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Archive for the ‘Baby Projects’ Category:
Watercolor How-To: Magic Tips to Use
The most common thing I hear when I demonstrate watercoloring is that people can’t seem to make it look “right”. Guess what? There are some easy tricks that will make your watercolor look ‘right’ every time. Here’s a card that we made at stamp club last week, using the soon-to-be-retired Beary Best Friends stamp set (see it online).
Beary Best Friends and the matching Beary Nice Wishes set (see it online) will be available along with the rest of the Build-A-Bear Product Suite (see it online) but only until May 31st (learn about the retiring items & sale).
The bear is on the inside of the card — peeking through the window!
Tips to make your watercolor look fantastic:
- Use Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Paper for best effects. I know, it sounds like I just want you to buy paper from me… but I’ve tried other papers from big craft stores, and they just don’t work right. If you want to be successful, it’s important to start with good quality materials.
- Draw a small line with a Stampin’ Write Marker where you want color to be darkest.
- Use Aqua Painters to wet the line and move the color around on the paper – leave blank spots to get an authentic watercolor effect.
- Remember that you can always add more color, but it’s tricky to remove color if you start with too much.
- Outline with River Rock Stampin’ Write Marker & blend to finish. This will keep your image ‘anchored’ to the paper and add dimension to the background so that it doesn’t look flat.
Looking for more Build A Bear ideas? Here are several on my blog.
Or more watercoloring technique samples? Here you go! Or if you’re looking for ideas on Watercolor Wonder Crayons, here’s a how-to video tutorial from my blog.
Happy Watercoloring! (and stamping)
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE
Subscribe to the comments for this postIt’s a Mary Poppins Purse!
You remember that scene from Mary Poppins, where she opens her carpetbag and starts pulling belongings out? And keeps pulling…and keeps pulling…? Well the little Petite Purse Bigz Die (see it online) is going to be known as the Mary Poppins Purse Die on my blog.
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I thought this little purse was going to be too tiny to fit much of anything… okay, maybe 3 Hershey’s Kisses. But guess what? It fits TEN (yes, 10!)! And it’s a small die!
Maybe I’m getting a bit over excited here, but you might have noticed on my blog that I’m a big fan of cute little projects that include candy. Because I think stamping is fun, but stamping with chocolate is BETTER. So a little die that makes a perfect candy-sized purse is going to rate high in my book. (see some other candy projects on my blog)
I’m hearing that you’re going to need this one, too, so don’t forget that you’ll have to order it in April, because if you miss it in April, you’ll have to wait <<sniff, sniff>> until the new catalog comes out on June 1st.
Oh, same goes for the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (see it online). And don’t miss the Summer Smooches Fabric Designer Brads (see them online), because the brads WON’T be in the new catalog — they’re only available this month. I ordered 2 boxes. 
(here are some other Summer Smooches projects on my blog!)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Party Planning: Designer Rosette Decor
Thinking about party decorations? Wedding? Shower? The craze of rosettes has been going on for quite awhile (check some past posts) but the new Designer Rosette Die (see it online) makes them so easy! Here are two full-size rosettes that have been hanging in my stamp studio since the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper debuted.
It’s hard to tell the size of these from the picture, but they’re about like dinner plates — they’re 10 3/4″ across with the scalloped edge. They make great medallions to hang for an event. Just choose colors that coordinate with your theme — think pink & blue for a baby shower, or shimmery white for a wedding shower.
You can even make fun simple table decor pieces. Here are some floral picks created with the Designer Rosette Die. I put a 12 x 6″ strip of paper through the Big Shot with the die, then cut the scored strip into 3 pieces to make these three mini rosettes.
Add a coordinated color theme mini rosette to your table flowers, or just make vases of the mini rosettes. This ‘fancy’ vase is a repurposed Frappucino bottle.
Looking for tips on using your Designer Rosette Die? Check the pointers that I posted on my blog.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Packed for Baby Shower Invitations
A friend of mine recently asked for help in designing baby shower invitations for two of her friends. We came up with a couple of designs, and she took them to the new-moms-to-be so they could pick their favorite.
Here’s one of the designs featuring the Packed for Baby stamp (see it online).
The card base was cut with the Scallop Square Die (see it online). Just fold the card stock in half, place on the die so the fold won’t be cut, then run it through the Big Shot. Voila–shaped card!
Other Supplies:
- Whisper White, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo & Concord Crush card stock
- Fashionable Hearts Embosslit (see it online)
- Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Die Set (see it online)
- Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon
Happy Stamping!
