Tips - Stamp By Stamp Creations

A Die Tip With Translucent Florals

January 16, 2024 by Cindy

My mother-in-law’s birthday is today and I chose the Translucent Florals stamp set and the coordinating Delightful Florals Designer Series Paper to make her card. There is also a set of dies that coordinates with them. These three items are Online Exclusives found only in my online store. My favorite item of these coordinating products is the designer paper so that is what I chose for the focal point of my card. I fussy cut this floral image from the paper. So pretty!

I knew that I was going to mount the fussy-cut image on white so I wasn’t too worried that there may have been a little white around the edges. I did have to get my X-acto knife out to cut out the small area by the stem of the small flower

The Berry Burst card front is stamped with the larger floral image from the stamp set with the same color ink and the strip of Pretty Peacock cardstock is stamped with the foliage image in the Pretty Peacock ink. Stamping cardstock with the same color image gives a nice subtle background design.

One of the dies (the sixth largest) from the Deckled Circles die set was the perfect size for the floral image and the card. After die-cutting it, it seemed a bit boring, so I needed to figure out how to add a little something to it. I tried drawing a dotted circle just inside the die-cut edge, but my drawing skills were a bit lacking. I tried to find something circular that I could draw around but came up empty. Then I had an epiphany. I could simply draw around the inside of the Deckled Circle die! I placed the die on my cardstock and using sticky notes, I was able to keep the die in place. The sticky notes need to be moved as you draw around the circle. You can either draw the circle before you die-cut it or draw it after as long as you keep the sticky notes in place. I will definitely be trying this technique with other dies.

Sentiments used on both the inside and the outside of the card are from the Sentimental Park stamp set. There is a birthday sentiment in the Translucent Florals stamp set but it was a little too large. Sometimes you need to look through your stash for just the right item.

Happy Birthday to my MIL! I hope you all have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Fun Fold and Stamped Ribbon

February 4, 2022 by Cindy

It’s Fun Fold Friday! Not only do I have a fun fold card for you but it’s a swap card as well. This fun fold is very similar to one I showed you back in October. You can view that post here. I called that fun fold in October the Side Flap Fun Fold. This card is the same idea but the flap is a different size and in a different location on the card.

The image on the front of the card is from the Amazing Silhouettes stamp set in Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini catalog. The “thanks” is from the Biggest Wish stamp set in the Annual Catalog.

I have to tell you that my favorite part of Melissa’s card is that she stamped the sentiment directly on the ribbon! I have never done that. Have you? I’m especially impressed because this ribbon is very textured.

I was going to tell you that you should probably use StazOn ink when stamping on ribbon but then I thought I’d give it a try with regular Stampin’ Up! ink. Guess what? It worked just fine! Check out the second photo.

I didn’t expect it to turn out so well! When I placed the inked stamp on the ribbon I held it in place for a few seconds and then lifted the stamp straight up. No problems at all! Hmm…I may have to try this on one of my own cards!

If you’re wondering, this ribbon is the White Frayed Ribbon (#158138 $7.50) found on page 33 of Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog.

Here’s a photo of the inside of Melissa’s card. I like the way she used the Sale-a-bration paper, Daffodil Afternoon, to add a little something extra to the inside of the card.

No naked envelopes and no naked insides of your cards! If you’re going to the trouble of making a special card, make the envelope and the inside of the card special too.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Aloha!

January 28, 2020 by Cindy

No, I’m not in Hawaii nor am I going to Hawaii in the near future….I just made a card that made me wish that I was in Hawaii! Ha! The Tropical Oasis Suite will definitely make you think of a tropical vacation.

Oh, my! Check out all of the goodies in this bundle! Stamp set, dies, designer series paper, trinkets, braided trim, embossing folder, new ink and Memories and More cards! Wow! You will love these products! They all coordinate and make you think tropics!

