Archive for June, 2009:
12 Reasons to Follow me on Twitter
What is Twitter you ask? Well, it is a free social network that keeps us in touch in real live time. Want to know what I’m up to? Just click on this cute little bird at the side of my blog. My Twitter name is Rubberstamping.
Things to expect when you peak in:
- Discover what I have in store for my blog and business
- Get an inside scoop when I’m designing new stamps
- Leave me suggestions as to what tutorials or stamps you would like to see me do
- Have personal interaction and chat time with me. Rubberstampers love new friendships.
- Learn what classes I will be teaching
- Learn what classes I am taking
- Discover what is new in the scrapbook and rubberstamp world in the Sarnia greater area
- When I’m feeling chatty, I just may leave a thing or two about what I’m doing for the evening–or daytime if I’m not at my full-time job
- Be the first to learn a new tip or trick I learned. It could mean a new idea for a tutorial will be forthcoming
- Hear about my design team work with the Technique Junkie Newsletter
- Hear about my design team work with Odd Bird Planet. New tutorials are in the works
- When you join and follow me, I will sign up to follow you, which will be all the more fun!
To get you started, I even have a few links for you:
Where you will find me and where you can sign up
Inque Boutique’s secret weapon video
Rubberstamping with PearlEx video
Basic Rubberstamping and Embossing video
Learn about cling stamps with Stampendous
Home Decor with Stampin’ Up video
So, are you in?
Subscribe to the comments for this postHalifax Citadel
Tutorial Tuesday will resume next Tuesday.
Anyone who has visited Halifax, Nova Scotia, will recognize one of my favourite Canadian landmarks–the Halifax Citadel town clock. This is one of the very first stamp designs I drew. I love this landmark so much, I did a cross-stitch of it 15 years ago.
To purchase this stamp, visit Sunflowers and Dragonflies Creative Designs.
Reader of the Week: Jeanette Waters
Before I introduce my Reader of the Week, I want to thank you for the many positive comments I am hearing about this regular feature. Each week I learn something new from the interviews. Take this week, for example. I never heard of liquid chalks or glimmer chalks so I Googled them and attached links for those of you who never heard of them either.
As a recap for new readers, my Readers of the Week are randomly selected from a comment left throughout the week. It’s a way for me to get to know you a little better, and it’s a way for you to have your day in the spotlight.
I would like to introduce my Reader of the Week, Janette Waters, of H2O Creations.
As you can see, Jeanette loves to layer her cards. Who doesn’t love layers these days!
Jeanette started out sewing before she got into rubberstamping. She likes the look of cards that use sewing, and hopes to start sewing on her own cards one day.
Jeanette was introduced to stamping when a girlfriend invited her to a stamping party, and added “the rest is history.”
I was surprised to learn that Jeanette has been blogging four years. That is a long time, as blogs just became a huge thing about 3 years ago, and statistically, most quit blogging after two years. What started out as a diary of her RV roadtrips to keep her family updated, turned to a rubberstamping blog.
As stated earlier, Jeanette is a lover of layers. She starts with the basic layout of the card and adds to the card from there. Liquid chalk inks and glimmer chalks are her favourite products. She loves to use chalks in her backgrounds because they leave such a beautiful soft look.
Curious about liquid chalks? Ziggy Art has a wonderful description. Nex Tag is just one place where you can purchase this product.
Curious about glimmer chalks? Simon Says Stamp gives a description along with the opportunity to purchase this item on-line.
I am always curious as to how long other stampers spend in their studio, and much to my surprise I learned Jeanette spends a long five to six hours there each day. She spends her time on the computer and creating cards.
Design team work includes:
When she isn’t in the studio you can find her in her gardens.
Asked to describe her life, Jeanette was happy to say she is very fortunate and lives a very happy life.
As the fairy tale says, “and they all lived happily ever after.” It sounds like Jeanette is indeed living her dream.
