Weekly Deals and a Guest Stamper

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Chris Slogar

First, the Weekly Deals…and remember, shipping is FREE on any size order thru the 25th!

	2013-2015 In Color Core’Dinations Item # 129958 Regular Price: $11.95 US/$14.95 CAN Discounted Price: $8.96 US/$11.21 CAN
	Large Pearl Basic Jewels Item # 125577 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$4.88 CAN
	5/8 Inch Crochet Trim Victoria Item # 118481 Regular Price: $6.95 US/$9.50 CAN Discounted Price: $5.21 US/$7.13 CAN
	Naturals Designer Buttons Item # 127554 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$5.21 CAN
	Rich Razzleberry 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Item # 126876 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.75 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$5.06 CAN
	Pacific Point 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Item # 126878 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.75 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$5.06 CAN
	Afternoon Picnic Designer Series Paper Item # 131390 Regular Price: $10.95 US/$13.50 CAN Discounted Price: $8.21 US/$10.13 CAN
	Afternoon Daydream Kit – Digital Download Item # 130861 Regular Price: $9.95 /$10.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.97 US/$6.57 CAN

I also want to show off these beautiful cards Jan Woitas brought to Stamp Club this month. They all use the Swallowtail stamp, and I wish you could see them in person – the pictures don’t do them justice!

The first two are heat embossed and watercolored, and I love how Jan layered the wings on the one below.

The butterfly above is embossed in white on a white background, and the color was added with a sponge.

These are stamped on patterned paper, and in the card below, Jan added dazzling details to the butterfly wings. It is really a striking effect, but unfortunately, the picture doesn’t show that detail.

This one is perhaps the simplest of the group, but still a striking embossed image! Thanks for sharing, Jan!!

One Flower, Two Challenge Cards

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Chris Slogar

I didn’t know that I would be featuring a retired set today; it just worked out that way…”Thanks and Hello” (Item 131459, $8.95) is on the Retired List, released today and posted here. Shop all week with FREE shipping on any size order to get your favorites before they are gone – ALL items on the Retired Lists, stamps and accessories, are only available while supplies last.

“Freshly Made Sketches” and “Create with Connie and Mary” both show a flower in their challenge sketches this week, although any shape could be substituted. Here are the sketches:

Both sketches got me thinking about flower shapes, and I really like my Blossom Punch flower as a big flower element. However, sometimes it is just too flat. So I played around with folds until I created something with more dimension. To make this flower, you need to punch the shape three times out of designer paper, and once from solid cardstock.

Score each of the three designer paper flowers in half three times, and snip one of the scores to the center of the flower. Accordion fold the petals onto each other until it looks like the shape with two petals that has been attached to the cardstock flower on the right. Repeat twice to fill in the whole flower.

The petals pop up a bit on their own because of the accordion fold, and you can still curl the ends. The petals look separated from each other, and I love to show off both sides of the designer paper!

It is hard to make out in the pictures, but each flower has a length of a silver strand applied haphazardly with a glue dot behind the flower center. I pulled that strand out of a 12″ length of our Silver Baker’s Twine. It doesn’t take much, but it does add some nice texture without extra bulk!

My Freshly Made Sketches card is very simple.

You can see more entries for this sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

My Create with Connie and Mary card is shown below.

Do you recognize the shape I cut from vellum? It is the long Apothecary Accents shape with semi-circles on each end. I cut that shape in half to make my pieces. You can see more designs for this sketch at Create with Connie and Mary.

Retired Lists

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Chris Slogar

The Retired Lists for both Stamps and Accessories are available in pdf form below. All products, including stamps this year, are only available while supplies last. Now is a great time to get your favorites before they retire without having to pay for shipping!!

If you order during the FREE shipping promotion, please use Hostess Code KENFQ9QK. If the combined orders earn Hostess Benefits, all participants will be eligible for a share of them. If your order exceeds $150 product, do not use a Hostess Code – you will receive your own Hostess Benefits.

As always, if you prefer that I place your order, please call or email your selections, and I will be happy to submit the order.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Download (PDF, 113KB)

Download (PDF, 118KB)

Free Shipping April 21-25!

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Stampin’ Up! is offering FREE Shipping on everything (excluding expedited orders) April 21-25! The Retired List will also be available April 21, so this will be a great opportunity to get the retiring items you want. I will post the Retired List as soon as it is available.

Please note…there is a change this year concerning the Retired List. ALL products (stamp sets and accessories) will only be available while supplies last. In the past, stamp sets have been available right up thru the end of May, but Stampin’ Up! is not promising that this year.

