Archive for the ‘Birthday’ Category
I wrote here a few weeks ago about the amazing meeting I attended with the Vancouver Island Stampin’ Up! demonstrators group. I can’t believe that this group has been active for the whole time I’ve been a demonstrator, and I NEVER heard of it! I’m so excited to be part of it now, and I’ve made sure that all my team members are aware of it too.
Last time I wrote about the swap cards I was given, and today I want to share with you the Make-and-Take projects I came home with. There were TEN projects to complete, and I didn’t actually manage to complete all the projects while at the event … but I finished them up the next day so I could share them all with you.
Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, the Occasions catalogue has you covered with a fabulous stamp-and-punch set to make lovely animal-themed cards. Right away, I was excited to make this card for my daughter Gwen’s upcoming birthday, since one of her nicknames is “Gwencat”. I thought this layout was a terrific way to show off the punch and use some of our fabulous washi tape.
This notecard and matching envelope was made with the Beauty Abounds stamp set and one of the Bitty Blooms punches. It’s a great example of a simple yet stunning design, and is one of the three projects wherein I got to play with the Stampin’ Blends. (I am now convinced that I will be buying them – they make gorgeous colouring REALLY easy!)
This box design is called “Self-Closing” because the ornamental slider can hold the box closed without any ribbon or adhesive. Really cool, and easier to make than you might think!
The card above is one of the stunning samples made for the event. The demonstrator used Brusho crystals and an aqua painter to create that gorgeous background. For various reasons I couldn’t get this card completed at the event, so I took the pre-cut pieces home and created my own background (below) with the Swirly Frames stamp set.
I was excited to create this fun project, which uses one of Stampin’ Up!’s clear acetate boxes cut in half and decorated with a piece of Gingham Gala paper and a stamped image from Hello Cupcake. The scalloped edge was created with an edgelit from Seasonal Layers. We got to fill the box with shredded tissue paper and chocolates, making it ready for gift-giving!
I also got to use Hello Cupcake on this awesome double-open card featuring a cutout shape from Stitched Rectangles. The demonstrator running this Make n’ Take had all the stamps set up on the Stamparatus, so it was super quick and easy to create this fun layered treat!
This is one of the projects I was most excited to complete, especially because I already have the stamp set and the Large Letters framelits so I can easily recreate it. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this adorable piggy is attached to a wobble spring, which only adds to its charm! I have always wanted to know how to make wobble springs, and now I do. Here it is in action!
This adorable bunny stamp is from Fable Friends, and I’m pretty sure it’s impossible not to fall in love with it after colouring it in with the Blends! Honestly, that might be the best colouring I’ve ever done, and again, I was completely convinced that I need to invest in these beautiful markers. In addition to the beautiful bunny, we got to decorate the Sweet Cup with an embossed strip of cardstock, and decorate the lid with layers of cardstock and beautiful co-ordinating ribbon. The demonstrator taught us a really cool trick called “elephant ears” to attach the cardstock to the curved cup without any mishaps. So thrilled that I got to learn so much from these wonderful demonstrators!
This charming little gift box is inspired by the colour and style of Tiffany & Co. It’s made from just one piece of cardstock and folds together beautifully! The sentiment used is from Label Me Pretty, and you can also see shapes cut with Layering Circles, Layering Squares, and Stitched Shapes.
And finally, this adorable triangle treat box, decorated with First Frost and the leaf punch, was another one of my favourites. It takes only two pieces of adhesive to put together, and holds a Ferrero Rocher or other round chocolate!
Which of these projects would you like to learn how to make? Leave a comment below and let me know!
If any of these projects have inspired you, remember you can shop 24/7 at my online store. And if you’d like to come along with me to the next meeting of the Vancouver Island Stampin’ Up! demonstrators group, join my team! Until March 31st, you’ll get an additional $60 of free product in your starter kit!
Happy Stampin’!
Product List
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
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Recent Creations: January 2019
Posted on: February 12, 2019
- In: Birthday | Christmas | New Baby | promotion | the crafty life
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I’ve been really busy in the craft studio lately, creating lots of different projects to showcase the beautiful new products in the Occasions and Sale-a-Bration catalogues. I’ll share some of those creations – along with what I hope is a useful insight – with you today!
