Stamp By Stamp Creations

Tools of the Trade: Die-Cutting Machine

January 21, 2021 by Cindy

I want to go on record saying that I think every craft room needs a die-cutting machine of some sort. It’s really hard for me to make a card without my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine by Stampin’ Up!. If I haven’t used die cut shapes on my card I’ve embossed the background or some portion of my card.

Die-cutting and embossing can add so much to card They will take your card from basic to WOW with just a crank or two of the handle. Why use your scissors to cut out an image if you can die cut it? I had a customer who would always ask “Isn’t there a die for this” whenever we had to “fussy cut” an image for a card during class. If a stamp set comes with coordinating dies I’m going to buy them!

Stampin’ Up!’s Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

As I mentioned above, I love my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine and couldn’t create without it. The platform base where the dies and embossing folders go through is about 6 1/2″ wide platform area which gives your plates plenty of room to roll through. This is great for crafters like me who don’t always get things lined up perfectly straight when running them through. Each side of the platform folds up to save space for storage. I haven’t got around to trying out that feature though as I’m always using the machine!

The machine comes with 1 Base Plate, 1 Die Plate, 2 Cutting Plates, and 1 Specialty Plate. What’s great is that all of these accessories are numbered which comes in handy because the Base Plate and the Die Plate have pictures with numbers on them telling you how to layer your “sandwiches” of plates, dies and embossing folders! I love this feature! No more guessing!

Stampin’ Up!’s Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

DId you know that the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine had a little sibling? Check out the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. It’s just like the big one only…mini! The platform on this cute little machine is only 3 1/2″ wide so not all dies or embossing folders will go through it. Stampin’ Up! has designed some narrow embossing folders that will work perfectly in it.

Like it’s bigger sibling, both sides of the platform fold up for easy storage. This little machine come with 1 Mini Base Plate, 2 Mini Cutting Plates, 1 Mini Embossing Plate, and 1 Mini 3D Embossing Plate. All these pieces are numbered also to help you get the right “sandwich” to run through.

Here’s the question of the day: Do you have a die-cutting machine in your craft room? If not, head on over to my on-line store and check out the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine Monday: Sweet Strawberry

January 18, 2021 by Cindy

Make-It-Mine Mondays are so much fun! I like seeing what changes I can make to someone else’s card to make it my own. This week I (or should I say “we” since my card is pretty darn close to my inspiration!) used the Sweet Strawberry stamp set and punch from Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog.

The Sweet Strawberry stamp set just screams “SUMMER!” to me but I received my inspiration card in a swap and fell in love with the bright colors and knew I had to recreate it.

The card at the left is my inspiration. Bright and fun! You know me though….I had to add more layers. If a card doesn’t have about 10 layers it just doesn’t seem complete to me. Ha!

As you can tell by comparing the two cards I stuck pretty close to Mary’s original design. Other than adding a couple of layers, I just changed the ink color and one of the pieces of designer paper,

Speaking of the designer paper….where does it come from? It’s not in the January-June Mini Catalog. Hmmm….It’s in the Sale-a-bration Brochure! It’s part of a Level 2 Sale-a-bration offering meaning you need to purchase $100 in product to choose it. It’s called Berry Delightful Designer Series Paper and is bundled with the Berry Blessings stamp set. This stamp set has berries other than strawberries in it. I love how both the Berry Blessings stamp set and the Sweet Strawberry stamp set coordinate with the paper.

Have you played the “Make-It-Mine Monday” game? Where are you getting your inspiration from? I’d love to know. Feel free to share your card and your inspiration in the comments below!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Fun Folds: Squashed Heart Card

January 15, 2021 by Cindy

It’s time for another Fun Fold post! Last week, with my first Fun Fold post, we went back to the beginning. I talked about the different ways to cut your cardstock and the different orientations you can have your cards when starting with an 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of cardstock.

This week I was going to share a simple and popular fun fold but when I was hopping around the internet looking for ideas I came upon this fun design! With Valentines Day coming up soon I knew I had to share this fun Squashed Heart Fun Fold Card with you.

This card might look like it’s complicated to make but it really is pretty easy. The hardest part in making it was coming up with the right size heart. Don’t worry. If you’re hoping to recreate this card design I’ve included a template for the heart at the end of this post. 🙂

Start this project with a piece of cardstock that is 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ square. Score one side at 4 1/4″. Turn the cardstock 90 degrees and score again at 4 1/4″. You should now have four equal squares. Now score from one corner to the opposite corner. It doesn’t matter which corner you start in.

