All posts by Stampin' Bon

Nature’s Peace – 6th Christmas Card for Hero Hugs

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Here is my 6th version of cards for my Hero Hugs event.  This card could be super quick, but I wanted the design to stand out slightly (literally), so it is heat embossed.  Because of that, it will be in my basement area where I usually teach classes.  I will keep my simplest cards upstairs.  One version is Cherry Cobbler and one version is Pool Party.

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For both cards, I used Seam Binding Ribbon.  I actually just tied it once (is that half of a knot?) and clipped the ends.  I will pre make these, so volunteers can simply use a Glue Dot to attach them.  Pool Party seam binding ribbon is now retired, but Soft Sky looks almost exactly the same, and this is one of those instances where you can’t tell the difference between the embossing powder and the ribbon color.

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By the way, these were my original version, which are also very nice, but the extra cardstock just makes the design pop.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back!  To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen here, go to Stampin’ Bon.

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Cupcake Party and Age Awareness for PPA223 Color Challenge

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When I saw the color challenge for the Pals Paper Arts, I thought, Oh no, I already did that color combination two weeks ago.  How am I going to come up with something different, so I don’t repeat myself?  After all, that is part of the criteria.

This week’s color challenge. 10-9

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Well, my Dad-in-law’s birthday was coming, so I thought, it can’t hurt to try.  I worked to come up with something using those same colors that didn’t look like Halloween or what I had already created.

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I wanted to make sure the Tangelo Twist ink didn’t look too dark, so I stamped it off before stamping the “frosting” from Cupcake Party and the “happy birthday” from Age Awareness.  I did stamp the candles directly onto the Tangelo Twist cardstock using the Tangelo Twist ink, so they would be nice and dark.

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I popped everything up with Dimensionals and double popped “happy” just to be different.

Even though the colors are bright, I think it still has a masculine feel because of the grid design from the Flashaback Designer Series Paper, and it does not look like a repeat of my Halloween card (phew).  It wasn’t easy, but I believe I met the criteria for new, and the card is definitely inspired by the PALS color challenge.  Thank you Pals, for making me rethink those colors!

Thanks for stopping by and come back Wednesday to see my next project.  To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Letterpress Winter Snowflake Card – 5th Christmas Card for Hero Hugs

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Here is a fun flip card we’ll make for the Hero Hugs event.  I will pre fold the card for speed and accuracy (even I get my folds backwards sometimes).  I am making this with the extra flap like my previous Snowflake card, (see how here), so volunteers will have room to write a nice message.

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The card base is Soft Sky and is stamped in Night of Navy and Rose Red ink.  The Merry Christmas sentiment is from the Good Greetings set.  A a hostess can get it free in addition to all the normal perks, with a $300 workshop (or you can just purchase it for $17).  I then punched it with the Modern Label punch, and sponged the edge, so it would stand out more.

Thanks for stopping by and come back Monday to see my next project.  To view my class list or purchase anything current you have seen, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Festival of Trees – 4th Christmas Card for Hero Hugs

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This is another easy card for my Hero Hugs event.  I will let stampers choose between some of the trees in the set (Festival of Trees), but the rest of the card will be the same.

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This is the filigree version, and I think it is very pretty, but since I don’t know if the cards will go to men or women, I’ll set this tree aside.  Ignore the fact that I didn’t emboss the accent piece with the Lucky Stars embossing folder.  I actually made this version first, then decided I wanted a more masculine version (regardless of the Strawberry Slush accent piece) and chose the pine tree, and the embossed stars.  Because the color scheme has a contemporary flair, I don’t think it will offend the men.

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I wanted the front of the card design very clean, so I put both sentiment stamps on the same block and stamped them inside.

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The cardstock is Pistachio Pudding and Strawberry Slush, and the ink is Strawberry Slush.  I punched the star using the Itty Bitty Accents punch out of Gold Foil Sheets.  The banner for the tree is cut using the Banners Framelit.

Thanks for stopping by and come back Friday to see my next project.  To view my class list or purchase anything current you have seen, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Beautiful Bunch PPA 222 Color Challenge

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I wasn’t sure how I felt about a color challenge, because you can literally do anything with it, so it makes it a little harder to focus.  I decided to pick a stamp set I liked, and just see what I could do with the colors.

