Category Archives: Tools & Products I like

Goodbye Sassy Cheryl’s – Snowman Wiper Card (and some other sites to find digital stamps)

Posted in Cards, Creative Folds, Holiday Cards, Interactive, Other, Tools & Products I like by

Goodbye Sassy Cheryl’s – Snowman Wiper Card (and some other sites to find digital  stamps)

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Happy New Year!

Digital stamps are images you download and print from your computer to use on your cards/projects.  You can color them (just like with traditional line art image stamps), but since they are digital, you can also size them to suit your needs.

The snowman on the wiper card above is a digital image from an online shop called Sassy Cheryl’s (that, sadly, just closed down).  What I loved about the images on that site (besides that I thought they were adorable) is that most were also available as pre-colored illustrations so if you didn’t want to color the images yourself, you could just print them in color and use them as is.  The image used on the card above is the pre-colored version of “Fa-la-la-la Snowman” and was “traced and cut” with my Silhouette electronic die cutting machine.  And while this site is no longer operational, there are lots of other companies/shops that offer digital stamps (some pre-colored).

Etsy is a great place to begin looking.

Here are some other sites to check out:

Whimsy Stamps (This site actually has some of Sassy Chery’s designs)

Jan’s Digi Stamps

Graciellie Design

Bugaboo Stamps

Di’s Digital Stamps

Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps

Imagine That Digistamp

Power Poppy

Beccy’s Place

and

The Artsystamper Shop

… to name a few!  (Google Digital Stamps for more options.)

The digital paper I used is called “Snowflake Background – Snowy Paper” by SBdigitalDesigns from Etsy.  The “Festive Mini Expressions – Warmest Wishes” die from Creative Expressions was used for the pop-up greeting.

The following sample (previously posted here) shows how the wiper element works on my snowman card above and features another of Sassy Cheryl’s designs called Once Upon a Star Santa.

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I colored this image myself and used a reindeer image from the “Reindeer” stamp and die cut set (#657780) from Hero Arts/Sizzix (retired) in place of the star in the original design.

Thanks for checking out my card project and post!

*I am not affiliated with any of the above sites, was not asked to promote these sites, and will not be compensated if purchases are made from these sites.  I was just looking for digital stamp sites for myself and thought I’d share my findings.

Fall Leaves Center Easel Card (and a word on Movers & Shapers Dies)

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Creative Folds, Tools & Products I like, Tutorials by

Fall Leaves Center Easel Card (and a word on Movers & Shapers Dies)

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I had shared a center easel card (along with a template for how to create one) a while back.  I decided to try another one with fall themed paper and embellishments.

The patterned paper is called “Fall Leaves” (#676908) from the Paper Studio.  Heavy weight ivory and kraft card stock was also used.

To create the leaf embellishments for the center of the card, I used my Uchida Corru-Gator paper crimper to add some texture to the leaf cut from the kraft card stock, some American Crafts paper backed burlap for additional texture, a piece of ivory ribbon, and a piece of gold cord.  Since I was cutting burlap (in addition to the plain card stock), I thought I’d get a cleaner cut using a steel rule die instead of a wafer thin die so I used one of the Sizzix “Movers & Shapers Mini Tattered Leaves” dies by Tim Holtz.

movers and shapers mini tattered leaves

A word on Movers & Shapers dies:  The small insert dies (like these leaves) can not be used by themselves in a standard die cutting machine with standard plates.  They were designed to cut shapes from the larger Movers & Shapers base dies (steel rule dies), and as a result, are not the proper thickness to be used alone.  If you don’t have a base die that accommodates the insert die, they now sell a Movers & Shapers Shuttle which is a 6 inch wide magnetic plate that is the correct thickness for these Mover’s & Shapers dies.  (This shuttle was designed to be used specifically with these insert dies and in the Sizzix Big Kick machine; I am not sure if it fits in other machines, like the Cuttlebug, because I do not own one of these plates.  I used one of my base dies to cut the leaves for this project.)

Below is a photo of one of the base dies called Postage Stamp Frame.  It could be used alone to cut the postage stamp shape.  (The little magnetic square in the center is removable and does not actually cut anything but is used to make it easier to release the die cut from the die after cutting.  Don’t throw it away; it is not trash!  It keeps the paper a little higher than the die itself, and without it, the die cut may get wedged inside the die and is hard to get out.)

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In this next photo, I replaced the little square with one of the magnetic leaf insert dies.  Now, the leaf is cut along with the postage stamp frame.

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So, in order to use these insert dies, you either need one of the available base dies  or the shuttle adapter.  Personally, it makes more sense to me to purchase a base die because then you have an additional die in your collection.  The shuttle adapter has no other use than to be a carrier for the small insert dies.  Plus, if you choose a base die that is narrow enough, you can use other die cutting machines.  The die above, for example, fits in the Cuttlebug.  Just a thought….

Thanks for checking out my card project!

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Basic Paper Crafting Supplies

Posted in Let's Craft!, Tools & Products I like by

Basic Paper Crafting Supplies

craftsupplies pic from google

A friend, considering getting into card making, recently asked me for a list of the basic tools and supplies she might need.  Some of the items on my list are consumable and/or project-specific, and some are “necessities” that I use all the time.  I also included some of the tools needed for a few of my favorite techniques.  While I am NOT suggesting that a beginner should go out and buy everything on this list, I tried to come up with a list of things I use often.  Consider your needs and buy accordingly, and if you live near me, consider taking a “test drive” with my stuff before buying anything at all!

I’ve included links (in red) on some of the items below so that you can see samples and/or the specific brands I use, but these are by no means the best and/or only choices.

LIST OF BASIC PAPER CRAFTING TOOLS AND SUPPLIES… Continue reading →

Banner Triple Punch by Stampin’ Up

Posted in Tools & Products I like by

Banner Triple Punch by Stampin’ Up

triple banner punch

I really like the look of fishtail banners on cards.  Sometimes they are large and are used to add texture and color to a design.  Sometimes they are smaller and are used to highlight the greeting.  I tend to like my greeting panels matted, so I was very happy to discover that Stampin’ Up makes one punch that will create three different sized banners that nest together perfectly.  It is called the Banner Triple Punch and is designed to create banners that are 1 inch, 1.5 inches, and 2 inches wide.  Because the punch just cuts the fishtail end, the length of the banner can be whatever you want.

triple banner punch sample

Basically, you cut a piece of paper/card stock to the desired width (and length).  Then you slide the strip into the punch making sure the sides fit inside the grooves that match your width.  The grooves keep the strip straight and centered so the notch cut from the end is perfect.

Dawn Olchefske does a great demonstration of this punch in this video (at the 4:30 mark).  She even discovered a trick to making a 3/4 inch banner in addition to the three sizes Stampin’ Up intended!

I found a helpful post HERE where Bekka gives measurements for how long your card stock needs to be so your finished banner is the size you want.

Thanks for checking out my post!

(Photos used in this post are from the Stampin’ Up website/catalog.)

Awesome Quilling Tool

Posted in Tools & Products I like by

Awesome Quilling Tool

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I think quilling is so beautiful and have tried a few basic projects in the past.  Many of the shapes start with a strip of paper that is usually coiled (by hand) around a slotted quilling tool.

hand-quilling

The problem is you often need to quill quite a few strips to create your designs or shapes, and this can get tiring/tedious.  This battery operated quilling tool called Quill Ease makes it so much easier and quicker!

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HERE is a quick video demonstrating how it works.

I will admit that when I first saw the product in the store, I thought it was a great idea but was afraid that it would not work as well as I hoped.  I was more than pleasantly surprised!

I should point out that since purchasing and trying the Quill Ease tool, I’ve discovered that there are several other motorized quilling tools on the market.  Because I’ve only tried this one, I am not in a position to say how this tool compares to the others.  And since I’ve so far only used this tool for a half hour or so, I am not in a position to say how it will hold up over time, but my initial impression is that I will enjoy using this very much and am already thinking of card ideas that I can’t wait to try!  Hopefully, I’ll have one or two to share soon….

If you are interested in quilling and have not yet tried it, there are quite a few video tutorials on YouTube showing how to create basic quilled shapes that can be used as a starting point for your  projects.  This was one of the first videos I had seed and had found it to be quite helpful.

Thanks for checking out my post!

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