I created this card for a sketch challenge I found on another demonstrator’s page. I admit, the end result is not as awesome as I was hoping – but experimenting and trying different things is part of living a rich creative life, and I can learn from creations I don’t like as much as I learn from creations I’m proud of. In any case, this card prompted me to notice how little of the Broadway Bound paper I had left, and I decided to go ahead and use it all up….
… which led me to the creation of this card! I like the way the gold glimmer paper coordinates with the gold foil numbers on the DSP, and the two-step stamping from the Broadway Birthday stamp set matches the stylistic dots on the numbers as well!
Butterfly Gala is one of my favourites, and I loved creating this card as my swap for this month’s team meeting. I’m really pleased with how it came together! Although cutting out all those squares took some time, the result is well worth it. I hope my teammates enjoy the cards!
Inspired by Stampin’ Up!’s recent #simplestampin campaign, I wanted to create a card that showcased simple tools and techniques, featuring the “Hoppy for You” stamp set. You can earn this adorable stamp set free when you spend $60 during Sale-a-Bration! This card, along with the next two, are for next month’s workshops.
“Home to Roost” is the style of stamp set that is totally out of my comfort zone, but once in a while it’s good to try new things, right? I love the sentiment stamps (including the font!) and the grass, and that rooster looks good no matter what colours are used. This stamp set can also be earned free with a $60 purchase!
I can’t believe how long it took me to play with Pop of Petals from the annual catalogue – especially considering it was one of the very first things I ordered! I’m glad I finally got around to it, and I think the Gingham Gala DSP makes a perfect match for it. The sentiment stamp is from “Part of My Story“, a free Sale-a-Bration item.
And here’s the useful (I hope) insight. We’re often reminded that social media is a “highlight reel”, while we may be living a life that feels more like a collection of bloopers. Crafting is no different. When I post my creations online, or demonstrate them at a class, readers and attendees see the end results – the card I’m proud of – and may not be aware that I had to work through several versions I tried and hated, before figuring out how to make something I love. So, the beautiful Pop of Petals card above? Here’s what the first version looked like (I’m cringing, but sharing anyway!)
So next time you sit down to create something, and then find out that you’re unhappy with the results – YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Don’t give up – you’re at the first stage of the creative process, and you might have to try a few more times before your disappointment turns into satisfaction and then pride.
Lesson over – moving on! 😉
After using up the last of my Broadway Bound DSP, it was time to dive in (heh) to Tranquil Textures DSP! I made a big batch of these charming octopus cards last summer and they were very popular, so I decided to stick with the same design to use up the last pieces of this wonderful paper. I really love the rich colours and the textures in the paper – it has a hand-painted look to it, and is perfect for masculine cards.
And finally, this is one of my very favourite cards that I’ve created lately, using a mix of old and new products. The paper, stamps, and thinlits are retired, but the ribbon is new (another free Sale-a-Bration item), as well as the “Congratulations” stamp which is from Hand-Delivered. I’ve had the Twinkle Twinkle bundle on my list for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to buying it … meanwhile, a customer contacted me for a custom job, needing a card for the birth of twin girls. She and I were both very pleased with the result!
Leave me a comment and show me one of your recent creations! I’d love to see what you’re up to! If you’re inspired by any of the above, remember you can shop 24/7 at my online store – and if you’re local to Nanaimo, you can sign up for a workshop on my events page.
Happy Stampin’!
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
Tags: Birthday, cards, congratulations, diy, dsp, handmade, love, promotion, rubber stamps, stampin' up, stamps, the crafty life
Tutorial: Easel Card
Posted on: February 5, 2019
- In: All Occasion | Birthday | Thank You | tutorial
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The Easel Card fold is one I think of as a “simple” fun fold card. Unlike the waterfall card or the infinity card, this is a fun fold that even a beginner can master. That’s why I decided to feature it in last October’s card class, where the theme was “Simple Fun Folds”.
