Tutorial on Using a Stamp Positioner

I know a lot of you are big fans of stamp positioners. So am I. With wood-mounted stamps, a stamp positioner is critical for exact placement.

Some people, however, are scared of stamp positioners. They seem cumbersome and awkward. But really, they are essential tools for clean-and-simple stamping. So here's a little tutorial. Once you play around with a stamp positioner, you'll realize just how powerful this simple little tool is.

Trust me.


1. I started with the word big stamped on the edge of a portrait-oriented card using a large clear alphabet. I wanted to put the word hugs tucked under the letter i in big. The only stamp I had with the word hugs on it was this wood-mounted stamp from Hero Arts (discontinued).

2. So I stamped the sentiment on my stamp positioner. Mine is an old one from the long-defunct Personal Stamp Exchange (duh). It consists of an L-shaped piece of thick acrylic and a thinner sheet of acrylic. All stamp positioners I've seen are variations on these two things and work the same way. Tuck the thinner sheet into the L, use the corner of the L to guide the wood-mounted stamp down onto the thinner sheet. Always use a dark ink on the stamp positioner so you can see it clearly.

3. Now, since I just want the word hugs, I cleaned the stamp and masked off the lots of, inked hugs, and removed the post-its.

5. Put the thinner acrylic sheet over the place you want to stamp your image, and slide the L up to the corner.

6. Holding the L shaped piece in place, move the thinner sheet away, and use the L to guide your stamp onto the paper. And that's all there is to it!!!!



 

I finished the card with some large parentheses.

See, now. It's not that bad, is it? If you don't have a stamp positioner and use wood-mounted stamps, get one. If you have one and don't use it, drag it out and play. I double-dog dare you!

And now I'm off to play the OLW77. Tweet, tweet!!!

No Fear

Some people are afraid that when they stamp, they will stamp crooked or off-center images, or that images won't line up precisely.

That's a valid fear. We stamp by hand, and anything done by hand is likely to be a little off. I encourage you use my Two-Step Method of Overcoming Stamp Fear:

Step One
Say, in a loud and firm voice, "IT'S ONLY PAPER!!!!" Repeat until you believe it.

Step Two
Use your gridded acrylic block with confidence.

This tutorial will point out how to do Step Two. For Step One, you're on your own. I don't do videos and it would be really boring anyway.

So.

Here's what I started with: ink, stamps, a card base, and an acrylic block with grid lines. The stamps are from Papertrey's Simple Little Things set (an anniversary set from years ago...awesome sentiments!).

1. Put the sentiment stamp on the block carefully, making sure it is perfectly centered and aligned on the grid.

When I mounted the happy birthday stamp on the block, I made sure the sentiment fit with the exact middle of the block and straight over the central line. You'll notice that there is the same amount of space between the left edge of the sentiment and the nearest vertical line on the block as there is between the right edge of the sentiment and the nearest vertical line. Don't let the flashing of the stamp fool you, either...there's more flashing on the right than the left, which makes the stamp look slightly too far right to be centered. Focus your attention on the actual image, not the flashing. It helps if your stamp is stained...clean, new stamps are a pain in the tookus to line up because they are so hard to see.

(Flashing, in case the term is new to you, is the part of the stamp that isn't supposed to stamp, in other words the stuff that sticks to the block, not the stuff that touches the paper.)

2. Start stamping at the top of the card.

Notice that there are grid lines in all the tutorial photos about an eighth of an inch inside the edges of the card. Both lines are parallel to the edge of the card and evenly centered on the card. When you want to center something precisely on the card without measuring and drawing pencil lines, just use the grid lines!
3. Use the first stamped sentiment to place your second one.

Notice how the horizontal line on the grid above the sentiment lines up exactly under the first stamped sentiment. You can even check the vertical lines that pass through the sentiment letters to see if you're lined up properly. And ALWAYS check the lines on the edge of the card, too. THEN stamp your next image.

4. Repeat five times down the card.

When you make a mistake, remember Step One of Overcoming Fear. It is entirely normal to screw up, drop the block in the wrong place, smudge a letter, drop an ink pad on your card, or any number of other mistakes. We are humans, not machines. Screwing up is annoying, but IT'S ONLY PAPER. Cut another card base and try again. You'll get there.