I think my favorite product in the suite (at this point, anyway…) is the embossing folder. It’s called Coastal Weave. Check it out:

Now, I can’t tell you all about this fabulous suite of products without sharing a project with you! This was my first project made with this suite and I only used the stamp set, dies and of course the embossing folder from the suite on it. It kind of makes you want to head on over to a tropical island and walk on the beach.

I must have a thing about trees. If I see a stamp set with a tree I really want it. These palm trees are what called to me when I first saw this stamp set….them and the gorgeous flowers.

To make the sandy beach I took a strip of Crumb Cake cardstock and tore one of the long edges. Then I took a Stampin’ Sponge and lightly dabbed on some Soft Suede ink. It’s hard to tell from the picture but I also did a little sponging on the sun to add a little depth to it. The trees are stamped in the Soft Suede ink and then colored with a Dark Old Olive Stampin’ Blend Marker and a Light Soft Suede Stampin’ Blend Marker.

Ah….Tuesday’s Tip! You don’t just have to use Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp your images before coloring them with your Stampin’ Blend Markers. You can use any Stampin’ Up! ink pad! All of the Stampin’ Up! colored ink pads are water-based just like the Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad is!

If you haven’t heard this before, the reason you need to use a water-based ink pad is because the Stampin’ Blend Markers are alcohol-based. You want to use the opposite type of ink pad. If you used a StazOn ink pad which is alcohol-based with your Stampin’ Blends your images would smear since both the ink pad and the markers are alcohol-based. The same goes when you’re water-coloring your stamped images: you want to use an alcohol-based ink pad so when you watercolor the ink won’t bleed.

Dimensions: Crumb Cake card base: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″, 3 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ Soft Suede: 5″ x 3 3/4″, scrap Pool Party: 4 3/4″ x 3 1/2″ Whisper White: 5 1/4″ x 4″, 2 3/4″x 3 3/4″ So Saffron: scrap

I hope you have a warm and tropical kind of day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Tuesday’s Tip: Change Your Embellishments

August 20, 2019 by Cindy

I’m a matchy-match type of person. If I’m going to put an embellishment on my project I want it to match perfectly. This is where today’s tip comes in.

This is a card that I designed for my classes this week using the Medium Daisy Punch. I could have just used a small circle punch for the center of the daisies but I wanted my flowers to have a little more pizzazz.

I checked my stash of embellishments and came upon some Faceted Gems. These gems come in clear and in gold. The gold ones were a little too…ah, well….gold for me. Not quite the yellow I was looking for. So what did I do? I took out my clear Faceted Gems and grabbed my Dark Daffodil Stampin’ Blend marker and colored those little gems. Perfection! Exactly what I was envisioning for the card!

I used the brush tip to color the gems and I will admit that coloring these textured gems did a number on my Stampin’ Blend marker. I won’t be able to color any really small areas with the tip but the marker still works and there’s always the other tip.

So you can see that not only can you color your ribbon with your Stampin’ Blends markers you can also color your embellishments! I love my Stampin’ Blends markers. Do you?

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Oh….can you guess where I took Holly the other day? 😀

Tuesday’s Tool Tip: The New 3D Embossing Folder Plate

August 6, 2019 by Cindy

Whew…That title is a mouthful!

What? You’ve not heard of the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate? Well, it’s not in the new Annual Catalog. It became available a few weeks after the new catalog launched.

When Stampin’ Up! partnered with Sizzix the embossing folders that gave you really deep impressions were called 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. (Another mouthful!). These embossing folders were a little less than 1/4″ thick.

Now that Stampin’ Up! is on their own in the die-cutting/embossing market these deep impression embossing folders are simply called 3D Embossing Folders. Stampin’ Up!’s 3D folders aren’t quite as thick as the Sizzix ones. They are only a little over 1/8″ thick. This means that when you try to run them through your die-cutting machine the “sandwhich” of folder and plates that you used to use isn’t quite thick enough. This is where the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate comes into play.

This is just like the standard cutting pads that you used with the Big Shot…except it’s a little thicker…and it’s blue! It’s great that it’s a different color so that you grab the right plate when embossing!

Even though all of the embossing folders that carried over from last years Annual Catalog are listed in the new Annual Catalog not all of them are available as Stampin’ Up! is still converting them to the new thickness. The folders that aren’t available yet are the Corrugated 3D Embossing Folder, the Layered Leaves 3D Embossing Folder and the Tufted 3D Embossing Folder.

So if you’re purchasing any 3D Embossing Folders from the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog you’re going to want to invest in the new 3D Embossing Folder Plate. The item number is #149658 and it’s $10.

Tuesday’s Tool Tip: Take Your Pick Tool

July 30, 2019 by Cindy

The Take Your Pick Tool was first introduced in last year’s Holiday Catalog. It’s a great little versatile tool. It comes with all of the pieces you see in the photo above. The left side has a tacky putty tip to use when picking up small things like sequins. The little spatula end on the right is great for picking up pearls and rhinestones from the sheets they come on and then placing them where you want on your project. If you remove this end you can turn it around and you have a pointy paper piercing tool. This is the end that saved me yesterday.

I was working on creating 17 of the same project yesterday and each project called for 6-7 Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals. I have short, stubby little fingers and it was a little difficult getting this itty bitty dimensionals off the sheet. I also have short fingernails so I was having a little difficulty getting the backing off the dimensionals.

Take Your Pick Tool (TYPT) to my rescue! I grabbed my TYPT, got the pointy end out and had no problem at all getting the mini dimensionals off the sheet and onto my project. The TYPT also made it SO easy to get the backing off these little buggers.

I love it when I can think of a solution to a problem! Maybe there is still some life left in this old brain. Ha! 😀

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s tip. You can find the TYPT and it’s accessories in my online store. Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Tip Tuesday: Stampin’ Spots

July 23, 2019 by Cindy

Are you a Paper Pumpkin subscriber? If so, you know what a Stampin’ Spot is. They are the small square ink pads that you get in your kit every month. Stampin’ Up! has also featured a few Stampin’ Spots in recent catalogs. The duo pictured below is featured in the Experience Creativity Beginners Brochure. This is a great publication for new stampers and it features some products that aren’t available in the Annual Catalog.

Stampin’ Spots are great. They are 1 3/8″ x 1 3/8″. They are the perfect size to take when traveling or on the go and I absolutely love using them with my Stamparatus so that I don’t get ink all over the plates!

What do you do though if you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber and want to use Stampin’ Spots on your projects? No worries….Stampin’ Up! has you covered! In the Annual Catalog you can find Uninked Stampin’ Spots! Just purchase the ink refills of your choice and ink up the Uninked Stampin’ Spots! When inking up the uninked spots you don’t have to saturate the entire spot. You can just add enough ink to go down about 1/4″ or so.

Uninked Stampin’ Spots
( #141822 $9 for 5 spots)

So, how do you tell what color the Stampin’ Spots are if you ink the uninked ones? I actually punch a 1″ circle of the same color cardstock and write the color name on the circle then attach it to the BOTTOM of the spot. Why the bottom you ask? I put the name on the bottom of both my Paper Pumpkin Stampin’ Spots and the spots I’ve created myself. The reason is that you want to store them upside down so that the ink is at the top of the Stampin’ Spot when you go to use it. I also punch a circle of card stock for the top of the spots that I create too so when I’m using them and they’re sitting on my desk I know what color to use.

I store my Stampin’ Spots UPSIDE DOWN in a Full Wide Stamp Case (#127551 $7 for 4 cases). As you can see in the above photo I don’t quite have all of the Brights colors in Stampin’ Spots but I can create them as needed as long as I have ink refills and the Uninked Stampin’ Spots on hand!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this tip! Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!

