Posted in Paper Projects on 06/22/2009 02:42 pm by Jessica
Don’t you get tired of the stray EP granules that end up all over your paper when you are heat embossing? I use a small makeup or paint brush to sweep them off the large open areas of paper, but those few stray specks that cling near the stamped image drive me crazy. SU has the Embossing Buddy that takes care of that problem. Michael’s has their own brand of this product as well. If you don’t have one already, you should check it out.
Tap the Embossing Buddy on the paper before you stamp the image you are going to emboss, and it will eliminate the static cling that keeps the stray powder from tapping off like it should. I still keep my little brush handy for extremely stubborn specks, but it works great!
Of course, after I invested in this little tool, I found several DIY descriptions online. Go figure! If you don’t want to go out and buy one, try filling a baby sock with cornstarch or talcum powder and sewing the top of the sock closed. (You could probably forgo the sock and just keep a small container of powder to sprinkle on your paper there at your workspace, but I haven’t read anything about that.)
I did come across a few suggestions for sweeping a dryer sheet across the paper before you stamp, but that never really worked for me. Maybe your dryer sheets will save the day.
If you do go with the Embossing Buddy or it’s homemade alternative, consider storing it in a small ziploc bag to keep the powder from getting everywhere.
Hope it works for you like it did for me!
Posted in Scrapbooking, Stamps on 06/12/2009 11:00 pm by Jessica
So far, I’m using DCWV’s Nana’s Nursery/Baby Girl stack for Rebekah’s album. It’s got some great prints, and I love the colors.
Here are some shots of the pages I have completed so far.
I used the cricut for the letters in Rebekah’s name, and I added her hospital bracelet at the bottom of her picture. Between the Brights stack and the Pastel stack from DCWV, there are some pretty good options for plain paper matching the Nursery stack, but you’d need several copies of each stack to get enough pinks, greens, and yellows for a whole album. I had to find an alternate source for plain paper to use as photo mats.
On the left, I covered a flower from Stampin’ Up’s (SU) Stitched Exotics set with two different shades of pink glitter. The bird and the two little bugs in the opposing corners were embossed with irredescent powder. On the right, I used another Stitched Exotics flower embossed with yellow/gold embossing powder (EP) and a flourish from Stampology in the center, and a bird and the aforementioned branch stamp (see the Whimsical Birds post below) embossed with irredescent EP. In addition to the pictures, I added R’s nametag from her bed at the hospital and a copy of her footprints that our midwife, Kate, made for us after we brought R home from the hospital.
Because the above pages used a print background, I didn’t need to add much in the way of stamped embellishments. The little bird on the tab was covered in dark pink glitter (though the orange paper makes it look red. oh well.) The butterfly, snail, and ladybug are all from SU’s Garden Whimsy set and are embossed in white EP. If I were to do it over again, I would use the irredescent EP instead of the white so that they better matched the birds on the opposing page. I really like the paper combination and the layout of the last two pages though.
Posted in Cards, Stamps on 06/12/2009 08:29 am by Jessica
There are so many cute papers and stamps out there with birds on them! Not sure why I find this trend so appealing, but I do. One of my favorite stamp sets to use recently is “Whimsical Birds” by The Paper Company. I picked up these clear stamps at Jo-Ann’s, but I can’t find them listed online at the store’s website. Here’s a pic of the whole set.
I’ve been able to make some really cute cards with these. The little birds are great paired up on a branch, and the larger birds and owl are so striking all on their own. I love them embossed in marcasite powder on a bright piece of paper.
I used DCWV’s Garden Party prints for the owl card along with some bright blue glitter sprinkled along a strip of double-sided tape.
My mom ran across this cute Hero Arts branch stamp, and I think it looks great with the two little birds. I embossed the image with irredescent powder, and colored in the flowers and leaves with glitter pens. The green background print is also from the Garden Party stack.
Posted in Cards, Paper Projects, Scrapbooking on 06/11/2009 12:11 pm by Jessica
When I have some spare time (in other words, when Rebekah is asleep) I love to work on scrapbooking and card making. Unfortunately, no one really gets to see my projects unless they are the card’s recipient or they come over to look at my scrapbooks. Hopefully, this way I can share my projects with everyone else!
Lately, I’ve been using R’s afternoon naptime to work on her scrapbook. I know I have to get started now, or else I will never get caught up. We love taking pictures of our girl!
For Christmas, I received some lovely coordinating scrapbook materials and a couple albums to use for Rebekah’s book. It has been so much fun digging in to those treats and assembling some pages. Having multiple papers and embellishments that all go together makes the work so easy.