5. The centering works just as well with images as it does with sentiments.

Asymmetrical images like the flowers below can be a tad awkward, but close enough works here as precision with the asymmetry isn't quite as critical.

And that's it for precise placement. Practice makes perfect. I made lots more mistakes and ruined lots more paper when I first started trying. Now, it's rare that I screw up. But it does still happen. And I yell darn it and start over again.

Because IT'S ONLY PAPER!!!!!

To finish this card, I embellished the flowers with pink bling and orange Smooch. It seemed like the right thing to do.

Then I rounded the corners of the bottom of the card and snapped a formal picture.

Pet Sympathy and Tips on Stamping Solid Block Stamps

Some people are not pet people. When my husband's boss--a perfectly nice person in all other respects--found out we had to pay big bucks to get Daisy's knees fixed, he asked why we didn't just get another dog.

Like I said, some people are not pet people. This card is not for those people. In fact, it's for my aunt and uncle, two pet people if there ever were any, who recently had to put two elderly dogs to sleep within two weeks of each other.

*sob*

For those of you who have followed my other blog for a while, you know how devastated we were when our golden retriever Hoover passed away from cancer last year. I remember how comforting it was to receive cards from so many of you, and even though I've sent pet sympathy cards before, this time I truly know how comforting and appreciated they can be.

These stamps are from a mini set from Papertrey Ink. That single paw print says it all, I think.

Stamping Solid Block Stamps

Several people have asked how I got such a good image of the silhouette stamps from Hero Arts' Greatest Gift set on yesterday's card. Here are some tips for getting good images with solid stamps.

1. Experiment when the stamps are new. Sometimes, clear and rubber stamps have a residue on their surface that makes even thicker inks like Memento bead on their surface. A simple white eraser can remove the residue and make the surface accept the ink better. Rub vigorously with the white eraser; then clean the stamp well. Rubber stamps generally will work nicely with any quality-brand ink after conditioning.

2. On the other hand, some inks just won't work well with clear stamps, no matter how you condition the stamp. Clear stamps work best with thicker inks: Brilliance, VersaColor, VersaMagic, VersaFine, Colorbox pigment, and SU craft ink all work well with clear stamps, although I don't like the blacks for any of those brands. (My favorite blacks are Palette noir and Memento tuxedo black. The Palette stains, though, which isn't a problem for me but some people don't like that. Lots of people like VersaFine black as well, but it has not become my go-to black.)

3. If you're having trouble with SU classic ink beading on stamps, ink the stamp in VersaMark ink (which is clear) and then SU ink. It works great!

4. If you stamp a block image in black ink, and it's blotchy, you can take a black marker and fill it in. I had to do that with the shepherds on the left of this card because I didn't condition the stamp before using it, and as that was the last thing I stamped on that scene, I was pretty miffed at myself for not having checked the stamp first. But I pulled out a black marker, filled in the blotches, and no one is the wiser.

Or no one was.

Until I just told the entire internet.

This filling-in tip hasn't worked with other colors, even when I have the matching brand marker. Not sure why, but for me the corrected image always looks doctored in any color other than black.

5. Don't underestimate the ickiness of a poorly inked pad. If you're not getting good results, the problem may very well be the pad. Pads can be over-inked or under-inked, either of which can cause problems. If a pad is over-inked, take a clean paper towel (Bounty is best because it doesn't leave lint) and blot the pad until it works well. If the pad is under-inked, either buy a reinker and add ink, or buy a new pad.

6. If you're still having issues, the problem may be the paper. Which leads me to harp on the fact that buying quality paper is critical if you want to make quality cards. The cheap stuff from Michael's or Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's is, well, cheap. There are LOTS of high-quality cardstocks out there, and if you want to know my preferences, I'll be adding my findings to my Favorite Products tab in the next week or two.

And that's all I know about stamping solid block images.

