Journal It! # 122

Journal it! 122

This is your next journal prompt...

What was your favorite subject in elementary school? Your least favorite?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Writing Notes

 I really liked Art, but I didn't have a least favorite when I was in elementary school.

Have a blessed day,
Trude
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A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. Proverbs 1:5
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Scrapbook Sunday # 12

Hello,
It's Scrapbook Sunday again and I have a Butterfly scrapbook page to share today.

First I created the butterfly outline by creating a stamp with Fun Foam. I used the butterfly thinlit die to cut the Fun Foam.

Then I stamped on the page 3 times with the die that I had created using VersaMark ink. I embossed them with clear embossing powder.

Next I used sponge daubers to color in the butterflies, but you could use markers, colored pencils, aqua painters or watercolors.

Then I sponged in the sky (the base paper is Pirouette Pink).

Can you see the small perforations? I stamped the swirl from Everything Eleanor on a piece of vellum. Then I laid the vellum on the page and chose some of the swirls to pierce.

Any questions, let me know!

Have a blessed day,
Trude

Journal It! # 121

Journal It! 121

The prompt of the day is:

What were some of the Christmas traditions your family had when you were a child?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

One of the things my parents did every year was take us to the mall so that we could see all the Christmas decorations and watch the ice skaters. We also went Christmas caroling and then had hot chocolate when we were done.

Have a blessed day,
Trude
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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
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Lots of Joy

Journal It! # 120

Journal It! 120

Another day, another Journal It! prompt...

As a child, what was your favorite vacation? Tell about it.

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

I loved to visit my aunt and uncle who lived on the Oregon Coast. It was fun looking for shells and agates and even splashing in the icy water!

Have a blessed day,
Trude

Throwback Thursday # 12

The Stampin' Up! Throwback Thursday stamp set that I used for today's card has stamps for several different occasions including winter, Christmas and birthdays. I really like the little ladybug stamp but I decided to do a birthday card with the balloon stamp. The stamp set is called Stipple Occasions.

I like the way the Crystal Effects looks on the balloons. I stamped each balloon on a 1" strip and punched the bottom with the Banner Triple punch. It is the first time that I've pulled out that punch and used it. It makes creating banners for your projects so easy!
It is hard to tell from this photo, but the banners are popped up above the Crushed Curry paper with Dimensionals and the Crushed Curry matted on the white is popped up above the Tangerine Tango with Dimensionals.

Here's the list of products I used:

Retired-

• Stipple Occasions stamp set
• Happiest Birthday Wishes (sentiment)
• Gumball Green stitched ribbon
• Brights Designer Series Paper Stack (Tangerine Tango)
• Sweet Dreams Designer Series Paper (crushed Curry)

Current-

• Whisper White card stock
• Jet Black Stazon
• Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' ink
• Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' ink
• Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' ink
• Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' ink
• Watermelon Wonder In-Color ink
• Crystal Effects
• Banner Triple Punch 
• Dimensionals

Now, go pull out one of your old favorite stamp sets and make your own Throwback project!

Have a blessed day,
Trude

Wednesday 101 - Rubber Stamping - The Basics

Okay, you know this is all about the basics...
Today's subject is paper. There are so many types of paper that I could talk about paper for many blogs. But I am just going to mention a few of the many types out there because I don't want this to be overwhelming.
I'll start with the ones that you can purchase from Stampin' Up! at my online store.

Background papers:

Stampin' Up! calls theirs Designer Series Papers and they come in color coordinated stacks that make cardmaking and scrapbooking so much easier!

English Garden Designer Series Paper

This shows the 4 different patterns in Melon Mambo. There are 9 more colors in the Brights stack!

 

Designer series papers are not as heavy as cardstock. They are heavy enough to use as scrapbook page bases but not card bases. They work great for layering and all the types of ink that Stampin' Up! sells will work great on them. They are acid and lignin free.  Each 12" x 12" page has 2 designs, one on each side.

Watercolor Paper:

Watercolor Paper

 

Use this paper when you watercolor your stamped images. This paper is heavier (140 lb) than cardstock. It is highly absorbent. Use watercolor paint and paint brush as well as Classic Stampin' Ink, Blender Pens and Aqua Painters to add color.
I don't use this as the card base, I use it as a layer on cards.