I was actually relieved to have these colors, because I needed a break from all my Christmas cards.  This is a card I can use any time of year.  Just change the sentiment and it is good for birthday, thinking of you, or get well.  Even though the mat color is so dark and strong, the card comes across as very feminine.  But hey, maybe that’s because of the flowers and girly ribbon.

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I used lots of layers for this piece, because I didn’t want the different flowers and embellishments to sink into each other.  Even my velum sentiment has tiny pieces of Stampin’ DImensionals hidden under the Calypso Coral Candy Dots.  While my first flower is adhered directly to the mat, the second one is single “popped” and the third is double “popped”.P1020158

I had fun changing up the same flower stamp, to make each one look a little different.  That is my favorite flower in the Beautiful Bunch set, and I didn’t want to mix the various styles, so I just added color variations.

Flower #1 – is stamped in Early Espresso on So Saffron, but I stamped the image off onto a scratch piece of paper first, so the flower wouldn’t be so dark.  I then used a blender pen to pick up color from my Calypso Coral ink pad lid to color in the center and the outside edge of the center flower piece.  Just squish the ink pad together when it is closed, and you will have ink sitting on the lid when you open it,

Flower #2 – is stamped in Calypso Coral on Whisper White.  Ok, well that was easy.

Flower #3 – is stamped in So Saffron on Whisper White and the edges are sponged in Calypso Coral.  I also fussy cut (a dirty word in my book) the center splotch.  I’m sure there is a scientific word for whatever that thing is, but you know what I mean, and isn’t that the point of language?  See, my linguistics class wasn’t a waste.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back soon.  My next post focuses on another quick and easy Hero Hugs Christmas card.

To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen here, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Cheerful Christmas – 3rd Christmas card for Hero Hugs

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First, I want to thank the Pals Paper Arts team for “picking” my Octopus card as one of the winners for the PPA 221 Sketch Challenge.  If you missed it, view it here.  I was so excited to see my name on their list!  If you ever need inspiration, visit Pals Paper Arts, and you will see tons of sketch ideas and color schemes, plus see how artists interpret the various challenges.

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And now, another simple Hero Hugs Christmas card for your viewing pleasure.  This one uses classic red and green.

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I embossed the cardbase with the Filigree Frame embossing folder, and it is a tight fit on the Hero Hugs card, because these cards are .25″ narrower than a standard A2 card (They are sized to fit in a special care package box).  When you use it for your own cards, it will fit just fine.

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I used a Sponge Dauber to color the swirls of the embossed image using Real Red ink.  I then stamped the Cheerful Christmas sentiment with Garden Green ink.  I will pre-emboss and ink the red swirls for my volunteers.  Volunteers will stamp the outside and inside sentiments, and then write something nice inside.  If this were a smaller group and we didn’t have 500+  cards to make, I would certainly have the volunteers emboss and ink this themselves.  That isn’t difficult, it just takes time.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, my Hero Hugs event is partially sponsored by Thrivent Financial.  If you are a Thrivent member, there is a new benefit that any member can apply for to get up to $250 to use for a service project.  Go to Thrivent.com/actionteam.  It was very easy to apply, and since Hero Hugs is a 501 c (3), my project qualified.  Previously, I paid for all the Hero Hugs supplies myself, so I really appreciate the opportunity to get assistance with the expenses!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back on Monday for a short interruption in Hero Hugs Christmas cards, so I can post my PPA 222 Color Challenge card.  To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen here, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Mingle All The Way – 2nd Christmas Card for Hero Hugs

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I am working on the rest of my cards for my Hero Hugs Christmas card making event on October 19th (cards for the deployed men and women in the military).  For this event, I am receiving partial sponsorship from Thrivent Financial, and I’ll share more about that on Friday.  If you missed the first card, view it here.  Because I have both experienced and inexperienced stampers help, I make the cards simple, so everyone can produce an aesthetically appealing card and enjoy the process.  For this card, I chose to make it contemporary and fun.