BTW, I thought I'd already posted my musings on paper on the Favorite Products tab, but apparently not. Where is my head? I've forgotten where I put it. Anyway, I did a search and found an old post from 2009 on cardstock that is out of date for my paper-use habits, which have evolved a bit since then. I have some to add to the list, so don't take that old post as the Cardstock Policy According to LateBlossom.

I don't have a Cardstock Policy unless is it to try what looks good, keep what does, and collect as much as possible before I die so I win.

I imagine a lot of you can relate.

Also, thank you all for your comments on my question about holiday stamps. It was a very interesting discussion!

Sorry this post is so long.

Shutting up now. 

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink
paper: PTI kraft and white, SU chocolate chip
ink: Memento 
accessories: dimensionals

I Sponged!

My father-in-law spent last weekend in the hospital. Everything is looking far less scary right now, but this is the get well card I sent him yesterday.

Yes, I sponged.

The resist technique is lovely, plus it's relatively easy to make a masculine card with it.

How-To Tips: The stamped panel (white cardstock) was cut to size first. Then, I stamped the sentiment in Memento rich cocoa, followed by the ferns randomly around it with VersaMark ink, which was then embossed with clear embossing powder. Sponging was done with a variety of green inks (SU celery and olive and true thyme...yeah, I've still got that old pad lying around!) using both a swirl and a blot motion with the sponge. I wanted a smoothish background with hints of textured speckle, and it turned out just as I wanted it to! Finally, there's a bit of Memento rich cocoa added to the edges with the sponge for just a bit more definition.

What do you think? CAS sponging. It can be done!

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: SU celery, olive, thyme; Memento rich cocoa; VersaMark
paper: white, SU river rock
accessories: sponge, dimensionals, embossing powder, heat gun

Inspired by Lindsay Amrhein and a Link to a Lattice Tutorial

This adorable kraft-base card by Lindsay Amrhein appears in the latest issue of Card Creations, which is my favorite issue EVER. It's loaded with tons of clean and simple inspiration.

Lindsay paper pieced her sweet bowl of cherries using turquoise and red designer papers, and I loved those colors against the kraft.

I kept the colors (though my turquoise is a lighter aqua) and rather than piecing, I opted for the much easier punching. At first, I was going to punch circles for the flower centers, but then I remembered these giant brads, so I used them instead. The three brads form a visual triangle around the sentiment, and the top large flower and bottom small flower are popped up on dimensionals. Lindsay rounded all four corners, which makes sense given the curves of her focal point, but I felt the pointy flowers on my version needed at least some pointy corners. Rounding the opposite corners gives a nice dynamic feel to an otherwise static design.

Scor-Pal Tutorial: For those of you who asked for a tutorial on yesterday's embossing, please thank blog reader Susan who linked to an awesome Gina K tutorial on the subject. Gina's tutorial shows a much tighter lattice than the one on my baby card, for which the lines were scored at one-inch intervals. I used a Scor-Pal (12") rather than the smaller Scor-Buddy. Also, my card is one layer, so I began with a 4.25" x 11" card base and scored at 3.5 and 5.5 inches...the 5.5" score was the fold for the card, and the 3.5" score, which is covered by ribbon on my card, gave me a guide for scoring the lattice on the lower two-thirds of the card.

For those of you who aren't using your Scor-Pal for more than folding cards, DON'T WORRY. That's what I use it for 99% of the time, too. It's worth every penny even if that's all you ever do with it!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink's Green Thumb
paper: Mark's Finest Kraft, PTI's polka dot paper
ink: Memento
accessories: brads, dimensionals, Corner Chomper

Mini-Tutorial on PTI's Framed

I've expressed  my difficulties with Papertrey's Framed set before. Getting a good impression was tough, and I ended up wasting a lot of cardstock trying to make it work. Grrr. I snooped around online looking for solutions, and one that came up repeatedly was using a giant gridded block. Well, my gridded block wasn't quite large enough, so I used a coupon and bought Martha Stewart's large block at Michael's.

This particular block comes with a detatched handle thingy. Not sure what it's supposed to be used for. It would not be good for stamping small stamps because you'd have a hard time seeing where to place it through the handle, and if it's supposed to be attached to the big block, well, I like my blocks simple. A handle will just get in the way.

