You may or may not have noticed that Stampin’ Up! had introduced new 3D Embossing Folders from a new supplier, but not all of our previous “Dynamic” embossing folders had been changed over. But now, these six 3D Embossing Folders, in the new style (a little bit thinner) are available in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store! More are on the way!
As we talked about before in THIS POST, you may need to use an extra shim, very thin, to make your folders work with your die-cutting machine. Each machine will be different. To remedy this problem, Stampin’ Up! introduced the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate. I have so far forgotten to order one, but I have heard it works well.
Watch this video with George from Stampin’ Up! for tips on using the new style dies, 3D embossing Folders and 3D embossing folder plate. And be sure to listen to his advice at the end!!!
These new 3D Embossing Folders are carryover ones from previous catalogs. The brand new designs in the new catalog were already in this 3D format.
If you have any questions, just ask! If you read the link I posted in this article, you will read about the sandwich that I found that works with my machine, until I remember to order the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate!
I hope you fly your flag, eat some delicious food (preferably BBQ ribs!), eat some yummy desserts, see some fantastic fireworks, and enjoy your day to the fullest!
Use a paper towel roll or something similar, maybe a tall round tin, and decorate like Uncle Sam for the 4th of July. Fill it with candies for a party favor or hostess gift!
If you have the Wood Crate Dies, you can make this easily and use the Daisy Punch, too! If you don’t own the Wood Crate Dies, just make a little box or use a little box you have. Make some patriotic flowers (and maybe add some candy!) and you are set!
These are really easy to make! You can make a small one with a piece of 6″ x 6″ piece of paper or a larger one with a 9″ square piece of paper. Decorate for a patriotic treat and add candy. You can easily change this up for any occasion!
Another crate but you could also just do a cello bag of candy or some other treat! Fill it with some red, white, and blue candies, tie on a ribbon and maybe add a 4th of July tag!
I hope these past projects give you some ideas for whatever 4th of July projects you would like to make for decorations or treats!
I thought maybe for people who don’t like to do a lot of coloring with outline images such as this, I would try a monochromatic method of stamping and making a card as in this Easy Monochromatic Bloom & Grow Card.
This card is stamped with Highland Heather Ink on Shimmery White Cardstock. I love this cardstock! It has the slightest shimmer to it and works for watercoloring which you can’t do very well with Whisper White Cardstock. The flowers are from the Bloom & Grow Stamp Set. I think if you stamp any of the flower stamps in a color, it is fine and you don’t have to color in all the flowers, leaves, and buds. I personally like to color, especially with the Stampin’ Blends Markers, but this is a quick and easy way to make a card! The greeting is also from the same stamp set.
So just stamp the flowers and the greeting and adhere to a card base and you’re done! The card base for this card is Highland Heather. Couldn’t be easier!
Since the card base color is not white, you might like to add a layer of Shimmery White Cardstock on the inside of the card to add your personal note or greeting. To decorate this inside layer, you might like to stamp something on it. I chose one of the other flower stamps and wanted to stamp just the corner of the cardstock. As we know, it is helpful to stamp photopolymer stamps on top of something with a little cushion. I used the Stampin’ Pierce Mat, but I didn’t want to get ink on it. Either grab a piece of scrap paper or just fold over your Grid Paper (which is SO handy to use underneath your stamping project!) to protect your Pierce Mat.
Now, if you like a simple card, but you want just a little bit of bling, add a few sequins! I used the Basic Adhesive-Backed Sequins just to add a little bit of something to the card front even though I was keeping it quick and easy.
If you want to make some quick and easy cards, look through your stamps and see what you could use stamping in just one color and keeping it simple and monochromatic.
It’s time for fireworks so here is a Colorful Seasons 4th of July Card all ready to inspire you to make some kind of fun card for the 4th of July! Can you believe it is July 1st already?!
