Greetings, Earthling in Pumpkin Pie...

I was asked to come up with make & takes for the kids coming to the Port Gamble Car Show with their parents.

I love the Greetings, Earthling stamp set. It's whimsical and lots of fun. This was a Pumpkin Pie card with a piece of retired Washington Apple designer paper on it.

The kids stamped the alien in Basic Gray and used Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie markers to color it in.

More Summer Stamp Camp projects...

Today, I'll show you the outsides of the other projects. The insides are quite cute, if I do say so myself. I'll have to take photos of those to show you. Everyone was very happy with their projects yesterday. We had fun!

Using three paper bags and the 1-1/4" striped Old Olive ribbon, we made this paper bag scrapbook. There are three pull-outs with roundtabs and vanilla jumbo brads for easy access to them.

The binding is a textured piece of Chocolate Chip that's been distressed all around with the Cutter Kit. I used the Crop-a-dile to make three 3/16" holes for the ribbon.

I love the scenic Tall Tales paper for the front and back covers. There are strips of other papers from the pack inside, along with So Saffron, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip card stock.

Another project we made is a padfolio. It uses Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware with So Saffron brads on the outside, two paper bags, a memo pad, mini pen and two pull-outs.

It's a great size for your purse, and you can keep photos, notes, coupons and more in it!

We used Chocolate Chip and Old Olive markers to ink up the "Just For You" stamp from the Oval All stamp set.

This was a working sample, so there's a faint image of the giraffe on the front, along with the three owls. I'd spruce that up a bit... or just leave it plain.

Finally, there's a 4-1/4" tall paper bag that's been covered with Chocolate Chip card stock and Tall Tales paper. Again, it uses the striped Old Olive ribbon, and uses an oval from the die for the Big Shot, as well as the Wide Oval Punch, the leaf sizzlet for the Big Shot, and two Animal Stories owls that were stamped in Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo and cut out.

The purse is held closed with a Velcro button. I CASE'd it from here.

Tall Tales stamp camp...

Here are two of the five projects featured at my Summer Stamp Camp today. The camp highlights Tall Tales designer paper and paper bags.

The first is a hand puppet. My kids saw this and wanted one. In the end, I had them make their own. I'll show photos of those later. They're adorable! Anyway, I digress. I used the Big Shot die - Scallop Circle - in Crushed Curry for the lion's head. The oval scallop and Blush Blossom card stock make up the insides of the ears, while the wide oval punch and Chocolate Chip card stock are the ears themselves.

The eyes are the large oval (Whisper White cs), and 1/2" circle (Basic Black) punches. The nose is one of the three hearts from that punch (Basic Black). I used the black journaling marker to mark the cheeks, and cut the whiskers from Basic Black cs.

The paws are two petals cut from the largest Flower Fold (another Big Shot die) flower. Then I snipped Basic Black cs for the claws.

This Old Olive card is simple and cute. The owl from Animal Stories is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White, and layered on a 1 3/8" So Saffron circle, then a Chocolate Chip scallop circle.

I used a 2" piece of Tall Tales paper, layered on Chocolate Chip behind the scallop circle, and finished the card with "thinking of you" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

Beary Best Friends...

This Kraft card features a few Holiday Mini items - the stamp sets Beary Best Friends and Beary Nice Wishes, and Pawsitively Prints designer paper.

The project comes straight from Stampin' Up!. It also has 1/4" Pretty in Pink grosgrain, silver brads, and was colored with watercolor crayons and an aqua painter.

Stampin' Up! has teamed up with Build-a-Bear Workshop to bring you and exciting and exclusive collecction of products. In addition to the stamp sets, there are many dies (including Halloween and Christmas outfits for the bears).

These items will all be available to order September 1. You can order directly through my website, day or night (click here).

Make & takes...

Our American Ink group meetings are serious business - lots of stamping, chatting, swapping, eating... you get the idea. We have FUN! If you want to meet a great bunch of women and get together once a month, contact me at ericandterry@comcast.net. I'll hook you up with a starter kit (only $85 till Aug. 31) and you'll be good to go!

