Stampin' Up! Good Friday Blessed by God Heat Emboss Tutorial

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I've been behind the 8 ball when it comes to Easter stamping this year. But I am super excited with the cards I did create. 

Have any of you ever attended an Easter sunrise service? When I was in elementary school, I went with my uncle to a sunrise service on Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, CA. I have no idea what time we had to wake up, but I know it was early!! It was so dark climbing the trail to the top of the hill, that they had Boy Scouts stationed at certain locations with flashlights to help you see. Even though it was well over 30 years ago, I still remember how beautiful it was to watch the sun rise that morning while celebrating the resurrection of my Savior. How marvelous! How wonderful! 

That was my inspiration for this card.

Stamps: Blessed by God (cross), Kinda Eclectic (sun), Indescribable Gift (sentiment), Sheltering Tree (grass)

Paper: Always Artichoke, Brushed Gold, Perfect Plum, Sahara Sand, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit (butterflies), Gold Ribbon, Itty Bitty Punch, Pearl Jewels

You know how the sky is a dark purple color before the sun rises? And then as it continues to get higher in the sky, the sky lightens to a lighter lavender before becoming blue. To make my sky a little darker around the edges, I sponged some Elegant Eggplant ink around the edges of my Perfect Plum card stock. I really like the effect.

I created the "hills" by tearing paper and then sponging the edges.

Some of you have asked about heat embossing. I took a few pictures while I was creating this card. I hope it explains the process, which is fairly simple and adds beautiful dimension to your cards.

Supplies needed for heat embossing:

Heat Tool

Versamark Ink 

Embossing Powder

Embossing Buddy (optional)

Rubber Stamp

Gently tamp your Embossing Buddy onto your cardstock. The Embossing Buddy helps cut down on static electricity. You only want the embossing powder to stick to your stamped image and not have little extras clinging to your cardstock in various places. The Embossing Buddy is a light colored "powder" that does show up on dark cardstock but can be easily brushed off after you are finished.

Ink up your stamp image with clear Versamark Ink and stamp onto your cardstock. 

While the ink is still wet, liberally sprinkle your embossing powder over your image, covering it completely. 

Remove any extra embossing powder and put it back in the container.

Heat up your image with your heat tool, being careful not to burn your fingers. Use a tweezer to hold your cardstock if necessary. 

Continue heating your image until all the embossing powder is melted. It should look shiny.

And that's it!! Super easy! Now you go ahead and EMBOSS SOMETHING!!

Tomorrow I will share how to make some cute, glittery bunny Peeps. So I hope to see you again!

Before you go, here is a Good Friday verse I want to share with you:

We are healed!! AMEN!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Krystal

Stampin' Up! Celebrate Today Coastal Coral

Hi Stamping Friends!!

On Saturday I finally mailed out my Celebrate Today card kits to everyone who joined my February Online Stamp Class. Today I'm going to share two cards from the kit. These cards were CASEd from cards I saw on the internet.


Celebrate Today Coastal Coral #1

Stamps: Celebrate Today

Paper: Crushed Curry, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB)

Ink: Calypso Coral, Soft Suede

Accessories: Balloon Framelits, Cupcake Builder Punch (clouds), Large Scallop Edgelit, Delicate Designs EF, Best Year Ever Coral Ribbon

Be sure to stamp the basket first using Soft Suede ink. Use one of the cutout balloons to use as a template to make sure you have the correct position.

Glue the Best Year Ever DSP (with your stamped basket on it) onto the Crushed Curry card base. Glue the Wild Wasabi "grass" to the DSP. Make your balloon.

I made the air balloon by cutting out four balloons, folding them in half, and gluing them together. Here are a few pics...

Attach the balloon to your card using Dimensionals.

Stamp the "Celebrate" sentiment on to Whisper White cardstock. Hand cut the banner. Attach the "clouds" using Dimensionals. Tie the ribbon. DONE!

Celebrate Today Coastal Coral #2

Stamps: Celebrate Today

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Crushed Coral, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB)

Ink: Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana

Accessories: Balloon Framelits, Crushed Curry Baker's Twine

Cut out balloons from the Crushed Curry and Calypso Coral cardstock using the balloon Framelit. Stamp the balloons with the polka dot stamp in coordinating ink colors.

