Learn to Stamp and Scrap with Lynn Larson

Fabulous Flowers Long Notes Card

Here is a card that I made to fit the Small Open Ended Envelopes from Stampin' Up!  I have a bunch of these envelopes and decided to play around with a couple of designs so I could use some of them again.  As you can see from the photo, I also used Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper to decorate the flap of the envelope too.  I just thought the plain white envelope needed to be jazzed up a little after creating this card.

I have been saving a few ideas for long cards as I saw them to try when I got around to it.  This one has to be my favorite because I just LOVE the Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini and I really like the way that Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip work together for a color combination.  I did change the card slightly from the original version though.  The part of this card that really caught my eye was the rectangular portion in the center - the focal point of the card.   

When I made my layers, I used Stampin' Dimensionals to raise the punched white circle layer and also the entire rectangular shaped center piece.  I also added loops of wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon to the side to make an accent that looked like tabs.  The strip of Chocolate Chip down the center is made by cutting a thin strip of cardstock so to add interest and to hide the seam of my Designer Series Paper going down the front.

It is a little hard to see in this photo, but the other accents I added were three 1/4" punched circles that I added Crystal Effects onto to make them look a little more like brads.  I also added some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the center of each of the flowers.  I am doing a workshop tonight where the hostess loves glitter, so I added that touch just for her...I really like how it turned out.

Before finishing up, I also added some stamped two-layered flowers to the front of my envelope.  I really like this card and envelope combination.  I will have to make up some card sets to have on hand for gifts:))

I hope you enjoy this card as much as I do ~

Lynn

Time is running out to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog...

Time is running out to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog...  If there is something that you have been wanting to get NOW is the time to order before it is gone!  You can check out the mini catalog here if you don't have your own copy.  Please email me by 5 pm on Monday, June 30th if you would like to order from this catalog.  Of course, the sooner you get your orders to me, the sooner we can wrap them up and guarantee you will get your products from this fabulous catalog!

Shipping and applicable taxes will be added to your order.  I can only accept orders with a ship to address in the United States.  I accept paypal, Visa, MasterCard and Discover payments.  I can either send you a paypal invoice for your order or you can call me with your charge information at 802-380-0222.

Lynn

Basic Card Making Supplies for Beginners

One question I am asked frequently from people just starting out in card making is "What are the basic supplies I need to get started?".  I always answer by saying that they should start out by taking a "SIP" which stands for 'stamps, ink and paper'.  In order to chose what would work best for each person, I ask beginners the following questions:

1.  What types of cards are you looking to make?  Is there a specific theme in mind like birthdays, weddings or baby cards OR are you just looking for a versatile stamp set to create cards for different occasions?

2,  Do you like to watercolor or color in your images OR would prefer to ink up an image, stamp it on your card and being done with it?  This question will determine the type of stamp set you should purchase.  If you like coloring in your images a "coloring book" or outline stamp set is your best choice.  If you like just stamping your image a bold stamp set is for you.

3.  What are your favorite colors or favorite color family?  This is a great place to start to look for cardstock and inks.  I usually recommend people chose an assortment of cardstock in that color family and 3-4 coordinating ink pads or markers that match that color family.  If you chose a coloring book type stamp set, then you are usually better off getting a black stamp pad for the outline of your image and then choosing something like markers, colored pencils, watercolor crayons or pastels to color in your images.  If a bold stamp set is for you, you might chose a couple different color ink pads or an assortment of markers for you to color your image and stamp on your cards.

4.  Once you have chosen your style stamp set, picked out your inks and assorted package of cardstock to match your favorite color family, it is time to decide which neutral cardstockto use to accent and layer your cards with.  Most often people go with either Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock.  Other nice choices are Naturals White and Confetti White that have some light specks of color adding to the interest of the paper and are great for things like watercoloring.

5.  Envelopes - It is best to chose envelopes that match your neutral cardstock.  For example, if you chose Whisper White Cardstock you should have Whisper White Envelopes on hand for your finished cards.