Whatever. The giant gridded acrylic block is DA BOMB and is truly necessary for getting good impressions with the Framed stamps. If you buy the Framed set, definitely budget for a big grid block. I was getting good impressions about 50% of the time with my old, non-grid block. With the new grid block, I'm stamping about 90% good images. THAT is a number I can live with.

Step 1

Mount the frame onto the gridded block as shown. Leave more lines at the top so you can align it properly over the card to stamp. Once the stamp is stuck, turn the block over and press the trapped air out from under the center flashing (the part of the stamp that doesn't stamp) to minimize ink transfer where you don't want it.

Step 2

Ink the stamp. I use Memento inks in the dewdrop pads for better ink control. When I get ink on the flashing, I use my finger to wipe it off before stamping.

Step 3

Holding the block above the cardstock, center the image so the grid is evenly spaced between the top and sides of the cardstock. Lower the grid to the paper as evenly as possible, press firmly straight down, and lift straight up from the cardstock.

Note: I always stamp clear stamps on a large stamping pad I bought at JoAnn's years ago. I get much better impressions when using this pad. Also, I use a post-it note to hold the card closed. PTI's cardstock doesn't want to lie flat on the fold, and with it sticking up, you'll get smudges. Mark's Finest Snow Storm heavy cardstock does a better job of lying flat when scored and folded and the crease burnished.
 
*****

And that's it! Getting the right tool to stamp this big frame has made all the difference. Here are a few finished cards I made to give you a feel for the set.
 
First, use the rectangle frame on a portrait-oriented card with the sentiment sticking out. The strong vertical of the flowers and frame is balanced nicely by the strong horizontal sentiment.  The flower is from StampinUp's Stem Silhouettes and the sentiment is from PTI's Signature Greetings.
 

Here's the same idea with the square frame on a landscape-oriented card. The flower silhouettes are from Clear and Simple Stamps, and the sentiment is from PTI's Signature Greetings.

Next, I stayed entirely in the frame with a simple winter scene. The trees are from PTI's Masculine Motifs, the bird is from Through the Trees, and the sentiment is from Faux Ribbon.

And finally, my favorite card I've made with this set. The butterflies (Martha Stewart punches) are punched from light blue vellum, the branch is from PTI's Out on a Limb, and the sentiment is from Clear and Simple Stamps limited edition Thank You set. The bling is olive from Hero Arts. Don't be afraid to stray outside the box just like my wandering little butterfly!

PTI's Framed

A while back I promised a tutorial on using Papertrey's Framed set. I haven't forgotten and had intended to post it today, but I'm not happy with my solution for stamping that diabolically tricky set, seeing as five of the twelve samples I stamped didn't turn out well at all. Frustrating, yes, but I'm not giving up. No sir-ree. Not me. 'Cause I sniff an opportunity to go shopping for a giant gridded acrylic block, and I'll not declare defeat until I've exhausted all the options.

That's just the kind of blogger I am. 

So in the meantime, enjoy the fruits of my labor to date...the best card to come out of my experimenting:

See, this set CAN be stamped straight and without smudges!

Supplies
stamps: PTI Framed and Everyday Classics
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white
accessories: rhinestones, post-its for masking

Design Tutorial on Rectangle Cards

In my first semester teaching Freshman Composition, I had a student bring a graded paper to me and ask, "Why did you add the commas there?" My mind was a total blank. I knew with absolute certainty that the commas belonged, but I'd forgotten why. I recovered nicely by saying, "Let's look that up in your handbook so you'll be able to find the answer yourself next time." Smooth, eh?

That night, I read the entire handbook to refresh my memory about the rules. And I've never again forgotten the rule about commas around nonrestrictive modifiers.

So when several people asked me how I'd come up with the sizes of the rectangles on this card, my first thought was that I'd just used the Force. I didn't think about them. I just made them.

But then, as I considered the question within the context of all I've studied about design in the past eight years, I realized that I've just internalized the rules enough that I don't consciously think about them. But they are there, nevertheless, working away for me every time I sit in my craft room.

I love rules. Especially this one because it's the heart of pretty much every card I make in one way or another.

