Dinner Menu

Recently I decided that it was time to put together a weekly menu and thereby take away the stress of deciding each day what to cook. When I saw a planner at a friends house I immediately set out to make one. Naturally, I found a way to enhance it with rubber stamps.

WHAT’S FOR DINNER

Supplies Needed:

• Certificate size photo frame (8 1/2″ x 11″)
• Coordinating scrapbook papers at least 3 colors.
• Border clear Stamps
• Stamping Inks
• Embossing powder if desired
• Dry erase marker
• Glue
• Chalks
• Print out of the Days of the Week

Begin by laying out papers in your choice of colors and patterns. It is recommended that you place a striped paper at the bottom. Once you have decided how you want your papers arranged, cut them so that they fit in your frame. Now personalize your striped paper with your border clear stamps. Add stitching – either stamped or authentic – as desired.

Cut out the days of the week to measure approximately 4″ x 8″. Ink the edges if desired and mat in a solid color.

Using the provided templates, or by drawing your own, make a bag of flour, mixing bowl and oven mitt.

Chalk the edges of the flour sack, write the word ‘Flour’ on it and then draw in dotted lines around the edge. Glue onto a light background, ink the edges of the background square and mat in the same solid color as the days of the week.  Finished frame will measure approximately 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″

Create a rolling pin with a rectangle of light colored paper and two pieces of brown for the handles. Chalk as desired and place across the bottom of the flour sack.

For the mixing bowl, trace the bowl in the mat color and emboss a gold band across as indicated by the template. Use a heart rubber stamp to emboss a red heart onto the band. For the contents of the bowl, simply cut from a light colored paper a bumpy mound. Chalk the edges and in the middle to give shape and definition. Cut a narrow piece of brown cardstock for a spoon handle. Cut a strip into the mound and insert the spoon handle. Glue all the pieces together and mat with a coordinating color.

For the oven mitt, trace the template onto pattern paper. Cut out and stamp  the cuff with a border stamp. Embellish with embossing or as desired.  Mount on light colored paper and mat with solid color. The finished frame will measure about 2 1/2″ x 2 3/4″

Secure all the pieces together and place in the picture frame. You can now write on the glass with a dry erase marker the menu for each night of the week.

Paper Stitching with Rubber Stamps

I have a friend that makes a lot of beautiful cards with paper stitching techniques. As a result I have fiddled with it a little. Recently I decided to make up one of my own designs using one of my favorite clear stamps the Sympathy Rose.

Here is how it turned out.If you are unfamiliar with paper stitching, it is really quite simple. It is similar to the string art we used to do in the 70’s.

First punch the holes with a needle or pin along your design. Using an image, I simply punched holes along the edges of the design at evenly spaced intervals. Be careful not to get them too close together or they will merge together when you are stitching.

Next choose a colored thread. If you have metallic threads they are really pretty to use. Thread a small needle and insert it into the first hole on the back side of the design. Secure the end of the string with a small piece of tape.

If you were working a circle, you would next choose how many holes to skip, for example 10. Now put your threaded needle through the tenth hole from where you came up. Keep working around the circle always working 10 spaces apart until you have completed the design. You should end up with something like the circles in this design:

Here is another design I worked from a stamp image from the All Year Clear Stamp Set.

When your thread runs out simply tape the end down on the back and start a new strand. It’s fun and easy. Try a few of your own designs and see how you like it.

Happy Stamping & Stitching!

Making the Bee Pop Card!

This is a fun card to make with the tree trunk popping out as you open the card. Additional bees and flowers are the finishing touch.

1. Cut card from ivory cardstock so that the finished card is 4″ x 4″. Cut your yellow pattern paper to the same size.
2. Fold ivory cardstock in half. Fold yellow pattern paper in half with the pattern on the outside.
3. Decorate the outside of your card as desired.
4. Cut from the woodgrain paper a 2″ width that is 4″ long. Fold this paper in half the long way with the wood grain to the outside.
5. Place the woodgrain on the fold of the yellow pattern paper. Fold the yellow pattern paper back over the woodgrain paper on both sides. This creates the pop-out section of your card.
6. Glue the yellow patter paper in place on the inside of your card. Do not apply adhesive to the fold out in the center.
7. Cut a branch from brown cardstock. Cut a slit in the fold of the wood grain paper and insert the end of the branch. On the back of the paper secure the branch with a piece of tape.
8. Glue the wood grain paper to the yellow pattern paper where it folds out.
9. Using the Mini Bee clear rubber stamps, stamp a couple of bees inside your card. Stamp a few flowers onto cardstock, cut them out and adhere to the branch on the tree. Add a few leaves made the same as the flowers and adhere as desired.

Carving Erasers into Rubber Stamps

WOW! I was able to attend a fun class a short time ago. In it I learned how to carve a basic vinyl eraser into a rubber stamp! It was so much fun!!! This is a handy skill to have when you need a certain stamp but don’t have one. I was amazed at the detail a person can put into their carvings.

Here is what I learned. First, you need to be sure that your eraser is perfectly flat and smooth so you sand one side of it with a fine sand paper.

Next draw your design onto the eraser. This can easily be done by first drawing it onto a paper, then outlining the drawing with pencil. To transfer the image simply turn it upside down onto the eraser and rub the back with a popsicle stick or something similar. When you lift the paper you will have a fabulous image to carve.

To carve you use a craft knife. Try to keep the knife moving in one flowing motion. When you are holding the knife be sure to slant it away from the image so you have support for the stamp once your are done carving.

Carve away the edges first then begin working in the detail on the design. Remember that even a hairline scratch will leave it’s mark when stamping so you don’t have to groove out the details very deep.

Experiment with this technique and explore your creative ideas.

The down side for me, when doing this was that once I started stamping, I couldn’t see where I was placing the image. I love my clear stamps and their transparent qualities. You can’t beat being able to see where you are stamping.

Below are some photo’s of my completed erasers carved into rubber stamps.

Here is a basic card made with the above set.

Here are some miscellaneous stamps I made and the stamped results.

Because I did not have all my stamping inks with me the colors are off a little. I would have preferred a deep red for the cherries and a lighter green for the pear. However, it was a lot of fun.

Just a note about your eraser carved stamps. Erasers hold the color of the ink once they have been used. You need to clean them just as you would your clear stamps. However, the color on them will stay. As long as you clean them right after using them, you will not have colors carrying over to your next stamping project.

Happy Stamping!

Deer Vista – Rubber Stamping Tutorial

It would seem that nature cards can be used for any occasion. With the seasons constantly changing around us, our paper crafts and creations often reflect what we see. Today, we will learn how to create this card making craft with nature rubber stamps, ink, paper and a sponge – and of course the clear stamps that make it all come together - ‘Winter Trees’

To make this beautiful nature card begin by cutting your scrap paper to the same size as you want your nature scene to be.  Next tear off the bottom left hand corner to create the hill that the deer will stand on as illustrated in the next photo.

With the torn scrap paper held in place over your scene sponge your ink along the torn edge to create the hill in your landscape.

Next, using the straight edge of your scrap paper, create the lake edge with the sponging technique. As you sponge draw the ink upwards a little so that it fades out as you move upwards.

Once your horizon is created it is time to work on the sky. I chose to add a distant mountain. To do this tear your scrap paper again to create the jagged peakes of a mountain. Very lightly spong along the edges of your mountain as shown below.

Next add a little ink in the sky above the mountain to balance the color in your picture.

Now you are ready to add the trees that are visible across the lake. To do this ink only the top portion of the tree rubber stamp found in the Winter Trees set of clear hobby rubber stamps. Before stamping it into your nature scene dab the ink on the lower part of the trees with your sponge. This will blend the color from thick to thin giving the effect of the bottom portion of the trees disappearing into the mist over the lake. Stamp the image so the tops of your trees are visible above the mist as illustrated in the next photo.

Stamp the image a second time before reinking to create more distant trees in the background.

Choose an accent tree to stand alone on the hill over the lake. There are several featured in the Winter Trees set of clear stamps. Stamp your tree in place as desired.

Stamp the deer on a separate piece of paper (the same color as you used for your nature scene) and cut them out closely. Adhere to the hill so they stand and look over the lake as illustrated below.

With the nature scene complete choose a card making template that will work with it and design your own stunning hand made greeting card. You may wish to embellish with ribbon, brads, wire or glitter for the finished look you desire.

Happy Stamping!

Stamping Easter Fun after Easter Egg Painting

So another Easter has hopped on by. It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies, but because it does it is important to capture the moments while they are fresh in our memories.  Scrapbooking ideas for Easter themes are always welcome. This idea is to help you highlight your Easter Egg Activities. The following is a simple card making craft using this technique.

The fun Easter Egg background is created using the Egg Pattern Clear Stamp. Once you have completed your background add photos if you are doing a scrapbook page and plan the layout in such a way that you can add painted Easter Eggs as embellishments.

Cut out ovals in the size that you want your Easter Eggs to be using white cardstock. Next choose your favorite border rubber stamps to decorate your eggs. I suggest using colors that appear in your photos or scrapbook page backgrounds to make your stripes.

Begin stamping lines on your Easter Egg shapes. Once you have finished your horizontal and vertical stamped elements it is time to fill in the background with a complementary color. You really do get to ‘paint’ your Easter eggs. To do this:

Choose the color you want your egg to be. Close the pigment ink pad then squeeze the top and bottom together tightly. This will create some residual ink on the inside of the lid of your stamp pad. Next, generously wet a small paint brush and mix a little water around on the lid – creating inked water. With that done, begin painting in all the white background areas on your Easter Egg! I like to ink the edges when I am done for a little extra emphasis.

You have just created a fabulous Easter Egg embellishment with your rubber stamps for decorating your Easter scrapbook pages!

Happy Stamping!

My Twist on Rubber Stamps and Tea Bag Folding

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through some crafty sites and found a technique called tea bag folding that I thought would be fun to try. Here is a photo of the finished result.

To use this technique:

Cit eight squares measuring 2″ x 2″. You can make them all the same color or use a variation of colors like I did.

Fold each square diagonally from corner to corner. This will locate the center of the square for rubber stamping and accurately placing the design.

Using the Mini corners clear stamps, stamp 4 corner designs into the center of the square. I used the second longer corner design to stamp on the outside corners so that the square was covered in rubber stamping patterns.

Once you are finished rubber stamping on your paper follow the remaining folding instructions . Step 2 – Fold the Square from side to side in both directions. Step 3 – press the folded edge up in between the two sides to give you an angled fold as pictured in (4). Do both sides and you will end up with a folded shape like (5). You will have two decorated triangles back to back. Be sure that your rubber stamping design is showing on the outside and is not folded up inside the triangle.

Follow this prodecure for each of the 8 pieces. Assemble the flower by placing the next triangle in between the two folded together. Your flower will look the same on both sides of the project. Use glue to adhere the pieces together.

Embellish the finished design as desired and you have a very unique and eye catching rubber stamped, hand made greeting card. You might also have fun stamping any other symetrical design on the squares for varying looks as you explore your own creativity.

Happy stamping!

Rubber Stamping on Easter Eggs

Rubber stamping on Easter Eggs has endless creative possibilities for Easter decorations and fun. I got this idea from a craft book that pictured a basic rubber stamped egg but it didn’t give any real instructions. I decided it would be fun to try it and share my results with everyone for Easter. First here is a picture of my colorful Easter eggs that I stamped on.

I didn’t use the traditional store bought Easter Egg coloring kits. I used food coloring, vinegar and water. (I didn’t measure but I think it was equal parts of vinegar and water). I put in lots of food coloring.  When the eggs came out they were beautiful solid shades but as they dried they became mottled. I don’t know why but I liked the look.

Clear stamps are ideal for stamping on Easter eggs because you are not stamping on a flat surface and you can actually see which parts of the clear stamp has left its impression on the egg. This is very important to be able to make great designs.

Once you have colored your eggs be sure that they egg are completely dry and at room temperature before try rubber stamping on them. My eggs had been refrigerated and as they warmed up they had moisture condensing in places. As a result I had dye all over my fingers and it affected the crispness of the image in a few places as well.  Hopefully having your eggs at room temperature will keep colors from running and messing up your designs. If you chose to use hollow eggs you should not have any problems at all.

