Showing posts with label Clear and Simple Stamps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clear and Simple Stamps. Show all posts

Monday, March 7, 2011

Special Birthday Wishes...

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The very sweet and talented Nicki Jackson is throwing a surprise birthday blog hop for her mom and business partner, Reenee, and I was delighted to be asked to participate. Both Reenee and Nicki are the creative force behind Clear & Simple Stamps, for which I was honored to be a Design Team member last year. There are lots of fun ways to celebrate with this hop, including a chance to win some CSS goodies and a coupon code! (Details below) If you've hopped over from Ashley Newell's fab blog, you are in the right place, and if you ever get off-course, head back to Clear & Simple Stamps and begin (and for a chance to win!)
For my Happy Birthday to Reenee, I chose to work with two of the most versatile of stamp sets from CSS, Icons I and Icons Plus. I was inspired by the color challenge over at Pals Paper Arts and combined some pretty patterned paper with these lovely stamps. I trimmed around the edges of the butterflies to pop them out and hand-stitched through some organdy ribbon for more dimension. The clear stamps were great for assembling a "custom" birthday message, which I stamped directly onto some vellum and fastened with tiny staples.
Be sure to leave some birthday love for Reenee on the Clear & Simple Stamps blog or become a fan on their Facebook page and leave some birthday wishes there for a chance to win a surprise box of Reenee's favorite products from CSS. Two winners will be chosen, one from each site, so if you aren't on FB, you still have a chance to win! Also, to celebrate, CSS is offering a coupon code (birthday15) for 15% off at the store, good for today only, so when you are done hopping, head over there and keep the party going!

BEAN NOTES
Stamps: Icon Extras  and Icons Plus (Clear & Simple Stamps)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Specialty Paper: Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper: Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper (SU!)
Fibers: Ivory Organza Ribbon (Jo-An Fabrics)
Accents: Tiny Attacher Staplers (Tim Holtz)

Now hop over to the lovely Lori Tecler's blog for more birthday fun. Thanks for stopping by and, Happy Birthday, Reenee!




Thursday, December 30, 2010

Farewell, 2010...

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Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I can hardly believe that 2010 is drawing to a close. What an amazing year it has been, and this will mark our first full year in New York! I've had a wonderful time creating, making friends, and being inspired in the paper-crafting world. I was a top finalist in Gallery Idol, got published, and was invited to join some incredible design teams. I'm a little sad today, however, as my design team membership for Clear & Simple Stamps draws to a close. CSS is an amazing company, and they treated me with respect and kindness, and as if I was a member of a family.
My project today is my last "official" post for CSS, and I think it's appropriate that it is a calendar project as I look toward the future. I was lucky enough to get to use the Clear & Simple sets, Icons I and Icons Plus, which were the perfect pair with their 2011 Calendar Template!


After printing out the template, I stamped the icons and the fun borders on each calendar page before trimming. To assemble, I adhered a strip of 1/8" Scor-Tape (you can use any sticky tape adhesive), which makes it possible to peel off each calendar sheet.


Thank you so much, Clear & Simple Stamps, for helping to make 2010 such a wonderful year. And, to all my readers, may you all have bright and happy new years!

BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Icons I and Icons Plus (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Soft Sky, Bleu Bayou, Peach Parfait, Perfect Plum, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, More Mustard, Crushed Curry Classic Dye (Stampin' Up!)
  • Cardstock: Dare to Be a Diva Red (CSS); Printer Paper (generic)
  • Patterned Paper: Celebration (SU!)
  • Dies: Classic Long and Scalloped Long Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)


Saturday, December 18, 2010

Wee Games...

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There seems to be a plethora of new babies arriving in the homes of many of our friends and family. It's always such a happy occasion, and it gets me thinking about lots of baby "firsts." I thought I would create a fun little game for kids using the perfect-for-this-project Icons I from Clear and Simple Stamps.
I first created a simple template on my computer for the "BINGO" card (I know, it isn't really BINGO, but I figured that the simpler the better for these wee friends of ours). Next, I stamped the images in bright, fun colors. I then made a die by using the same images.


BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Icons I (Clear and Simple Stamps)
  • Cardstock: Poppy Parade (Stampin' Up!); A Blanc Check (CSS)
  • Ink: More Mustard, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizazz, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist (SU!)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Font: New Century Schoolbook (microsoft.com)


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Think Snow...

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Okay, so it feels like it should be snowing outside because we have the draftiest bedroom (where my craft space is located) in Manhattan, but there have been only a few flurries here and there. So, I'm thinking snow as hard as I can, because, if it's going to be this cold, there should be some payoff, right? No such luck so far, so I did the next best thing: make a card about snow! How perfectly perfect was it that the City Crafter Challenge this week is all about this wintery fluff?
I got out the new Clear and Simple Stamps {SOTM}, Icons I  and the coordinating sentiment set, Icons Extra and got down to snowmaking business. The thing I love about clear stamps is that they are easily manipulated to follow slight curves, which I did here with the wishful sentiment I chose. If this works, I may have to make a card that says "Think Lottery Win!"


SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from cardstock.
  2. Trim patterned paper, mat, and adhere.
  3. Stamp sentiment several times in curved pattern. Trim along edges, adhere ribbon. Adhere with foam tape.
  4. Stamp snowflakes on cardstock. Trim and attach brads. Adhere with foam tape.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Icons I and Icons Extra (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Aqua Mist and Ocean Tides Hybrid (Papertrey Ink)
  • Patterned Paper: Jolly by Golly (Cosmo Cricket)
  • Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!); A Blanc Check (CSS)
  • Fibers: Satin Ribbon (Archiver's)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Accents: Silver Brads (Making Memories)


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

For a Special Teacher...Clear & Simple Stamps Release Day!

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Happy December! Today is a special day because it is the first of the month, which means that Clear & Simple Stamps is releasing its Stamp of the Month {SOTM} and I got to play with two adorable new sets, Icons I and Icons Extra. For my project, I thought I would create a little gift to give to my son's new pre-school teacher, whom he has a sweet little crush on! This magnetic photo frame was so fun and easy to create, and can be easily adapted to any occasion.


SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Trim cardstock to fit frame.
  2. Trim patterned paper and adhere.
  3. Trim photograph and adhere; insert in frame.
  4. Tie ribbon and bow, threading through frame opening.
  5. Stamp apple; trim and adhere with strong adhesive.
  6. Stamp sentiment; trim and adhere.
BEAN NOTES
HAPPY BEANS
  • Alterable: Magnetic Frame
This month's Color Story is Emerald Bling, which includes coordinating buttons, ribbon, ink, cardstock, and a Copic Trio. I hope you enjoyed my project (starring my rugrat!) and for more "iconic" good fun, don't forget to check out the rest of the CSS Design Team!



Friday, November 19, 2010

Happy Fall...

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It's hard to believe that November is already half-over. The colors here in NYC have turned and it's gorgeous in Central Park. I thought I would celebrate Fall with a card using this month's {SOTM} from Clear & Simple Stamps, Happy Fall. To give my leaf a bit of autumn crackle, I crunched up the cardstock a bit before stamping. Before we know it, all those lovely leaves will have dropped and winter will be here. Where DOES the year go?

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from cardstock.
  2. Stamp sentiment. Apply liquid dimensionals.
  3. Trim patterned paper; mat. Tie ribbon. Adhere with foam tape.
  4. Crunch cardstock. Stamp leaf. Fussy cut and adhere with foam tape.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Happy Fall (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
  • Cardstock: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)
  • Patterned Paper: Togetherness (Cosmo Cricket)
  • Fibers: Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon (Jo-Ann Fabrics)
HAPPY BEANS
Enabler Alert: For a $1 discount on Happy Fall, enter code CSS1110 at checkout!

Sneaky Peeky: If you'd like to see more Autumn inspiration, I have a card that will feature on the Clear & Simple Stamps iPod/iPad App tomorrow, November 20! For more info, visit HERE.


Monday, November 1, 2010

Autumn Blessings...Clear & Simple Stamps SOTM!...

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It's the first of November! That means another fab Stamp of the Month {SOTM} from Clear & Simple Stamps. This month, the focus is on fall, and this adorable set called Happy Fall. For my card today, I thought I would create a little scene to celebrate one of the most beautiful seasons. Keep reading for this month's Color Story, as well as a coupon for a discount on this fun new set!

