Learn to Stamp and Scrap with Lynn Larson

Flowers, flowers everywhere...

I have been a little flower crazy the last couple of days.  Check these out!

 

How FAB are these flowers???  I have a couple of surprise projects up my sleeve that I am working on and will share with you next week.  I am just so in love with these flowers that I thought I would at least share these.  Hope you like them.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the flowers and what YOU would like to see them used on.  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes....Spring Fling Presentation

One of the presentations at Spring Fling on Saturday was from Donna Centamore on how to make different types of gift boxes.

Here are two samples that Donna had out for everyone to see in the display area.

This is Donna during her first box presentation.
 

Donna spoke about the different types of boxes she has created and some twists that she does when making her versions.  The picture above is a little blurry - I took it during Donna's presentation.  The ribbon on the front has some butterflies and Pretties Kit Pearls attached as accents.  It is really pretty in person - too bad the picture I took doesn't do it justice.

I am going to be playing around with some boxes this next week thanks to Donna (hi Donna!).  I just loved her presentation and it inspired me to create some boxes again.  I feel a class coming on for all of you who would like to create some fun and fabulous boxes!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

 
 

Fabric and Needle Felting with the Big Shot

I am so excited to share today's project with you.  I have had this idea for a couple of weeks now but had to gather the right supplies before I could actually sit down and make one to share. 

The rage in the crafting world - at least with Stampin' Up! is creating fabric projects using the Big Shot.  For those of you who know me and have seen my work (or attended a craft fair I was at) know that I have been using fabric with my Big Shot for many months now.  I have put a totally different spin on creating with fabric with this really neat sunflower pincushion.

 

This pincushion is different because I used needle felting to attach my flower and leaf on to the fabric.  For those of you who are not familiar with needle felting, you use a barred needle to push the fibers of the felt into the fabric of the pincushion so there is no sewing needed to attach the layers of this project.

Here is a side view that shows the fabrics all attached together.

RECENTLY ADDED:  A little more about needle felting...it is when you use a barred needle and poke two pieces of wool together.  I used a wool background and then wool felt for my flower and my leaf.  I started by laying the leaf on the background and then poking it with the special needle felting needle. It makes the fibers of the wool felt grab on to the fibers of the wool background creating its own woven bond.  There is no need to add glue, the fibers intertwine like fingers holding on to each other.  The flower almost becomes a part of the fabric underneath and doesn't look like a separate piece laying on top of the fabric as a typical applique would appear.  This is a popular craft among people who work with dyed wool from sheep (roving) or felted wool.  Hope this helps you understand the process a little better.

Stay tuned for another sample tomorrow!  Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today's project.  Have any of you tried needle felting before?  What have you created?

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com
 
 

Punch Art Frame

Today I hosted a holiday party for my Stampin' Up! downline.  We have a pot luck dinner, a Yankee Swap and a small, individual gift that we make for each person attending.  Today I made a ham and the girls brought things like scalloped potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, brown and serve rolls along with pumpkin and apple pies for dessert.  De-lish!!

For our Yankee Swap, we each bring one handcrafted, wrapped gift (valued at approximately $10).  I assign each package a number and then we draw numbers from a basket to see which gift we are lucky enough to take home with us. 

I wanted to share the gift that I made for my Yankee Swap...

 

How cute is this punch art altered frame?  The frame is a pretty good size - approximately 7" square with the hole for the picture about 3.5" square and is made from wood.  The wood was unfinished so I painted it twice using white acrylic paint and let it dry before embellishing it.

The background uses Bashful Blue cardstock for the sky and Whisper White cardstock for the snow.  I tore strips of Whisper White cardstock to make the snow look uneven and like there were hills.  Sponging the edge of the torn cardstock in Bordering Blue ink added some dimension and depth to my "snow hills".

As you can see in the photo, I made the blue cardstock more modulated and uneven looking by sponging on and also spritzing on some Ballet Blue ink.  I also added a little blush to my little guy's cheeks by patting my finder into some Pretty in Pink ink and dabbing the ink onto his face.  

The snowflakes are from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set (my favorite snowflake stamp set of all time!) and white craft ink.  Once the snowflakes were stamped, I added some Winter White Embossing Powder and heated them up to make them stand out a little more.  Faux stitching done with white gel pen around the inside frame window and the outer border completed the look of my frame. 

Each of the elements on the frame were inspired by different projects I have seen.  The kid with the snowball was an idea that I got from Jackie T (I don't remember her last name....sorry!).  She also had the cool idea for the faux snow that is made from rolling up a scrap of white cardstock so it is thin like a pencil and then grating it on a cheese grater to create your own snow.  I added some glue to my project, sprinkled on the faux snow and then added a touch of Dazzling Diamonds glitter to finish it off.

If you are interested in attending a Punch Art Class, I have a "holiday" punch art class scheduled for November 29th and another Punch Art Class scheduled for December 29th.  You can check out my class schedule or contact me for more information. 

Happy stampin',

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

 
 

Halloween Sweet Treat

Here is another project I have been showing at my workshops this month.  This is a 3D candy treat for Halloween that uses the new Sweet Treat cups from Stampin' Up!  I just love these little cups.  They make great cards, favors and little treats for any occasion.

 

This little treat measures approx. 3 x 3/14" and has a little clear cup that pops out of the center (under the "EEK You're Sweet) that holds Halloween M&Ms.

You can see the cup popping out of my project here.  Isn't this adorable?! 

