Benefits of Tea

Over the years, people have been learning the great health benefits to drinking tea. But how about the benefits of making a teapot for charity? I think its just as healthy...for the soul!

There's nothing better than the gift of giving and especially when its for a good EXCELLENT cause! Stampin' Up! has partnered with Ronald McDonald House as its charity of choice. So, demonstrators who live close to one can volunteer and help. The methods and commitment vary from house to house but I just love ours. The house brings comfort and provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost.  But they provide a lot more! To continue these various programs and in maintaining the house, the OC Ronald McDonald House is having their annual High Tea. We've been asked to make party favors for their guests.

Aren't these just clever? Our fearless leader, Karen Moody, drafted this sample to use at the Orange County Ronald McDonald House High Tea Event. (And by the way, not all McDonalds contribute to this charity and wasn't even started by McDonalds, the fast food chain. Just a fact I learned.) Anyway, I'm having an event where you can come and help me make some of these to send off. As a thank you, you'll also get to make one for yourself to take home with you.

Stamp Ink Diva Studio in Corona, CA

Monday, September 20, 2010 at 10 a.m. 

Please RSVP.

If you aren't already involved, I highly suggest you find a charity and give a little bit of your time. It's a gift multiplied by 2: for the recipient and you.

{Project Details}
Stamp: Elements of Style and Oval All
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Basic Black and Whisper White Card Stock.
Accessories: Large Oval and Scallop Oval Punches; Big Shot, XL Matchbox Die, Top Note Die, Floral Fusion Sizzlet, and Silver Brads.

Also, did you know that for every Tag Alongs (120513--C; 117018--W) stamp set sold, $2 of it goes to the Ronald McDonald House?

To order on-line 24/7 click here.

Thanks for stopping by today! If you are already volunteering, I'd love for you to leave a comment about your choice of charity/cause.

Resist Technique

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the Royal Blog Tour. For one of my projects, I created this:

As promised, here is the tutorial for this card. It is based on the resist technique.

1. Start with a Chocolate Chip card stock (8-1/2" by 5-1/2") and fold in half (4-1/4" x 5-1/2").
2. Place a 2" by 5-1/4" piece of Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series Paper along the top of the card, leaving a 1/4" border along the top edge of the card. (Tip: you can use a scrap just for the corner instead of the measured piece stated above.)
3. Place your stencil onto the Whisper White card stock and dab the open space with Versamark Ink Pad. (Tip: You can use it directly or with a sponge dauber.)
4. Take away the stencil, sprinkle clear embossing powder over the image, shake off the excess, and heat set it with the heat tool.
5. Ink the Bella Toile background stamp set with Chocolate Chip classic ink pad and stamp over the embossed image.
6. Wipe away the ink with a tissue from the embossed image. It should leave a "shadow" around the non-embossed areas making the image pop out more.
7. Next, using a sponge, rub over the stamped background with Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, and Pretty in Pink classic ink pads until you are statisfied with the outcome.
8. Distress the edges, tear a corner and adhere it to Pink Pirouette card stock.
9. Distress the Pink Pirouette card stock and tear along the same corner of the Whisper White to frame.
10. Spray the layer with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz. (You'll need to wipe away the spritz from the embossed area with a tissue.)
11. Adhere the layers onto the Chocolate Chip card.
12. On a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock, stamp the frame from Gallery Stamp Set. Trim with scissors leaving a little white edge.
13. Stamp the verse from Oval All Stamp set and punch out using the Large Oval Punch.
14. Layer the verse with stampin' dimensionals onto the frame.
15. Spray the piece with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz.
16. Adhere the Pretty in Pink satin ribbon behind the frame and then adhere to the card with stampin' dimensional.

That's it! I hope you enjoy trying this and hope that you'll share your creation with me. I would love to post it on my blog!

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear what you think! Leave a comment!

{PROJECT DETAILS}

Stamps: Bella Toile, Oval All, and Gallery.

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, and Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Pads; Versamark Ink Pad.

Paper:Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White Card Stocks; Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series Paper.

Accessories: Elegant Trio Stencils, Sponges, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Large Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Royal Blog Tour: Elegant Trio Stencils

I have come to love all the Decor Elements from Stampin' Up! Not only can you use these items to decorate your home but you can incorporate them into your smaller paper crafting projects. I decided to challenge myself on this tour by using stencils on my projects and most of the time, stencils are too large for card making but the Elegant Trio Stencils set is just perfect!

My first project is a sample of a Mother's Day card that I am sending to the mothers staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Orange County.

Stampin' Up! has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Charity and allows demonstrators to help others while sharing our love of this craft. While each home is different, my group sends in different gifts or cards for each special holiday or event. I got my color inspiration from our new Color Collection, which will begin in July 2010. If you are familiar with Stampin' Up!, you'll notice that a favorite past in color will be making its way back!
{Project Details}
Stamps: French Filigree
Ink: Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Rose Red, and Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Pad.
Paper: Certainly Celery Card Stock; Very Vanilla and Wild Wasabi Textured Card Stock.
Accessories: Elegant Trio Stencil, Sponge Dauber, Very Vanilla Smooch Spritz, Melon Mambo 1/2" Polka-Dot Ribbon, Modern Label and Word Window Punches; Stampin' Dimensionals.

