Making perfect bows

Hello everyone! It is just a few days before Thanksgiving 

and I wanted to make sure I posted this before it got too hectic! 

Everyone loves to add a bow to their cards and special projects but we don't always 

get the same results. I am going to show you how to make the perfect bow every time!

Here I am showing you how to make a template to make smaller bow using about 8 inches of ribbon. That Designer Series paper that you have ordered, comes with a stiffer white cardboard.  This makes the perfect templates for our ribbon bows. Here I have cut a 1 1/2  x 3 1/2 piece of the white cardboard.

I then use my window punch and punch out the center section of the cardboard. I don't go clear to the end. I usually draw a little mark before I punch so that it is easier to center.

This is what it should look like 

after you have punched it out.

Lay your ribbon underneath your cardboard . We are using an 8 inch ribbon for this bow. You can use any width but you will notice as you do a few that some ribbons are easier to 

tie than others.

Crisscross the ribbon.

With the ribbon end that is on top, tuck this end under arch and then loop it back through the top as shown below.

I use to make these bows using a fork but it always seemed like a needed one more hand. With these cardboard templates, you can have them laying on your work surface and it doesn't slip as easily.

Once you have looped it through the top, tie the two ends and pull it tight. When pulling, make sure to pull both ends parallel straight out to make a nice even bow.

 Now simply slide the ribbon off and you have a perfect bow that will not come untied!

Here I have shown the finished bow from a

 1  1/2 template and also a little larger one using a 2 x 3 1/2 template and 

10 inches of ribbon.

You can make your templates as large as you like. It makes a tighter know on your ribbons which is nicer if you are mailing your cards.

Thank you and have fun!!

Holiday Sale with lots of discounts.

Stampin Up is offering some great savings from now until December 2. Large percentages off and specials on certain days to so check it out.

http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/docs/holiday_sale/Holiday_Sale_Flyer_US.pdf

During this promotion I will also be offering a "Mystery Hostess" party! 

Any orders placed between now and Dec 1 will be entered into a drawing to win the Hostess benefits. I will contact you to see what Hostess products you would like to receive FREE!!

For every $25 (before ship and tax) your name will go one time. For example: order $50 and your name will go in twice.   Use this hostess code when ordering and your order will be shipped directly to your house.  GN6SWSKH
 Every participant will receive a gift. Lots of goodies on sale plus you might just be the Mystery Hostess too! Good Luck.

Backyard Basic flowers in a vase card

Today I will be showing you how to make this card. This is just one of the cards we will be making at Monday night's card class. On this card we use the following items.

1. Backyard basics stamp set and matching framelits for the Big Shot. Page 79 and 187
2. Baked Brown Sugar Stamp pad
3. Two of our markers, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight.
4. Daffodil Delight Washi Tape  page 171.
5. Framed Tulip embossing folder page 191 .
6. Burmuda Bay and Baked Brown Sugar cardstock. 

 
  

Your card base, Baked Brown Sugar should measure 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. This is exactly half of a piece of cardstock.  The Burmuda Bay should measure 4 x 5 1/4.

Fold your Baked Brown Sugar in half and score with our bone folder.

Next place the Burmuda Bay cardstock

 in the Framed Tulip embossing folder 

and run it through the Big Shot. 

Using the Baked Brown Sugar stamp pad, stamp the flower onto a piece of vanilla cardstock measuring about 3 x 4.

Color in the flower using our Old Olive and Daffodil Delight. One thing I would like to point out with our markers, do not use a lot of pressure. This will mush your points of your brush and ruin your marker. Have a light touch and your markers will last a long time. Also store them horizontally. 

Place the flower framelit over your colored flower and run it through the Big Shot. I am using the Magnetic Platform here. Super nice with the framelits, really holds them in place. 

Using the Ornament Keepsake framelit, a carryover from last year's Holiday mini, cut our one of the bulbs. I used some of the designer paper from the Gingham Garden collection on page 153.

You could cut both this and the flower at the same time. There is enough room on the platform.

Cut the tip off of the bulb so that it will then end up being the base of your vase! 

 

Stamp "Happy Birthday Wishes"  a saying from the Petite Pairs shown on page 73 onto a very vanilla cardstock.

Using the Postage Stamp punch sold on page 180, punch out your saying. It helps to use the punch upside down so that you can see where to punch your image.

Assemble your card. I used dimensionals behind the vase and saying to make it pop out a little more.

Place a strip of the Washi tape on the Burmuda Bay cardstock. The Washi tape is fun to use because it is adhesive and you just cut and place.

And your creation is complete! 

I did add a candy dot sold on page 171. 

They come in lots of cool colors and add that little special touch to your projects!

Embossing with Silver Encore Pad

Todays project is the technique of embossing. 

