October Card Class

I love fall in Wisconsin, so I was terribly excited to make some fall inspired cards for our October Card class. The first was a traditional image from Autumn Harvest, but I thought that the color combo of Peach Parfait and Marina Mist made this card a little unexpected.



One of the stampin' girls that joins us every month kept insisting that we use punches to create a fun little focal point for a card. I got my mojo working and scoured the net for this little gem. The owl is adorable, a little time consuming, but adorable none the less. He sits on the tree, positioned sideways, from the Seasons of Friendship stamp set.



Last, but not least, is my favorite card this month using the gorgeous Day of Gratitude set from the Holiday Mini. I really hope they pick this set up for the next main catalog. I am also obsessed with this color combo. Simply stunning.

January Card Class

This month we focused on Valentine cards and treat holders. With all the new beautiful stamps available for this time of year, how could we not take advantage of it?

Our first card was a little involved, sorry Wendy. It is using Loads of Love, which I am sorry to say I have owned for 3 years, but never used until now. I think it is an adorable set, but I never know how to use it.



Our second card is a simple heart card, using the new I {Heart} Hearts. I love this set and it is by far one of my new favorites. I purchased the clear mounted set and I must admit that I really like them.



Our last project is courtesy of Splitcoast Stampers. It is a matchbook candy holder. I loved this adorable way to give one piece of chocolate. I need to keep a check on my sweets so this is a cute way to feed a sweet tooth without going overboard. What a "sweet" gift for a child, co-worker, or teacher.





Keep your eyes peeled soon to You Tube for our tutorials for this month.

October Card Class

This month we decided to focus on fall and gift giving cards/projects.  Our first project is the Tea Bag Holder Card.  This is such an easy project that anyone would love to get.  Teacher gifts, thinking of you gift, or a secret santa project for the upcoming holidays...the possiblities are endless!

We used the Simply Said stamp set and the Thoroughly Modern DSP to create this little gem. Just add your favorite tea packet and you have a perfect little gift on hand for all your family and friends. View our You Tube tutorial for the Tea Bag holder Part 1 and Part 2.

The second project we did this month was our focus on the Waterfall card technique. View our You Tube tutorial Part 1 and Part 2. You can also find another tutorial at Splitcoast Stampers. For this card we used the Bright Blessings Jumbo Stampin' Wheel and Falling Leaves stamp set. This is a sweet little card that can be used for lots of occassions.

The last project we did was a Thanksgiving card using Baroque Motifs, Autumn Days, and Teeny Tiny Wishes. View our You Tube tutorial. This card could be modified to use for any holiday or special occassion. I love how the flourish and small flower can be used to make custom designer background paper.

To join our Monthly Workshop classes or receive our Workshop by Mail projects and directions, contact us at simplystampin4u@new.rr.com

Video Tutorial Simplystampin4u Sweet Centers Lollipop, Upsy Daisy Card and Pumpkin Patch Card.

Were trying something new.  Well at least for us this is very new teritory.  We have a few customers that live out of state, but wanted to join our monthly card classes.  How is this possible when they can't be present?  We decided to video tape the tutorials for our cards.  Anyone wanting to join us now will receive all of the dimensions, ingredients and supplies to make their cards.  Then all they have to do is watch the video on YouTube.
If you are interested in joining our group, just send us an email to simplystampin4u@new.rr.com for more information.
Click on each of the links below the photos to view the Tutorials

Sweet Centers Lollipop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmpzY-hYBXs

Pumpkin Patch Card - Masking Technique

Part One  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHUQh8zHk

    Part Two  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8UkBGerKdY

Upsy Daisy Card - Heat Embossing Technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LCcnwPVgIE

July Stamp Class

Our stampers decided that they couldn't get enough of us and wanted to have an additional July class, so here are the goods from tonight. Some of these ideas have been rolling around in my head for a while and now was as good time as any to get them out. Although I wish I would have highlighted some new stamp sets more, I'd say overall I like what we have done here.


I am the girl who doesn't put greetings and sentiments in cards until I'm going to use them, but something has been nagging at me about the Define your Life stamp set. I have been dying to use it, but didn't know how to incorporate it without it looking too obvious.



The next layout I love and found that someone else on Splitcoast had used with a totally different set. I think leaving a lot of white in the background scares people, but I love the simplicity of this card and will be doing a similar one for a swap I'm in this month. I also incorporated the small flower from the Kind and Caring Thoughts set (a new Level 3 Hostess set!)




Last but not least is an oldie, but a goodie. I made a couple billion of these last summer to send to former students who had birthdays last summer. I think they are adorable and would make "sweet" birthday or party invites. We jazzed them up a bit by using the scratch and sniff technique from Splitcoast Stampers. Click here and it will take you directly to the site.
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/scratch_and_sniff_technique/

June Card Class

Okay so we posted the pictures of our June Stamping group having our first class in my new craft room. Although the room is amazing, I think our cards were even more amazing.

You may know how crazy we are about the circle scallop punch. Well we found a creative way to use the scallop punch as a flower. We folded it in half and then cut along the scallops to create the illusion of petals. We used a dimensional to pop it up and give it a 3-D element.

On this next card, we wanted to utilize one of the frames from the vanilla hodgepdge hardware set. Although this card took a while to come together. I was super happy with how it turned out and I enjoyed the layout. We used my new Three Little Words set and did some scoring on a Scor-Pal to create a tile image, but it is difficult to see in the picture.

The last card is one of my favorites. The layout came from the April or May Stampin' Success magazine. I love the tree from Thoughts and Prayers and have wanted to do a version of the card ever since I saw it featured in the magazine. I love the mix of yellows, golds, and black. I think it looks elegant and simple, which is something I love to do in cards. Just goes to show you that cards and scrapbooks don't need lots of "stuff" to make a visual impact.

OUR FIRST CLASS IN THE NEW CRAFT/CLASS ROOM

Well after all of the hard work that Amanda and her father put into this room, twice now because of the flood, they really pulled it together in time to hold our June class here. There's still more to be done adding shelves between the upper cabinets, and a few other touches. I must say I am very jealous that my daughter has such a fabulous room to play in when ever she wants.
Maybe I can get her father to re-create my craft room to enlarge it just a little! SMILE!

May Stamping Class

For our May stamping class this month, we wanted to keep things light and fresh so used some interesting color combinations. I think sometimes the two hardest things to creating a beautiful card are the color combo and the layout. These cards should give you some help in both areas.

The first card was used with the Trendy Tree set which I am in love with. I love trees so this set was right up my alley. We also used the new eyelet border punch and the Full of Life stamp set which has some amazing quotes and phrases.

This next card was a little more difficult, but still I think makes a visual impact. We used the Large Scallop Bigz die and the Circle Scissors Plus to create a different look for our main image. We also used the Friendly Words wheel, which I just got this week. I was so excited that it worked into this card so nicely. This would have worked as a beautiful Mother's Day card, but could easily be used for a bridal shower, birthday, or wedding.

The last card we made was a pocket card. It is a super simple design and can be made to fit any holiday or occassion depending on the colors and stamp sets you use. We used Garden Whimsy for a cute card. The color combo inspiration came right out of the Spring and Summer catalogue.

April Stamping Class

We decided to take advantage of the Occassions Mini Catlogue this month when creating our monthly stamping projects. On the first card we used the Oval All set and Oval Scallop punch to create a very neat flip card. I'm sure there is a more technical name, but I don't know it.

The second card we made I love because it is void of all color and extremely elegant. We used the Walk in the Park Designer Paper and Embrace Life stamp set (not from mini catologue.) I think it is gorgeous and could be used for a number of different occassions.

Last but not least we made the cute card, mom posted earlier using the Wagon Full of Fun set, specifically the cupcake. We also used another paper design in the Walk in the Park Designer Paper pack.

March Stamp Class

This month we tried experimenting with different folds for our cards. We wanted to share how easy it is to make cards open in many differenct and exciting ways. We also made each card or project with at least one SAB (Sale-a-Bration) set.

The first card we made used the Congrats set. I love this set because it is so versitile. You can mix and match the sayings for so many occassions. We also used the Fifth Avenue Floral set, stamped it in Versamark and then embossed it with white embossing powder. We sponged Not Quite Navy ink over the embossing which made the white flowers pop! Adorable!



The second card we made is called a squash card. The techincal name is a Triangle Tri-Fold. We used the SAB designer paper, Cheap Talk, Hope Happens, and Sincere Salutations. This card gives a little something extra to the receiver. To see a step-by-step tutorial visit: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/triangletrifold.php

The third project we did was this adorable bag. We used a small craft bag and created a cute treat bag or personalize gift bag. We used the Yummy set and a couple of rhinestones for "bling." You can see a step-by-step tutorial video at http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/stampinacademy/2008/09/cupcake-treat-b.html

This link will take you to the Chic n' Scratch blog by Angie Kennedy Juda. She has a great blog. Check it out!

January Stamping Class

These were the two cards and desk calendar we made for our January Stamping Class. For the two cards we used the Love You Much set. This is a new set in the Spring and Summer Catalog. Right now, until the end of the month, you can get 20% off a special Love You Much bundle. Contact us if you are interested in this amazing deal and adorable set!

November Card Class

These were the cute cards and project we made at our November Stamp Class. They were a big hit. I am a fan of cards you can literally make in minutes. I also like the idea of creating cards that you can easily make many of with little effort (especially Christmas cards.) I was feeling a little monochromatic too-can you tell? I had an all pink card too, but we scrapped it to make this adorable lip gloss holder. It is slightly larger than a lip balm holder. We just adjusted the measurements to fit our project. What a cute stocking stuffer or secret santa gift!

October Card Class

We just finished our October card class and I couldn't wait to show you our creations. We decided to do a Halloween card (made by using the pulling pastels technique.) We also did a very cute and simple fall card using the Holiday Blitz set. The last card we did involved bleaching and turned out so subtle. It really captures the essense of autumn. I love these cards, but can't wait to start working on our November cards.

September Stamp Class Projects

Here are the newest projects that Amanda and I created for our September Card Class. We used the new In Color papers, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango and then the Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. The stamp set is A Little Birdie Told Me. This is such a great set because you can use it for so many occasions. We used a watercolor technique using our stamp pads and the aqua painter.



The stamp set A Tree For All Seasons, is fun and interchangable depending on the season. For the words we used the Happy Everything stamp set. Again we used a watercolor technique using the watercolor wonder crayons and the aqua painter.


This is our Post It Note (c) holder. We used two blank coasters and covered them with one of the prints from the Haiku designer series paper. Then we used the Bind It All (c) and Owire to put it together. What a neat little project to give as a secret santa gift! I carry mine in my purse so I always have something to write on. When the Post It Note (c) pad is gone, just replace it.
I used the Round Tab punch, the Simply Said stamp set, Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon and a rhinestone brad from the circle fire set to finish it off.