Make And Takes!

If you've been reading my blogs this week, you know that I am booking workshops in July and August, but you might be asking yourself, "What is a Stampin' Up! Workshop?"  Well let me tell you what it is:

It's a party.  A crafting party, to be more specific.  You decide on a date and we go over what craft you'd like to do (it's called a Make-and-Take).  Then you invite a few friends over!  I'll spend about 20 minutes explaining the products and tools we will be using for the rest of the evening, demonstrate the project, and then you and your friends get to spend the rest of the afternoon or evening crafting it up.  It's really fun!

The new Stampin' Up! catalog came out earlier in June and it has some fantastic things in it.  I, of course, want all the things. I picked out two really great stamp sets for new Make-and-Takes for July and August. I gotta say, they are pretty awesome. I have links to all the products I used in each of the projects today at the bottom of this post.

The first stamp set is called Watercolor Wings.  It's a "make your own butterfly" kit!!!  There are 15 stamps in this set and you can make three different sized butterflies in any color combination you can come up with.  There are some really nice sentiments and a cute dot border.

If you are so inclined to simply purchase this stamp set right away because it is so awesome, I highly recommend you also purchase the size E clear block.  Photopolymer stamps do NOT come with blocks, they are sold separately.  Size E fits the largest butterfly stamp perfectly.  You can purchase smaller clear blocks for the smaller stamps, but you certainly don't have to.  I used the size E block to stamp the tiny antennae on a few of my butterflies and it worked perfectly well.

I just want to take a moment to point out that I totally smudged one of the cards when I was sticking it onto its card base.  See it?  Oh my God, it's ruined!!!

Nah, like I ALWAYS say, you can almost always fix it.  I ran downstairs and got some twine to cover it up.  Now you can't see it at all and the twine gives it dimension.  Gorgeous! And then, of course, I had to make an envelope.  Making envelopes is ridiculously fun for me.

At Stampin' Up!, we have a saying "CASE!!"  CASE stands for "Copy and Share Everything" and I do it ALL the time.  As long as we give proper credit, copying is the greatest way to learn.  As a musician, I do it constantly when I learn to play other people's songs. Learning other people's techniques and styles is part of what makes me a better musician. I love to come up with my own designs for Make-and-Takes and for my friends, but I have to give credit where credit is due!  This lovely butterfly card was designed by the people at Stampin' Up!.  I just freaking loved it sooo much, and I know you love it too!  It's super cute!  I used a lot of words to say I didn't create this design.  Well that's blogging for you. (I did "design" this envelope though, ha!)

This second stamp I purchased is beautiful.  It is called Corner Garden. As you can see, I bought the wood-backed version of this stamp.  I love photopolymer so much, but with large background stamps, I've found that the cushioned rubber and wood backing really make for an even ink distribution.

I bought this stamp specifically for watercoloring.  What a great way to spend an afternoon! Drinking tea, eating sandwiches (cookies), and watercoloring with a few friends.  For this project, I used one of the very lovely sentiments from the Watercolor Wings stamp set (hmmm, must be on a watercolor kick....I sense a theme happening).   Obviously, by the picture, I didn't mount this on a card base.  I just didn't properly plan ahead and have matching off-white cardstock to mount it on.  It happens!

Just a quick tip- watercolor works so beautifully with Stampin' Up! Inks because, well, they are water based!  Having said that, if you want to watercolor, you have to use an oil-based ink for the stamp so it won't run when you watercolor. I recommend Memento inks.  You can purchase them through Stampin' Up!

Making a mess: my creative process

Thanks for letting me share my projects with you this week!  Please consider hosting a workshop in July or August. As a party host, you get some great rewards when your party guests help you reach sales goals.  But there is no pressure to buy anything- I am honestly doing this to have fun.  You don't need a large group either, I prefer smaller groups of 3-5 (including you!), so please support me and have fun doing it.

 Contact me through my Facebook Page.

And subscribe to my blog to enter the contest!! (see previous post!!)

Products I used:

Watercolor Wings Photopolymer Stamp Set
Corner Garden Wood-Mount Background Stamp
Clear Block E
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Watercolor Paper Envelope Punch Board 2015-2017 In Color Envelope Paper Stamping Sponges (Buy one package and cut them up!) Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' PadSmoky Slate Classic Stampin' PadDelightful Dijion Classic Stampin' PadMint Macaron Classic Stampin' PadTempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' PadBermuda Bay Classic Stampin' PadCucumber Crush Classic Stampin' PadWatermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' PadOld Olive Classic Stampin' PadTangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' PadEarly Espresso Classic Stampin' PadSoft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad Overwhelmed by the amount of inks? Host a workshop and use mine for free then find the colors you want to purchase!

Thank You, Thank You!! And a giveaway.....

I made a little gift for everyone that purchased a Paper Pumpkin subscription through me last month, check them out!

I made these using Stampin' Up!'s new 2015-2017 In Colors. These five colors are a limited edition line and coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s permanent color lines. The colors are: (in order, left to right)

Watermelon Wonder, Cucumber Crush, Tip Top Taupe, Delightfully Dijon, and Mint Macaron

I think Mint Macaron and Tip Top Taupe are my favorite, in case you wanted my opinion.

Each Paper Pumpkin subscriber gets a pack of five cards, one color each from the In Color line.  One of the many perks to being a Paper Pumpkin subscriber!! (want to know more about Paper Pumpkin? Click here!)

Anyway, I used the Another Thank You stamp set to create the image on these babies.  One of the many benefits of using photopolymer stamps is that you get an opportunity to really make a stamp "your own" by simply adding a few different stamps to one block, like I did here.  It turned out pretty nice, eh?

When you order the ink pad set, you also get a packet of coordinating cardstock. As you can see in the photo above, I matched the ink color to the cardstock border.

Another brand new product that Stampin' Up! released in the June catalog is some really great envelope paper, which I HAD to get because I love my envelope punch board to death. Let me tell you all about it.

First, I can make any freaking sized envelope I need.  That alone is worth it.

But wait, there's more!  I can make boxes on the envelope punch board too.  In fact, I made some little boxes to hold the cards and protect the edges during mailing.

It's true, in June Stampin' Up! came out with a giftbox punch board, and I am sure that it is awesome, but to be able to make small gift boxes AND envelopes with one tool is really nice. I hate it when I have to purchase a craft tool that only does one thing.  It's usually a really expensive tool, too.  But this envelope punch board makes envelopes and gift boxes.......and......

What's this? A corner rounding punch? Really?  Yep!  AND finally, it comes with a scoring tool which you can also use like a bone folder to burnish folds.

That's four tools in one tool. It's pretty fantastic.  

Mmmm......did I mention the giveaway??  I am giving away this set of boxed 3x3 thank you notes and envelopes!!  All you have to do is follow my blog using the "Subscribe by Email" button on the right side of the blog.

You have until Sunday, June 28th at midnight.  I will announce the winner on Monday, June 29th.

Below is the list of products I used for my thank you cards and where you can order them. When you are prompted to select a demonstrator, please pick me, Sarah Heller!  :)

2015-2017 In Color 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock & Classic Stampin’ Pads Kit

Another Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set

Clear Block D

Whisper White 12" X 12" Cardstock

Envelope Punch Board

2015-2017 In Color Envelope Paper

Snail Permanent Adhesive


Don't forget to stop by tomorrow afternoon! I will be revealing the new cards you can make at a workshop.  Contact me via Sunshine Papercrafts facebook to find out more about workshops or to book one.

Scrapbooking for Impatient, Disorganized People

As my husband can attest to, I am very cute but very messy.  My crafts may look nice at the end, but the process is always a little chaotic, typically disorganized, and always takes five times longer than anticipated.  That's okay sometimes but when it comes to certain crafts, like, say, scrapbooking, being disorganized can lead to an expensive, never-finished monstrosity that will live in the back of my closet and haunt me (like...um, my unfinished wedding scrapbook).

Well, today I'm going to share with you this totally awesome scrapbook I made  in just a few hours with a minimal mess and tons of mistakes that ended up looking awesome. Also, it was pretty cheap as far as scrapbooks go. (excuse the paper towel, I am still trying to figure out to take better pictures and everything in my house is yellow)

First, I picked up the This is the Life Project Life Accessory Kit from Stampin' Up! for $10. I picked it for no other reason than the colors.  I flipping love bright colors.  I don't wear a lot of bright colors and my house is pretty neutral but when it comes to any kind of craft, sewing, paper, whatever, I want to surround myself with bright, bright brights.

I read the description of this pack before I purchased it, of course, but when it arrived I was pretty impressed with the amount of cuteness I got for just $10.  LOTS of stickers and two inch squares to fill up my scrapbook with busy, fun color.

Wait...two inch squares?  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention I made a 4x4 inch scrapbook?  Screw the 12x12 book, I can't seem to manage anything that big right now.  Maybe later....but for now, I feel good about the 4x4- and I recommend it to everyone who has been wanting to make a scrapbook but also feels overwhelmed by the task.

Anyway, here's the completed product:

(those arrows on the side are paper clips- they are holding some info on Alcatraz that I saved- photopockets also make great keepsake pockets)

(Yes, I freaked out when we walked by the Moscone Center.  The Net was my favorite movie in 1996.)

Geez, I just love how the stickers and the little 2 inch squares make this album look really "finished"- and I didn't have to do any stamping or drawing.  Only sticking and inserting! I'll admit, some of the stickers are a little corny, and I considered not using any, but I'm really, really glad I did.  Memories are corny!!

This couldn't have been easier to put together! It only took me a few hours and this little book will hold probably 10 more pages for my future scrapbooking needs. Not to mention I had quite a few colored squares left over for future scrapbooking pages.

Let's talk about pictures.
For the love of God, if you decide to make an instagram-sized scrapbook, do NOT purchase "instagram" sized prints. Collaging my square prints into a 4x6 inch photo was the greatest craft decision I think I've ever made in my life. One 4x4 "instagram" print runs about $1.50, and unless you want four copies of one two-inch photo, you'll have to collage a little bit anyway.  And most 4x6 inch photos run about 19 CENTS a piece.  I printed doubles of all my scrapbook photos for a total of $3.50.  That's the price of about two Instagram prints.

Sound hard?  It's not.  You can collage in Gimp or Photoshop, or, you can do what I did and download a collage app on your phone.  If you post photos to Instagram and Facebook, it's possible you already have one.  I used PicFrame.  Why? Because it was the first thing that popped up when I googled "collage app".  The hardest part was picking out what photos I wanted to be four inches and which I wanted to be two inches.  I had to make a list. That was pretty much the only organizing part required.

Anyway, it took me about 15 minutes to decide which photos to print, five minutes to collage them, five minutes to upload them and send them to Mike's Camera for printing, and three minutes to cut them out. Like I said, I printed doubles just in case I messed up cutting them, but guess what?  I didn't mess up cutting any of them.  And I cut the images out in less time than it took for me to warm up my lunch in the microwave the day I made this scrapbook.

If cutting out the pictures is what is keeping you from trying this, invite me to your house and I will cut them out.  Oreos are the most acceptable form of payment.

Let's talk about some mistakes I made.
I think it's important that I talk about crafting mistakes and how to solve them.  Personally, my favorite blog posts are about crafting problems and how my favorite bloggers solve them so I'm going to write about mine right now.

1. Coordinating colors for journal cards.  Because I am super lame at remembering to take pictures during important events, I like the idea of journal cards in scrapbooks. That way I can write down some memories in lieu of a picture. My accessory kit didn't come with any, so I made a few using scrap white cardstock and a few Stampin' Write markers.  The colors didn't exactly match.  Can you tell?  Hell no you can't. I worried about this for about twenty minutes, what a waste of time.  So what if the colors don't match exactly? This wasn't a mistake, I just want to point out that sometimes it works out best to just use what you have instead of spend money on ONE marker that matches your ONE project perfectly.  I want you to buy Stampin Up products through me, but let's be reasonable. If I had let it get to me, I would have spent more money, I would have had to wait for the markers to come in the mail instead of continuing to act on my craft motivation, and the book probably wouldnt have been finished. It would be in my closet next to my wedding scrapbook.  Haunting me.  Forever.  Because I didn't just use a marker I already had.

2. Wrong Date on Journal Card.
See it?  Ugh, My tummy did a flip when I noticed this. In fact, I didn't notice until I was putting the finished cards in the scrapbook. My thought: I worked so hard on this and used up the cute stickers and now I'm going to have to do it again but it won't turn out the same....it's ruined.  But see, it's a busy, kinda messy, fun style, right? So putting a little square over the wrong date sort of added to the "scrapbooky" style.  Deep breaths, no bid deal.  It worked!

3. Cover Page
It took me a little bit of time to get the words on this page relatively even and sort of balanced.  Then I created "tabs" using leftover stickers from the accessory kit.  Then I got lazy and instead of going downstairs to find my handheld hole punch, I tried to use my husband's three-hole punch.  It did NOT work, one of the holes was only half on the sticker tab.  Again, frustrated.  It was seriously the LAST part of this scrapbook and I thought, of course, of course I totally ruined my scrapbook in the last few minutes of its fruition.  But I managed to pull of the stickers off without much damage to the actual page.  Then I tore through my craftroom looking for something to cover up the tears from the stickers and to re-create the tabs I wanted.  Luckily, I found some sort-of matching washi tape.  It's not Stampin Up, I got it from A Beautiful Mess during a sale like..a year ago...and I never used it.  But it worked perfectly!!  I could have just glued cardstock on it as well, which was my plan until I came across the washi.  Lesson: Don't use a three hole punch when you're trying to get one hole. AND, in the crafting world, most mistakes can be rectified.  Sometimes it even looks better than the original.  

Thanks for taking a look at my scrapbook!  Don't forget that I am booking Stampin' Up! Workshops in July and August, but you can also order supplies through the website.  Please remember to select me as your demonstrator!!