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from cardstock.
  2. Stamp tree on cardstock and color; stamp squirrels, nut, and bench.
  3. Create masks for tree, squirrels, nut, and bench (group all but the tree into one mask). Apply.
  4. Sponge clouds.
  5. Draw and color hills with markers.
  6. Stamp floating leaves and sentiment.
  7. Trim scene and mat. Border punch cardstock and adhere to panel. Adhere.
  8. Tie ribbon.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Happy Fall (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Cardstock: Creamsicle Cardigan, Orange Your Fabulous, Dish All the Dirt Brown) CSS
  • Ink: Creamsicle Cardigan (CSS); Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
  • Fibers: Dusty Durango Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)
  • Tools: Scallop Edge Punch (SU!)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers - E55, YR12, YR24, 0 (Copic)
This month's Color Story is A Clean Slate, perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and coordinates buttons, paper, ribbon, ink, and a Copic trio of markers. For a $1 discount on Happy Fall, enter code CSS1110 at checkout! I'll be featuring this cool color in an upcoming CSS project, so stay tuned (hint: think "green!")

Monday, October 18, 2010

Peace, Joy, and a Bonus Sketch!...

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Today is a very fun Monday, as it's my first time ever designing a sketch! This week, at 2 Sketches 4 You, it's double the fun. Along with another of Kazan's fab sketches, we have a Bonus Sketch for you, designed by moi. I was so excited to find out that this week's sponsor is also Clear & Simple Stamps! So, head on over to the 2S4Y site and play along with either sketch for a chance to win some cool goodies.
Of course, I chose to play with the Bonus Sketch, and I was so happy to get to use what has become one of my favorite Christmas sets from CSS, O' Tree. It's clean and chic, and for this card, I took one of the Christmas trees and turned it into the 3-D main focus of my card. Now I am really getting into the holiday mood...and it's only October!

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from card stock.
  2. Trim patterned paper and adhere.
  3. Trim green patterned paper. Mat with card stock and adhere.
  4. Trim card stock into square. Adhere. Attach brads.
  5. Punch three white squares from card stock. Stamp sentiments. Mat with card stock.
  6. Stamp Christmas tree three times on green card stock. Fussy cut and adhere together with glue. Adhere. Color star with glitter pen; fussy cut and adhere.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: O' Tree (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
  • Card Stock: Wild Wasabi, Rose Red (Stampin' Up!); Classic Solar White (Neenah)
  • Patterned Paper: Jolly Holiday (SU!)
  • Accents: Brads (Basic Grey)
  • Tools: Square Punch (EK Success)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Coloring Medium: Glitter Pen (Sakura)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Sentimentally Spooked...

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Happy Friday! Halloween is quickly approaching and I thought I had better get finished up with my spooky cards, so I broke out the new Beware set from Clear & Simple Stamps and got my boo on. For this card, I wanted to see what I could do with all the cute little sentiments from the set, and so I placed all of them on a large clear acrylic block and applied the ink using the gradient technique. I thought it made for a eerily elegant card for this trickiest of holidays.

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from card stock.
  2. Trim patterned paper; mat with card stock and tie ribbon. Adhere.
  3. Arrange stamps on acrylic block. Ink and stamp on card stock; sponge. Die cut label. Mat and adhere with foam tape.
  4. Apply liquid dimensionals.
BEAN NOTES
HAPPY BEANS
Enabler Alert! During the month of October, enter code CSS010 at check out for a $1 discount!


Friday, October 8, 2010

Wicked...

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It's Friday! This month's Stamp of the Month, Beware, from Clear & Simple Stamps has me feeling a bit "wicked" today. I thought I would create a spooky tag that I could give to my hubby for Halloween (tied to some kind of disgustingly sweet candy -- no one on the planet has a bigger sweet tooth than he does!) Beware includes the uber-cool skull and cross-bones and I gave this creepy fella some glowing eyes by inking up the eyes of one of the pumpkin images in the same set. Hope your day includes some wicked good fun!