Some of the rubber stamping techniques you can try include stamping in embossing ink and heat embossing the design. I found that I really had to heat it up a fair bit before the embossing powder melted, but I love the effect it left. I stamped black butterfly images around for more variety though keeping to my chosen butterfly theme.

Rubber stamping with pigment inks was my favorite rubber stamping technique for Easter eggs!! You do have to be careful because if the ink is not completely dry and you touch it, it will smear. However, this was the easiest and funnest way to add lines, borders and detailed images to my eggs.

Once I was done stamping, I finished off each egg with a few craft gems glued on with craft glue for a little extra glitter and glitz. All in all the project was only moderately difficult and a lot of fun. I have never had so much fun decorating Easter Eggs!

Rubber Stamping on Smeared Ink

WOW! I can’t believe I am finally ready to write this tutorial. I have had 6 appointments between 9:00 last night and 1:00 this afternoon with at least 3 more before the day is out! I am so excited about this technique, though that I can’t wait to share it with you. It is soooo easy! If you can smear ink you can do this!

Here are the step by step techniques that you can use to make a smeared ink card of your own!  I used a lot of colors. Starting with the dark green for the hill, use your small ink pads to rub in the shape of a hill.

Next add the light green below the dark green. The lighter you rub the ink pad on the paper the lighter the color you will get.

Fill in the bottom left hand corner with a rust or dark orange ink. This is the brush or plants that you see in the picture. (You may substitute any other color that you wish to use at any time in the process.)

Next I added a little depth to the brush (rust orange color) by smearing a little pink on top.

Next it is time to fill in the sky. I actually used two colors of blue but it is not necessary for the final outcome.

For the colors of the sunset add some pink in the center of the picture above the horizon.

I actually added a little purple around the pink and down in the brush which you can see in the next photo.

Now it is time to define the horizon a little more.  You can do this quite easily with the edge of your regular stamp pads as they are rigid – not foam. Begin making short random horizontal lines at the base of the hill. Turn the paper the other way if you desire and make short vertical lines to imitate fence posts in the distance.

Your background is now complete! It is time to stamp the foreground images into your picture.

Using the Leafy Silhouettes Clear Rubber Stamp Set begin stamping leaves across the sky so that it appears you are standing under a tree and the branches are stretching toward the sunset within your view.

Use a combination of stamps if you like as you build your tree.

Add twigs and branches between the leaves for a more complete tree. Once you are happy with your tree, use a black pen or marker and outline the bottom half of each leaf or branch. This adds depth and interest to the project.

On my picture I decided I wanted the look of a path coming down toward the trunk of the tree. To do this I used the edge of the dark ink pad.

Next I began creating the brush in the bottom corner. Using the Leafy Silhouettes clear stamps and the same ink that the tree was stamped in, I created the brush. Remember that these stamps are so versatile that you can bend them into the shape that you need to create your card.

With this done you may choose to ink the edges in the dark ink or use it as it is. Create it into a card design and enjoy the finished results! It is as simple as that!

Hopefully you will have fun just smearing ink for your rubber stamping projects. For the above card I designed a card insert that was perfect to finish the card.

Happy Stamping!!!

Scrapbooking with Rubber Stamps

For Christmas this past year I decided to do a Mini scrapbook that contained all the personal information of my family members including neices and nephew and all the rest. My goal was to have a small, handy complete and up to date address book that would be fun to look at and use.  This is what I came up with.

The first page you see when you open up the book is the title page containing a full family picture and the heading “____ Family Address Book”. It is simply printed on white cardstock cut to fit in the sleeve of the photo album and I used my clear rubber stamps with first and second generation stamping techiniques to give the impression of patterned paper.

Inside the address book each family has two pages. One page is designed to hold birthday and anniversary information. It is embellished with full color pictures of family members and decorated with rubber stamped images. The other page is for information that changes such as mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and cell phone numbers. The following photo’s illustrate this well. You will noticed that all faces and personal information has been blurred to maintain privacy.The last page of the book includes a descendancy tree for a completed project which now contains personal family information needed to keep in touch and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. I stamped a tree on this page in keeping with the family tree theme.

I was surprised how quickly this project went. I had to make eight of them and they were done within a week as time permitted. Some of the pages already need a few alterations but it is a fun and personal gift that was easy to make and ideal to give.