–Meg
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Everyday Enchantment: Sweet Memories
Do you have favorite photos that are just screaming to be featured on a scrapbook page? While I applaud scrappers who can ‘keep up’ with their family photos, that’s just not going to be me. Instead, my scrapbook strategy is to enjoy the time I have to scrapbook by picking and choosing my favorite photos. I don’t worry about whether I’ve finished a baby book before I go on to a picture from last month.
For me, I find it’s a much more enjoyable (aka less stressful) way to catalog our family memories. Here’s a page that I put together last month for Vickie’s Workshop, using the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper and the Fresh Vintage stamp set (both from the Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalog – download it now – and can be selected for free with a $50 order until March 31).
Look familiar? It should! The layout is the same as the My Digital Studio page I shared yesterday — the one I patterned after a layout in the Stampin’ Up! catalog.
Still trying to decide which Sale-A-Bration stamp sets and selections you want to earn for free before March 31st? Here are some of the projects I’ve shared on my blog:
- Fresh Vintage stamp set
- Triple Treat Flower stamp
- Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
- Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brads Bundle
- Elementary Elegance stamp set
- Sprinkled Expressions stamp set
- Outlined Occasions stamp set
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Hang on a second… it’s not April yet! But if you’re planning a baby shower, you might already be working on your invitations. I wanted to share my design for these invites that my friend Caty will be sending out. (That came out wrong… no, it’s not a shower for ME!)
The colors are from the In Color 2011-2013 Collection, and the little bear stamp is from the Packed for Baby stamp in the Occasions Mini Catalog (see it online). The shower greeting comes from the Inviting stamp set (see it online).
The pot actually opens on the side and the final invitation fits into a number 10 envelope.
The Mixed Bunch stamp set and the matching Blossom Punch were a perfect way to build a bouquet (see them in my Stamps in the Mail Club). The Cherry Blossom Embosslit is still available in my Online Clearance Rack.
Other supplies:
- Fashionable Hearts Embosslit (see it online)
- Blossom Petals Builder Punch (for leaves – see it online)
- Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (for flower centers – see it online)
- Houndstooth Impressions Folder (see it online)
- Big Shot (see it online)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stitched Stocking Baby Booties: Magnets for a New Mommy
One of my daughter’s teachers had a baby recently, so we wanted to make something fun for her. Everyone likes to keep pictures of their baby handy, right? Never enough fridge magnets available though, so here is a set of 4 photo clips in a gift box, using the Stitched Stockings stamp set (see it online) and the Stocking Builder Punch (see it online). See, this set isn’t just for Christmas!
The Baby Booties effect for this stamp set comes from trimming down the stocking, so it’s not quite as tall as the original stamped image. After all, those babies have little feet, and they don’t need knee socks! This photo shows the steps for putting these together. I didn’t want to cover up all the gorgeous Silver Glimmer Paper (see it online) so instead of a circle card stock layer, I cut the circle from a sheet of Vellum Card Stock. That way the booties stand up from the circle, but the glitter still shows through.
After making these 4 magnets (did you see my “merry” magnets from earlier this month?), I boxed them in a simple Kraft Gift Box with a ‘belly band’ wrapped around the middle. The greeting is from the You’re A Gem stamp set — one of my favorites! The band just slides off the end of the box for easy opening. (check out some of my other Kraft Gift Box ideas)
These little clips will be a great fridge decor item, perfect for holding pictures of the new little Isaac!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Embellished T-Shirts: A Video Tutorial
Do you love the ruffled vintage look that everywhere in the stores these days? Good news! You can use your Big Shot and your Scallop Circle Die to create this look at home! Here is my Video Tutorial on how to turn your plain tshirts into trendy ruffled tops.
Supplies:
- Big Shot Die Cut Machine (see it online)
- Scallop Circle Die (see it online)
- Embossing Heat Tool (see it online)
- Meltable fabric (synthetic)
- scissors, needle, thread (or sewing machine)
Happy Stamping (or sewing)!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Fluttering By with a Pennant “Hi”
Ever use traditional products in an out-of-the-box way? Here’s a fun card using the Pennant Parade stamp set (see it online) and the Pennant Builder Punch (see it online).
The colors on this card are Wisteria Wonder (designer series paper, stamping, brad and ribbon) and Pretty in Pink (scalloped pennants). The body of the butterfly is done with the Word Window Punch and Pink Pirouette card stock.
Click here to check out more Pennant Parade projects!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Lace Ribbon Border Punch: Must-have accessory
Are there a few ‘must have’ items that I love? For sure! Okay, probably way more than a few. But high on the list is the new Lace Border Ribbon Punch (see it online).
The border punch is shown here on a simple card (think Express Stamping) along with the Best of Everything stamp set (see another idea here). I love how the frilly punched card stock complements the extra flair of the Decorative Label Punch (another idea) piece for the greeting (included in the stamp set).
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