Supplies Used (clockwise from bottom left):
– Beautiful You stamp set
– Pearls
– Inkpads (Berry Burst, Blackberry Bliss, and Basic Black)
– Blender Pen
– Tufted embossing folder
Cardstock sizes:
Blackberry Bliss cardstock: 4.25 x 11″
Berry Burst cardstock: 4 x 5.25″
Whisper White cardstock (3 pieces): 4 x 2.25″, 2.25 x 3.25″, 5 x 2″
Blackberry Bliss cardstock to frame white pieces: 5 1/8 x 2 1/8″, 2 3/8 x 3 3/8″
Stamp your tallest white piece with the swirly dress pattern to create a background.
Stamp the classy lady in black ink on the smallest white piece. Stamp her dress in Blackberry Bliss ink. Colour her hat with the blender pen.
Attach these two white pieces to the appropriate frames and set aside.
Emboss the Berry Burst layer with the Tufted embossing folder.
Fold along the score lines of your card base so that it looks like the shape below:
Using adhesive only on the bottom, attach the Berry Burst layer to your cardbase, leaving a small border showing around the edges.
Here’s a side view:
Attach your two framed and stamped pieces to the Berry Burst layer.
The final white piece goes at the bottom of the cardbase, with a small border around the edges. You can stamp a sentiment here if you wish. Add a pearl at the top centre of the white piece; this will hold up the easel portion of the card.
If you want more space to write on in your card, you can add a full-size white card insert (4 x 5.25”) to the back of the card.
Have you made any projects with the easel fold? Share them in the comments below! I love to see your creations!
Happy Stampin’!
Product List
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
- In: All Occasion | Birthday | promotion | Thank You | the crafty life
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The Occasions catalogue is now live! Here are some of the products I’m excited to get my hands on. Will this help you narrow down your wish list, or perhaps add a few more items you hadn’t considered?
Best Item for Beginners – Vibrant Vases stamp set.
With this fun, two-step stamp set, including a charming collection of sentiments, you’ll be able to create beautiful cards for a variety of occasions right away. And if you want to step it up, you can add the Vases Builder punch from the annual catalogue.
Best Sentiment Stamp Set – Strong and Beautiful. I love these empowering sentiments, for way more than just Mother’s Day. If you, like me, like to surround yourself with fierce awesome women, you’re going to love these sentiments!
Best Graphic Stamp Set – There are a lot of great sets to choose from, but I keep coming back over and over again to Flowering Desert. Rather than one more floral motif, this fun stamp set will be great for both masculine and feminine cards, offering a lot of versatility and charm.
Best Embellishment – Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins. 250 sequins in 5 colours, 2 sizes, and 2 shapes … AND they’re self-adhesive? Add. To. Cart.
Best Bundle – it’s a tossup between the Piece of Cake bundle and the Butterfly Gala bundle. Both come with a hefty selection of photopolymer stamps, including lovely sentiments in charming fonts; both will be useful for variety of occasions; both are in the $40 range; and both come with a hand-held punch that co-ordinates with the stamped images. Bonus: Butterfly Gala allows you to stamp two butterfly images at once, and then punch them both out – and the punch also co-ordinates with the images on the beautiful Botanical Butterfly DSP, available during Sale-a-Bration.
Best Paper – All My Love. These beautiful paper features whimsical hearts and elegant florals in a classic colour combination, co-ordinates with two thinlits sets (Lovely Flowers and Be Mine), and is perfect for sending your loving messages for Valentine’s Day and all year round. With Crumb Cake, Balmy Blue, and Soft Sea Foam included on the colour palette, it won’t be too girly for those masculine cards!
Best New Tool – The big news with the Occasions catalogue is Cling Stamps. As announced in November, Stampin’ Up! will be phasing out their wood-mount rubber stamps; instead, stamp sets will be available in photopolymer or red rubber clear-mount. While the clear-mount stamps will be the same high-quality stamps you’re used to, the new double-sided labels are so sticky and clingy that Stampin’ Up! decided to rebrand them as Cling Stamps. Many crafters, myself included, have previously opted to leave the labels off our stamps because they don’t cling as well to the acrylic blocks – with the new labels, this will no longer be the case. In fact, you’ll want to take a bit of care when you mount your stamps, to make sure you don’t apply the labels incorrectly – because once they’re on, they are ON, and you’ll be able to ink, stamp, and clean without your stamp sliding off the block. Can I get a hallelujah?