White Vellum Cardstock:

Vellum

 

I'm not sure why Stampin' Up! calls this cardstock. It is a vellum, a translucent paper that is great for layering. It can be tricky to heat emboss because the heat can warp it. It is also tricky to pressure emboss with embossing folders because the pressure tends to cause the embossed designs to punch through the paper. Not all inks are suitable for vellum. Stazon and Memories inks work best because the surface is very smooth and not very porous. Because you can see through it you have to be creative in how you attach it to the card base. Some ways to attach it to a card are to:

• use brads that go through the vellum and the base layer.
• use a glue dot between the vellum and base layer and then cover it with something on the top layer to hide the glue dot...for example a button.
• use snail tape to attach it to the base layer and then hide the tape with ribbon and/or bows.
• attach it to the back of the card by creating a tab that folds around to the back side and adhering it there.

Vellum is acid free and lignin free.

 Glittered Paper:

Red Glimmer Paper

 

Stampin' Up!'s glitter paper is called "Glimmer Paper". It has the most glitter on it of any glitter paper I have seen on the market. It is a cardstock weight so it can be used to create card bases but I just use it for accents on my cards. I either punch out shapes, die cut shapes or cut strips to use on my card to add an extra bit of texture and sparkle. Glimmer paper comes in 12"x 12" sheets and is available in 4 different colors. Try it, you'll love it!

 Foil Paper:

foil papers

 

Stampin' Up!'s foil paper is a card stock weight and can be used for card bases. It can also be stamped on with Memories ink or Stazon ink. It can be punched and die cut. I usually use it in the same ways that I use Glimmer paper, as accents. I have also used it for matting layers, it makes beautiful mats. It comes in 12" x 12" sheets and is available in silver and gold. I've seen some people use it for pressure embossing (with embossing folders) but it may crack around the embossed design. Try it and see how it works for you!

This isn't even all of the specialty papers that Stampin' Up! carries, but these are the ones that I use the most. Probably in discussing certain techniques later on in Wednesday 101 posts I will share some more papers with you.

Have a blessed day!
Trude

Journal It! # 119

Journal It! 119

Here's a journal prompt for you to consider:

Write about a place you went with your father.

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Simply Sports

Tuesday Tutorial # 11 B.Y.O.P. Pop-Up card

Have you tried making pop-up cards yet? They aren't real hard. This one has a twist. Not only is it a pop-up birthday card, the pop-up also holds a gift card!

You can download the tutorial NOW!

Journal It! # 118

Journal It 118

This is the prompt of the day!

What food do you like to take on a picnic? Do you have a favorite picnic spot?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Market Fresh

Scrapbook Sunday # 11

This page is another page from my grandson's first birthday visit. It is the back side of last week's page so I incorporated those Project Life cards into today's page instead of adding new ones. The card set is from a retired Stampin' Up! set called Everyday Adventure.

The bottom of the page is a little out of focus. You can't read the stamps I used from the This Is Life stamp set. I used 2 stamps in the white arrow area. One says "Happiness is>>> " and the other one says " Like This >>>". The stamp in the yellow circle is from the same set and it says "SMILE". I also used the Something for Baby stamp set. I stamped the diaper pins directly on the cards with black ink and then stamped the toys on Whisper White card stock and cut them out with their matching framelits.
The grid card is where my journaling will go.

Something for Baby stamp and framelit bundle

This is the Life Project Life Bundle

I bought the bundle because I will use all the pieces for future pages and the bundle is a better deal. But you can buy just the stamp set, just the cards set, or just the embellishment kit.

Journal It! #117

Journal It! 117

Another prompt for your journal:

Write about a perfect autumn day and what you would do on that day.

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

For All Things

Journal It! # 116

Journal It! 116

Your next journal prompt is-

List your favorite movie, book, poem and song. Tell any memories associated with them.

Calling All Heroes

Throwback Thursday # 11

The Throwback Thursday card for this week was created with a Stampin' Up! stamp set called "Love Notes".

If you don't have the retired Love Notes stamp set you might try creating this card with either Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set or Lots of Joy stamp set.