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I taped the Real Red Woven Satin Ribbon to the back of the Back to Black Designer Series Paper (DSP) with plain Scotch tape and then used Fast Fuse to adhere that to the Whisper White card base.  For the event, I will provide Scotch double sided tape, because that’s easier for most, but if you attend, and are experienced with Fast Fuse, I will be happy to let you use that while you are here. We need to use a strong adhesive like Fast Fuze or Scotch double sided tape, so the materials hold together in a variety of climates.  Unfortunatley, this is not the time for the easy to use “Snail” adhesive.

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The focal sentiment uses the Mingle All The Way set, stamped in Real Red ink, and I cut the Basic Black mat with the Starburst Framelit.  I will actually use up retired DSP to make most of the cards (see above), before switching to my current stock.  If you still have the retired DSP, you can make this card.  Just use Very Vanilla with the retired DSP, instead of Whisper White.  Other than that, it is made exactly the same.

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My next four cards will all focus on the designs I’m having volunteers make for Hero Hugs, so for anyone looking for quick and easy cards, or just cards you can make en masse, without stress, you will appreciate these posts.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon.  To view my class list or purchase anything current you have seen, go to Stampin’ Bon.

Happy Halloween from Paper Pumpkin

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Here is my second variation of a Halloween card made with “leftovers” from this month’s Paper Pumpkin kit.  I made six goodie bags, and then used the remaining tags to make six cards (three like above, and three like the previous design).  If you missed the first card, view it here.  The tag pieces gave me an easy focal piece to build around.

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I made my own “Designer Series Paper” by stamping the raven image from the included stamps onto Tangelo Twist cardstock.  The tree sticker and twine were included in the kit.

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This is just another version of the same card, using the included skull stamp.  I did try tiny Rhinestone Basic Jewels in the eyes of a skull, but it made it look happy, so I pulled them off.  I was definitely going for creepy, rather than cute, with this particular card.

Things to know

Substitutions – If you don’t have Memento ink, there are a ton of stickers included in the kit with the raven, skull, bat and tree.  I just like stamping, so that was my preference.

You say Tomato…  – Tangelo Twist ink is included in the kit, and matches the “orange” in the provided pieces.  I just chose to stamp the sentiment in Tangerine Tango, because I wanted a brighter color.  The previous card was stamped in Tangelo Twist, so you can see the difference.

It’s not what you think – The photo looks like the card frame (On Film framelits) and sentiment piece are white, but they are actually Very Vanilla.  I used Basic Black cardstock to back the frame, and to get a grungier look, I sponged Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto the Very Vanilla pieces.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back!  To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen here, visit Stampin’ Bon.    Click Here to purchase a Paper Pumpkin subscription.

Sea Street for PPA221 Sketch Challenge

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When I saw the Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge 221, I immediately knew what stamp set and Designer Specialty Paper (DSP) I wanted to use.   I’ve been in love with this octopus from Sea Street since it was introduced, and every time I look at him, he makes me smile.

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Here is the sketch by Nicole Watt that inspired my card.   I like this sketch because there is so much you can do with it, as you’ll see from the Gallery.   I saw cards where artists had even just snipped certain parts of DSP and put them in the squares, so this will be a great go-to sketch for everyone.

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Cutting a circle into four equal parts isn’t easy, but I have a tip to help.  I measured my base piece, divided that measurement in half, and placed a strip of cardstock at the halfway line where I should rest my circle edge.

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After the first cut was done, it was even easier to cut those two pieces in half, because I rested them with the flat edge against the top of my trimmer, and again, rested the edge against my cardstock that indicated the half way mark.

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Now, the fact that I didn’t line up Mr. Octopus perfectly on my circle mat is another issue, but really, isn’t an octopus squishy anyway?  Whose to say that my octopus didn’t look lopsided when I spied him through my submarine porthole!  He is adorable regardless.

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I originally thought I’d just make a square version, but I do like the round version better for this card.  I think if I’d backed the Real Red DSP square of the octopus in white, so the candy dots stood out better, it would have been an almost even match.

Please don’t ask what type of knot I used.  I just purposely tied something that looked lumpy and nautical.  I untwisted the ends of the Whisper White Thick Baker’s Twine (only available in the Tag A Bag Accessory Kit) to make them look tattered.  The card colors are Coastal Cabana, Real Red and Night of Navy.