The Rule of Thirds

This is what happens when I free-hand something, so now you know why I rubber-stamp whenever possible. But this crudely drawn chart shows the rule for card design perfectly...because it's not precise. It's a rough guestimate of thirds, and that is all you need. Seriously. These lines are the guides for most designs and they are very flexible. You can remove lines at will to create zones of white space and of stamping, as I did on this card, or you can use the top left or bottom right intersections of the lines (the sweet spots) for your focal point placement, or you can add borders along a line to anchor matted images on a card.

Here's a sketch of the actual card, including the precise measurements of the rectangles. The card is a standard 5.5" x 4.25" card.

As you can see, the blocks are arranged to take advantage of the rule of thirds...not exactly precisely, but close enough for government work.

Sizing
I started with the left-hand block by stamping the grass onto a scrap of cardstock and then cutting it down to about 2/3 the height of the card. Then I trimmed it a bit more and made it narrow. Then I stamped the smallest block and cut it out so it was about 1/3 the height of the grass block and wide enough to go across the card nicely...about twice as wide as the grass block. Finally, I did the same to the bigger block, but this time I did actually measure and do the math so it would fill the space available properly.

I do all my measuring and cutting with a craft knife and 6" square quilting ruler. The ruler is see-through, so I can place it directly over things and see exactly where I need to cut.

Spacing
The spacing of the blocks is critical...it's all got to be even or it'll look really unbalanced. The spacing between the rectangles themselves must be the same, and then the margins around the edge of the card must also be the same. To do this, I placed the rectangles on the card and fiddled with them until it all looked even. Then, I stamped the sentiment BEFORE popping up the rectangles because honestly, sometimes those dimensionals really get in the way of stamping.

Now, here's where I get a tiny bit obsessive. With all the blocks placed properly, I carefully remove one, apply SU dimensionals at top and bottom, then place it where it belongs WITH TWEEZERS. Then, I repeat until all blocks are stuck.

I hope this explains the process in a way that encourages you to loosen up and play with the rule of thirds in your own designs. It's important to realize that this layout "I" came up with isn't at all original to me. Let's face it. There's only so much you can do with a 5.5 x 4.25 canvas. Plus, this rule of thirds is tried and true and has been around for eons. I'll bet the ancient Greeks used it for designing their temples.

Now, the new card for today trades rectangles for squares, lines them up along the top horizontal line of thirds, and uses my new Martha Stewart bow punch.

Dang, that Papertrey Silent Night set is more than worth the $24 I paid for it!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink, Silent Night
ink: SU cherry cobbler, always artichoke
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: Martha Stewart bow punch, square punch, dimensionals, dark red rhinestones

Proportional Matting

Question from Yesterday: DonnaK asked where I buy Twinkling H2Os. I bought mine at Marco's Paper, a brick and mortar store in the Dayton area. But you can find them at the big craft stores (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's) and buy with a coupon!

Now on to today's post, which hopefully Blogger will post in a timely fashion....

Today's Tip is one of those that, on the one hand, seems like a no-brainer, but, on the other hand, makes life so much easier!

After getting sick of doing the same math over and over, I made a simple, handwritten index card, which I posted on my bulletin board right over my workspace, with a list of dimensions for cutting stamped panels to matte evenly on a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card. It lists the sizes for cutting panels in quarter-inch increments. (Those of you who live in countries where "standard" is different can easily adapt this idea for yourselves.)

I typed it up for those of you using American measures. Hopefully, you can save it and print it for your own use.

If I cut a 4 1/4" x 3" stamped, panel, for instance, all I have to do is move up a quarter inch to get the measurements for a 1/8" matte all the way around the stamped panel. For a thinner 1/16" matte (as on yesterday's card), it's easy enough to just add 1/8" to the dimensions of the stamped panel.

I hope this makes sense.

And here is a happy CAS card that utilized this little chart.

Design Discussion: Please note how I rooted the flowers in the open space provided by the sentiment. I just love the way that looks!!!!
Supplies
stamps: Shady Tree Studio
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white, SU brilliant blue
accessories: dimensionals.