Endless Birthday Wishes

Lots of Joy stamp set

Retired products I used to create this card:

• Brights Designer Series Paper stack- Melon Mambo
• Postage stamp punch
• Scalloped ribbon punch
• Extra large pearls
• Love Notes stamp set

Current products I used:

• Whisper White card stock
• Jet Black Stazon ink
• White craft ink
• White embossing powder with glitter added
• Dazzling Diamonds glitter
• Melon Mambo card stock
• Melon Mambo marker 

Journal It! # 115

Journal It! 115

Here is a journal prompt for your consideration...

What holiday traditions do you and your children treasure?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Every Blessing

Wednesday 101- Rubber Stamping- The Basics

Today is the day to talk about cardstock.

Cardstock is usually available in two different sizes, 12" x 12" and 8 1/2" x 11".

Stampin' Up! carries both sizes but the 12" x 12" are only available in assorted stacks.

Stampin' Up!'s cardstock is:

•  80 lb stock- a very good weight for card bases, 3D projects and scrapbook pages
• Very smooth- great for sharp detailed stamped images
• dyed all the way through, no white core
• acid free and lignin free
• matte, non-coated, has great absorbency, works with most ink types
• comes in 40 classic colors and 10 In-Colors
• Thick enough so that inks will not show through

 Stampin' Up!'s extra thick cardstock is:

• 100 lb stock- heavy enough to support multiple layers
• great for 3D construction projects
• Whisper White or Very Vanilla
  
• Very smooth- great for sharp detailed stamped images
• acid free and lignin free
• matte, non-coated, has great absorbency, works with most ink types
• very thick, ink will not show through

Extra Thick cardstock

Stampin' Up! Kraft cardstock is:

• thicker that regular cardstock
• natural Kraft color 
• 12" x 12"
• acid and lignin free
• mat, non-coated, has great absorbency, works with most ink types
• thick enough that inks will not show through

Kraft cardstock

Besides Stampin' Up! cardstock other cardstocks are available at craft stores. 

Some examples of what you might find:

•  Linen- has a texture that resembles linen cloth. This cardstock can be stamped on but you should stamp on a sample piece with your stamp to check the quality of the stamped image before stamping on a finished piece. Most linen cardstock has a matte finish and will accept most types of ink.
• Glossy- has a coating that gives it a high gloss. This cardstock gives a high quality stamped image because of its smoothness, but not every type of ink can be used on it. Dye inks and solvent inks work best but pigment inks will work if heat embossed. Chalk inks and Brilliance inks need to be heat set. Make some samples with the stamp and ink you are planning to use. Some stamp and ink combinations will slide around on this paper, so practice is recommended.
• Pearlescent and metallic- These papers usually have a very smooth surface and are not as absorbent as a matte cardstock. Solvent inks are great, chalk inks and Brilliance can be heat set, test other inks for suitability before stamping the finished project.

Some things to think about when you choose cardstock for a project:

• What type of ink do you plan to use for this project? Is the cardstock appropriate for that type of ink?
• How absorbent is the paper? Will you need to heat emboss the ink or heat set it so that it will dry? Or is it so absorbent that you need to use a thick ink, for example craft ink, so that you have time to apply the embossing powder if you plan to heat emboss? 
• Density- If you plan to tear it, will it tear easily? If you are using it for a card base with multiple layers is it heavy enough to support them? If you are planning to layer it with other papers will it add too much thickness/weight to the project?
• Texture- Will it be easy to get a clear stamped image? Will the texture enhance your project or detract from it?
• If you want your project to be archival, is it acid free and lignen free?
• Does it have a white core? Do you plan to use that to enhance your project or would a cardstock that is dyed all the way through be more appropriate for this particular project?

 Next week we'll be talking about other types of papers that are available.

Have a blessed day,
Trude

Tuesday Tutorial # 10 Bleach Technique Greeting Card

Today's Tutorial uses a technique that I've only used a few times, but one of my friends is an expert and has even had an article published in Rubberstamp Madness. She creates stunning cards using this technique. In this technique you bleach the color out of colored card stock and then you use markers, watercolors, colored pencils or any other method of recoloring the bleached area. You can also just bleach stamped pieces and leave them as is without recoloring.