When using photopolymer stamps, you get a better stamped image if you stamp onto a cushioned surface, like our Stampin' Pierce Mat. Be aware that if you do stamp on the mat and get ink on the mat, the ink will not dry. Cover your mat with grid paper before you stamp. It will help you from getting ink everywhere. Ask me how I know. ;)

Using regular tape, attach the Crushed Curry Baker's Twine to each balloon making sure to wrap the twine around the "neck" of the balloon.

When you have your balloons ready, layer them on the Coastal Cabana card base. The bottom two balloons are glued onto the card base and the top three balloons are attached with Dimensionals. The balloons should be sticking out over the edges of your card base. The card should look like this...

Flip your card over and using a scissors, trim off the sides and tops of the balloons using your card base as your straight edge.

Bring all of your strings together and attach them to each other with a glue dot. Make a bow with the baker's twine and attach it with a glue dot.

Stamp your sentiment using Coastal Cabana ink on to your card base. Using Coastal Cabana ink, stamp the flags onto Whisper White cardstock. Cut out the flags with the matching Framelit. Attach using Dimensionals.

Sidenote: Even if you did not purchase the Celebrate Today stamp set and matching Balloon Framelits, but you made a qualifying purchase using the appropriate Hostess Code, you will receive a card kit. The kits are versatile enough that you can use them in a variety of ways with a variety of stamp sets. Be creative!! I would love to see what you come up with. :)

I hope this all makes sense!! If not, email or text me your questions and I will try and answer them as best as I can.

Tomorrow I will have the other two cards from the kit to share.

Thanks for stopping by!

STAMP SOMETHING!

Krystal

Petal Potpourri Class Prep Tips and Tricks

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Today I'm going to share a little about how I prepare for my stamping classes. I've been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator since 2006 and I've tried all different ways of offering classes. I finally found one model that works best for me.

When I host a stamp class, I revolve the entire class around a specific stamp set or sets and possibly a matching punch or other tool. I used to simple charge a fee for the class and let everyone use my "stuff". I no longer do that. I also do not charge a class "fee". To join the class, you simply need to purchase the required supplies using a designated Hostess Code. As a demonstrator, my goal is to sell Stampin' Up! products, not card kits.

For this class, stampers were required to purchase the Petal Potpourri stamp set and matching Flower Medallion punch which is currently being sold as a bundle in the Occasions Catalog on page 23. The clear mount bundle is $31.25. They also had to purchase the Crazy About You stamp set on page 31 of the Occasions Catalog. It was their choice if they wanted to purchase the bundle with the Hello You Thinlits. The Thinlits were not a required purchase. The photopolymer stamp set is $24.95. So each stamper had to purchase a minimum of $56.20 of supplies to come to the class. If someone had previously purchased one or both stamp sets and still wanted to come to the class, they would just need to make any purchase of $56.20 using the Hostess Code and they too could attend the class.

Stamps: Petal Potpourri, Crazy About You

Paper: Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB)

Ink: Sahara Sand

Accessories: Flower Medallion Punch, Bow Builder Punch, Hello You Thinlits

Each stamper will receive a card kit that contains enough supplies to create 10 cards, 2 each of 5 different designs. Kits include cut and embossed card stock, DSP, ribbon, and other embellishments like buttons and rhinestones or pearls. I also include cut sheets of Whisper White card stock to stamp on. I put all the necessary supplies for individual cards in sandwich sized ziploc bags from the dollar store. Then I put all 5 baggies in a larger "gift" bag. Stampers need to bring their stamps, (and punch if it was required), scissors, adhesive, and liquid glue. I supply Glue Dots and Dimensionals.

I set up "stations" for each card. Each station has a sample card (enclosed in a clear envelope for safe keeping) and the necessary inks and additional punches/tools needed. Stampers rotate from station to station making their cards using the supplies in their bags. I do not write up instruction sheets since I am right there to answer any questions. Most stampers are able to figure out how to make the card simply by looking at the sample project. If a certain step is more difficult, I will explain it to everyone before the class begins.

Stamps: Petal Potpourri

Paper: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB)

Ink: Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Flower Medallion Punch, Itty Bitty Accents Punch, Hello You Thinlits, Hexagon Hive EF, Calypso Chevron Ribbon, Coastal Cabana Ribbon (SAB), Pearl Jewel


Designing the cards is fun and hard at the same time. I like the cards to be pretty, so people are interested in coming to the class. But they also need to be semi-simple so my stampers can finish them. I browse various stamp websites and Pinterest boards for ideas and then adapt them to my needs.