I will be making an embossed Christmas card.

Suppplies

• Night of Navy Cardstock
• Whisper White Cardstock
• Silver Embossing  Powder page 167
• Embossing Buddy on page 167
• Silver Encore Pad on page 28 of the Holiday Mini
• Heat Tool Gun  page 167
• Whisper White Organza Ribbon  page 173
• Frosted Finishes embellishments  page 28 of the Holiday Mini
• Festive Furry stamp set page 30 Holiday Mini
• Artisian Label punch on page 181
• Mini Glue dots on page 174
• Stampin Dimensionals  on page 175

This is the card I will be making. 

The snowflakes and greeting are both embossed with 

the silver Encore pad and embossing powder. 

I will show you how it is done.

 Embossing is fun to do and adds so much to a card. 

Over 10 years ago, I saw my first embossing and that is what got me hooked to Stampin' Up!   (smile)

For those of you that do not know what the Heat Tool is, it is shown here on the left. Also pictured is the embossing buddy lower center of photo. This is a great tool for embossing on dark cardstock. It takes some of the static away so you don't end up with little 

embossed speckles all over. 

I am using the Night of Navy cardstock and also the clear blocks for my stamp set.

Rub the embossing buddy all over the area that you will be stamping to emboss. This helps to remove static from  your cardstock so the powder will only stick where you have stamped.

I will be stamping my snowflakes with the Silver Encore Stamp pad. 

The Encore pad comes in both Silver and Gold. 

Both can be used for embossing.

Our Versa Mark pad can also be used for embossing which means it will be clear until you add your color of embossing powder. 

After stamping your image, sprinkle the embossing powder all over your paper. 

You will want to have a larger scrap piece of paper or a tray to catch your excess powder.

Shake your cardstock so all of the extra powder falls off.

Do not brush or touch the stamped area because this will cause smearing

 of your images.

Now turn your heat tool on and heat your images. You should stay 2 or 3 inches 

from your project. 

The heat tool gets very hot so if you need to hold your paper from blowing away, use a scissors or bone folder to hold it still.

Heat until you see the images get shiny. It will transform before your very eyes! 

That is the cool part!!

Next, I stamped my Christmas Blessings on a 

1 1/4 x 3 1/2 piece of cardstock.

Poured my embossing powder on, shook of the extra powder and embossed it.

Using the Artisian punch, place the ends of the cardstock into the opening of the punch, 

just a little bit and punch. 

Repeat this step on the other end 

of the cardstock too.

This gives your label a cute decorative 

edge on both ends.

For my embellishments, I am using the  Frosted Finished which are very 

pretty snowflakes with bling!

When doing a card, always try and have at least 2 layers of cardstock and 

one embellishment for a completed look.

I have attached my Christmas Blessings using the Stampin Dimensionsals. 

They add depth to your card by raising the item just a little. 

They are self adhesive, so just place them on your paper and then remove the backing to adhere to your cardfront.

I used Glue dots to adhere the Frosted snowflake to my Christmas Blessings tag.

Here I add my ribbon.

I am doing a faux bow.

Cut one strip of ribbon just long enough to go around your cardstock. Glue the ends down and place on your cardfront.

Next cut a small ribbon, usually about 4 or 5 inches long and tuck that under your ribbon in front and tie once. This makes it a little easier than going all the way around and trying to tie a bow. It also saves on ribbon if you are 

doing a lot of cards.

And here is your finished card.

Two layers of cardstock, Night of Navy and Whisper White.

Two embellishments.

Whisper White Ribbon and our Frosted Finishes snowflakes with bling!!

Some of you might not like using the darker cardstock for cards because you can not see the writing that well inside the card.

Stampin Up offers two markers that can help you out with that.

Stampin Chalk Marker 

item 132133

$3.50

page 20 Holiday Mini

UniGel Pen

item 105021

$3.95

page 163 Big Catalog

I hope you have enjoyed this "How To" on embossing. It would be great to hear from you. 

Just let me know if there is a technique you would like me to feature and I will try my best to do that for you.

Have a super good week!

How to make a bow with the Gift Bow Die

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Today I would like to show you how to use the
Gift Bow Bigz L Die for the Big Shot.
I have been told that it can also be used in the Cuttlebug for those of you that own one of those.

Making bows will be part of my class tomorrow night but I thought the rest of you might like to see how the bow is constructed.

Here I will be using some of the Gold foil sheets shown on page 28 of the Holiday Mini.They are also sold in the silver color too.
Cut a piece to 6 x 8 1/2.

Run the paper through the Big Shot by placing the standard cutting pad, then the die, paper, and the other cutting pad.