Once you have answered all of the questions above, there are some other things that you might consider for your card making needs.  These items would be:

• Stampin' Scrub - used to clean ink off of your stamps
• Stampin' Mist - used to spray on your Stampin' Scrub to clean and preserve the rubber on your stamps
• Adhesive - SNAIL is a great adhesive to use for card making - it is also safe for scrapbooking
• Adhesive refill - I always keep a SNAIL refill on hand in case I run out!
• Paper Scissors - Paper Snips are some of the best paper scissors I have owned.  They are really sharp and come with a protective cover over the blades.
• Paper Cutter and scoring blade - this is a must have for cutting your cardstock and making layers for your cards
• Bone Folder - I love to have nice, crisp folds on my cards and bone folders work very well in giving you that nice, clean fold line.

Stay tuned for more card making tips and ideas in future articles!  If you have not already done so, please subscribe to this blog's feed so you can be updated when I have a new post on my blog.  That way you won't miss anything!

If you have any questions you would like answered on card making or paper crafting, please leave a comment on this post.  I will answer your questions either by email or in an upcoming post.

June Card Sketch Challenge - Entry #3

Here is the entry #3 in my June Card Sketch Challenge!  I absolutely LOVE this stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog.  Just check out this little puppy's face:))

If you would like to submit your entry to my Card Sketch Challenge Contest, you have until the end of the month to submit your entry to me via .jpg to lynn@learntostampandscrap.com.

Good luck,

Lynn

Be One of the FIRST To Get the Stampin' Up! Fall / Winter Idea Book and Catalog

If you are anything like me, you are so-o-o excited about the release of the NEW Stampin' Up! Fall / Winter Idea Book and Catalog (coming out in August) that you can't stand it!!!  Be one of the FIRST to get your copy by doing one of the following today!

1.  Click here to get a copy of the Fall / Winter Idea Book and Catalog mailed directly to your door for only $10.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.  Just click on the "Buy Now" button below to pre-order your copy;

 

2.  Email me to place a minimum $100 order with me during the month of July and receive your catalog for FREE!; OR

3.  Contact me to book a workshop with me and receive your catalog for FREE!

Card Sketch Challenge - Entry #2

This is the second entry in June's Card Sketch Challenge.

A lot of you already know how the Sketch Challenge Contest works, but for those who don't here are the rules:

1.  You should follow the layout shown above for your submission;

2.  You could use any color combination you like for this challenge;  You could use cardstock, vellum, Designer Series Paper or a Simply Scrappin; Kit for your design;

3.  All products used for this challenge should be Stampin' Up! products - stamp sets, cardstock and accessories;

4.  You could use any Stampin' Up! stamp set for this challenge; and

5.  Email your submissions to me in .jpg form so I can post them on my blog for voting at the end of the month.  All submissions need to be to me by 9 pm on Saturday, June 28th to be included.

At the end of the month, I will put up a poll on my blog and the winner of the June Sketch Challenge will receive a free gift from me of "Card Candy".  What is card candy you ask?  Good question:))  It is an assortment of items that could be used to make or decorate a card.  Some things might include prepunched or prestamped items.  They may already be layered and ready to stick on your card.  There may be some premade bows out of ribbon that you could add, etc. 

Be sure to get your entries to me as soon as possible.  I will post them as soon as I get them for people to see and start deciding on which card to vote for.  The longer your card is posted on the blog, the better chance you have of it being seen over and over again before the vote at the end of the month.

Good luck!

Lynn

And the Winner is.....(drum roll please)...

I just finished checking all of the submissions in the Retiring Stamp Set Contest and after a FOUR WAY TIE with 6 correct guesses each.  The tie was between Tina Coombs, Catherine Hone, Pam Johnson and Cheryl Wilcox.  So, I randomly drew a name out of a basket.....and the winner is.....Cheryl Wilcox!

Congratulations, Cheryl!  You are the winner of a $10 Stampin' Up! Gift Certificate from me that is good toward any Stampin' Up! order.  Please contact me to redeem your gift certificate.

Great job to all who entered the contest!  There were also many people with 4 and 5 correct answers.  This was a very close race between many people.