Fold and crease all score lines well. The key to this design is folding the diagonal line in the opposite direction that you folded the other two lines. Fold the square lines in valley folds and the the diagonal fold in a mountain fold.

As you can see in the first picture above, the diagonal line is folded in the opposite direction of the other two lines. In the second picture you can see how to fold, or squash, the card. Push in on the two diagonal folds and your folded card will become a square.

Now we need to make the hearts. In the video that I watched on making this card the gal simply took her scissors and cut the hearts. I knew that wouldn’t work for me. After many failed trials I finally came up with a heart that fit perfectly.

Once you have your template, you want to draw it on the two squares with diagonals and one of the flat squares.

It’s hard to tell in my photo above but the two side hearts are the ones with the diagonal score marks through them. Cut along the drawn lines to form the tops of your hearts. With the two side hearts you will need to cut from the edge of the paper to where the heart outline begins. If you look at the collage photo of the card at the beginning of the post you can see what I mean in the last photo.

You can find the template for the heart here. Are you wondering how you can mail or even present this card? What size envelope would work? The finished, closed card is 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ so it will fit in a normal Stampin’ Up! envelope that is about 5 3/4″ x 4 3/8″ with a little extra room in one direction. However…..next session I will share with you how to create your own envelope which is perfectly sized for this card along with tips on making any size envelope. So stay tuned!

I hope you’ve enjoyed viewing this fun card. Please leave a comment if you did. Be sure to contact me with any questions you may have either in the comments or by email (cindy@stampbystampcreations.com).

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Tools of the Trade: Simply Scored

January 14, 2021 by Cindy

In my first Tools of the Trade post that I shared with you last week I talked about Paper Trimmers. I mentioned how the ones (like Stampin’ Up!’s) that have sliding cutting blades also may come with a scoring blade.

These type of paper trimmers with the scoring blades are great but when I want accurate score lines and need to make multiple score lines on the same piece of cardstock my go to is Stampin’ Up!’s Simply Scored.

To use a scoring board like this you just butt your cardstock in the upper left corner, find the mark on the ruler at the top, place the scoring tool in the corresponding grove and score down!

The little tool that you use to make your score marks comes with two tips, one slightly larger than the other. You want to make sure to use the larger end when using a lighter piece of paper like patterned paper so you don’t go through the paper. You also may want to use a light touch when scoring a lighter paper.

Stampin’ Up!’s Simply Scored also comes with little markers that you can use on the ruler at the top to mark your measurements if you’d like. There’s also a little storage compartment on the back for these little markers and your scoring tool.

I love my Simply Scored tool. I use it every time I make a card to give me the perfect fold in my card. I like to use the Simply Scored over the Paper Trimmer when I’m making the fold in my card because as long as I butt the paper in the upper left corner before scoring I know that my card will be scored in half perfectly. Whereas if I’m using the paper trimmer I could be off a little depending on where I line up the paper on the ruler.

I would definitely recommend a Simply Scored tool. You can check it out in my online store if you’re interested.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine Monday: Pretty Perennials

January 11, 2021 by Cindy

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Besides the plugged-up kitchen sink, our weekend was quiet. Luckily my husband is very handy and was able to fix it after working on it for almost two hours! Hmm….now what should I do with all that money we just saved on a plumber? Ha!

Have you seen the Pretty Perennials stamp set on page 31 in Stampin’ Up!’s new January – June Mini Catalog? It’s a fun flower set that has a 22-piece coordinating die set! You know how I feel about coordination….woo hoo! I had fun playing with this stamp set about a week ago. As I was searching the internet for samples I liked I came across this very simple one made by Helen Wigham. Isn’t is lovely?

You know me though, I have a really tough time making a card without layers. If you’re going to add one layer, then you may as well add two, right? That’s what I did. The focal point of my card is pretty much exactly the same as Helen’s but I just framed it before putting it on a card base. The only other thing I changed was the color of the word “happy”.

Why stop at one change though? I was on a creative roll when I made this first card so I decided to keep going. This time I switched the orientation of my card and added some ribbon which I think makes the card a little more flirty. Did you notice that I actually used a real bow on my card? I haven’t done that in a long time. The card definitely needed it though to fill in that upper corner. I like how it turned out so you may seeing more bows on my cards these days.