Fold the larger of the pieces by tucking the ends under to come together on the bottom. I like to use Sticky Strip on my bows to make sure they stick.

Sticky Strip is shown on page 175 and works great on any projects that might have some stress to it.
Snail adhesive also works good too.

Next glue the "fin" like pieces to the underside of your bow.
You will notice that you have two pieces left over. 1 piece for a 1/2 of bow and the short cover strip.
If you want to make a double bow like I first pictured, you will need another piece of cardstock measuring at 2 x 4 to cut one more piece for the top doubled bow.

Place the small piece of cardstock around bow to make a finished look.

If you are doing the double bow, cut one more matching piece with the 2 x 4 and fold them and place on top before putting the small piece over the top.

If you do not own the Big Shot or die, Stampin Up does have the Pretty Presents Designer Bows which are already die cut peices in Gumball Green, Real Red, and Whisper White. Sold on page 36 of the Mini  Catalog.
10 bows item 132186 for $3.95.



I like using the Big Shot and the Gift Bow die because it lets me use up lots of my Designer papers that I have laying around and I will have a bow for every occasion. Just adding a bow to a simple paper lunch bag will make a very cute gift bag. Remember this die can also cut material or light metal which would make some really interesting bows for your craft projects.

VIP Project

As promised, I said I would be posting the VIP project for November. 

You are thinking, "What is the VIP Project"?

Well, each month I will post a special project on my Blog. If you sign up for one of my classes and bring a friend to my class too, that has never been here, both of you will get to make the 

VIP project totally FREE.

The November VIP project also holds a super large Hersheys Candy Bar. 

Who doesn't like chocolate?

When signing up for a class, you will need to tell me that you are bringing a new stamper to class so that I have this special project prepared just for you and your friend.

Thank you so much for checking in on my blog.

Christmas Cards Galore Class

Well it's officially November and soon Thanksgiving will be here. 

This time of the year is always so busy and we never seem to have enough time to get everything done. Wouldn't it be great to have your Christmas cards done before Thanksgiving so the weekend after you could just stick them in the mail? 

Well this class will help you achieve that.

Make 20 cards, 5 each of 4 designs. 

I will have everything cut for you. 

Just come and stamp and put them together and "yes" Christmas Cards done. Check.

Cost is $30 for the 20 cards. Make a 2nd set for $25 giving you a total of 40 cards with envelopes.

Here are the four cards you will be making.

You will need to R.S.V.P by Friday, the 8th so that I have supplies ordered and cut for you.

Class date is Thursday the 21st of November at 6:30, My Stampin Room.

 

Day 2 of our Scrappin/Stampin Retreat

Day 2 of our Retreat has come to an end. What a great couple of days.

 I got to meet some new and catch up with some I haven't seen for awhile. 

Very fun and rewarding. 

The girls had lots of space to do their work and the sun shiny in made it bright and cheery.

Some worked on Digital too. 

This week Stampin' Up has some super good specials with the My Digital Studio line. 

Today they even have a free download too. 

Ladonna is busy making her card project and this is the card we made today.

For this card we used the Wetlands stamp set  page 69.

Wood 126695  for $21.95

Clear 126697 for $16.95

Gingham Garden Designer paper sold on page 153 which coordinates with Pear Pizzazz. 

Stampin Up lists the color in the Designer packets so it is easy for us to see which solid cardstock we need to put with the DSP. 

Stamp the goose in Early Espresso. 

Sponge some Pear Pizzazz and Cajun Craze to add some depth. 

This is one time it is OK to go out of the lines!

The Birthday greetings is from the Wetland set also. Stampin Up does a great job of having complete stamp sets, nice to have saying in the sets too. 

This set comes with Thank you for your kindness, Thinking of you, and Birthday Greetings.

Thank you for looking and please stop back often. 

I will be posting the Christmas cards tomorrow for the Christmas Galore 

class coming up very soon.

Having fun at Day 1 of our Scrappin/Stampin Retreat! Each gal has their own table full of their supplies plus they can use my table full of punches, Big shot/dies/embossing folders, stamp sets and more. 

There is scrappin, snackin, and of course stampin!
This is the card we made today.

It uses the stamp set, Magnificent Maple sold in the Holiday Mini Catalog on page 18, item 131868 for $9.95.
I used Crushed Curry. Ink the stamp up and stamp the leaf on the Very Vanilla and then stamp again to get the two color effect.  The Thanks is from the Harvest of Thanks stamp set sold on page 19 of the Holiday Mini.
I stamped the "thanks" on vanilla cardstock and then used the Apothecary Accents framelits with the Big Shot to cut it out pluss the brown layer too. This framelit is sold on page 187 of the larger catalog.
Stay tuned for Day 2 of the Scrapin Stampin Retreat.