Things to know:

Even though the coordinating color for the DSP is Coastal Cabana, I used Pool Party Stampin’ Emboss Powder, because it ends up looking like it matches, as long as it isn’t right next to Coastal Cabana.

The Whisper White octopus background is color washed in Coastal Cabana, using an Aqua Painter.   You really need to use a high quality cardstock like Stampin’ Up!’s Whisper White, or you wont be able to spread the ink nicely.  Ask me how I know.

I used the sentiment from Hello Love, a Hostess only set (only a hostess can purchase the set, and it is a discounted price).  Hostesses earn free and discounted products with a qualifying workshop.  Let me know if you’d like to host a workshop for me!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back!  To view my class list or purchase anything you have seen here, go to Stampin’ Bon.

So Sorry For Your Loss – and my mistakes!

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Updated, thanks to Deb Cozzone – only one set retired (like one isnt’ bad enough):  I don’t know what it was about Monday, but I was having nothing but trouble.  Trouble designing what I wanted, trouble stamping, trouble inking a pad, and apparently, trouble choosing a current stamp set (which I only found out once I needed to look up product numbers).

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Problem #1 –  when I stamped the image from the Thoughts & Prayers set (sorry, retired, keep reading) in Rich Razzleberry, I had a smudge of ink on the stem edge of the rubber.   Hmmph.  Can’t stand wasting paper, so I knew I’d have to cover that up.  Then, to make matters worse, as I was doing other things, I got a dot of something to the right of the stem, and then when I stamped my sentiment from So Sorry (you can get this one for My Digital Studio #133013), but no longer as a stamp), I got another smudge.  So, at this point, I’m thinking I need to start over.

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Problem #2 – So I started over and this happened.  I got a beautifully clean floral image, and botched the upper sentiment.  Ugh.  Now I had no choice.  Being the person I am, I couldn’t waste two pieces of paper, so I was determined to make them both work.  I know, non sequitur, but that’s just me.

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Solution #1 – I stamped the bottom sentiment on Rich Razzleberry in a “gray” ink (I’ll explain that in a minute) and die cut it with the Snowflake Card Thinlets die (you could hand cut it, too), then popped it on top of my mistake.   One problem solved, and I liked it better that way.  Awesome!  Then I lightly sponged a “base” around the floral stem to cover those two boo boos.  The Brights Background Designer Series Paper (DSP) is Rich Razzleberry.

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Solution #2 – I stamped the top sentiment as I did the bottom one, and fussy cut it.  I didn’t like this quite as much, but it does cover the bad ink job.

Problem #3 – For my sentiments, I thought I picked up the Smokey Slate ink pad to test, and when I stamped in it, it was very dry, so I took my Stampin’ Ink refill in Smokey Slate and replenished the ink pad…the Basic Grey ink pad.   😦    Ok, At some point you just need to live with things, so to replicate this card, I suggest using Basic Grey Ink, as I preferred that for the card base anyway.  It will be slightly darker than what you see, but I know you creative folks will forgive me.

Problem #4 – Oops, one of the stamp sets I chose is retired.  Even though I have carefully been separating and selling retired sets, I tend to hang onto religious ones I like when they retire, because not a lot are made.  Well, now I know I need to put a big dot on them, because that just isn’t fair to you.

But I have a solution…

Solution #3 -For the sentiments, use Petite Pairs, ” sending sympathy and prayers…” on the top and “…to heal your heart.” on the bottom.  By the way, Petite Pairs will be on sale, along with some other sets for 20% off, Oct. 1st – 6th.

The cards are going in the mail to my dear friend Robin, and to her lovely daughter Haley, who recently lost their Cockatiel they have had since Haley was very young (Haley’s in college now).   I picked the colors of the yellow (Color Me Autumn DSP) and gray (Confetti Celebration DSP) to represent Kramer, since his coloring was a mix of white, yellows and gray, and a pretty orange cheek.  I did try coloring our bird stamp directly, but just couldn’t get the effect, so I went with the punch art, and I think they will appreciate it as is.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll forgive me and come back!  To view my class list or purchase anything current you have seen here, go to Stampin’ Bon.

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