These are just a few of the make and takes we made at our gathering. Special thanks to: Heather (The More, The Merrier card), Sherry (Things I Love card), Pearl (Kind & Caring Thoughts card), whose cards are pictured below. Also thanks to Frankie, and Deb for their make and takes. These women volunteer to bring enough supplies for everyone to make their cards - they ROCK!

Fun swaps...

Here are some of the swaps from our recent American Ink gathering.



This Build-a-Bear girl-on-a-stick puppet was made by Frankie White. Check out the Holiday Mini Catalog Sept. 1 to order Build-a-Bear stamps and dies for the Big Shot.

Sherry Nye came up with this Build-a-Bear swap card, using Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper.

Pearl McGill made this Always card with some help from the Big Shot.

Mariah Gandy (with help from mom Rose) created this Animal Stories card with Tall Tales designer paper.

And one more Back to School swap was made by Holly Endress. Pop over to her blog here to see her apple card.

Have a great day!

Animal Crackers...

I finally mounted my Animal Crackers stamp set to make this card for a swap at our American Ink group gathering Saturday. I'll have more swaps to share in the coming days.

This is a Summer Sun card, with a few small stars punched out and sponged in the same color. I used a strip of Old Olive, with Dusty Durango on top of that, along with some Dusty Durango polka-dotted ribbon.

The giraffe image was stamped in Basic Brown, then I used a Summer Sun marker to color the star, and the Dusty Durango marker to color in the horns and spots.

I used a corner round on the right side of the Whisper White card stock only, and adhered it with dimensionals.

This card will find its way into my kid's lunchbox once school starts.

Greetings, Earthling...

Swapping is a favorite thing to do at our group gatherings. Well, that and stamping and chatting and eating! It's all good.

Kim made this swap using the Greetings, Earthling stamp set and Soft Suede and Bermuda Bay In Colors (ribbon, prints paper and markers). Rather cute, eh?

Guests bring goodies....

Two guest demonstrators joined us at our American Ink group gathering Saturday in Bonney Lake.

Deb Naylor, a SU! demo for more than 10 years, brought this adorable 3d Top Note treat as a make & take. It features the Twick or Treat stamp set available in the Holiday Mini Catalog Sept. 1, and there's a mini moon pie inside.

The Bermuda Bay snowflake card is Deb's swap. This Serene Snowflakes set is also out of the Holiday Mini. Demos get to order mini catalog items a month in advance (it's just one of the many perks we have).

Our other demo guest, Angela Hoffman, brought this Tea Party flower card to swap. She met Kim and I at our Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo booth Aug. 1.

It's always great visiting with other SU! demos! If you'd like to join my American Ink group, contact me today at ericandterry@comcast.net. Thanks!

Gifts of Christmas...

Heat embossing adds a little somethin' somethin' to any card.

I stamped the main image from Gifts of Christmas in Encore Gold ink and embossed it using Gold Glory embossing powder on Bravo Burgundy card stock.

The knot of 5/8" Bravo Burgundy ribbon is around a piece of Merry Moments designer paper.

The top layer is adhered to the front with dimensionals after the corners were punched with the Ticket Corner Punch. Then three gold brads added for a bit more bling.

Chalkboard Technique and From The Crypt...

This fun Old Olive card uses the new stamp set From The Crypt and the Chalkboard Technique.

Chalkboard Technique is this: Stamp the skull image in Whisper White Craft ink on Basic Black card stock and, using sponge daubers, dab on Stampin' Pastels. It's that easy.

For this image, I used Perfect Plum, Summer Sun, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie pastels for the image. I wanted the skull's eyes to glow.

The black and Pumpkin Pie layers were both distressed with the Cutter Kit, then adhered over the Cast-a-Spell designer paper.

The spider is from the same stamp set. It's adhered to the card with dimensionals. And the "happy halloween" is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Faux tearing technique with Simple Friendship...

I used the Faux Tearing Technique and Bashful Blue ink on this Simple Friendship card.

I used a piece of copy paper that I ripped in half to cover the top part of the card, then used a brayer in Bashful Blue ink to color the bottom part.