Forever Lovely Floral

January 22, 2019 by Cindy

Today I have a card for you featuring the Forever Lovely stamp set which is part of the All My Love Suite that I was telling you about yesterday. I also have a stamping tip for you.

Stampin’ Up! makes things easy for us. They designed this stamp set so that all the flower images are on one stamp and all of the leafy images are on another stamp and to make things even better for us stampers the stamps are photopolymer which means they are clear and you can see through them to line your images up perfectly! Stamps like this also work perfectly on your Stamparatus!

The images in this stamp set are beautiful. I love the look of the Distinktive stamps. They have so much dimension to them. Do you have any of these newer types of stamps? If not, you should consider purchasing some or come to a class sometime and check them out.

Tuesday’s Tip today has to do with your Photopolymer stamps and placing them on the clear blocks. I designed this card for last week’s class. When I’m working on a class I usually design the set of cards for the class first so I know what supplies I may need to order. Then, when I’m cutting the card stock and getting the supplies for each card organized I make another sample of each card. Well, last week when I was getting ready for the class and trying to make the second sample of this card I couldn’t get the flower images and the leafy images to line up at all! Oh, sure, sometimes when you’re stamping coordinating images like this you’ll be a little bit off but my images were WAY off and I was getting frustrated. I hadn’t had trouble making the first sample at all! I finally got out my Stamparatus and used that and things worked fine.

It was still bothering me though why I had had so much trouble. Hmmm…..and then it finally dawned on me what I had done wrong. This is where Tuesday’s Tip comes in!

TUESDAY’S TIP: When you go to adhere your photopolymer stamp to the block, especially when they are larger, place the stamp on a flat surface like your table, image side down, and then place your block on top of the stamp. DO NOT put the stamp on the block…..you may not get it on straight. That is what had happened to me. When I placed the stamp on the block I must have “bent” it a little. This meant that my images wouldn’t line up no matter how many times I tried. Sheesh! You’d think I would have know that or at least figured out my problem right away. Oh well, live and learn, right? 🙂

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Velvet Paper

November 1, 2018 by Cindy

Of course I didn’t think I needed the Velvet Paper that you can find in the Snowflake Showcase. Sure, you can use it to make pretty snowflakes but what else can you use it for? A person can make only so many projects with snowflakes on them even during the winter….and how can you use this gorgeous paper with the Happiness Surrounds stamp set in the showcase if you’re not making snowflakes?

Well, have I got a tip for you on Tip of the Day Thursday!

First of all, the paper is soft and fuzzy. Naturally you can’t see it in the photos but it is. I tried to get a close-up picture where you could see the fuzzy but I’m not sure it turned out all that well. My apologies.

The velvet paper does make gorgeous snowflakes but did you know that you can add color to it? Yep! You can make your white velvet paper ANY color you want and quite easily too!

Here is a photo of 5 different snowflakes and as in real life, no 2 are alike.

This is the original, unaltered velvet snowflake.
Hard to tell from the photo but this is a sparkly snowflake. I simply took my Wink of Stella Glitter Brush and lightly brushed it over my die cut velvet snowflake. It adds just the perfect touch of sparkle to the snowflake.
I colored this snowflake with my Aquapainter and Balmy Blue ink. I picked up a little bit of ink from the lid of my ink pad and brushed it over the snowflake. What I like about this method is that the color doesn’t go on evenly. The thing to remember is that it dries a lot lighter than when it goes on.
This snowflake is colored with a sponge brayer. I inked up my brayer and rolled it over the die-cut snowflake. With this method it’s easy to get just the right amount of color that you want.
This last snowflake is colored with a Stampin’ Blend Marker! Yep. Just use the brush tip of your marker and you can change the color of your snowflake. Easy-Peasy! (I used the Light Pool Party Stampin’ Blends Marker because they don’t make a Balmy Blue one.)