After writing most of this post I was looking at other samples made using the Pretty Perennials stamp set and I discovered that without realizing it, I had actually CASEd (copy and share everything) another card when I made my second one! I guess my subconscious is working well! Ha! The second card I copied was actually made by Dena Rekow who designed the Pretty Perennial stamp set!

I really had fun playing with this stamp set and can’t wait to play with it some more! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Fun Folds: The Beginning

January 8, 2021 by Cindy

Welcome to another new series of posts! In this series we’ll be talking Fun Folds! These post will encompass folds for cards as well as folds for 3D items.

I love finding different folds for my cards and many of you do too. Before we jump in though, we’re going to start at the beginning.

Ok, now I’m singing the song from the Sound of Music…Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…. Do any of you get reminded of song lyrics after you say something and then start singing? I do it all the time.

Enough of that! Let’s get back to Fun Folds!

If we’re starting at the beginning we need to go over the ways we usually cut our 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock to make our basic cards. In both ways we are simply cutting the cardstock in half. Either on the long edge or the short edge.

When you cut your cardstock along the long edge you get two pieces of cardstock that are 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″. If you’re going to score this piece to form your card you will score it at 4 1/4″.

I will be the first to admit that this is the way I usually cut my cardstock this way to make my cards.

When you cut your cardstock along the short edge you get two pieces of cardstock that are 4 1/4″ x 11″. To form your card you will score at 5 1/2″. I don’t make a lot of cards with this configuration. I’m not sure why. Cutting your cardstock this way changes up your card a little bit. Sure, the card front and the inside will be the same but it’s a fun little change to opening up the card.

We’re done with the beginning. You now know the basic ways to cut and fold your cardstock and how they will look in vertical or horizontal orientations. Leave a comment and let me know your go-to way of cutting the cardstock and which orientation you prefer.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Tools of the Trade: Paper Cutter

January 7, 2021 by Cindy

Welcome to my new series of posts called Tools of the Trade. In this series I will be sharing with you must-have tools for your craft room. You’ll be able to find this series here on my blog as well as on Facebook.

The first tool I want to share with you is one that you can’t do without if you are a paper crafter. This must-have tool is a Paper Cutter or Trimmer. You can’t cut your card bases and layers without one. I guess you could use scissors but then your lines may not be too straight…..I know that would be my problem! 🙂

There are three main types of Paper Cutters on the market for paper crafters.

Rotating Blade Cutters have a small rotating blade that you slide along a track. They allow you to maneuver the paper in multiple positions. They are very light weight and usually have a grid pattern on them to help you line up your paper.
Sliding Blade Cutters are similar to the rotating blade cutters except instead of rotating blade you have a single blade that slides up and down the track. Most of these type of paper cutters also have a scoring blade.
Guillotine Cutters have one long blade that you slice down to cut the paper. These type of cutters are great for cutting multiple pieces of paper as well as thicker pieces of paper.

All three of these types of cutters work great for card making and paper crafting. The type you get is dependent on you. As a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator I cut a LOT of cardstock so I prefer a durable cutter that can cut more than one piece of paper. Stampin’ Up! used to have a guillotine cutter that I love and still use today. I do have their sliding blade cutter which is perfect for smaller jobs and great for cutting smaller pieces of paper.

I like to use my sliding blade paper cutter when I have to cut and score things at an angle or when I am working with a small piece of paper.

If you’re a newbie to paper crafting or just looking for a new cutter I would definitely invest in Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Trimmer. At only $25 the price is right. It comes with both a cutting and scoring blade and has an arm that folds out so it can accommodate a 12″ x 12″ piece of paper. The best part is that you don’t lose any of the measurements on the top grid when you fold out the arm which happens on many paper cutters of this type! The ruler and the grid are covered by durable plastic so they don’t wear off.

I hope I’ve given you a little information on Paper Cutters/Trimmers. This item is a definite must for any paper crafter. Click here if you’d like a little more information on Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Trimmer.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

New Year. New Catalog!

January 5, 2021 by Cindy

It’s a new year and it’s time for new Stampin’ Up! catalogs! Not only has Sale-a-bration begun but it’s the start of the January – June Mini Catalog (formerly the Occasions Catalog).

Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog

The new mini catalog is full of all sorts of fabulous products that I know you’re going to want to check out. Click here to view the new mini catalog or click on the image in the right-hand column. There are 90 pages in this amazing publication! There are products ranging from love and valentines to a fabulous masculine suite. There are a number of whimsical products too that are definitely catching my eye!