Personal News: My son Jack, who has high-functioning autism, was released from private occupational therapy Wednesday! After four years, he's finally functionally appropriate for fine motor and hand-eye coordination! YIPPYYYYY! He continues to receive OT through our school district, but this is a wonderful milestone for him to meet...and one less regular therapy session to cart him to! His developmental pediatrician saw Jack yesterday and is blown away by his progress. Jack truly has blossomed in the past six months. He's even one of the best readers in his regular 2nd grade class! Needless to say, we're on Cloud 9 around here right now, and I just had to share!!!

On Blog Hops, Envelope Advice, and the SU Bird Punch

On Blog Hops

If you missed the Clean and Simple Blog Hop, please check it out. A bunch of very talented ladies made amazing cards to celebrate the Fall-To Layout's 100th sketch. You can join them by making your own card and linking to it on the C&S Blog.

Envelope Advice

Next, I have had several questions about card sizes and envelopes. I DO NOT MAKE ENVELOPES. I'm just too lazy, and besides, envelopes are even more likely than cards to end up in the trash. Too much effort for too little reward: that's my opinion. So I KEEP IT SIMPLE and limit my cards to sizes that will fit into envelopes I have on hand.

Fortunately, Marco's Paper has a brick-and-mortar store that's an easy drive from my house. It's a fun place to browse for envelopes, with lots of sizes, papers, and colors to choose from. Here are my favorite sizes, all of which take standard US postage:

A2, for 5.5" x 4.25" cards (standard for half an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cardstock)

A6, for 6.25" x 4.5" cards

A7, for 5" x 7" cards

#4, for 4 7/8" x 3.5" cards

#7.5, 7.25" x 3.75" cards

Marco's website for envelopes is confusing right now (looks like they might be updating it), so I'll not provide a link at this time. It's not listing sizes for the envelopes. But my advice for buying envelopes is to find an office supply store (mom-and-pops have more selection than, say, Office Depot, and often will sell by the envelope, not just prepackaged boxes) or a fine stationery store, and browse. Seeing and touching makes a huge difference.

Then, you can adapt your cards to what envelope sizes you have. For instance, you can make a square card using the smaller dimension that fits into a standard envelope (i.e., a 5" square card fits in an A7 envelope). The US Postal Service charges extra for square envelopes, and that's a great way to avoid the extra charge.

To remind me what sizes I can make, I post a notecard on the bulletin board over my desk listing the card sizes that fit the envelopes I have on hand. It's just a little index card with a handwritten list, but it works to remind me that I can change the size as needed.

I hope that helps newcomers to card-making feel a bit more oriented on card sizes. Get the envelopes; then make the cards to fit. It's far easier and less stressful that way!

SU Bird Punch

Today's cards use the StampinUp bird punch and PTI's Text Style background set. The first version uses bright colors, and the second is very subtle. I think changing the colors really changes the feel of the card.





Design Discussion: Once I saw these cards in photographs, I realized they would look better with either a) the sentiment on the left instead of the right or b) the bird facing right. I counted on the fact that the leaves point at the sentiment to guide the eye, but it bothers me that the bird is looking away from the sentiment. In fact, it's almost like he pooped out the sentiment. Ewwww.

Other than that little design faux pas, I'm very happy with these light and airy cards.

Supplies
stamps: PTI
ink: Versacolor
paper: PTI
accessories: SU bird punch, dimensionals, bling

Shadowbox Ornament Tutorial

Prepare to be dazzled by my awesome photographic skillz, folks.


Isn't sarcasm fun?


What We're Making

Supplies You'll Need
punches:
pink marvy scalloped square
1 1/4" square
holly

paper:
whisper white
textured green

accessories:
red gemstones
glue pen
dimensional tape
waxed paper
white embroidery floss

STEP ONE
Punch a 1 1/4" square in white cardstock. Make sure to punch the square in far enough that the scalloped punch will fit around it.



STEP TWO
Turn the scalloped punch upside down and center the punched square inside the scalloped punch and punch it out. If you punched the straight square too far in from the edge, simply trim the paper slightly until you can get it centered properly. It helps to have good light directly over the punch so there are no shadows, which can cause you to punch off-center. Ask me how I know.