What do you think of today’s tip(s)? I was pretty excited when I discovered that you could change the color of the Velvet Paper. And of course this means that you can use any type of die on any type of project! Amazing! 🙂

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

OH! Don’t forget that today is THE DAY that you can start ordering the Snowflake Showcase!

Tip of the Day with Your Stampin’ Blends!

October 18, 2018 by Cindy

The other day I mentioned that my favorite product from the Festive Farmhouse Suite in the Holiday Catalog was the fun Designer Series Paper. I was also telling you that it’s not just for Christmas.

So…I got out my Festive Farmhouse Designer Series Paper and went to work. After a little pondering, I came up with this simple anniversary card. No, it’s not my anniversary but the Cherry Cobbler stripes on the paper made me think of hearts for some reason.

It’s a pretty simple card but what I want you to notice on the card is the ribbon. Check it against the ribbons you find in both catalogs. It’s not in a catalog, is it? 🙂

Hmm….how did I get Cherry Cobbler ribbon? I used the Whisper White 3/8″ Classic Weave Ribbon and my Dark Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blends Marker! It was so EASY! With the brush side of the marker I just kept adding color to the ribbon to get the saturation that I wanted. To keep my fingers from getting marker all over them I kept the ribbon on the roll as I colored the length that I wanted.

This little trick works like a charm on any light colored ribbon. Give it a try! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s tip. Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Not just for Halloween!

October 5, 2018 by Cindy

The other day I mentioned that my favorite product from the Toil & Trouble Suite in the Holiday Catalog is the Black 3/8″ Organdy Glittered Ribbon. I also mentioned that later in the week I would share a non-Halloween project with you using this fun ribbon. Well here it is. A VERY easy birthday card!

I used the Broadway Bound Specialty Designer Series Paper as the background. It may be hard to tell from the photo but the gold dots on the paper are gold foil. Since the gold dots were shiny and the ribbon is sparkly I decided to go with the Black Foil Sheets (not just for Halloween!) for the “Happy Birthday” and the layer behind the designer paper. Fun and simple!

Don’t these products coordinate perfectly? Have you added the glittery ribbon and the Black Foil Sheets to your order for this week? Halloween is coming soon so if you want to make some projects for this holiday you should probably order them SOON!

Yesterday I shared with you the tip of the week but as I was making this card I came up with a couple more little tips for you…

I cut out the “Happy Birthday” from a piece of Black Foil Sheet and I also used a piece for the layer behind the designer paper. If you like to conserve things, that’s a lot of foil sheets to use. What you can do though is simply die-cut the “Happy Birthday” from the center of the piece of foil that you’re using as your layer. The designer paper will cover the die-cut image and no one will know! 🙂

My second little tip has to do with die-cutting the Black Foil Sheet (or any color foil sheet). When I die cut the “Happy Birthday” I found that all of the little dots in the die made little impressions in my die-cut image. What I did then was to place the “Happy Birthday” a piece of cardstock and run it through the Big Shot again with clean and NEW clear cutting pad. This kind of flattened the dot impressions. Don’t use an old beat up cutting pad because all of those grooves and scratches will show up on your foil sheet.

Get that Halloween order together and get it placed! You can place it directly in my online store or contact me. If you order online don’t forget to use the October Hostess Code and don’t forget that online orders over $75 earn a free gift from me! One more thing not forget…..Stampin’ Up!’s World Card Making Day Sale! Only a few more days to take advantage of it. See…there are quite a few things to add to that order! 🙂

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Definitely Dahlia for Fall

September 7, 2017 by Cindy

The mornings are definitely cooler and I think fall is really on it’s way. Here is a fun and easy fall type card that I made for some parties I had at the end of July and August. It was a big hit. I also used it for my Card Buffet class.

Peekaboo Peach and Early Espresso are the colors used on this card. Don’t you love the Crinkled Seam Binding? The great thing about this card is that you can use it for almost any occasion. You just need to change the sentiment.