Keeping the torn paper in place, I then stamped the stem and flower images from the stamp set all over the bottom part of the card.

I removed the torn piece and stamped the outlined flowers above the "tear." Then stamped the "Friend" medallion and punched it out with a 1-3/4" circle punch, adhering it to the card with dimensionals after adding a small clip with some Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon.

The final touch was stamping and cutting out the butterfly. It's adhered with dimensionals as well.

Sparkly & Bright...

Have you played with the Holiday Lounge paper yet? It's so awesomely modern and retro. I love it!

I took the tree from Sparkly & Bright and used markers (Sahara Sand, Real Red and Bermuda Bay) to ink it, then a 1-1/4" square punch to punch it out of the Whisper White card stock.

A snowflake from the set is stamped in Sahara Sand on the Sahara Sand card front, with a strip of Holiday Lounge paper adhered to the left.

Christmas Classics...

A little texture really adds to a card, as you can see on this Christmas Classics card with the Whisper White textured.

The "jingle all the way" was stamped in Real Red and punched out with the 1-3/4" circle punch. I layered it using a Sizzix circles die for the Big Shot. A silver brad is on the bell.

There's a 3" x 4" piece of designer paper from the Merry Moments pack at the bottom of the card, with a strip of Real Red in the middle.

This card came from here.

Sweet Season...

Sweet Season is a great stamp set for those of us who like to give handmade gifts for the holidays.

The set has 4 stamps, including this snowflake scallop, a to/from stamp, a wide oval saying, and a greeting for inside a card that says, "Gingerbread & sugared things - enjoy the sweets the season brings."

The designer paper is from the Merry Moments pack.

I used a 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circle punches, plus the Scallop Circle punch. I used a paper piercer and soft mat to make the hole for the rhinestone brad.

I borrowed this card idea from here. Barb used a Garden Green card, where I used a Very Vanilla.

Dasher...

Dasher is a single stamp you may purchase from the back of the catalog. It has a matching Decor Element too, so if you really like it, you can frame it or put it on a window or wall or something for the holidays.

For this card, Dasher was stamped in Basic Brown on Very Vanilla, then I used a 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to add sparkle to the antlers.

The reindeer is layered on Soft Suede and then Old Olive card stocks.

The designer paper comes from a Simply Scrappin' kit called Christmas Jingle, with a knot of polka-dotted Soft Suede below.

Having fun with Decor Elements...

If you haven't played with Decor Elements yet, you're missing out!

My 8-year-old daughter easily applied two sets of Rose Red Upsy Daisies on the side of my studio refrigerator.

I've had the Create Definition on this So Saffron wall for more than a year. But just recently added the Chocolate Chip butterflies, called Flutter. They were easy! One point, though - the butterflies don't come in the formation shown in the brochure. You need to put them on that way. I stuck on one butterfly at a time, and saved an inexpensive brown Wal-Mart frame (removing the white mat and glass first) to frame the largest butterfly for a 3d effect.

My tip for adhering the vinyl rub-ons: refrigerate them first.

I love the way this wall looks now. It's really striking when you walk into the studio, and is the first thing you see. The butterflies fly from the flowers on the fridge, over the Create Definition, to the bathroom.

There's even a butterfly that made it onto the neighboring wall where a plaque hangs (bottom photo).

Very Thankful...

Kim created this beautiful, textured Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo card with the Very Thankful stamp set.

That's the stamp set that benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Though Stampin' Up! gives a 6-figure check to RMHC every year, the company adds a percentage of each designated stamp set sold as well.

Kim first put this card through the Movers & Shapers die for the Big Shot, using the bigger version of the Modern Label punch from the Punch Windows die set.

The top of the card features patterned paper from the Bermuda Bay pack, along with the polka-dot ribbon.

Kim used markers to ink up the peacock image on Whisper White, then used the Ticket Corner punch before layering it on Melon Mambo.

The final step was stamping the "Thank You" in Bermuda Bay and using the Modern Label punch to punch it out. It was adhered inside the card.