I don’t have a “4th of July” stamp set so I had to use what I had. I looked through some stamp sets looking for something I could use for fireworks. I noticed these little stamps in the Colorful Seasons Stamp Set that I stamped in Real Red and Night of Navy Inks. I used the stamp that was half that image but stamped it on both sides to make the firework, but I also see in the stamp set there is one stamp that would have made a full image! Oh well. I think mine came out all right! The Crushed Curry fireworks are actually the tops of palm trees from the Waterfront Stamp Set!
The chairs are stamped from the Colorful Seasons Stamp Set. Originally I was going to die cut the Adirondack style chairs in the set of Seasonal Layers Dies but then I changed my mind and stamped these cloth folding chairs, something more like we will take to watch fireworks Thursday night.
The background on the card is stamped with images from the Waterfront Stamp Set for the grass and some blue sky. I used my Aqua Painter to soften the ink a little bit, although you can’t use much water on Whisper White Cardstock. You could also just sponge on some ink for a background. I do love that Waterfront Stamp Set after ignoring it when it first came out!
I didn’t add a greeting, mainly because there wasn’t any good space to put one! Maybe I will add one later or just stamp something on Whisper White cardstock inside the card.
And Stampin’ Up! has a July special! BONUS DAYS!
For every $50 you spend (before shipping and tax, of course!) you will receive a coupon for $5 to spend on merchandise in August! Your coupon will arrive by email after you place your order. Make sure you hang on to that code! It’s best to print out the email, write down the code somewhere or put it under lock and key in case of a computer crash or natural disaster! No limit to the codes you can earn.
So I think our July is off to a good start! Shop for Stampin’ Up! products in July, spending $50 or more or in increments on one or more orders, and receive a Bonus Coupon to use on an order in August!
Make a card or something for the 4th of July and get in the spirit of the holiday! It’s a short week! Happy 4th!
The Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series Paper is so pretty and I thought I would make something other than a regular card with it. Here is my Pressed Petals Gift Bag and Gift Card that you could also make for just a small gift. The bag is just 6″ high and the paper is very lightweight so you could put some pieces of candy inside, a piece of jewelry, a gift card, or a diamond ring! (Might as well aim high!)
The Pressed Petals Paper is designed with photographic images of real pressed flower petals. One side of the paper has the flower images, the other side has subtle vintage designs like old sheet music, lines of script, wood grain, and vintage plant descriptions. One design has portions you can cut apart and use on cards, much like the Petal Promenade Paper we previously had.
This bag is one of those easy things to make, as I have done many times before. Start with a 12″ x 6″ piece of designer paper (or cardstock). Score at 1″, 3 3/4″, 6 1/2″ and 9 1/4″. Then turn long ways and score at 2″ to make the bottom flaps. Cut off the smallest little section and cut up on the botton flap score lines to the horizontal score line. Then crease and fold to form the bag. Leave it open at the top or punch two holes and tie it closed with ribbon. Here’s a similar example.
I stamped two daisies with theDaisy Delight Stamp Set and punched out with the Daisy Punch. I like putting one of the Gold Faceted Gems in the daisy center. A new item we have now in the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog is the Perennial Essence Floral Centers, actual fuzzy embellishments to look like the center of real flowers, that you could use.
The ribbon I used is the Gold 3/8″ Metallic Edge Ribbon. Just push the sides of the bag in a little bit and pull the top edges of the bag together to close the top. If you don’t want to get punched holes on all four sides of the bag, punch the front and back holes first before you pull the bag together! You could also hold the top of the bag together with a Mini Library Clip or check the Clearance Rack for two other styles (and bargains!). Don’t forget! Some stamp sets were added to the Clearance Rack the other day you might want to check out!
And while I had the paper out, I decided to make just a cute little matching card, 3″ x 6″ folded in half with a 2 3/4″ x 2 3/4″ piece of designer paper on top. The little “hello” is found in the Bloom & Grown Stamp Set. I thought it was cute for that card and is punched out with the Classic Label Punch to make it easy. Just for a little something, I added the smallest size Gold Faceted Gem on to the greeting to match the bag. I wish it was even smaller but I think it is fine.