ICYMI: Rectangle Stitched Shapes framelits. Demonstrators and customers have been asking for rectangle framelits for a while, and Stampin’ Up! is listening! I love how these 13 dies are stitched on the inside and the outside, to make your projects stand out no matter how you are using them. You can bundle the framelits with the charming “Amazing Life” stamp set for an affordable $67.50 (and get a free Sale-a-Bration reward while you’re at it!)
The Lace embossing folder. I didn’t see it on my first look through the catalogue, but when I saw some samples online, I HAD to have it! So gorgeous!
And don’t forget these awesome hostess sets, which you can only order if you host a qualifying party before May 31st!
Did I leave your favourite product off my list? Comment and let me know!
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
Tags: Birthday, cards, catalogue, celebrate, congratulations, diy, dsp, handmade, love, promotion, punch, rubber stamps, stampin' up, the crafty life, valentine
Product Spotlight: Stamparatus
Posted on: January 8, 2019
- In: All Occasion | Birthday | promotion | the crafty life | tutorial
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It’s Sale-a-Bration time! This is the most wonderful time of the Stampin’ Up! year, as it’s the best time to SHOP, HOST, or JOIN.
With every $60 you purchase, you get to choose a free product from the Sale-a-Bration brochure. These products include stamp sets, designer series paper, ribbon packs, embellishments, project kits … just about everything you could ask for! There are also a few Level Two rewards, which you can earn with a $120 purchase – these include a beautiful thinlits set and a super-size stamp set (16 stamps!).
When you host a party during Sale-a-Bration, you’ll get an additional $30 in Stampin’ Rewards (translation: free products). With your party guests aiming to earn themselves free Sale-a-Bration products, it’s easy to see how your Stampin’ Rewards will quickly add up!
And as for joining, I’ve said lots about that opportunity recently (here and here). So in this post, I’m going to focus on one of the products you can order to earn a free Sale-a-Bration item: The Stamparatus.
The Stamparatus is available in the annual catalogue at $67CAD. It comes with a foam pad, which you will need for stamping with photopolymer stamps, two extremely strong magnets to hold your cardstock in place, and two removable plastic plates that act as blocks to hold your stamps.
There are several different techniques you can do with the Stamparatus, including two-step stamping and hinge stamping. One of the first things I discovered when I got mine is that I can use it to produce perfectly aligned sentiments every time, and even add emphasis to a specific word or image, as shown below with “you deserve every good thing”. I stamped the sentiment in Bermuda Bay ink, cleaned the stamp (while leaving it in place on the Stamparatus plate), then used a Dapper Denim marker on the word “every” and stamped it again. The Stamparatus ensured that I stamped the sentiment in the exact same place each time.
Another very handy use for the Stamparatus is in creating multiples. I had a large batch of Christmas cards to finish recently, and using the Stamparatus meant that I could finish the batch really quickly and efficiently, with no crooked stamping or wasted cardstock. I was stamping on a shape I’d cut out with the Stitched Shapes framelits, so I made myself a grid paper template to fit in the Stamparatus, and was able to churn out 40 of these in about 15 minutes. Brilliant!
I finally got a chance to try wreath stamping with the Stamparatus recently, and it is SO cool! We’re going to to be using this technique at class next week. Here’s how it works.
First you’ll need to create a template from a 6″ x 6″ piece of cardstock, using the largest of the Layering Squares Framelits.
Find the centre of your cardstock, then cut two overlapping squares to create a six-pointed star.
Cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the same square framelit – it will fit perfectly into your template. Now you’re ready to stamp!
With your template and white cardstock square in place on the Stamparatus, position your flower stamp and stamp it once. Then turn the white cardstock 90 degrees and replace inside the template. Repeat stamping and turning the cardstock until you have stamped four flowers.
Clean your stamp with the Simply Shammy, but don’t remove it from the Stamparatus plate. Turn your cardstock 45 degrees so the flower stamp will land in between two of the images you previously stamped. Use a different ink colour to stamp the flower. Then repeat the steps above of turning the cardstock and stamping the flower three more times.