Tutorial Tuesday: One Layer, Postal Friendly Card
There are times we are in need of a unique one layer card, especially when holidays roll around and we are sending out many cards. This technique can be used on any card, but today I will show you my Sea of Love version.  Adding a border will give the appearance of dimension to your card and to your sentiment.
It is important to note that this is an A2 card so the border will be narrow. Next week I will demonstrate a wider border on a larger card.
All images are Odd Bird Planet
Supplies:Â Stamps, Sponge and Ink pads
3 pieces of cardstock will be cut:Â A2 (5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″) and another piece slightly smaller, and a second slightly smaller than your last piece.
Step 1: Clear your table to give yourself room to stamp. This includes pets.
Step 2: Stamp images onto paper. Leave room for your border.
Step 3: Cut a piece of cardstock slightly smaller than 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ A2 size. Use cardstock as paper will not be strong enough.
Step 4: Place the larger of the two smaller pieces of cardstock in the centre of your A2 card. Sponge dark colour around the edge of your card.
This is what your first border will look like.
Step 5: Using the smallest piece of cardstock, place it on the centre of your card and sponge lighter ink around the border. Don’t be afraid to ink over your first colour.
Step 6: Next, stamp a sentiment on your card.
Step 7: Place a piece of cardstock over your sentiment and sponge colour around the cardstock.
You are now left with an image that gives the appearance of having the sentiment on a layered piece of cardstock.
Step 8: Finish sponging colour in the white space and colour your card.
I use this technique on a lot of my cards. Next week, I will show you a way to spice up the border.
Odd Bird Planet Stamps Used:
951D Claude Left
1094 AA Philippe le fish small right
1095 AA Philippe le fish small left
934D Liza Seahorse left
244C Michelle right
997C Sea of Love
For a complete list of my tutorials, click on the Tutorial tab at the top of my page.
Porcelain Roses and Lilies
BasicGrey’s Porcelain paper coordinates with these SU Cameo Coral/Pretty in Pink/Rose Red roses and lilies very well. Paper was machine stitched before adding the many layers of paper.
Have yourself a fantabulous day!
Cameo Roses
The minute I saw the video tutorial  for this gorgeous rose on Patty’s Stamping Spot, I put in a Stampin’ Up order that would allow me to create this lovely and elegant rose. The order included Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set, reinkers, white Craft pad, and Shimmer paper. This rose is just one of the 24 that I created.
These lovely textured leaves are sold at Sunflowers and Dragonflies Creative Designs.
Thanks to my mom for passing over all her unused lace, I was able to add a little more elegance to the card.
I will add this post to the Tips & Tricks tab at the top of my page, so you can refer back to my card and location of the tutorial just in case you need it again.
Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!
Are you a subscriber? Subscribe today for more tips and tricks and tutorials.
Happy Father’s Day Paper Wallet
Don’t these odd birds remind you of your husband? Look, it’s taking three odd male birds to fix one leaky pipe. Admit it, our husbands pretend that they can fix something around the house, but we all know who tells them how to do it! Us. Yes, us odd bird ladies certainly know how to keep things under control in the household.  Sheesh, and our husbands think we are only rubberstampers! Ugh! I have a great story to tell you, but I’ll save that for another day as I have lots to share. But, I might add, I would love to hear your funny story about your Mr. Fix-it. You will find the tutorial at the end of my post.
Odd Bird Planet is having a Father’s Day special for that someone special. Stamps are 25% off and can be found on the website store. The following is a long list of stamps that are up for grabs in this special.
