Bye-bye Marker Club

So, this evening was the fourth and final gathering of my first Stampin' Up! Marker Club. I'm really going to miss stamping with those ladies on a regular basis...they're so much fun.

Tonight they used their markers to custom color white grosgrain ribbon and flowers from the Pretties Kit. In my usual fashion I procrastinated ordering the necessary items, so today I Mr. Brown brought me a nice large box full of fun stuff, including the pretties kit and jumbo wheel I was planning to use on tonight's card. The card was created weeks ago...in my mind...but wasn't officially a card until about 30 minutes before the club meeting started. Oh, well. At least my mom's house (where we met) was close enough that I could run home quickly when I realized I'd forgotten one of the punches for the bonus project.

Ok, enough about my inefficiency and lack of planning...here's what we made tonight.



enjoy - Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment, Daisy Dash Jumbo Wheel; Card stock: Blue Bayou, textured Soft Sky, Whisper White; Ink: Blue Bayou, Cameo Coral stampin' write marker, Not Quite Navy jumbo ink cartridge; Accessories: 1.4" white grosgrain ribbon, pretties kit; Tools: Crop-a-dile, ticket corner punch




We did a card at each meeting...and this month we also made this Photo Clip.




stamper photo clip - Stamps: Circle of Friendship, Enjoy Every Moment; Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Blue Bayou designer series paper; Ink: Blue Bayou; Accessories: 1.4" white grosgrain ribbon; Tools: 1/2",1" and 1 1/4" circle punches; Misc: Crystal Effects (adhesive)


And here's a closeup of the photo clip. I just couldn't seem to get a clear image from further away.

I hope you liked the projects. I'm really lovin' my markers...it's like having all the ink pads. I'm noticing certain colors I use a lot. Those will probably be the next pads I get.

Brayer Sneak Peak #1

Here's a sneak peek at two of the projects we'll be making Saturday at the April Technique Class. This card and matching gift box feature versamark and emboss resist on glossy cardstock.

Be sure to check back for another sneak peek this week. And don't forget to RSVP by Thursday to secure your seat!!

Stamp-Happy!!

Friday afternoon I went a little stamp-happy. There are days when I have to stamp, because I have a workshop or class coming up. Then there are days like Friday. I was in such a groove. I got to stamp just for the joy of stamping! It was great!!

So, I'd like to share a couple of the cards I made on Friday...enjoy!

The first card is a congratulations card for my aunt who retired recently. I used the stamp-a-majig quite a bit on this card. I also used my not-quite-navy marker and crystal effects to fill the trough in the flower ribbon slide with color.








The second is a one-layer card for my pastor, who had major surgery on Wednesday. I used the stamp-a-majig for every stamp on this card (If I'm going to center everything then I'm going to do it right). The main stamp was actually borrowed from his wife. I was really excited to use my markers on this stamp.

The sentiment at the bottom is originally on four lines. I drew light pencil lines to center and line up the words and used the stamp-a-majig to stamp one line at a time. The ribbon was originally 1/4" white grosgrain and I colored it ruby red with my marker and tied it on the card along with a piece of linen thread.







I made this one for my pastor's wife. I stamped the flower image in whisper white craft ink then used heat and stick powder to adhere dazzling diamonds glitter. I also stamped the flower on the soft sky card base. I punched the circle in the soft sky piece with my 1 3/8" circle punch and popped the piece up on dimensionals, after tying the white grosgrain using the technique in my previous post.












I really struggled with this card. I went round and round with the colors. I knew I wanted a semi-monochromatic card, but couldn't decide what went best with the groovy guava and satin chocolate ribbon both. All images were stamped in chocolate chip craft ink and embossed in clear. The guava circle is popped up on dimensionals. I used the crop-a-dile to add the jumbo eyelets, through which I laced and tied the chocolate ribbon.










I hope you enjoyed the results of my stamp-happy Friday. Stay tuned for a sneak peek of one of the projects we'll be doing at the brayer class Saturday.

Ribbon Tying Tutorial

So, a while back (probably only a post or 2) I promised to try a tutorial to show you how to tie a secure ribbon that won't slide without having to borrow an extra hand from a neighbor. So, here it is...my first ever tutorial.

Disclaimer: I did NOT come up with this...it was shared by another demo at the Philly Regional Seminar I attended in September. She showed us this in passing while demonstrating a vellum technique, and the entire room of about 300 demonstrators breathed a simultaneous "WOW!" I think it was the most memorable part of the trip. :)

You'll need your cardstock, ribbon and a way to punch a whole. My cardstock is Pretty in Pink. The double-sided satin ribbon is from Ribbon Originals: Theatre from Stampin' Up! It is two shades of green...Old Olive and River Rock...just beautiful.


Punch a hole in your cardstock where you want your knot to be when you're finished. I used my crop-a-dile to punch a 1/8" hole for my 1/4" ribbon.




Lay your ribbon across the front of your cardstock and thread your ends through the hole from back to front. Adjust to be sure the ribbon is lying flat on the cardstock. In the picture the top is the front of the cardstock and the bottom is the back.



This is the back...







...and this is the front.







The next step is to place one end above the wrapped ribbon and the other end below. Carefully adjust your ends to be even...you'll want to reinforce the hole with your fingers so it doesn't rip out and gently pull your ends...I learned this one the hard way. :)


Tie a single knot around the ribbon that's lying flat and adjust.

Voila!! A perfect knot that doesn't require an extra hand and is neither too tight (causing the cardstock to curl) nor too loose (thus sliding off).