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make tag from black card stock. Mat with card stock.
  2. Stamp skull and cross-bones.
  3. Stamp eyes.
  4. Stamp sentiment.
  5. Stamp witch's hat and spider. Shade with marker. Fussy cut and adhere with foam tape.
  6. Punch slit. Thread ribbon and tie.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Beware (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Card Stock: Perfect Little Black Dress, You're Such a Gray-cious Host (CSS); Dusty Durango (Stampin' Up!)
  • Ink: Fresh Snow Hybrid (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
  • Specialty Ink: Encore! Bronze Metallic (Tsukineko)
  • Coloring Medium:  Sketch marker C3 (Copic)
  • Tools: Slit and Corner Punches (SU!)
  • Fibers: Black Grosgrain Ribbon (generic)
HAPPY BEANS
Enabler Alert! During the month of October, enter code CSS010 at check out for a $1 discount!

Friday, October 1, 2010

BEWARE! (Clear & Simple Stamps Debut)...

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It's the first of October, which means two big things! The first is that today marks my official debut as a designer for Clear & Simple Stamps and I'm so excited. The second is that the first of the month also means a new Stamp of the Month {SOTM} from CSS! And, this one is absolutely fabulous for the upcoming Halloween holiday. It's called Beware -- be careful, this one's addictive!


This month's Color Story is Creamsicle Cardigan, perfect for Halloween, and coordinates buttons, paper, ribbon, ink, and a Copic trio of markers. For a $1 discount on Beware, enter code CSS1010 at checkout! Thanks for stopping by for my big debut, and I hope you have a spookily delicious day!

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from card stock. 
  2. Die cut scalloped square mat and adhere with glue.
  3. Trim card stock and adhere. Stamp sentiment.
  4. Trim card stock. Sponge sky.
  5. Punch circle. Sponge edges. Draw tree and headstones. Adhere.
  6. Trim patterned paper; adhere with foam tape.
  7. Stamp spider and webs on acetate. Die cut frame and adhere with glue. Adhere to card with foam tape.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Beware (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Creamsicle Cardigan (CSS); Pale Plum Classic Dye (Stmapin' Up!)
  • Specialty Ink: Encore! Silver Metallic (Tsukineko)
  • Card Stock: Creamsicle Cardigan, Perfect Little Black Dress, Orange Your Fabulous, You're Such a Gray-cious Host (CSS)
  • Patterned Paper: Matilda Collection (Cosmo Cricket)
  • Specialty Paper: Clear Acrylic Sheet (Papertrey Ink)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Dies: Bigz Scallop Square Die (Sizzix); Classic Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You...

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This has been a doozy of a week. My son started pre-school (without me!), I had to attend a black-tie event (in a hot pink dress), and I finally got to share my big, fun news. The inimitable Nicki Jackson of Clear & Simple Stamps invited me to join her incredible talented and creative Design Team and I'm still giggling with glee. CSS is on the cutting edge of the paper-crafting world and they are known for their chic and fashion-conscious images, as well as their one-of-a-kind iPhone/iPad App. I am thrilled and delighted to be a part of such a wonderful group of amazing designers and I hope you will visit their blogs (see my sidebar) for tons of inspiration.


Nicki was one of the very first to recognize my love of card-making and I wanted to make a card to show how much I appreciate her confidence in my abilities. To thank Nicki and the entire Clear & Simple Stamps family, I thought it only appropriate to use one of their fabulous stamps from a limited edition set called, simply: Thank You. For this card, I was inspired by a trio of challenges: the amazing colors from the Play Date Cafe Challenge, this week's mojolicious Mojo Monday Sketch, and the irresistible Off-Set Scallop Challenge over at Moxie Fab World! So, "thank you, thank you, thank you" from the bottom of my little paper-crafting heart. I hope you will join me in the coming months on my CSS adventure!

SPILLING THE BEANS
  1. Make card from card stock.
  2. Trim patterned paper and adhere.
  3. Trim card stock. Stamp sentiment and apply liquid dimensionals. Mat and adhere to card.
  4. Punch scallop border strips; adhere.
  5. Punch scallop circles. Assemble in off-set rounds with foam tape. Attach button and adhere.
  6. Punch circles from card stock and adhere.
  7. Tie ribbon and adhere.
BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Thank You-limited edition (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Fresh Snow Hybrid (Papertrey Ink)
  • Card Stock: Purplicious, You're Such a Gray-cious Host (CSS); Pear Pizazz (Stampin' Up!)
  • Patterned Paper: Fresh Print Clothesline (Little Yellow Bicycle)
  • Fibers: Purple Satin Ribbon (Kate's Paperie)
  • Tools: Scallop Border Punch; Punch Pack (SU!)
  • Accents: Lettuce Liquid Dimensionals (Adirondack); Button (PTI)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Tools: Scallop Circle Punches (EK Success)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Hop on Pop {CSS/CCM Blog Hop!}...

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Hey there! If you've just tuned in, today is day two of the Perfect pair Blog Hop featuring Clear & Simple Stamps and Creative Cuts & More. I'm extra, extra, extra excited because I also get to let slip a big secret I've been keeping!
Beginning today, I will have the extreme honor of joining the Clear & Simple Stamps Design Team! Lucky, lucky me, and I am so thrilled to be joining such an amazing team of talented paper-crafters. You'll be hearing much more about this in the weeks to come!
We've got some fabulous projects to inspire you, each showcasing how wonderfully well stamps and die-cuts go together. Plus, one lucky commenter will win a $25 gift certificate to Clear and Simple Stamps and another will win a gift certificate to Creative Cuts & More! To be eligible, please leave a comment on each blog, as winners will be drawn from all comments made by Friday, September 24.

If you've hopped over from the lovely and talented Lila's blog, be sure to visit the full line-up, which begins at the Die Cut Diva blog!

For my hop project, I used the super-cute Popcorn Extras set from Clear & Simple Stamps and paired it with, what else? The adorable popcorn box and pop-up card from CC&M!


I began with the popcorn box (which arrives plain and in the color and texture of your choosing) and stamped all four sides multiple times with the fun popcorn image, then colored all of it in with a white souffle marker. Next, I border punched some trim for the top and cut out just one fluffy piece of popcorn to "pop" out beneath my sentiment element. After a quick assembly, I had a cute treats box just waiting to be filled with some yummy goodness!


Next, I created a card to coordinate with my box, using a very fun "pop-up" card die-cut. I decorated the front by stamping popcorn to match my box background, again using the same border punch. That cute little filmstrip is another CC&M die-cut, to which I added a piece of the fluffy good stuff. After stamping the sentiment, I turned to the inside of the card.


The idea of popcorn actually popping was one I thought I'd try to simulate. After covering the inside of the card with patterned paper, I drew a little popcorn box and filled it with stamped popcorn. Then, after cutting out several individual kernels, I attached them with strips of clear acetate. Fun, yes? I love the birthday sentiment and thought it would make my box and card ensemble the perfect celebratory gift with its own little "surprise!"

BEAN NOTES
  • Stamps: Popcorn Extras (Clear & Simple Stamps)
  • Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dye (Tsukineko)
  • Card Stock: Peach Parfait, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!); Solar White (Neenah); Clear Acetate (Papertrey Ink)
  • Patterned Paper: Peach Parfait In-Color Patterned Paper (SU!)
  • Coloring Medium: Souffle White Opaque Puffy Ink Marker (Sakura)
  • Fibers: Soft Sky Grosgrain Ribbon (SU!)
  • Tools: Crown Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts)
HAPPY BEANS
  • Die-Cuts: Popcorn Box in Bazzill Smoothies Marmalade Blast (Creative Cuts & More); Film Strip in Raven Black Bazzill Canvas (CC&M); Pop-Up Card in Bazzill Smoothies Ocean Breeze and Marmalade Blast (CC&M)
Thanks so much for hopping by today. Now, head on over to the amazing Kim's blog for more die-cut and inky inspiration!

Creative Cuts & More Blog (intro and sneaks)
Lori Tecler
Steph Zerbe
Jennifer Tapler
Melisa Waldorf
Dana Grothaus
Lynn Stevens
Eva Dobilas
Becky Voth
Jenyfur Pohl
Lila Holgate
Regina Mangum - You're Here!
Kim Langhurst
Chrissy Dickinson
Clear and Simple Stamps Blog, Nicki Jackson