle punches, priced from $5.95 to $15.95!