Use your Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series Paper to make simple gift bags like this one plus a gift card to match!
This new stamp set and designer paper will definitely help you make a card for crafters! And not just stampers! You can make a card with these supplies that would suit other crafts besides stamping. Have fun making cards for all your crafty friends!
This card uses items in the Follow Your Art Suite in the new Stampin’ Up! catalog on pages 52-54. The card base is Calypso Coral, but there are many coordinating colors to use with the Follow Your Art Designer Series Paper. I first thought I would use the full sheet of designer paper on the front of this card, then changed my mind and thought I would cut it and flip the paper to the other side for the bottom portion of the card layer. Then I changed my mind and decided to only use a portion of the designer paper on the front of the card! You’re allowed to change your mind in papercrafting!
Since the bottom part of the card then looked plain, I chose to stamp some tiny images at the bottom from the It Starts With Art Stamp Set. I think it coordinates nicely with the designer paper.
The ribbon used on the card is the 3/8″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon in Crushed Curry. It’s a great, fun ribbon to use with this suite. I wrapped the ribbon around the bottom edge of the designer paper, but tied the bow separately and adhered it to the ribbon with a Mini Glue Dot.
The greeting at the bottom is made with the stamped design on Whisper White Cardstock with Calypso Coral Ink and die cut with the Arts & Crafts Dies. Then the greeting was stamped on Calypso Coral Cardstock with Calypso Coral Ink and punched with the Classic Label Punch. The greeting is then popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I tried various things but I liked this combination the best! Sometimes you have to just play until you get what feels right!
If you like this stamp set, there is another similar one from last year’s catalog that carried over called Crafting Forever. This stamp set has some great sayings in it plus other craft supply images. Use both sets together!
REMEMBER……Today is the day to buy an important craft supply if you have the Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer…..the Cutting Blades # 126995 will be available at 10:00 am Mountain Time! That is 11:00 am Central Time, Noon Eastern Time, and 9:00 am Pacific Time!. I suggest ordering as close to your time as possible just in case! Maybe the supply will last a few hours or days, but who knows! If you need blades, this is your chance! There is a limit of 3 packages. If they are sold out, you will get an error message that they are discontinued. More will be on the way so don’t despair!
Cutting Blades
With the Follow Your Art Suite in the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog you can make lots of fun cards for your crafty friends or anyone!
For the first time ever, Stampin’ Up! is putting stamps on the Clearance Rack and they might not ever do it again! But while they ARE doing it, go enjoy finding some bargains! Stamps available while supplies last, of course!
Check out the other items on the Clearance Rack already. You might find things that pair up! You can add any products to your order!
And tomorrow……….the Stampin’ Trimmer Cutting Blades have arrived! Beginning at 10:00 AM (MT) on Thursday, June 27 you can order cutting blades with a limit of 3 packages. That’s 11:00 AM Central Time.
Cuckoo clocks always bring back childhood memories for me, and now we can make our own cuckoo clock moveable cards with the Cuckoo For You Bundle by Stampin’ Up!
When my dad was in Germany during World War II, he bought three cuckoo clocks to bring/send home. One was for my parents and one each for their parents. I remember exactly where all those cuckoo clocks hung in my grandparents’ homes and ours and at least for awhile, the cuckoo worked! My brother and I loved pulling those chains to keep the clock running.
This new Bundle from Stampin’ Up! has the Cuckoo For You Photopolymer Stamp Set and the Cuckoo Clock Dies. While you can make cute cards just with the stamp set, I bet if you are interested in cuckoo clocks you will want the die set as well to make it moveable just like a real cuckoo clock!
Watch this Stampin’ Up! video with Brian Pilling from the Home Office demonstrate how these dies work with the stamp set.