You can download this tutorial here.

Journal It! # 114

Journal It 114

The prompt for today-

Were you raised in a religious family? Do you have a religious affiliation?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Blessed By God

Scrapbook Sunday # 10

Another Scrapbook Sunday! Where does the time go?

Today I created another Project Life page. I am still trying to get used to using the pocket cards and putting pages together with them. This time I used a retired set of cards for the page called, Everyday Adventure. I didn't get the accessory pack for this card set and now I wish I had it. I decided to tie the page together with buttons, because of course my grandson is as cute as a button! I wish I had a stamp with that saying. I am either going to print that sentiment on a piece of overhead transparency or look through my stamp collection to see if I have it somewhere. I will add it to the top card and then add the journaling to the second card down.

One thing that I do when I make these pocket pages is add the embellishments to the outside of the pockets instead of to the actual cards or photos. It adds some texture and if I want to move or switch the embellishments it is much easier to remove the adhesive from the plastic pockets than it is from the photos or cards.

The top and bottom cards in the center row were a single card that I cut in half to tie the row together. I also added a border design in black to each card. The border stamp is from the Tin of Cards stamp set. The 'Love You' sentiment is from the Friendly Wishes stamp set.

Friendly Whishes

Tin of Cards

Journal It! # 113

Journal It! 113

Your journal prompt of the day-

Describe the first meeting with your in-laws. Where was it and how did you feel?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Here's a fun stamp set to decorate your journal with.

Ray of Sunshine

 

Journal It! # 112

Journal It! 112

The journal prompt for today is:

Are there any activities or hobbies that you participated in as a child in which you still participate today? Tell about them.

Write the prompt in  your journal and Journal it!

Here are some talented children:

Talented Trio

 

Throwback Thursday # 10

Summer is flying by so quickly! Some children are already returning to school!

For today's Throwback Thursday card I chose a retired Stampin' Up! stamp set called The Fine Print. All the stamps have some fine print on them like this bee stamp I used. There are several others including a baby bib with fine print for the strings and a gift package with fine print for the ribbon.

I only used two retired things to make this card; the bee stamp and the word bubble framelit.

Retired products

• The Fine Print Stamp set
• Word Bubble framelits

Current products

• Basic Black card stock
• Crushed Curry card stock
• Whisper White card stock
• Tin of cards stamp set
• File Tabs Edgelits
• Hexagon Hive thinlits
• Honey Comb embossing folder
• Memories Black ink
• Basic Black Stamp-n-Write marker

The little bee is so cute. It says, "You're one in a buzzillion".

In the new Stampin' Up! stamp set, Garden in Bloom, there is a cute bee and there is also some really cute bee paper to go along with it in the English Garden Designer series paper stack.

Garden In Bloom

English Garden Designer Series Paper

Have a BEE-utiful day!

Wednesday 101- Rubber Stamping- The Basics

Part 2- Adhesives

I want to emphasize that this is not an exhaustive list of adhesives. There are many out there and new ones on the market every day. But this list is the basics plus a few extra.

Last week we talked about liquid adhesives and this week I am concentrating on adhesives that are not in a liquid form.

Adhesive Transfer Tape:

This type of tape is usually on a paper liner on a roll. Stampin' Up! calls theirs Snail Tape and Fast Fuse (very strong holding product). Tape on a roll is also known as Tombow, Tape Runner, roll tape. There are many names for it and many brands out there. Try several to see which one works best for your usage.

snail Tape

 

Fast Fuse

Glue Dots-

These are round dots of glue that are on a liner like the roll tape. They can actually be on a roll, in a roll applicator or on clear sheets. The dots can be flat or raised for 3D effects and come in various sizes. Stampin' Up!s come on a roll and are the mini dot size which is very versatile. They are also flat. Glue dots provide a very strong adhesion. They work very well for adhering ribbon, bows, buttons and other embellishments.

Glue Dots

Foam Mounting Tape-

These are used to add dimension to projects by adding some additional height to layers and embellishments. Sometimes they are also known as Pop-Dots and Stampin' Up! brand it called Dimensionals. They come in various thicknesses and shapes. Stampin' Up!s is hexagonal and is not as thick as some which can be an advantage when shipping items in the mail. On other projects you can use them 2 high to get more dimension.

