Thursday, January 3, 2013

Spring Catalogue


The Spring Catalogue launches today, Jan. 3, 2012!
What with the holidays being so busy, I haven't had a lot of time to play with my pre-order, but here are a few samples.

Swallowtail 129213 is a huge butterfly background stamp. And, it coordinates perfecly with Papillon Potpourri 123757. I sponged ink on the small butterfly images before cutting them out with the Elegant Butterfly punch 127526 and the new Bitty Butterfly punch 129406.
Other supplies:
Baja Breeze card stock 111352
River Rock card stock 108640
First Edition Specialty paper 121878
Baja Breeze ink pad126960
Old Olive ink pad 126953
Marina Mist ink pad 126962
So Saffron ink pad 126957
River Rock ink pad 126977
Lucky Limeade twine 125572
Vintage Trinkets 118764
Jewelry Tag punch 117190
Tiny Tags set 118091



Hearts a Flutter 129249 is a sweet set of pennants and hearts from the More Amore Suite. A matching set of framelits 130159 makes cutting out the images so easy with the Big Shot. Better yet, save 15% when purchased as a bundle 131098.
Spoiler Alert! That Pool Party button is available for free during Sale-A-Bration!
Other supplies:
Pool Party card stock 122924
Basic Gray card stock 121044
Primrose Petals card stock 126841
First Edition Specialty paper 121878
Basic Black ink pad 126980
Real Red ink pad 126949
Pool Party twine 125574
Rhinestones 19246
Primrose Petals ribbon 126844
Bitty Buttons 118761
Designer Builder brads 129329
Needlepoint Border embossing folders 129383
A Word for You set 117032

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Not Quite White Christmas Tops

My Not Quite White Christmas theme inspired me to make tops for my girls and I to wear for our Holiday get-together. (The boys got Tim's cards.)

I started with cotton T-shirts from Costco and used some Stampin' Up! product somewhere on each of them.

Ruth's Top
Crumb Cake 127840 and Early Espresso 127839 Scalloped Tulle roses with Vintage Faceted buttons 127555 adorn the left shoulder of Ruth's tea-dyed T-shirt.












Abbey's Top
I cut a new neckline, trimmed it with lace and encased the raw edges with Whisper White 3/8 in. Taffeta ribbon 109070. (See the instructions for Celeste's Top to see how to encase an edge with trim.) Then I added another row of lace attached to the ribbon at intervals and topped it off with a row of narrow lace trim. Abbey's hates beige so I left her top white.













Here's a close-up of the neck.


Grace's Top
I tea-dyed a t-shirt and the sleeves from Celeste's top. (See below) Using the Big Shot 113439 and Fun Flowers die 121812, I cut several flowers from the extra sleeves and from Crumb Cake 127840 and Early Espresso 127839 Scalloped Tulle. Stack a tulle flower on a knit flower and sew 3 pearl beads to the centre on the neckline.
Celeste's Top
After replacing the sleeves with half doilies I tea-dyed it.
Cut off the sleeves from a t-shirt close to the seam and sew the seam allowances inside the armhole.

Cut a large doily in half and handle gently.
Measure around the arm and cut a length of 7/8 in. Cotton Ribbon 127844 allowing for movement. (Mine was 13 in.) Hand-baste the cut edge of the doily just below the centre of the ribbon.
Here's a close-up.
Fold the ribbon closed and machine stitch the edges together, encasing the cut edge of the doily. Remove the basting threads. Join the ends of the ribbon, creating the sleevebands.
Measure and mark the armhole at intervals. Pin the points of the doily to the armhole. Sew close to the edge of the armhole catching the doily in the seam.










Cheryl's Top
I made a cardigan from a t-shirt and a dresser cloth doily and tea-dyed it.
















Cut a rectangular dresser cloth in half lengthwise. Hand stitch two short ends together to make a long strip.









Cut the t-shirt front up the middle with a v-neckline. Lay flat and measure the cut edge. Cut a length of Victoria Crochet trim 118481 the same measurement plus 1 in.