1402G Happy Father’s Day
1434IÂ U-pipe
1420BÂ S-pipe
1243QÂ Pipes
1427EÂ Â Toolbelt
1411DÂ Ladder
1423BBÂ Bucket
1230MÂ 3 Pipers Piping
1416CÂ Bucket Plumber Bird
1415DÂ Coffee Plumber Bird
1281EÂ Piper Piping With Faucet
1283JÂ Pipers Piping in Shower
1287EÂ Pipers Piping on Bench
1282GÂ Pipers Piping Under Sink
1424EÂ Tattoo Plumber Bird
1417BÂ Tool Belt Plumber Bird
1432NÂ Barn
1433IÂ Barn Stall
1435CÂ Lunchbox and Thermos
1400E On Father’s Day
1474FÂ Carlos the Bull Left
1473FÂ Carlos the Bull Right
1560HÂ Brawny Strong Bird
1500JÂ Larry Strong Bird
1559HÂ Mr Wilson Hat and Tie Bird
1513IÂ Ringleader
1620JÂ Work Van Left
1237JÂ Work Van Right
1547IÂ Woodrow Western Duckie Left
1546IÂ Woodrow Western Duckie Right
977CÂ Theodore Left
976CÂ Theodore Right
1920C Karrie’s Casey Cowboy Owl
1958N Kelly’s Gnome Carpenter
1939G Kelly’s Gnome in PJ’s
1871Q Kelly’s Gnome on Branch with Birds
1957W Kelly’s Gnome Train
1943I Kelly’s Gnome with Workbench
1730E Kelly’s Gnome Man Left
1731E Kelly’s Gnome Man Right
89JÂ Scooter
1300FÂ You Rock (jj mix)
1299CÂ You Rock (whimsy)
1280AÂ Max Rocker Owl
1271KÂ 3 Drummers Drumming
1270LÂ 3 Drummers Marching
1268OÂ 4 Drummers Drumming
1419EÂ Brody No Drum Left
1418EÂ Brody No Drum Right
1269DÂ Drum
1316EÂ Rock and Roll (gothic)
The tutorial for the paper wallet comes from the very talented Jerry Kay, of A Touch of Grace. I sew on all my cards, which made this card so much fun to create. If you don’t sew, don’t worry, you can piece your wallet together with double sided tape.  My photos don’t do justice for how awesome it looks in real life.
For Jerry Kay’s tutorial click here.
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did putting it together. Have a great weekend everyone!
For a complete list of my tutorials, click on the Tutorial tab on the top of the page.
Reader of the Week: Susan (Rainy) Roberts
I’m pleased to introduce you to Susan Roberts of Rainy Day Creations. Susan left me a comment and was randomly selected as my reader of the week. Susan has lovely work on her blog, and a sampling of her work is seen above.
To learn more about Susan, read on
How long have you created cards? The first time I ever made anything crafty was when I got invited to a SU! party back in the Fall of 2005. I made 4 cards and thought it was the most fun ever. There was no turning back! lol
Susan, how long ago did you receive the honour of becoming a Dirty Girl? I was on the Dirty Dozen Team from July-Dec 2007.
What did it take to become Copic certified? I took a Certification Class given by Marianne Walker from Copics. Her blog is http://ilikemarkers.blogspot.com/. She has tons of great information there.
What colours of Copics do you recommend. I don’t own any, but would like to start. I was so lucky to be designing for Ellen Hutson’s “the CLASSroom” as she let me use every single Copic marker that she carried in her store! This gave me the opportunity to play with so many different colors. I have just started buying my own and am beginning by choosing those colors which are my favorites. For example, I love pinks and reds and have purchased over a dozen variations of those. I’m not a violet fan and actually do not have any pure violet colors yet. Also I am a real Stampin’ Up! paper person so I am also choosing some of my Copics to match the SU! colors. Ellen has a chart to show these markers as she spent a lot of time determining which markers or combination of markers best match the SU! colors. (She includes this chart for free to anyone who purchases Copics from her store. http://www.ellenhutson.com/servlet/the-COPIC-Corner-cln-Individual-Markers/Categories
It is best when buying Copics to buy them in groups of three according to their number. This helps with blending. For example if I want to get a few basic yellows (indicated by the letter “Y”) I would get three markers that have the same first number (color group) and then get progressively higher on the second number (natural blending group). ie: Y11, Y15, Y19. These will blend better for shading, etc. than say Y02, Y15, Y28. A quick Google search gave this color chart http://www.copic.co.uk/copic-colour-charts.html.