If you like cuckoo clocks, wouldn’t this be a fun card to make and send to someone (although I think you should make at least one to keep for yourself!)?!
Here is the Bundle with the stamp set and dies to make lots of cuckoo clock cards and projects! And of course you can use the bunny, squirrel, reindeer, bird, and tree for other cards unrelated to cuckoo clocks!
Here is a Daisy Card With the Scripty Embossed Background. It is rather simple as is (not that there is anything wrong with simple!) but I was really just making a card to showcase the Scripty 3D Embossing Folder.
As you may have noticed, Stampin’ Up! has come out with some new 3D embossing folders made by a different manufacturer than our previous one. These new 3D Embossing Folders are slightly thinner than our previous ones so you may have trouble running them through your Big Shot or another die-cutting machine.
As I wrote in THIS POST the other day, Stampin’ Up! has come out with a new plate, the 3D Embossing Folder Plate, that will likely make up that thickness difference. It is possible that depending on your machine, you may still need to add an additional shim, such as a thin piece of cardboard. You could use the thin piece that comes in your DSP.
In the meantime, I found that a sandwich of the Big Shot Platform, the squishy Silicone mat, then the embossing folder with the cardstock inside, and a Cutting Pad on top worked with my new Scripty 3D Embossing Folder.
Here is a photo of the pieces of the sandwich I used.
If you need a reminder of which mat this is, watch this video:
Remember, Stampin’ Up! is working on a new die-cutting machine for us. In the meantime, try the things you have, different platforms, different shims if you have trouble with your new 3D Embossing Folders. Don’t ever FORCE your machine. If it doesn’t go, don’t do it! Don’t break your machine! You can experiment, or you can add this new 3D Embossing Folder Plate to your next order and hopefully that will simplify using embossing folders for you!
It looks to me like some of the pieces of the Storage by Stampin’ Up! are available now! The Ink Pad & Marker Storage Trays, the Stampin’ Blends Storage Trays and the Open Storage Cube. Maybe it will just be for a short while, so if you were wanting any of these pieces, go check it out in the Online Store HEREand see if it works for you! These really are nice pieces! You can configure them however you like and they work great in small spaces.
Since I stamp at my kitchen table, I bought some of the pieces and just have them at the end of the table against the wall and they work great holding at least some of my frequently used items right there instead of spread around on the end of the table.
Today, June 20th is World Productivity Day! I don’t think Stampin’ Up! has a stamp set for that, but here are 3 ways to maximize your creative time! We crafty people would probably all say we never have enough creative time because, for the most part, we would love to be playing with our stamping and crafting almost all day everyday! Forget the laundry and meals!!
Since we have limited time to be creative, here are some ways that might help you with the creative time you do have!
Determine your best creative time. Think about what the best time for you is to set aside some stamping time. If 10:00 am is really when you should be doing some household chores, then probably avoiding those while you make a card might not be the best time. Many crafters seem to find they feel very creative late at night, maybe because the day’s work is done and there is free time. However, if this prevents you from going to bed at a reasonable time or keeps you awake when you do go to bed because your mind is whirling with ideas, then perhaps an earlier time is better!
Plan ahead and know what you are going to make. If you like to look at lots of ideas, make note of things you want to make so that you don’t waste time trying to find that idea again! Either open a Word Document or Notepad on your computer or phone and make note of the links or ideas or email them to yourself (I do this a LOT!) (and I can never remember where I saw the idea in the first place even though I was positive I would!!). If you already have an idea of what to make, you don’t have to spend your precious crafting time browsing ideas and then run out of time or even cannot decide WHAT to make seeing so many possibilities! For some people, keeping a journal or notebook handy to write down ideas works well.
Keep your supplies handy! The craft supplies you use the most should be almost at the tip of your fingers! If you have to pull a box out of your closet in order to make something, you could just as easily decide it’s too much trouble and not do it. You don’t even need an elaborate craft room, just some space, even a tabletop or desk, where you know you will sit and craft. Then in whatever storage manner works for you, keep your supplies available to grab easily.