While Mother's Day is very near, a special birthday for one of my best friend (as well as a fellow Stamp Ink Diva) is also near the same time. She loves things that have frills and are antique. So, I created this with her in mind.

  
My personal style tends to lean more on the simple, modern, and whimsical side. But I am loving the antique elements more and more!
{Project Details}
Stamps: Bella Toile, Oval All, and Gallery.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, and Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Pads; Versamark Ink Pad.
Paper:Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White Card Stocks; Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series Paper.
Accessories: Elegant Trio Stencils, Sponges, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Large Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Stampin' Dimensionals.

My final project brings us to a scrapbook page that I am making in preparation for a special photo I want to capture at my Ladies Tea.

 
I am planning a Ladies Tea fundraiser for my children's school and can't wait to capture all my friends dressed up and with their party hats!
{Project Details}
Stamps: Great Friend and Framed with Love
Ink: Baja Breeze, River Rock, and  Soft Suede Classic Ink Pads; Versamark Ink Pad.
Paper: Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake (Kraft), So Saffron, Soft Suede,  and Whisper White Card Stocks; Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper.
Accessories: Elegant Trio Stencils, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge, Brayer, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Log Cabin and Very Vanilla Smooch Spritz, Fancy Flower and Scallop Trim Border Punches, Old Olive 1-1/4" Striped Ribbon, Button Latte, and Pretties Kit (large clear rhinestone)

 Please leave a comment after this post along with your email address to be entered into a random drawing for your very own set of Elegant Trio Stencils. One lucky winner will be chosen and announced the day after the end of this tour. (Sorry, only for U.S. Residents and non-demonstrators.) Also, remember to subscribe to my blog so that you'll get updates on the tutorials for these projects and more.


Thanks for stopping by and hope this has inspired you to try using stencils on your own projects.

Oval All Stationery Set

I was lucky enough to have my mother (from Georgia) accompanied by my aunt (visiting from Korea) to come and visit with me here in sunny California. As a parting gift, I wanted to send them home with a card set of my own creation.  I started with a Whisper White card stock. Then stamped the "Baroque Background" onto the card stock with Baja Breeze Classic Ink Pad. (TIP: to get a better inked coverage of your stamp, rub the rubber stamp with a sanding block.) In this case, I don't mind the splotchiness of the background. It adds a little extra to the "vintage" feel of the card. I cut two 1/8" x 4.25" strips of Basic Gray card stock and adhered them towards the bottom of the card. Using the "Oval All" stamp set (113790-Occasions Mini Catalog), I stamped each rubber stamp onto the extra pieces of Whisper White card stock  ("Just for You" not shown). Punched those images with the large oval punch and layered onto a scallop oval punched Basic Gray card stock using Stampin' Dimensionals. For added depth, I layered the Basic Gray scalloped oval onto the card using Stampin' Dimensionals as well. 

For this stamp, I stamped the butterfly image with Basic Gray Classic Ink onto another Whisper White card stock. Once I was finished coloring the butterfly, I cut it out and layered it using mini glue dots. But I felt like it needed something more, so I added my favorite dazzling diamond glitter. 

For this image, I stamped the flower twice with Basic Gray Classic Ink onto another Whisper White card stock and water colored the whole flower. The second flower, I only colored the center of the flower. Trimmed the main flower and layered onto the large oval with mini glue dots. Finally, I trimmed the center of the second flower and adhered to the center of the large flower now layered onto the large oval.

"Best Wishes" was inked with Baja Breeze Classic Ink. Then, I colored the words directly on the rubber stamp with a Basic Black Stampin' Up! marker and stamped onto the card stock.

I think these came out beautifully and it was easy to do! 

Tags, Tags, and More Tags

I wanted to share a few things that we did at a workshop this past weekend. The hostess had requested tags because most of her guests were new to stamping and wanted to show them something really quick and easy that could easily be made and used (besides cards). These are the things that I came up with and think that it came out really well! 

I also couldn't let them go without something cute to store these handmade tags. So we used my favorite die cutting machine, the Big Shot, and the exclusive Stampin' Up Matchbox XL Die, found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Supplies Used: Big Shot, Matchbox XL Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Large and Small Tag Punches; Oval All Stamp Set, Say It With Scallops Set, and Cheap Talk Stamp Set; Whisper White Cardstock, Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Kiwi Kiss Textured Cardstock, Baja Breeze Cardstock, and Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper; Window Sheets, and So Saffron Ribbon (from Sale -a- Bration); Pacific Point Classic Ink Pad, Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink Pad, Baja Breeze Classic Ink Pad, and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad.