Rock Star

May is National Scrapbooking Month, and what better way is there to celebrate than by taking advantage of Stampin’ Up!s “Buy Three…Get One Free” promotion. With the purchase of three Designer Series Papers or 12” by 12” Textured Card Stocks, you will receive one free! And the nice thing is that you can mix and match! Stampin’ Up!s Designer Series Papers are an excellent choice for creating layouts that showcase your special photos, such as the one featured today. Rockabilly Designer Series Specialty Paper and the “Rock Star” stamp from A Little Somethin’ add a touch of whimsy, while the tuxedo striped paper maintains the page’s masculine feel.

  • Mat the photo on Kiwi Kiss, followed by the Kiwi Kiss/Black Skull paper from the Rockabilly collection.
  • Using the Scallop Circle Bigz Die and the Big Shot, cut two circles from Kiwi Kiss Designer Series Paper and Dotted Riding Hood Red paper from the Rockabilly collection. Layer. Adhere onto the back of the photo mat.
  • Position the photo mat onto the glossy black striped paper from Rockabilly and adhere using SNAIL Adhesive.
  • Layer a wide strip of Dotted Riding Hood Red Rockabilly toward the bottom of the page. On top of this adhere a strip of single Kiwi Kiss/Black Skulls.
  • Ink the Rock Star stamp with Basic Black ink and stamp onto Whisper White card stock. Punch the corners with the Ticket Corner Punch. Mat this onto Dotted Riding Hood Red, and once again punch the corners using the Ticket Corner Punch. Mat onto Basic Black.
  • Using Stampin’ Dimensionals, position the Rock Star block on top of the scalloped circles.
  • Coat two stars and an arrow from the On Board Essentials Chipboard Collection with Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive. Place adhesive side down on the Kiwi Kiss and Black Skulls paper. (The flip side of this paper is the Dotted Riding Hood Red, which is the pattern I wanted to show when the chipboard was adhered to the page.)
  • Trim using Paper Snips. Lightly sand the edges using a Sanding Block. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere to the layout as shown in the illustration.

This photo of my son’s jazz combo, the WestSide Mongrels, is one of my favorites. The black and white copy gave an edgy look, and allowed me to use the “Skulls” pattern without making the composition feel “too busy”. If you are ready to make your own “Rock Star”, remember that you can order Stampin‘ Up! 24/7! Just click on the link below. Email me today if you have questions!
Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!
Order Your Stampin‘ Up! Supplies Now!
Stamp Set: A Little Somethin’ (Hostess Level 2 (113415)
Ink: Basic Black (101179)
Designer Series Paper: Rockabilly (114039), Kiwi Kiss (112161)
Card Stock: Kiwi Kiss (111353), Whisper White (100730), Basic Black (102851)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Scallop Circle Bigz Die (113468), Sanding Block (103301), Paper Snips (103579)
Other: On Board Essentials (112085), Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive (110755), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)
Please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Even a Teenage Boy…

Sometimes I feel like such a schmuck! My poor son, Brady, needed a Thank You card to send to his trumpet professor. Unfortunately this happens to be an extremely hectic time of the year for me. Those of you who are teachers know exactly what I mean. I have requisitions to make out, lesson plans to complete, course manuals to get in order, semester exams to write and the list goes on and on and on. So I pointed him in the direction of all of my card making supplies and said…”You are a big boy…Go for it!” Well, to make a long story short, he grabbed the “Clearly Thanks” Window Sheets and a packet of In-Colors and came up with this card. I guess the motto of this story would be: “Window Sheets…So Easy, Even a Teenage Boy Can Use Them!” In his own words, (with my translation in parentheses) here is Brady’s step-by-step recipe for this card:

  • Take some blue paper and make it into a card. (Make a standard card base out of Pacific Point.)

  • Take some green paper and cut it so its right under the “Y” in “You” and right below the “swirly” things. (Using Kiwi Kiss, cut a strip of paper so it accentuates the swirls of the window sheet. Adhere to the card base.)

  • Take some orange paper and put it below the green paper. (Take a strip of Tangerine Tango and adhere it to the bottom of the card base as noted in the picture.)

  • Attach the “clear thing” with sticky dots. (Using Mini Glue Dots, position and adhere the window sheet onto the card base.) I did have to advise him that Mini Glue Dots were the best choice for adhering the window sheet.

  • Add some buttons to hide the sticky dots. (If you wish, you can camouflage the Mini Glue Dots with buttons from the Fresh Favorites II Collection. Mini Glue Dots will hold them perfectly in place). I did tell Brady to use a snippet of Pacific Point paper as “thread” in the button. However, he couldn’t manage this very well. His “trumpet” fingers are really calloused, so I did it for him 🙂

  • Stick another button on it by one of the “swirly things.” (Add another button to accentuate the swirls in the design.)

From fresh young minds, you can learn a thing or two! I probably would not have thought about using the three different colors to accentuate the design. In fact, I probably would not have selected these three colors. I asked him what was behind his choices, and he just wanted something bright and “summery”!

When I asked Brady if he was ready to make some more cards, his answer was “No!” But, he was ready to tackle the Big Shot. It seems that he is fascinated by the little matchboxes… Or is he just interested in the chocolate that I put in them?
Stay tuned. Is it possible that there could be a sequel…”Window Sheets…So Easy, Even a Husband Can Use Them”? Time will tell.
Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!
Order Your Stampin‘ Up! Supplies Now!
Card Stock: Pacific Point (111350), Tangerine Tango (111349), Kiwi Kiss (111353)
Other: Clearly Thanks Window Sheets (Occasions Mini 115122), Fresh Favorites II Buttons (107422)

Swing into Fall

The third card in my Branch Out stamp set series features the colors of fall. Really Rust, Always Artichoke, and Chocolate Chip set the tone. The tree, in all of its autumnal glory, takes center stage in this easy to make card.
  • Ink the Branch Out tree with Chocolate Chip and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Double mat onto Really Rust and Always Artichoke.
  • Ink the leaves stamp with More Mustard and randomly stamp. Follow with Really Rust and a smidge of Ruby Red.
  • Ink the Tire Swing with Basic Black (tire) and Chocolate Chip (rope), and using the Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement, stamp it onto the branch of your choice.
  • Add Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon as illustrated in the photo.
  • Place and adhere the matted tree onto the Very Vanilla card base.
  • Place three Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons above the ribbon.
  • Use the paper piercing tool and template from the Crafters Tool Kit to add visual interest just below the ribbon.

Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Order Your Stampin’ Up! Supplies Now!
Stamp Sets: Branch Out (113200)

Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908), More Mustard (103162), Really Rust (102549), Ruby Red (102259), Basic Black (101179)
Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Really Rust (100661), Always Artichoke (105119)
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049), Crafters Tool Kit (104310)Embellishments: Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons (114339), Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109051)