Lynn

It's Here - The Stampin' Up! Retiring Stamp Set List!

It is here!  Just what you have all been waiting for, the Stampin' Up! Retiring Stamp Set List.  I am posting the list in both alphabetical order and page number order for your convenience.

Be sure to check out the list and email me your orders before your favorites are gone!  Don't forget to check out the wheels that go along with the stamp sets that are retiring.  Odds are they will be gone too.  When the retiring accessory list comes out, the quantities on the accessories are usually very limited and they fly out the door.  If you like a wheel to go with your retiring stamp set NOW is the time to get them before they are gone!

I am off to check out the entries in the Retiring List Contest and will post the winner of a $10 Stampin' Up! Gift Certificate from me later on today.  Good luck to all who entered!

Lynn

Memory Keeper Class and "To Go" Kit

Many of you have seen this Memory Keeper Purse on display at my events since April and have just fallen in love with this project.  The outside of the Memory Keeper looks like a purse or a tote.  The purse opens up to expose a really cute scrapbook layout that has room for both photos and journaling.  There are pockets inside the scrapbook area that hold more places for scrapbooking your photos.  This is a very cute project that would be a fabulous gift to give for a birthday, wedding or anniversary present!

If you would like to make one of these adorable Memory Keeper Purses for yourself, you are in luck.  I have a class scheduled for Saturday, June 22nd from 10 am until 1 pm at my home in West Wardsboro, Vermont.  The fee for the class and the supplies is $25.  I will have all of the pieces precut and prescored for you so all you have to do is put your purse together.  RSVP and prepayment are required by Friday, June 20th to reserve your spot.  Space is limited, so be sure to register early to guarantee your spot.  No refunds will be given for this class.  If you cannot make the class after registering, I will have the supplies ready for you to take home.  You also have the option of upgrading to the "To Go Kit" package option and receive the instruction sheet with color photos and have your pieces also pre-stamped for you.

There will be three assorted styles available at this class.  The assortment is shown in the picture above.  Please note that the styles may vary slightly from this photo.

Can't make the class but love the project?  I am offering this class in a "To Go Kit" so you don't have to miss out.  You will receive all the pieces for this purse precut, stamped and scored along with an instruction sheet with color photos on how to put your Memory Keeper Purse together at home.  The To Go Kit will also include a supply list with measurements of all the pieces needed to recreate this adorable purse.  The fee for the Memory Keeper Purse Kit "To Go" is $39.90 and includes shipping and handling.  This kit is available to ship in the US only and is payable in US Dollars.

 

Please feel free to email me with any questions at lynn@learntostampandscrap.com.

Lynn

Featured Artist - Linda McClain

I would like to congratulate Linda McClain for being my first Featured Artist on my blog!  Linda was so excited to be featured.  When she found out, she responded...(and I quote)..."I'm Dancing in Sunshine now! Thank you for the honor.  Let's see . . . I'd like to thank the Academy, my Mom and Dad . . . just kidding."  Her response made me laugh when I read it that I thought I would share it with you.

 

One of the requirements for being a Featured Artist on my blog was to submit some photos of projects you have worked on or would like to share. 

 

The first project really "took the cake" for me as far as the Featured Artist went for this month - pun definitely intended:)) 

 

 

This cake is a very time consuming project to make and Linda put a lot of extra touches on it by cutting out the butterflies and adding a half-back pearl from the Pretties Kit to them.  It also didn't hurt that the cake was chocolate!

 

I will share some more of Linda's creations at the end of this post.  I thought it might be nice for us to get to know Linda a little better so I asked her a few questions.  These are her responses during our interview:  

 

Name and where you are from - Linda McClain from Round Rock, Texas (just north of Austin).

 

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself- I share the best adventures with my husband of 26 years, our two grown children and Mailey dog. I settled my mid-life crisis a while back by going back to school and becoming a registered nurse.  Now I have the honor of helping regulate the care our seniors receive in nursing homes in central Texas.  I love old people - and not just because I'm becoming one. 