STEP THREE
Punch a scalloped square from white cardstock.


STEP FOUR
To keep the dimensional tape as sticky as possible and make it easier to cut and handle, put a small strip on a piece of waxed paper. Using scissors, cut the strip into four thin strips, and tear each strip off, line it up on the double-punched square and trim to fit, then remove the waxed paper and adhere. Technically, I suppose you don't have to do this, but the tape is much easier to handle this way, and you don't have to be so precise in measuring.




STEP FIVE
Apply each strip to one side of the square with the center punched out. Peel off one strip's backing and adhere the ends of the white floss to the center of the ornament. I used the end of the tweezers to push the floss down into the tape firmly.


STEP SIX
Remove the remaining backing and adhere to the solid scalloped square, making sure to align the scallops.



STEP SEVEN
Punch the holly from green textured cardstock, and using a glue pen, glue it to the solid scalloped square.



STEP EIGHT
Add two small red rhinestones.



STEP NINE
Admire your lovely work!

Variations: The other holly ornament I made had two layers of tape, which I really don't feel is necessary unless your focal point is very, very dimensional. This ornament works with circles as well (though the square looks better with this holly punch...trust me, I tried!). Tomorrow I'll post a snowflake ornament made with circle punches and sparkly paper. Sweet!!!

CAS38 Brads or Eyelets--Corrected

When I first saw this challenge, I realized that I haven't used many brads lately, so this was fun! I have hundreds of brads in my stash: big brads, little brads, round brads, square brads, matte brads, shiny brads, rhinestone brads, multicolored brads...you get the picture.

I chose to make a black and white Christmas card using the small snowflake from The Snowflake Spot set from StampinUp. The sentiment is from PTI's Silent Night. I punched out the snowflakes with a 1" circle punch, stuck a rhinestone brad in the center of each, and attached them over the sentiment with dimensionals. The ink was Palette Noir, and the paper is, of course, PTI white.

Simplicity Tip: Several people have asked me lately how I get such precise placement of items on my cards. Sometimes, I will place a clear ruler down on the card to get placement precise, especially if I'm working on a single line of items. Usually, however, I eye-ball it, but there are a few things I do to help get the eyeballing right. (I think I just made up the word eyeballing, but it sounds kinda dirty, doesn't it? Or is it just the gutter-minded English major in me sneaking out?)

Anywho, back to lining stuff up. First, I work on a giant green quilting/cutting mat that has a one-inch grid marked on it. I center up the card on the grid and place all the elements for the card where I want them using the grid for reference, adjusting as needed until each element is where it needs to be.

Then, I remove ONE element, put a dimensional or glue on it, and using TWEEZERS, place it back where it belongs. Because everything else is still in place, it's easier to get placement of each piece right. Tweezers allow me to work with small objects very precisely without messing up the other, laid-down elements on the card. Then I attach each other piece until everything is stuck on, and I'm done.

I hope this helps. It's much easier to do than to describe!

Edited to correct size of punch!

One-Hole Knot Tutorial by LeAnne

Several people have asked about the stay-put ribbon I used on my pesky Monogram Card #2. Here's the scoop. The advantages to the stay-put, one-hole knot ribbons are:

1) they stay put and don't move around as you move cards in and out of envelopes, and

2) they are flatter than regular ribbon knots, which makes them easier to mail.

The only disadvantage: if you decide you don't want a ribbon on your card after all, you're just out of luck. There's a HOLE needed in the one-hole knot technique. Once you punch a hole, it's there forever. You have to be COMMITTED to the ribbon.

Or you can accept that it's just paper and if you screw it up, the world won't come to an end. It can help to say this out loud to yourself. I do.

I learned this knot technique from LeAnne Pugliese's blog HERE. Her tutorial is wonderful (as is the rest of her blog). This technique is pretty slick, and once you've done it a time or two, it's easy.

Happy knotting!

Edging Tutorial

Several people have asked how I edge stamped panels with metallic ink. With the right materials, this is pretty easy to do.