For me, I keep my current catalog products on a bookshelf in my utility room right by the kitchen table and other things on a nearby desk even though I actually stamp on the kitchen table. If you are an empty nester, you can probably shove your supplies to the other end of the table and still eat dinner there, but it helps if you know where each item gets put away so cleanup is quick and easy. All my older supplies go into another bedroom to use when I need them, but I’m mostly going to use my new stuff! When it all becomes available again, perhaps the new Storage by Stampin’ Up!will be helpful to you! (Check the Online Store – looks to me like some things are available now.)
And while you have your supplies out and are making a card, go ahead and make a couple more of the same card or just change one thing like the designer paper or greeting so you have something different but you don’t have to think up another design. And don’t fret over which ribbon or color or embellishment because the recipient is not going to question why you didn’t choose a different shade of yellow or another style of ribbon! They will just like the card that you took time to make for them!
I hope these ideas might help you to maximize your creative time when you have it so you can accomplish more and be more efficient in your crafting!
Something I think not getting very much attention in the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog is the For the Love of Felt Project Kit by Stampin’ Up! Kits are great for new stampers and crafters who may not own a lot of materials yet or who find it easiest to have a project all planned for them. Kits are also good for experienced stampers who like to try something new and can enjoy making a project without planning it and designing it themselves first!
All the materials are included in this kit except for the stamp set, ink, and adhesive to make 12 cards, 4 each of 3 designs. Envelopes are included and embellishments. You get cute felt flowers to use on your cards with lots of texture and dimension.
What in the world is this blue thing, you might ask? It’s the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate! Well, what is that??
Because of the surprise change of Stampin’ Up! not carrying the Big Shot die-cutting machine anymore, they have also switched suppliers of dies and embossing folders. The new 3D embossing folders in the new catalog give that deep impression, even without spritzing with water, that our previous 3D Dynamic Embossing Folders did. However, with this new supplier, the folders are slightly thinner than the previous folders and therefore, you may have difficulty using them in your die-cutting machine.
You will probably have to experiment with your machine and see what works best. Do NOT FORCE anything through your machine. Maybe you need a tiny bit of extra pressure to get something to go, but if it doesn’t go, just stop! Try a different sandwich. Stampers are trying different sandwiches, maybe even with their original Big Shot platform with the tabs or with one of the mats or things we have been able to buy in the past.
Yesterday I made a sandwich with the Big Shot Platform, then the thin squishy mat. It’s the silicone mat and when it runs through the machine it squishes out at the end a little bit. Next, I placed my paper inside my Scripty 3D Embossing Folder and put a cutting pad on top of that (only one cutting pad in the whole sandwich). That worked fine! There may be other combinations but I haven’t had enough time to experiment. Some people are using the cardboard from Paper Pumpkin kits or maybe a piece or two of the cardboard in the designer paper packages would work.
OR if you don’t want to fool with all of that, this is what this blue 3D Embossing Folder Plate is for! Use this with the new folders and it should work fine. As another Demonstrator said, “It’s only $10 and it works.” I don’t own it yet so I can’t vouch for it yet.
The sandwich would be (on the bottom) the platform that comes with your machine, the embossing folder with cardstock inside, then the 3D Embossing Folder Plate. Stampin’ Up! says depending on your machine you may still need a shim ( thin piece or two of cardboard works).
Stampin’ Up! is still working on a new die-cutting machine for us, but there is no time frame that has been announced. I don’t know if we will use this blue plate in a new machine or not.
As you start receiving the new embossing folders, just keep these things in mind, that you will have to try and see what works best with your machine. But be careful, don’t force anything and break your machine. If you have it right, it will work and you don’t have to use brutal strength to get it to go!
You will find the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate in the Die-Cutting and Embossing Category of the Online Store and then under Embossing. Let me know if you have questions.
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