Stamping 10 cards can take a few hours. Even if some steps are done for you.  I also have to be careful about what inks I use. I only have one set of inks, so I need to watch that I don't use the same ink color on multiple cards. Otherwise there tends to be stampers waiting their turn and it takes longer. This get really tricky when you are also using a certain DSP to design around. Sometimes I end up borrowing ink pads from other stampers.

I also do as much prep work ahead of time as possible. I pre-cut all my ribbon and I pre-emboss as much card stock as I can. I also cut as many die-cuts out as possible. For this class I pre-cut all of the Hello You Thinlit words. For smaller groups I let them use the Big Shot for certain projects. But again, I only have one Big Shot and I don't like to have a big line of people waiting.

When doing a larger class, I usually use a room at a church. This requires me to do a lot of planning and packing. I usually pack as I go. Grabbing inks and tools and putting them in a bag so I have everything I need to take along to the class. It all takes quite a bit of thinking ahead.

I've also done classes that revolve around certain techniques and or themes, like all birthday cards. But my favorite is still the classes using a specific stamp set. It gives customers plenty of ideas on how they can use that stamp set again.

All in all, I really enjoy hosting classes. I like spending time with other stampers. I enjoy seeing them create together and visit with one another. It always reminds me of an old-fashioned quilting bee. But instead of bonding over fabric, needle, and thread, we get to use stamp, ink, and card stock.

I'm really looking forward to Sunday!! Can't wait to see my stampers again!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Stamp something!
Krystal

How To... Mass Produce Cards

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I've been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator since 2006. I became a demonstrator simply for the discount. I had begun to make invitations for people and I was purchasing large quantities of card stock and ribbon. And no matter how hard I looked, I could not find better quality products than what I was buying from Stampin' Up! So I signed up and have not regretted it since!

Over the years I have made invitations for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, 50th anniversaries, bachelorette parties, and teas. I've also created thousands (Yes. You read that correctly. I said THOUSANDS!) of Christmas cards. One Christmas alone I made over two thousand cards. Many of my customers ordered between two and three hundred cards each so it was easy to get into the thousands quickly. 

Needless to say, I have a little bit of experience in mass producing cards. And even though I purposefully stopped taking large orders, I still stamp between 30 and 40 cards each month. I thought you might like to get a glimpse in the process that works best for me.

Here is the card that I mass produced this month:

Stamps: The Newborn King

Paper: Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Gold Foil

Accessories: Itty Bitty Star Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Punches, Rhinestone Jewels, Vanilla Ribbon (retired)

The first thing to think about when making a large amount of cards is the design and layout. How much time do you have? Do you want something simple or fancy? I tend to go with simpler designs and techniques. I try to avoid time-consuming things like sponging and heat embossing. I do like to use embossing folders because I love the texture. It just didn't work with this design.

After deciding on the design, I score and cut the card bases:

Next I cut the card fronts and either emboss them or in this case, stamp them:

Next I stamp and punch out all the pieces for my embellishments. For very large orders, I would even pre-cut all of the ribbon. 

Now I have all of the pieces of my card ready for assembly:

As you can see in the above pic, I stamped and punched the nativity scene and layered it onto the gold foil scallop so it would be ready to be attached to the card.

When I have all my pieces ready, I begin putting the cards together a la assembly line style. This means that I attach all of the card fronts onto the card bases, first. Then I add the bigger embellishments. In this case, I added both of the circle elements. Finally, I add my "pretty" finishing touches which typically are rhinestones and ribbons.

When mass producing you also need to consider your adhesive choices. Are you in a hurry? Are you trying to save money? Do you need a strong holding or fast drying adhesive? Answers to these questions will determine which adhesive you choose. In this case, I was in a hurry and was not worried about cost. I used Fast Fuse to attach my card front on to my base. I used glue to attach my nativity scene to my gold scallop. I used Dimensionals to attach both circle elements. And finally, I used Glue Dots to attach my gold star. Thankfully the Stampin' Up! rhinestone jewels already have adhesive on the backs so that was an easy choice.

I ended up with 41 cards. People always ask me how long it takes to make a card and I've never been able to answer them. I rarely sit down and just "make a card". I get out card stock and ribbon for inspiration. Then I browse the internet for design ideas. Etc. Same for mass producing. I have no idea how long it took to make these because I easily interrupt myself. I stamp standing up so I give my legs a break every so often. Plus there is always kids, and laundry, and house distractions. But I did start these one day and finish them the next if that gives you a general idea. :)

Anywhoo!! I hope you enjoyed this little how to. And I hope it gave you a few ideas on how to streamline the process of making a ton of cards at one time. But I hope you never have to make 300 of the same card. Ever. Because by the time you are done you will think it is the ugliest card you have ever created. Ever. 