If the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set on page 52 catches your eye you may want to wait until February or after to order because starting in February there will be dies available for this stamp set. If you love dies with your stamp sets you’ll love the fact that you’ll be able to order the two in a bundle at 10% off!

One of the best parts of today is that Stampin’ Up!’s Sale-a-bration begins! Who doesn’t love Sale-a-bration and the opportunity to choose FREE products with a qualifying order? Spend $50 on Stampin’ Up! merchandise and choose an item from the Sale-a-bration Brochure! Woo Hoo! FREE stuff! You can view the Sale-a-bration Brochure here.

So much fun happening in January! Don’t miss out! Check out these fabulous publications and make your wish list now!

Happy New Year! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping.

Simple & Sweet

January 4, 2021 by Cindy

Hello! It’s Make It Mine Monday and I have something Simple and Sweet for you today! The card is simple and the bundle I used is sweet. Actually, the name of the bundle is Sweet Ice Cream. It’s a brand new bundle that you can find in Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog starting tomorrow (page 49).

The inspiration for my card came from Amy Koenders. You can see her card below.

I love how simple Amy’s card is but you know me….I need layers and possibly ribbon on my card. So that’s what I did.

This card was so easy to make because the only stamping on the card was the sentiment! The ice cream and the cone were punched from the coordinating Ice Cream Corner Designer Series Paper with the Ice Cream Cone Builder Punch! How fun is that?!

Do you like Make It Mine Mondays? What would you have changed on Amy’s card to make it yours? I would love to hear what you’d do. Please leave a comment and let me know what you’d change (or not change). Better yet, post a picture of your card!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

The Twelve Weeks of Christmas – Week 12 – Star Ornament

December 23, 2020 by Cindy

Last but not least! It’s the last week and the last project of my 12 Weeks of Christmas. I hope you have enjoyed them. This week’s project is an ornament for your tree or to decorate a package with. It’s quite easy to make.

I’ve made my ornament with Gold Foil Sheets but you could use any type of paper that you’d like. You could use Silver or Copper Foil as well as designer paper or even a solid color paper. Whatever type of paper you use the directions will be the same.

The most important tool that you’ll need for this project is your Paper Trimmer with a scoring blade. You can probably use your Simply Scored board but I think things are easier to line up on your Paper Trimmer.

You can find the complete directions with photos here. Basically though, you need to die cut two stars and make 5 score lines on each star. Fold on the score lines, adhere the two stars together and add some thread or ribbon to hang your ornament.

These ornaments are very easy to make and turn out beautifully! You still have a few days until Christmas so head on up to your craft room and make a few more ornaments for that tree!

Merry Christmas!

New Mini Catalog Stamp Camp (To Go!)

December 18, 2020 by Cindy

SASSY STAMPERS & FRIENDS WINTER 2021 STAMP CAMP (TO GO!)

Hello! Our first ever Stamp Camp (To Go!) was a success last fall and we are gearing up to bring you another fun contact-free event!

On January 5^th the new January – June Mini Catalog comes out and it’s the start of the first of two 2021 Sale-a-bration events for Stampin’ Up!. This time of the year will be filled with many fabulous new products and we want to share them with you!

We will be using products from the new Mini Catalog and the Sale-a-bration brochure to create 9 fabulous projects for you to make in the comfort of your own home whenever it’s convenient for you!

With your registration fee for this stamp camp you will receive the Happy Thoughts stamp set which you can view on page 28 of the upcoming Mini Catalog. This is a lovely stamp set of sentiments which you will be able to use on your Stamp Camp (To Go!) projects.

Here are the details of our Winter 2021 Stamp Camp (To Go!):

· You will receive all the pieces and parts to make your projects along with detailed instructions.

· You will need adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, and scissors. A bone folder would be handy too.

· The only stamping involved on your projects will be made using the Happy Thoughts stamp set which is included with your registration fee.

Ink will not be included in your kit. You will need to use your own inks to add stamping to your projects.

· The number of kits available are limited. Register & pay early!

· Kits will be available mid-February. Your demonstrator will contact you when your kit is ready.

· Registration and payment will all be done electronically. See details below.

Cost: $50* (* shipping is an additional $8)

Location: Wherever you are!

Registration Deadline: January 15^th

Registration Information:

Registration and payment will be done electronically. Click the link below to complete the registration form. Once your registration form has been received you will be sent a Paypal invoice from Sassy Stampers & Friends. You do not need a Paypal account to pay the invoice. This invoice may be paid with a debit/credit card or with your Paypal account. Your registration is not complete until payment has been received.