How do you juggle family and all your design team work? This is a challenge. I have recently stepped down from design team work as it was taking so much of my time away from my family. Guess I never really figured that one out!! lol
How long do you spend in the studio each day? Actually in my studio I only average about an hour a day now. But if you count blogging and SCSing, I still spend probably close to four additional hours a day “playing” at this hobby!
I noticed recently some stunning cards you did with the brayer. (Thank you.:)) Will we be seeing more brayer work? I love using the brayer. Yes, I’ve recently bought several solid image stamps that I want to use with this technique. (Now to juggle some time! 
) Have you ever visited Michelle Zindorf’s blog? http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ If you love brayering… she is the QUEEN!!
What tips can you offer for cardmakers who want to kick it up a notch? Oh gosh… good question. I think when I started to add more layers and began to add dimension with pop dots, etc. I felt like my cards became more interesting. The sketch challenge and inspiration challenge on SCS really helped me to try new layouts and stretch my imagination, too. For awhile I was totally addicted to those two challenges! lol
Outside of cardmaking, what would you like my readers to know about you? I can’t think of anything that would interest them! lol I’m just a mom and grandma. They could always read my Dirty Dozen intro/profile on SCS if they were at all curious about me. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/600331?cat=500&ppuser=61883
Thank you Susan for participating in my little interview.
For more eye candy, visit Susan at Rainy Day Creations, and tell her Beth sent you.
For your chance to be Reader of the Week, simply leave me a comment throughout the week.
Think Pink
June’s Special Deal is a bundle of 6 stamps with a 25% discount. These stamps are not available to purchase individually during the month of June!
Here’s your LINK to go directly to the store and buy this wonderfully priced bundle of stamps!
The stamps in June’s Special Deal are:
1601E Kelly’s One Tooth Gnome Baby
1924D Kelly’s Gnome Blocks
1927L Kelly’s Gnome Storyteller
1905F Kelly’s Gnome Baby Girl
1759B Boy O Boy (pb)
1758A Think Pink (pb)
This is a $10 savings
Enjoy your day!
Tutorial Tuesday: Add Chalks to Your Flower Diecuts
Diecuts are the rage right now. Local stores cut them out on their Pazzle machines. Scrapbookers cut them out with their Cricut, and stampers cut them out with Sissix diecut templates. Today, there is a wide variety of ways to create diecuts.
Last week we learned to add highlights to dark green holly leaves by using green chalks. This week we will take things a step further by using a variety of chalk colours to create depth and interest. Although this tutorial is specific to flowers, it can be used on any diecut design.
Supplies:Â Diecuts, chalk and Q-tips
Take a coordinating dark shade of colour and add chalk by starting in the centre and pulling short little strokes in the direction that the flower would grow. If you choose a darker shade in the same colour as your diecut, you will not get significant contrasting shades.
Add a medium shade of chalk in a second coordinating colour and lightly move your Q-tip in a circular motion, pulling the colour towards the tip of the flower.
Add yellow to the centre of your flower. Once finished you can spray your diecut with a matt spray or hairspray in a well ventilated area.
For the purple-blue flower, I added a dark shade of purple onto the petals and then sporadically added a pink here and there over top of the purple chalk. Stickles were added.
Flowerpot Template tutorials
Tutorial for this flowerpot pocket card can be found on Stephanie Luman’s blog.
Amy Celona’s tutorial, accordian style
Card stand PDF file for flowerpot card by Janelle
3-D Paper Flowers in Flowerpot
Kristine’s Magnolia girl sitting among the flowers
Splitcoast Stampers Gallery of Flowerpot cards
Stamps:Â Sentiment, Odd Bird Planet; Crackle, Stampin’ Up; Ribbon, Costco; Diecuts, Stampin’ Up, Sissix
For a complete list of my tutorials, click on the Tutorial tab at the top of the page.
Splitcoaststampers
Twitter
Scrapbook News and Review