Depending on what flower set you’re using, you may be finished at this point, or you may have the option of using an outline stamp to add detail, as in the case of the Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set, which I was using. Line up the flower outline stamp on your stamped cardstock, then use the Stamparatus hinge to pick it up. Stamp and turn the cardstock until you have outlined all the flowers in a contrasting colour.
And here’s the finished project:
Isn’t that a cool technique? Now you can turn ANY flower stamp (or pretty much any other stamp) into a wreath! Google “stamparatus wreath technique” to see lots more creative ways to use your Stamparatus, then contact me to order yours, or shop 24/7 at my online store. And be sure to share your creations in the comments so I can see what you’re up to!
Happy Stampin’!
Product List
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
Tutorial: Gift Card Holder
Posted on: December 4, 2018
- In: All Occasion | Birthday | Christmas | Thank You | the crafty life | tutorial
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Gift Card Holders are so useful this time of year, and you won’t find a simpler design than this one!
Garden Green cardstock: 4.25 x 11″; score at 2.75 and 5.5″
White insert: 4 x 5.25″
All is Bright Designer Series Paper: 2.5 x 4″
Use the 1″ circle punch to punch a ‘thumb-hole’ in the side of the smallest section of the Garden Green cardstock.
Fold the smallest section of the cardstock to form a pocket for the gift card. Use Tear & Tape adhesive to attach at just the top and bottom, leaving room to slide in the gift card.
Stamp the right side of the white insert with desired sentiment and image, so that it is visible when the card is open. Attach the insert to your cardbase.
Insert your gift card, and you’re done! This gift card holder even fits in a standard notecard-size envelope, so it’s easy to give or to mail.
Have you made any gift card holders this year? Share them in the comments below! I love to see your creations!
Happy Stampin’!
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
Tutorial: Waterfall Card
Posted on: November 20, 2018
- In: All Occasion | Birthday | Christmas | New Baby | the crafty life | tutorial
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I can’t believe I’ve never shared a waterfall card tutorial here before! The first time I made this card was for Mother’s Day last spring, and the beautiful DSP shown here is no longer available. However, read on and you’ll see the Christmas card I recently made with the same fold!
Cardbase: 8.5 x 5.5”
Cardstock ‘Puller Strip’ (same as card base): 9 ¾ x 2” – score at 2″, 2¾”, 3 ½”, and 4 ¼
Cardstock ‘Holder Strip’ (same as cardbase): 4 x 1.5”
DSP: 4 x 5.25”
4 White pieces: 2 ¾ x 1 ¾”
4 cardstock frames: 2 x 3” (can be same as cardbase, or different colour)
Attach the DSP to the front of your card. Set this piece aside.
Stamp your four white pieces as desired and attach to the four frames. Put these aside.
Burnish the score lines on the puller strip. Attach your puller strip to the holder strip, only along the right side of the holder strip (as shown with dotted line below).
Attach each of your stamped images to the puller strip, applying adhesive only to the right side of each scoreline on the puller strip. (The green lines below show where to apply the adhesive.)
Fold the long end of the puller strip behind the holder strip. Tag-punch the end and tie a short ribbon around the tag.
Line up the pieces on the card as shown, so the holder strip lines up with the DSP and the tag doesn’t extend beyond the end of the card. Attach only at the top and bottom of the holder strip.
Flip your waterfall several times so that it ‘flows’ easily before giving it to the recipient.
And here’s the Christmas card I made with the Making Christmas Bright stamp set. I used these awesome stamps to create a message that reads, “May your Christmas be merry and bright”!
Have you made any projects with the waterfall fold? Share them in the comments below! I love to see your creations!
Happy Stampin’!
Please visit my 24/7 online store by clicking above, or contact me: lauralyzer@gmail.com.
Have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter? You’ll receive project tutorials and inspiration, as well as all workshop dates and special promotion news. Don’t miss out, sign up today!
Tags: cards, diy, dsp, fancy fold, quick tip, rubber stamps, stampin' up, technique, tutorial, waterfall