Dimensionals

Double Sided Liner Tape-

This type of tape comes on a roll, but instead of having a liner on one side it has a liner on both sides. The advantage of this is that you can measure and cut a line of adhesive, remove the liner on one side and place the adhesive exactly where you want it before you remove the other liner and attach items to it or attach it to other items. Some names you may know it by are Sticky Strip, Red Line Tape, or Stampin' Up!s new product Tear and Tape. This tape works great for use with foiling effects, adhering tiny beads and glitter besides holding 3D projects together and adhering layers of paper. It has strong adhesion.

Tear and Tape

 

Other useful adhesives in this category are:
Repositionable tape which usually comes in a tape runner and is useful for projects where you need to temporarily line up several items before adhering them permanently. The tape is repositionable but becomes permanent after 24 hours, however I always adhere it with a stronger permanent adhesive after I am satisfied with my arrangement.
Dot runner tape is useful when you are adhering items that have open spaces because the dots will only adhere to the places that it comes in contact. I like to use it to adhere Stampin' Up! Tea Lace Doilies to my projects.
Vellum Tape is a product that is suppose to adhere vellum to other surfaces without showing. I have had mixed results with this product. I prefer to use brads or glue dots that are concealed on the outside with bows or buttons or ribbons.

If you have favorite adhesives or added comments I invite you to join the conversation by commenting on this blog post!

Have a blessed day,
Trude

Journal It! # 111

Journal It! 111

Here's the prompt I have for you today...

Were your relationships with any of your grandparents close?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal it!

After looking through the catalog for vintage items this is about the only thing in the current catalog that comes close. We used to have so many sets, like tea sets and doilies but it is a new day and I guess vintage isn't in right now.

Everything Eleanor

 

Tuesday Tutorial # 9 Z-Fold Christmas Card

It's already August and I didn't get any Christmas in July cards posted! So just had to do one. This one is a z-fold card. I used the new stamp set, Every Blessing. It is in the annual catalog. In a few weeks the Holiday Catalog will be here and we will have even more stamp sets to choose from. For those of you who like to begin creating Christmas cards in the summer, there have been 7 sets available in the annual Stampin' Up! catalog that started in June.

This is my Tuesday Tutorial card and I have all the supplies and instructions ready for you. This is how you get it...you can download it now!

Journal It! # 110

Journal It 110

Here's the prompt of the day:

What were some outdoor activities and games in which you participated in your neighborhood as a child?

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Simply Sports

Scrapbook Sunday # 9

First Trip to the Beach

Here is the page that I completed this week. It is the companion page for last week's page. It shows my grandson grabbing handfuls of sand for the first time and letting it run through his fingers. He was fascinated with it.

I used the same materials that I used last week.
I used two of the splatter stamps from the Gorgeous Grunge set to add a grainy effect to the Pool Party card stock behind the photos.

Here's what both pages look like side by side.

Products I used:

• Marina Mist card stock 12" x 12"
• Chocolate Chip card stock 12" x 12"
• Pool Party card stock 12" x 12"
• Crumb Cake card stock
• Night of Navy card stock
• Whisper White card stock
• English Garden Designer Series Paper
• The Open Sea stamp set
• From Land to Sea stamp set
• Gorgeous Grunge stamp set
• Everything Eleanor stamp set
• 1 3/4" circle punch
• 2" circle punch
• Whisper White craft ink
• Soft Suede Classic Stampin' ink
• Mint Macaron In-Color ink
• Night of Navy Classic Stampin' ink
• VersaMark Watermark ink

Journal It! # 109

Journal It! 109

Another prompt for your journaling pleasure!

Did you and your mother participate in any activities together? Tell about them.

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Here's a fun Stampin' Up! set that shows some 'activities', Talented Trio

Talented Trio stamp set

Journal It! # 108

The Journal It! 108 prompt for you to journal- 

 

Include a photo of your home and tell what makes it special.

Write the prompt in your journal and Journal It!

Here's a Stampin' Up! banner kit that would make your home even more special!

Build a Banner