Registration Link:

https://forms.gle/tghNLvt6VyEBoDJL9

I hope you consider joining us! Contact me with any questions you may have!

The Twelve Weeks of Christmas – Week 11 – Easy Gift Bag/Box

December 16, 2020 by Cindy

We’re getting down to the wire. Christmas is less than two weeks away! Yikes! Are you ready? I’m not! Don’t worry though. I’ve got you covered with a couple of easy, yet cute projects for the last two weeks of my Twelve Weeks of Christmas.

This week I have an easy-peasy gift/treat bag/box. You can wrap a small gift in it or fill it with treats. All you need to make it is a 6″ x 6″ piece of designer paper and whatever you want to decorate it with!

Isn’t it cute? I call it a bag/box because the top is like a bag and the squared bottom is like a box! Here’s a different angle of it:

To make this little bag/box you just need to do a little scoring, make a few snips and add a little strong adhesive like Tear & Tape or Seal +. Below you can see the pattern of where to cut and score. You can find complete instructions with photos here.

Give this fun little gift/treat bag/box a try. I may even use it for my Christmas table! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping! Merry Christmas!

The Twelve Weeks of Christmas – Week 10 – Mini Curvy Keepsakes Box Rudolph

December 9, 2020 by Cindy

This week’s project is fun and adorable. It’s perfect for kids and adults. It’s also quite versatile. What is it? It’s a cute little Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer box!

I have to thank fellow demonstrator, Sue McDonald, for this idea. I saw it online and knew I had to make one! It was pretty easy to make once I figured out what size circle punches to use.

Rudolph’s nose is punched from a Red Foil Sheet with a 3/4″ Circle Punch. The whites of the eyes are punched with a 1/2″ Circle Punch and the black portion of the eyes are punched with a 1/4″ Circle Punch.

The head is die cut with the 3rd smallest Layering Oval Die. I actually die cut two of them so I could layer the antlers between them. The antlers are punched using the Sprig Punch. I also cut two of them and adhered them together just to make them a little sturdier.

You can find the complete directions to make this cute little guy here. When you view the directions you’ll notice that I used Adhesive Sheets on many of the pieces. It made it so much easier adhering things together, especially the eyes. I did use a Stampin’ Dimensional to adhere Rudolph’s nose.

This festive little box has many uses. You can see from the photo that I added a ribbon which makes it the perfect little ornament. Since it’s a box you could even add a little treat to it before hanging it on your tree. If you don’t want to hang it on your tree just leave the ribbon off and it will make the perfect little treat box for your Christmas table.

Below you can see a photo of the back of the box…..you don’t want to forget Rudolph’s little tail! 😀

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

The Twelve Weeks of Christmas – Week 9 – Slide-Out Gift Card Holder

December 2, 2020 by Cindy

It’s already Week 9 of my Twelve Weeks of Christmas and I have a fun gift card holder for you. I think my favorite part of this week’s project is the fact that I finally used the adorable Gnome For The Holidays stamp set on it! 😀

These little gnomes are adorable and I’ve been dying to try them on a project. This week’s gift card holder was the perfect opportunity!

I got the idea for this slide-out gift card holder from another demonstrator but I tweaked it a little bit here and there. Here’s what the inside of the gift card holder looks like:

From this second picture you can see the slide-out mechanism. When you open the gift card holder the section with the gift card in it slides out of the plaid pocket section. As you close the gift card holder the area with the small snowflake will tuck into the plaid pocket section.

You’ll find complete instructions for this project with tons of photos here.

This is a fun project that, like last week’s project, can be used for any occasion depending on how you decorate it. I hope you enjoy this project. Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

The Twelve Weeks of Christmas – Week 8 – Origami Gift Card Holder

November 25, 2020 by Cindy

It’s Week 8 of my Twelve Weeks of Christmas and I have a fun and easy gift card holder for you! It’s made with a piece of double-sided designer series paper. When choosing your designer series paper for the project you will want to make sure that both sides coordinate since you will see both sides of the paper when your gift card holder is open.

As you can see from the photos above, I used one side for the outside of my gift card holder and the opposite side for my belly band. Once you’ve made the gift card holder and the belly band you can decorate the belly band however you’d like.

You can find the complete written instructions with photos for this gift card holder here. Hopefully they will make sense. I’ve also recorded a video for you which you can find below:

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions on creating this fun little project. Have a great day, stay safe and Happy Stamping!