I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies to create this project:

Stamp Set:  Sweet Centers

Ink:  Versamark and Soft Suede Classic Ink

Cardstock:  Dusty Durango, Soft Suede and Whisper White

Accessories:  Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" circle punches and Halloween M&Ms

I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I am going to have some of these treats available at my next couple craft fairs and also for my trick or treaters that visit my house.  Be sure to stop on by!

Thanks for visiting today.   Be sure to come back tomorrow when I will be sharing a neat card that uses the new Shimmer Ink from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog.

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

 
 

Soft, Cashmere Type Scarves

As many of you know, I spend a lot of time doing craft shows and events where I have a bunch of my handcrafted items for sale.  This is one of my newest additions to my booth last week.

 

This scarf has a cashmere feel to it and didn't have any fringe.  I wanted to dress it up a little so I used some fabric and my Big Shot to create some accents for my scarves.  This creation uses a faux croc type of fabric.  I just love the sheen and the classiness of this project using that fabric!

The scarves are 100% acrylic and are washable!  They make great gifts for the holidays or to keep for yourself.  If you are interested in purchasing one of these scarves, you can either visit me at my booth at the following locations:

Sat., Oct 3 - Wilmington Antique and Flea Market (if it rains, I will be there Sunday instead)

Sat., Oct 11 and Sun., Oct 12 - Wilmington Antique and Flea Market

Sat., Oct 17 - Pumpkin Festival, Townshend, VT

Sat., Oct 24 - Gilfeather Turnip Festival, Wardsboro, VT

You can also email me directly to order.  Each scarf is $20 and can either be picked up from me or they can be shipped to you at an additional fee.  I do have other colors and styles available and will be posting them to my Gift Boutique website shortly. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

Kind & Caring Thoughts Candle Holder with Candle

 

During the Royal Blog Tour, we had to limit our photos so you weren't stuck visiting one blog for long.  This was a second photo of the glass candle holder that I wanted to share with you that shows the candle inside.  It brings out the colors in the holder but didn't show as much detail as the photo on its own.

I will be doing a tutorial to show you how to make this cute little project over the next week.  Please be sure to either bookmark this site or subscribe to email updates of my blog posts so you don't miss out!

See you all tomorrow,

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

Address Book

My daughter mentioned recently that she needed an address book.  For her birthday this week, I decided to make her an address book especially from "Mom":))

 

I think that it turned out pretty cute.  Stephanie likes the color pink so I wanted to do Regal Rose and Rose Red flowers and Rose Red tabs on the book. 

Stephanie was just thrilled with it!  I added the birthdays of lots of our family members inside the cover and also the addresses and phone numbers of many important people for her to reference.

More tomorrow so stay tuned!

Lynn Larson - www.learntostampandscrap.com

Haiku Designer Series Paper, Stitched Exotics and Flight of the Butterfly...

 

Remember the downline holiday party that I had earlier this month where I was sharing some of the gifts that were made for the gift exchange?  Well, here is another project that I am going to share from my downline, Carol Millay. 

Carol used Stampin' Up!'s Haiku Designer Series Paper along with Stitched Exotics and Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Sets.  The center of the purse was done using the Top Note Die and the Sizzix Big Kick.

Another project that was made in green...didn't anyone tell these guys that I am supposed to get all the green gifts? :))

Have a great day!

Lynn

Tutorial Tuesday - Handmade Pinwheel

Man, toss in a long weekend and I lose track of what day of the week it is:))  Are you ready for another Tutorial Tuesday?  Well...perhaps it is Wednesday, but I have an awesome tutorial no matter what day of the week it is!

First you will start off with a pattern like this one and cut it out.  The size of the pattern doesn't matter as you can make these any size you like.  The one that I used is about 5 1/2" square.

Next, you will attach your pattern to your double sided paper with Dotto removable adhesive and cut it out.  Flip your double sided paper over, adhere the pattern and cut it out again.  Be careful to keep the top of the pattern facing up when cutting out both pieces.  Just flip your paper over to get them in the right shape that you will need. 

Once both pieces are cut out, layer them on top of each other and put the pattern on top.  Be sure that the patterns match up and then punch a hole with the 1/8" handheld punch on the four sides and also in the middle of your pinwheel.

Next it is time to assemble the front accent of your pinwheel and attach a wire to hold it all together.  I punched out a Bashful Blue Scallop Circle, then a Whisper White Circle and added a Certainly Celery Button.  Center your button and using your paper piercing mat and tool, pierce holes through the paper using the button as a guide.  Add some wire through the button and the paper to hold them all together. 

Give the wire a twist on the back and then use it to go through the holes you just punched in the double sided paper.  You will need to put both of your layers of double sided paper together, matching up the patterns and pick up both layers of one of the side pieces and thread the wire through it.  Go to the next hole on the side and put it through the wire.  You will do this for all four sides before going through the center holes as shown here in the above photo.

Now you are ready to attach your pinwheel to your stick.  You could use wooden skewers, pencils or even straws for this purpose.  Be sure that you leave some room between the button front and the back of the pinwheel - about an inch or so before attaching it to your stick.  You may need to use a rubber band on the back, a mini glue dot or even some Crystal Effects to hold your wire in place on your stick. 

One final step is to fan out the two colored papers so your pinwheel looks like the one pictured below.  I would LOVE to see the creations you come up with after trying this tutorial.

Enjoy!

Lynn