If you order during this promotion, please use Hostess Code KENFQ9QK. If the combined orders earn Hostess Benefits, all participants will be eligible for a share of them. If your order exceeds $150 product, do not use a Hostess Code – you will receive your own Hostess Benefits.

As always, if you prefer that I place your order, please call or email your selections, and I will be happy to submit the order.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!

Graduation Cap Fun Fold

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Every year about this time, we realize our need for graduation cards, and this has been one of my all-time favorites. I was making it even before we had the diagonal scoring plate. At that time, we had to measure to certain points and then carefully score between them. Not anymore! Let me show you how easy it is with the diagonal scoring plate. And yes, these will be in Card Buffet at the end of the month.

Also, before I get too bogged down with the directions for this card, I expect to post again later today, with an announcement from Stampin” Up! about a 5-Day Mystery Promotion, so please check back later for those details.

Start with a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of cardstock, scored and folded in half at 5 1/2″. Put the fold along the top edge of the scoring tool.

Score along the diagonal from the 2 1/8″ mark. You have to use more pressure than usual to get the impression through both layers.

Flip the cardstock and make the same score on the other side. In the photo above, the score on the left is the first score.

Open up the cardstock and use your bone folder to crease these diagonal scores and the original fold at 5 1/2″. The crisper these folds, the easier this card will take shape!

Once you have the folds nice and crisp, the horizontal center fold can be pushed inward to make the pointed end of the card.

To finish the cap shape on the card front, lay your card on your trimmer as shown above and cut off the first corner of the card front.

Fold along the other diagonal and repeat.

To make a white liner, I start with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Whisper White and score on the diagonal, starting at 2″ on each side. Once again, make the first score, then flip the cardstock and make the second score on the back. Use those score lines as a cutting guide, and you will have a piece that fits nicely into this unique shape.

At this point, you can decorate as you like. I always put a tassel on the top of the cap, made by fraying a length of ribbon.

Start with an 8″ length of ribbon, knotted as shown, creating two “tails”.

There is a binding on the ribbon that runs along each edge. Trim off that binding, up to the knot.

Then separate strands that run lengthwise from the strands that run across the width of the ribbon. Trim away the other binding and cross-strands. Repeat on the other tail to create the tassel.

Here are some other ideas, from past years. The images were printed from MDS on both of these samples.

You can use the same technique to make these little house shapes, too.

I started with a narrower card base, with diagonal scores from the halfway point on the width so that with roofs, these would fit into a standard envelope.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Easter!

“You Make Me Happy” Chocolate

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Seems appropriate that these Hershey bar sliders say “You Make Me Happy”. This is a quick little favor that you could do for any occasion with your choice of colors and stamps.

The ribbon wraps around the bottom of the candy bar so that it can be use to pull the candy out of the sleeve.

The sleeve is a 6″ square of cardstock, scored at 2 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. I used a retired punch for a slot on the front and back of the sleeve, but you could also use a small circle.

When the sleeve is decorated and ready to load, simply thread the ribbon through both holes and push the candy down into the sleeve.

I made a simple knot at the top to finish it off. The greeting is from Perfect Pennants, cut with the coordinating framelits. The flowers are from the Petite Petals bundle. Both of these sets can be found in the Occasions Catalog – that’s the coral one that says”Celebrate the Everyday” on the cover 🙂

Coming Soon…Project Life!

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Today I want to share this exciting news about Stampin’ Up!’s new product line that will simplify scrapbooking. Pocket scrapbooking is an easy approach to memory keeping, and of course, Stampin’ Up! is the leader in coordination…combined they will provide a quick and cost-effective way to create beautiful albums. Here are the details from the Stampin’ Up! blog:

We are so so so excited to let you know we’ve partnered with the amazing Becky Higgins to bring you the real deal—authentic Project Life products, now in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors and designs. If you’ve somehow missed the Project Life craze and are wondering what it’s all about, we’ll fill you in: it’s a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It’s a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life. In a nutshell, it’s all about spending more time making memories and less time scrapbooking them.

You’ll be able to order a selection of Project Life products starting May 1! And with the launch of our new annual catalog on June 2, you’ll be able to buy from our complete line of Project Life products.

Can’t wait that long? Stampin’ Up! demonstrators will be able to order the limited selection starting April 21. So if you’re a demonstrator make sure to check the demonstrator website that day; if you’re not a demonstrator, sign up and you can order the products early too!