If you haven't already, please go and "like" my Facebook page. I need more followers so Facebook doesn't get rid of little ol me... KRYSTAL'S CARDS

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

How To... Stamp Names with Photopolymer Stamps

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Taralyn's water polo team chooses a "secret sister" during the season. On game days they give each other little gifts. We've never done this before, so the first time I just put together a small cello bag filled with candy and attached a small tag...

Apparently I'm the "cheap" mom because Taralyn came home with a full bottle of Gatorade, some Goldfish crackers and one of her favorite candies!! Lesson learned. Looks like I need to up my game. So I went to Target and bought every item on the "secret sisters" favorites list.

And since a tiny cello bag was not going to cut it, I decided to stamp on a large brown paper lunch sack. So here is a little tutorial on how to stamp names using Stampin' Up! Photopolymer stamps.

I used the Epic Alphabet stamp set...

Here is what the sheets of Photopolymer stamps look like...

The first thing I did was remove the letters I needed and lined them up on my grid paper with the "stamp" side down and the side that "sticks" to the clear block facing up.

I know it looks like I don't know how to spell, but that's because "scotty" has two t's and you only get one t in the set. So I was just creating space to come back later and stamp the extra t.

Next I placed my clear block on to the line of letters and "stuck" them to my clear block. (Photopolymer stamps are so sticky that this is very easy to do and none of the letters fall off).

Next, I removed the r stamp and inked up my "personalized name stamp".

After stamping the partial name, I came back with a single t and filled in the missing letter.

Then I added some stars that come with the Epic Alphabet set and the #yougotthis sentiment from the @SoSocial stamp set. (The "seriously" sentiment came from an old Paper Pumpkin kit)

I finished it off with a bag topper made from some extremely old, retired DSP. Trying to use up those scraps don't ya know. ;)

If I had created this for an adult, or if it was a one time deal kinda gift, I would have gotten much more "over-the-top" with my stamping and bag topper decorating. But we are talking high school girls here. It's going to end up in the trash or the bottom of their backpack anyway. So cest la vie. Let's keep it simple. And besides, it's whats inside that really matters in this case. And this time I was in the know and I filled that sucker up with all kinds of snacks. I'm not going to be the "cheap" mom any more!! ;)

Only a few days left to join my December $25 Club!! For more info, visit this blog post...

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL

Or email me at krystalscards(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Happy Stamping!!

Krystal

Adhesive Tip and Tricks

Hi Stamping Friends!!

As I was taking pictures for my Festival of Trees Card Kits Tutorial, I realized gals may ask what kind of adhesive I used while making the cards. So here is a little run down on the adhesives I personally like the best and what I use them for.

CARD STOCK

When I adhere layers of card stock, my favorite adhesive is the multi-purpose glue. It's fast, easy to use, and you have a little bit of time to adjust the layers to get them straight before it completely adheres. It also works great on card stock that has been embossed. I love that it has two different sized tips. The small one is great for gluing punch art pieces together and the larger one is perfect for adhering large layers of card stock together.

The most common card stock adhesive is Snail. Inexpensive, double-sided tape that also works great. Our newest adhesive, Fast Fuse works just like the Snail dispenser, but it is a much stronger adhesive and their is no forgiveness in it. Once you put two pieces of card stock together with Fast Fuse, they are stuck forever or until you rip them apart.

RIBBON

There are three different adhesives I like to use to adhere ribbon to my projects. I use all three intermittently, however the mood strikes. They all work great. Fast Fuse is probably the easiest, Sticky Strip is the strongest, and Glue Dots are the most convenient. Another way to add ribbon to your project without tying it on, is to use brads.

Glue Dots can also be used to adhere other embellishments to your projects like buttons, small punch art, rhinestones, silk flowers, etc. It is my go-to embellishment adhesive.

DIMENSIONALS

Probably my most favorite adhesive of all time is Stampin' Dimensionals. These are puffy, little hexagons that are sticky on both sides. You use them to lift your elements up off of your card base.

I think Dimensionals are what gives a handmade card that extra "WOW" factor. It lifts the pieces right off the page giving you that extra dimension that a flat store bought card just doesn't have.

The adhesives are found on page 204 of the Stampin' Up! catalog. 

Hope this helps you out!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal