Hi Stampers!
I think I finally have my computer fixed! At least I was able to download pictures this evening.

Again today I am posting a card made by a very talented friend of mine, Ann Gaskamp. She has been stamping for less than year but look at this FABULOUS card! It is regular size(5-1/2 x 4-1/4) and uses Whisper White(100730), Basic Black(102851) and Real Red(102482) card stock. She stamped "Merry Christmas" from "A Cardinal Christmas."(111760) Her Christmas tree is stamped in Versamark(102283) from "Lovely As A Tree" (115026 - a MUST HAVE stamp set for every stamper!) Heat and stick powder(100625) was applied and heated(100005) then the Fine Supernova Olive glitter (114287) was applied. Heat was applied again to set the glitter in the glue. SIMPLE and elegant!! I love this card!! Thank you, Ann, for allowing me to show it on my blog.

Happy Stampin' everyone!
Judy

Computer problems

Good morning Stampers!
I have so many great things to post but have been having some issues with my computer. Mainly...the hard drive is almost full and it will not allow me to download photos. What fun is reading a blog without photos?!?!? I apologize. Will get this resolved as soon as possible. Thanks for understanding.
Happy Stampin'!
Judy

New Year's Gift Idea...

OK. So, we have Christmas Day past us. Now we can just enjoy the true 12 days of Christmas, right? Oh...AND the next holiday...NEW YEAR'S DAY, one that welcomes in a NEW DECADE! Seems like just the other day was the "new millenium." How time flies!


With a new year comes the need for new calendars. I spent considerable time trying to locate to whom I should give credit for this calendar however, was unsuccessful. Even though I changed many things, I would still like to give credit to the original designer who inspired me so, if it was you, please leave me a comment and I will post your name and blog address. THE BEAUTY OF THIS CALENDAR IS THAT IT FITS INTO A REGULAR STAMPIN' UP! ENVELOPE FOR MAILING.

To make this calendar, first cut a base card from black card stock 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" then score at 4 1/4" . Cut four different colored panels 4 x 5 1/4". For this calendar I used Almost Amethyst, Old Olive, Whisper White and Dusty Durango and chose some Designer Series Paper (DSP) that matched those colors. For Jan-Mar: Night and Day DSP, April-June Cottage Wall DSP, July-Sep Holiday Lounge DSP and finally, Oct-Dec Autumn Traditions DSP. You can download the calendar here. ***BE SURE TO REDUCE IT TO 80% BEFORE PRINTING IT*** on Whisper White card stock.

For this calendar, I used the "Trendy Trees" stamp set, changing how I stamped each one to coincide with the seasons; After stamping the tree on Whisper White, punch with 1- 3/8" circle punch and adhere to a scalloped circle punched from Basic Black card stock. You can see in the photos that the calendar is mounted on black card stock before adhering to the card. Add a 2" strip of designer series paper at the top of the colored panel. Mount the scalloped circle onto the card/calendar using Stampin' dimensionals.


After getting everything assembled, use the small circle punch on the Crop-A-Dile to punch through all layers. I lined up my holes with Monday and Friday of the month in the middle.


Finally, thread black gingham checked ribbon from Stampin' Up! through the holes and tie so that the card can stand up on its own.
TIP: When assembling, be sure that consecutive months will be on the outside panels when standing and, the next consecutive months are on the inside. This will allow a person to only untie and re-tie the ribbon once...after six months.

Need supplies to make this calendar? Email me at judyghome@suddenlink.net or SHOP ON-LINE NOW to order.

ENJOY! And, I wish you all the best in 2010!!
Happy Stampin',
Judy

Christmas Gifts "Out Of Stock"??

I have a solution!! I got my inspiration from Heather Van Duker's blog. Heather's idea was to purchase a magazine subscription as a gift, print out a copy of the front of a magazine and present it inside this very nicely decorated tin (from the CLEARANCE RACK for just $0.99) with LOVELY Chocolate Chip ribbon (from the CLEARANCE RACK).

Since I do a lot of on-line ordering, sometimes items are not in stock and will ship later, etc. So, why not print a photo of the gift ordered and put it in this beautifully decorated tin? Heather used the Shimmer Paint to give those snowflakes a little extra BLING! I used Shimmery White card stock which gives the bling without the mess. This is SO easy IF you have the Big Shot. What a GREAT Christmas gift for you if you don't already have one! Remember...there are TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS...if anyone wants to order. And...you DO have that Christmas money to buy yourself that special gift, right? So, why wait...order today.

That's all for today! I wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and Health and Happiness in the New Year.

Happy Stampin'!
Judy

Shaving Cream Technique with a Twist...

Hi Stampers!

Today I want to show you a card I made a long time ago but recently had a request for 2 more so, as I was making them I took these photos to show you. The colors I am using are In Colors from ’08-’09 so are retired now however, this can be done with any group of ink and cardstock colors. I used the shaving cream technique followed by embossing with iridescent ice embossing powder.

The supplies needed:

Shaving cream, re-inkers (I used three), plenty of paper towels, a non-precious surface (that you do not care if it gets ink on it), a putty knife, a skewer and card stock.

Start by squirting a moderate amount of shaving cream on your surface. (I used an old cutting board). Then, use your putty knife to smooth it our over the surface.

Next, put several drops of re-inkers onto the shave cream.

Sink your skewer (or popsicle stick) into the shave cream and drag it back and forth.

Make swirling motions in the shave cream. Avoid stirring too much to avoid mixing the inks and causing a “muddy” colored mixture. When it looks about like this, lay a piece of Whisper White card stock (about ½ sheet) onto the top of the shave cream. Be sure to pat the paper all over to insure proper coverage.

Once you are certain the shave cream is all over your card stock, lift off and place on a paper towel with your clean putty knife handy.

Scrape the shaving cream from the card stock using your putty knife.

You can re-use the same shave cream as it is or, you can opt to add a few more drops of color and swirl. Again, avoid stirring too much.

Here is a photo of the three sheets of card stock I made with this one blob of shave cream. Each one will come out differently. The far right piece is the first one and the middle one is the last. You can see how with more stirring, there are some areas already starting to get mixed and muddy looking.

Unfortunately, I did not take photos of the embossing process. However, I will tell you the steps I used…

Cut the card stock to the size wanted (for this card I cut it 2”x 5”).

Apply Versamark to the entire piece of card stock using the direct to paper method.

Apply Iridescent Ice embossing powder and, using the heat tool, heat until it melts.

Now the piece is ready to use on your card.

I matted it by first gluing it to the mat then securing with brads in the corners.

Please email me with any questions or if you would like to book a workshop for me to demonstrate this process for you.

Happy Stampin’,

Judy

My Friend's Creations

I am the luckiest person in the world to have extremely talented friends!! Paula Nersesian is here with two cards she made after being inspired by Lynn Pratt at http://www.stampndesign.blogspot.com, where you can go to see directions on braiding the 1/4" ribbon. This first one is a wreath with three gold brads (for Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The final card measures 6"x6".

Then, thinking to the future, (Valentine's Day is right around the corner) she made this incredible heart using the same technique as the wreath. She used mini glue dots to secure the heart onto the whisper white card stock. The white CS had been embossed with the Flourish texture plate using the Big Shot. This card also measures 6"x6". Isn't it AMAZING!!!! SHE IS AMAZING!!!!! Any comments you leave will be shared with Paula.
Happy Stampin',
Judy

Fun Gift Idea

Hi Stampers!

I had NO clue that I would actually enjoy this blogging stuff! I am STARTING to get the hang of it so it is not so difficult for me anymore. Thanks for being a follower!

How much fun is stamping on things other than paper!! At my last Stamper Six club meeting, we made trivets and coasters from ordinary tiles. The tiles were purchased at the local home improvement store. Here are the steps we followed:

First cut a piece of copy paper the size of the tile. Use this as a design template, to design the layout you want. (Sometimes my design looks quite different on paper than it "looks" in my head)LOL.

Use CRAFT ink to stamp the images onto the tile then, over the powder pal, dump Glassy Glaze Enamel on the tile.

Once the images are covered with Glassy Glaze, put them on a cookie sheet and into a 350 degree oven until the Glassy Glaze has melted...approximately 15 minutes(?)

Be careful taking them out. They are HOT! Let cool before mounting felt or acrylic "feet" to the four corners.

How easy is THAT!?!

Look for "Creating Coasters" soon, right here, on my blog.
Happy Stampin'!
Judy

Ribbon Share coming up in January!