Supplies Needed:
--Metallic marker (I like Prismacolor and buy them on sale at HL)
--Raised ruler (mine has a felt backing; a raised ruler won't wick ink underneath and make a mess)
--scrap paper

Step One
Start by placing your stamped panel on scrap paper. Align the ruler along one edge, leaving a little less than 1/8th inch of the panel showing.


Step Two
Prime the marker on the scrap paper to make sure the ink is flowing well. Then, starting on one corner, run the pen smoothly and quickly across the edge. Check to make sure the pen laid the ink down smoothly. If not, run the pen over the edge a second time before moving the ruler.



Step Three
Once you have a satisfactory line, carefully lift the ruler WITHOUT LETTING the inked edge touch your stamped panel. Wait a few seconds for the ink on the paper to dry. Rotate the panel, and repeat the edging for all sides.



Step Four
If you've notched the corners of your panel, as I have here, you can edge the corners free-hand with the marker once the straight edges are finished.




Here's the finished card, a 4.25-inch square using PTI's Stocking Prints and Signature Christmas. I really wanted to do this layout as a one-layer card, but it just didn't look right. I figured this would be a good card for the tutorial, so I went for it. I cut it out as a 3x3 panel, edged it, and made the smaller, square card. It was a quick and easy way to make a relatively flat, very simple card a bit special.

I hope these pictures clarify the technique because with just a bit of practice and some very inexpensive supplies, it's a super-easy way to kick CAS cards up a notch.

Supplies
stamps: PTI Stocking Prints, Signature Christmas
cardstock: PTI vintage cream
ink: Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy, Palette Noir
accessories: ruler, metallic marker, dimensionals, ticket corner punch

More Notecards and a Box-Drawing Tip

Here are the last of the notecards I made on Saturday. I got a bit more experimental with colors, as you can see, and my stamp positioner got lots of use. The first one uses a swirl stamp from Hero Arts, amber clay Colorbox Chalk ink, and a wheat Zig Writer.

This simple thank you card uses an Anna Griffin stamp in split pea VersaColor and a teal Zig Writer.

This burgundy line notecard isn't quite as nice as the teal version because I used khaki ink for the sentiment and it's just too light IRL.


This is one of my favorites. It looks so modern/elegant with the Hero Arts swirl in opposite corners. It uses the burgundy Writer and burgundy VersaColor ink.


The last notecard uses Palette Noir ink and a black .03 Micron pen. The corner stamp is from PSX, and I used a clear ruler to draw the lines. Be careful doing this; as you can see, I overshot the line on the left side at the bottom. Once the card has been written on, this little mistake will likely not be that noticeable, though.

Box-Drawing Trouble-Shooting:
A few people mentioned that they get dots in the corners where ink pools when they draw their lines. I think this may result from either a) holding the pen in one place too long, or b) using a pen/paper that isn't optimum for the technique.

Sharpies and Bic Mark-Its tend to pool ink, so I try to work really quickly if I use them. The new retractable Sharpies claim they don't bleed or feather. Might be worth buying one just to see.

The black box I drew in the tutorial used the Micron scrapbooking pens. Those come in several colors and as long as the nibs are fresh, they work great for this technique. For my colored lines in today's notecards, though, I used Zig Writers. These aren't quite as satisfactory but working quickly will help. If you look closely at the wheat-colored card above, the corners are heavier. Darker colors seem to give better results.

I haven't tried SU markers or the various types of gel pens for this. I wonder how a Sakura stardust pen would look with Brilliance pearlescent inks, for instance. Hmm. Gotta try that!

As for paper, I wouldn't use light cardstock (like SU whisper white) for this project. Heavy, rich-feeling cardsock like PTI's gives the single panel more substance and feels more like quality stationery. I've heard great things about Gina K's heavy cardstock, too, and plan on ordering some soon. Heavy, good quality watercolor paper would also look nice, I think. I wonder if cheap cardstock (i.e., the bulk stuff from Michael's) would feather the ink, too. I never could get stamped images to look good on that paper.

Simplicity Tip: You get what you pay for. Cheap supplies...especially paper and ink...tend to look, well, cheap. Use top quality, and your projects will look much better.