Here are the items you’ll be able to purchase on May 1:

Weekly Deals and Card in a Box Cards

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Here are this week’s Weekly Deals:

	Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper Item # 130144 Regular Price: $10.95 US/$13.50 CAN Discounted Price: $8.21 US/$10.13 CAN
	Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Item # 129383 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$9.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$7.46 CAN
	Adorning Accents Edgelits Die Item # 125595 Regular Price: $9.95 US/$11.95 CAN Discounted Price: $7.46 US/$8.96 CAN
	Night Of Navy 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Item # 126874 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.75 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$5.06 CAN
	Natural 5/8″ Chevron Ribbon Item # 132982 Regular Price: $6.95 US/$8.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.21 US/$6.71 CAN
	Anywhere Glue Sticks Item # 104045 Regular Price: $3.95 US/$5.50 CAN Discounted Price: $2.96 US/$4.13 CAN
	Outer Space Stampin’ Around Jumbo Wheel Item # 126938 Regular Price: $8.50 US/$10.50 CAN Discounted Price: $6.38 US/$7.88 CAN
	Floral District Photobook Template – Digital Download Item # 127211 Regular Price: $17.95 US/$19.95 CAN Discounted Price: $10.77 US/$11.97 CAN

I also have two more Card in a Box Cards to show before I move on to something else. These have been really fun! I encourage you to try them with any stamps and punches that you have. I have posted more samples and a link to directions over the past few days.

Also, I mentioned in Club that I had mailed one of these with just a regular stamp. I did hear that it made it to its recipient that way and in good shape.

April Club Projects – Card in a Box and Easter

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Chris Slogar

Your recipient will never expect this flat card to pop up into a little flower arrangement for display.

This is one of the Card in a Box cards we made yesterday in Stamp Club. The construction of the box is easier than it looks, and I followed the directions at splitcoaststampers.com for this box that folds flat to fit in an A2 envelope (under Variations). You can see those directions here.

We made them in two colors – here is a closer look at the Coastal Cabana version.

In either color, most of the flowers are attached directly to the cardstock – the exceptions are the butterfly and the flower that are attached to the first divider. Those are attached with glue dots to 1/2″ strips of Window Sheet, which are attached to the divider with glue dots.

For more ideas, you can see the Card in a Box designs that I posted last week here.

We also made a flat card, a CASE of a card I saw by LeeAnn Greff.

Here is what is looks like opened up. I used a circle framelit to cut half a circle in the card, creating the pop up semi-circle shape where the tulips are mounted. Here’s how to make the base:

The card base is 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″, scored in half at 4 1/4″. I lined up the middle of the 2 3/8″ circle framelit with the score line.

To only cut half, I aligned my acrylic plate with the same score line so that pressure would only be applied to that point.

This is the cut that results. I folded along the score, except at the circle to create the pop-up section.

And finally, this cute favor holds a little Reese’s egg, but you can modify the length of the wrap to fit other treats. The wrap piece measures 2″ x 6 1/2″, scored at 2 3/4″ and 3 3/4″. Each end of the wrap is punched with the Angled Tag Topper. The end pieces are 1 1/2″ squares, scored on two opposite sides at 1/4″. They are attached to the wrap with sticky strip.

Thank you for checking out my club projects! Club meets once/month on Sunday, and there is still a permanent spot available in each of my club sessions – 2 pm and 6:30 pm. We are just getting into our new session. If you join in May as a member, you can still receive a free stamp pad and Hostess benefits at one meeting. If the spots are not taken by a permanent member, they will be open to guests. Contact me for more details.

Three Spree for PP190

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Chris Slogar

This week’s Paper Players challenge requires the use of three of anything. My original thought was to have three greetings, and “thank yous” make a great repeated greeting. I also ended up with two more groups of three as well. Can you find them? So I have three groups of three – it must be a natural tendency for me to work with threes!

This card goes together quickly – just start with some lengths of Washi Tape on a Whisper White mat. Add a greeting and the punched shape (punch the little heart first, then the Artisan Label). I used a 1″ Melon Mambo circle with sticky strip on the back to hold down my loops of Linen Thread. The label punch is mounted with dimensionals.

The other “threes” are the Candy Dots and the loops of Linen Thread. You can see more entries into this challenge at The Paper Players.

I have a guest spot available in each session of my Stamp Club on Sunday, 2 pm or 6:30 pm. Guests can either pay $10 for the meeting and projects, or order $25 product. One of our projects this month is a floral Card in a Box using the construction shown in yesterday’s post. Please contact me if you would like to join us. Here’s a little tease of what that project will look like, closed up (lol) – they fold amazingly flat!!

Have a great weekend!