It’s a little hard to see from the picture but the dahlia is mounted on a piece of Early Espresso card stock before it’s mounted on the card. Also, I’ve embossed the Early Espresso background piece with my new favorite Layered Leaves Embossing Folder.

This Layered Leaves embossing folder is actually a 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder which means that if you spritz the paper with water then run it through the Big Shot with the embossing folder you will get an almost 3-dimensional look to your paper. It’s really pretty cool. A lot of times I don’t bother with the 3D look and you still get a nice impression.

One thing to remember when using these 3D Dynamic Textured Impression Embossing Folders is that your Big Shot “sandwich” will be a little different. These embossing folders are quite thick so you only need to use one standard cutting pad in your “sandwich” and you want it to be on top of your embossing folder. Your “sandwich” won’t go through the Big Shot if you try to use two cutting pads.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Sunshine Sayings Hope

July 5, 2016 by Cindy

Did you survive the 4th of July and all of the festivities? Our 4th was low-key and that was just fine with us. I did make the mistake of going to the grocery store in the morning….along with everyone else in my town. Sheesh! They couldn’t keep the carts stocked by the front doors. I lucked out on that account though. Patience was definitely the key word. 🙂

Simple, yet elegant. Those are the words this card brings to my mind. I designed a card for my next class using the heart from Sunshine Wishes Thinlits and decided I wanted to make a card with the flower too. This is what I came up with. The embossed background (Petals Embossing Folder) and the many layers really make the focal point pop. You know me, I love layers (and Melon Mambo!).

I actually die-cut two of the word “hope” and adhered them together. It really made the word stand out a bit more. I’m definitely going to try that little tip again sometime.

I really like the new Petals Embossing Folder. Even though it’s a busy design it’s subtle which makes it perfect for all types of cards.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Circle of Spring

March 7, 2016 by Cindy

I LOVE it when a plan comes together! This card turned out beautifully! If you like the picture, it’s even better in person! 🙂

I saw a similar card and just had to try it. I love the way the center of the wreath is cut out on both the background piece and the wreath itself. It’s really striking when you pop up the wreath with dimensionals.

Another thing I love….my new favorite punch….the Curvey Corner Trio Punch! It just adds so much to a card. It’s the perfect finish to a card.

This Circle of Spring stamp set has 6 different sentiments which makes it perfect for any occasion. Guess what? I’m going to use my favorite stamping word….COORDINATION! Yep…The Circle of Spring stamp set coordinates with the Wonderful Wreath Framelits. Woo Hoo! Coordination!

I have a great tip for you when you use the Wonderful Wreath Framelits. Instead of stamping your image first you want to die cut the middle of the wreath. There’s a little “arrow” on the framelit. Note which direction it’s pointing when you die cut the center. Now you want to line up the stamp with the “arrow” on the stamp pointing in the same direction the framelit “arrow” pointed. This should make it easy-peasy to line up the stamp around the die cut center! If you stamp first and then try to line up the center framelit you can’t really see where things go. The first time I tried this I was amazed at how much easier it went. Give it a try!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Honeycomb Happiness

February 11, 2016 by Cindy

Well, Lent has begun so that means that Easter is on it’s way. What comes to mind when you think of Easter besides bunnies and Easter eggs? Easter chicks of course! Isn’t this the cutest little chick? This isn’t an Easter card but you could definitely turn it into one.

I tried stepping out of my comfort zone on this card. Not only did I use a couple of banners and do a little water coloring but I added some scrunched up thread between the banners. Yes, I know it’s hard to see but honestly….it’s there! As many of you know, I don’t do random very well so the whole idea of just scrunching up thread and throwing it on the card was pretty out there for me. I did it though! It even turned out ok!

I found out a little tip on water coloring before I made this card and it really helped. The tip was to go over the image lightly with the water from your Aqua Painter. Then add the ink. The water helps the ink spread. It really made a difference. Give it a try!

What kind of things do you have a hard time with on your cards? I’d love to know. Leave me a comment.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

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