 

How long have you been rubber stamping or scrapbooking?  I was so mesmerized when we first walked on the moon that I started a scrapbook back in 1969.  Okay, that probably doesn't count.  I really picked up stamping about two years ago. I love that it's so much more than just gluing fancy papers and embellishments on a page - it's a chance to play with so many different kinds of art mediums, like embossing powder, inks, chalk, pencils, crayons . . . it just opened up a whole new world of creativity to me.

 

What is your favorite technique or type of stamping?  Oh dear . . . so many. I love embossing, glitter, watercoloring . . . I love using paint and crackle medium (like the Weathered stamp in real life). I hope Stampin' Up! will start carrying paint again soon.  In the meantime, did you know you can dye white acrylic paint with your re-inkers to match our colors?

 

What are some of your favorite things (stamping or non-stamping related)?  Well, my son would say it's glitter. Funny story - One day he came up to me and very seriously said, Mom, can you please stop using glitter in your workshops? His bathroom is right next to my studio. When I'm crafting and when the ladies come to my house, we all use his bathroom. Glitter gets all over the sink, towels, floor . . . and the next morning, the transplanted glitter ends up all over him - hard for a 24 year old to pass off. We solved the problem - he moved out. A girl can't be without glitter!

 

What tip(s) would you like to give other stampers - something you learned the hard way and wish you knew about first and/or something you just learned and thought it was neat?  I was a hoarder. I was always afraid to make those first cuts in that beautiful paper. I had to learn that it's okay to make mistakes and just enjoy the process. Cut, paste, glue - get ink all over you and enjoy! When I bought the Pretties Kit I fondled it for about a month, but then I went on a mission to use up every single piece of it. That was so much more fun that hoarding it.

 

On a more practical note - turn off the ceiling fan before you get out the embossing powder - or you'll be as sparkly as my son.

 

How were you introduced to stamping?I kept seeing "Stampin' Up!" in the PaperCraft magazine and others, and, on the most adorable and beautiful projects no less. I asked around and found a friend who had a friend . . . who is a demonstrator, and the rest is history.

 

Something you would like people to know about you: My favorite thing in the whole world is to play with stamps and paper. The only thing that makes it better is when I get to do it with people I love. So, how incredible is it that my twin sister in Indiana joined Stampin' Up! just so she could come play with me at the national convention in Utah - when we both turn 50. Isn't that the best sister in the world!? Watch out - we are going to Party - and most certainly not act our age.

 

What you love most about stamping?Whatever is going on in my life, stamping gets me through it, whether scrapbooking the triumphs or stamping out my troubles. It's just not possible to be in that creative zone and still obsess about cranky people and crabgrass. I get fantastic therapy and, hopefully, a great project to show off to boot.

 

Another submission from Linda was her wonderful Patriotic Card that she made for Memorial Day to show the troops how much she appreciated them. 

 

Linda let me take my pick of photos of her other creations and these are the ones that I hand-selected to share with you.

 

First, there is this wonderful  Chinese Take Out Box with Fortune Cookies...

 

This sample features the "Embrace Life" stamp set from Stampin' Up! to do the stamping on the box.   The fortune cookies are actually made out of cardstock!  How cool is that?

 

 

Another favorite of mine is this adorable baby card....  The card depicts a little baby's room and you see the wall with a little clothes hanger.  The little onsie is actually hanging on a little handmade hanger that Linda made out of wire. 

 

My final pick is Linda's Dahlia Card using Stampin' Up!'s wonderful Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper.  Notice the extra touch by using a Pretties Kit half-back pearl in the center of the flower.. 

 

I really would like to thank Linda for taking the time to submit her work to be featured here on my blog.  Linda also has her own blog called www.cateredcrop.typepad.com.  I also appreciate Linda giving us her extra hints and tips when answering her interview questions. 

 

If you enjoyed this new feature on my blog, please leave a comment letting me know why you like it.  Who knows, you might even be randomly selected to win a prize when I draw your name from the people who have commented on my blog! 

 

If you would like to be considered for my July Featured Artist, please submit your .jpg photos to me at lynn@learntostampandscrap.com.  Submissions will be accepted until July 10th.

 

Lynn