Hi Stampers!
Oh my gosh!! I am in LOVE with the new satin ribbon in the Occasions Mini catalog - available for ordering on January 5th. All my current customers should be getting their complimentary occasions mini catalog in the mail soon. I know you are going to face a dilemma when it comes to which color of ribbon to order. It is 5/8" satin ribbon and is going to be offered in NINE colors! It is beautiful!! So, I have decided to do a "Ribbon Share." Each person in the ribbon share will get 3 yards of each of the nine colors for $20 (per person). If you want to get in on this ribbon share, please leave a comment on this blog or email me at judyghome@suddenlink.net and let me know. I will compile names and notify you after the catalog "goes live".

Cracked Glass

Hi Stampers!
Today I wanted to show you a card I made with the "cracked glass" technique. There is a tutorial available on Splitcoaststampers.com, if you are interested. I simply stamped the image using black StazOn ink. This ink is used when you want to color with markers or watercolor because it will not smear or bleed like the Classic Ink. I colored the flower with markers and then applied Versamark over the entire image using the direct to paper technique. (This is done by laying the cardstock on grid paper and pressing the Versamark ink pad directly onto the cardstock) Then I put the cardstock into my powder pal and dumped Glassy Glaze Enamel over it then heated it with my heat tool to melt the Glassy Glaze powder. (If you notice after heating that you missed a few spots, re-apply some Versamark and re-heat.) Once the "glaze" looked like glass, I put the cardstock into the freezer until it was brittle...15-20 minutes. I took it out of the freezer and bent it to "crack" the glass. You can do as much or as little as you like then, use as you wish on a card. For this card I used the following supplies:

# 111490 Bloomin' Beautiful Stamp Set $25.95
# 102158 Almost Amethyst cardstock $5.50
# 100427 Lovely Lilac cardstock $5.50
# 102898 Mellow Moss cardstock $5.50
# 100730 Whisper White cardstock $7.50
# 101406 Jet Black StazOn Ink Pad $7.95
# 100043 Almost Amethyst Stampin' Write Marker $3.25
# 100038 Mellow Moss Stampin' Write Marker $3.25
# 100056 Lovely Lilac Stampin' Write Marker $3.25
# 102197 Powder Pals $19.95
# 103083 Embossing Buddy $5.95
# 100477 Glassy Glaze Enamel Embossing Powder $4.75
# 100005 Heat Tool $29.95
# 107214 Ticket Corner Punch $6.95
# 104430 Stampin' Dimensionals $3.95
# 104332 Snail Adhesive $6.95
# 110755 Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive $3.95
# 109033 Mellow Moss 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon $4.95

Come back and see me soon!
Happy Stampin',
Judy

12 DAYS OF HOLIDAY SALES STARTS TODAY

Hi Stampers,
Do you have last minute Christmas/Hanukkah gifts to buy? I have the solution! Go to my demonstrator website and check out the sale! But hurry! This sale lasts only 12 days!


If you want, have your "significant other" call me to place an order for YOU! (you may want to send me an email to give me a hint as to which direction to steer him when he calls)

Have a great weekend!
Happy Stampin',
Judy

Happy Hanukkah

Hello Stampers!
Happy Hanukkah! Today is the beginning of the eight day celebration. This is a card for one of my Jewish friends and fellow stampers. I used the "Let There Be Light" single stamp found on page 31 of the Holiday Mini catalog. This stamp is only available until January 4, 2010. I used the following supplies:

# 102630 Bordering Blue cardstock $5.50
# 100867 Night of Navy cardstock $5.50
# 100712 Brushed Silver cardstock $7.95
# 102283 Versamark $7.50
# 103083 Embossing Buddy $5.95
# 109131 Silver embossing powder $4.75
# 116533 Let There Be Light single stamp, $7.95

Let me know if you have any questions.
Happy Stampin'!
Judy

December ends the non-blogger year!

Hi Stampers!
I have scheduled a VERY LEAN December to give myself some time to get ready for Sale-A-Bration (the BIGGEST sale of the entire Stampin' Up! Year) AND to work on learning how to blog. My idea is to update my blog at least three times a week initially which, ideally would be on Sunday/Monday, Tues/Wed and Fri/Sat. So please check back to see if I am meeting my own goals and kindly drop me an email if you notice a failure to post on my part! With ya'll's help, I should be able to do this. I just cannot PROMISE pictures everyday. So, now you know my "New Year's resolution!"
Happy Stampin'!
Judy