Hand baste the doily strip to the front and neck edges of the cardigan. (Not shown) Pin the crochet trim to the edge over the doily strip and fold 1/2 in. to the inside at the hem. Machine stitch through all layers 1/4 in. from the edge.










Fold the crochet trim over the seam to the inside. Machine stitch close to the edge.











This is how the right side looks. Tea-dye the cardigan.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

VersaMark Techniques: Heat Embossing

I stamped the background images with ink and swiped them with an embossing buddy. Then, I stamped the outline images with VersaMark. Cover with Gold Embossing Powder and shake off the excess before heating with a heat tool. When cooled, colour the berries and the pine cone with a marker.

I also used VersaMark and Gold Embossing Powder to change the Flourish Designer Frames from silver to gold.
-press the right side of the frame against the VersaMark pad
-lift the frame with tweezers, don't touch the edges
-cover the frame with embossing powder and shake off the excess
-heat with a heat tool to melt the embossing powder
-the frame will be very hot so let it cool completely
-handle it gently





Supplies
Stamps
-Watercolour Winter 129724
Ink
-Crumb Cake pad 126975
-Soft Suede pad 126978
-VersaMark pad 102283
-Chocolate Chip marker
Paper
-Very Vanilla card stock 101650
Tools
-Heat Tool 129053
-Decorative Label punch 120907
Accessories
-Flourish Designer Frames 127835
-Gold Embossing Powder 109129
-Soft Suede 3/8 in. Taffeta ribbon 122967
-glue

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Glimmer Doily Ornaments

Enough fabric already! These Doily Ornaments are easy to make with the Big Shot.

I used Sizzlits dies to cut a variety of doilies from card stock. The Glimmer Paper was cut with Bigz dies and the large Scallop punch. Then, I enjoyed a movie while gluing and embellishing with buttons, brads and jewels.

Spoiler Alert! That gorgeous brad in the middle is from the new Spring Catty. I couldn't resist using them when my pre-order arrived. They're actually silver, so I changed them with VersaMark and Gold embossing powder. I'll show you how in my next post.



Supplies
Paper
-Whisper White card stock 100730
-Very Vanilla card stock 101650
-Champagne Glimmer paper 127885
Tools
-Big Shot 113439
-Paper Doily Sizzlit L 125592
-Delicate Doilies Sizzlits L 126999
-Scallop Circle Bigz 113468
-Perfect Pennants Bigz L 123126
Accessories
-Antique brads 117273
-Basics Glimmer brads 121003
-Rhinestone Basic Jewels 119246
-Pearl Basic Jewels 19247
-Large Pearl Basic Jewels 125577
-Vintage Faceted buttons 127555
-Multi-purpose Liquid Glue 110755

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Paper Cone Ornaments

I cut 6 inch squares of Natural Composition Specialty Designer Paper (126917) from Stampin' Up! for these rolled cone ornaments. The designs are embossed, so I sponged Soft Suede ink all over for contrast. Then, I sprayed the squares with Shimmer mist (see recipe below) and let them dry completely.

This paper is more like card stock, so I rolled the wrong side against the edge of my desk to get it to curl, making it easier to roll into a cone. For a pretty lining, I cut triangles from 6 inch squares of the Neutrals Collection Designer Series Paper Stack (117157) and adhered them to the inside of the open end of the square. Then, I used TomBow Multi-purpose liquid adhesive (110755) to glue the cones closed.

Punch 2 holes in the top. Tie a hanging loop in 15-20 in. of ribbon, depending on whether you want to tie a bow. Thread the ends of the ribbon through the holes from the back and tie in the front. Embellish the cones, fill them with candy and hang on the tree.

Shimmer Mist
In a small spray bottle, combine 2 oz. 70% Rubbing Alcohol and 1/2 Teaspoon Shimmer paint. (I used Champagne Shimmer paint 116806) Shake well before using.
Add more paint for more shimmer!