Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

While Steve & Eve carved our Halloween pumpkins, I was busy roasting the  seeds. I sprinkled them with salt and garlic powder, and they came out super yummy! As I was making them, I thought to myself, “Hey! I bet these would fit in the 1″ x 8″ Cello Bags from Stampin’ Up!” And you know what? They do! So I made some cute little Halloween treats for Eve to bring to her teachers and a few other people at school today.

Stamps: Gift Givers
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Always Artichoke
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie (on the back)
Other: Designer Label Punch

I hope you have a Happy Halloween! Great news! Stampin’ Up extended the special to get a FREE Big Shot when you become a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator! You now have until November 11th to sign up. Don’t miss this fabulous deal!

This past week we had “Boo Buddies” at work, where we each pick a name and leave that person little treats all week.  I love doing this! It is so much fun! The only bummer for me is that I can;t do anything hand-made, or the person will know that it is me. But Monday is our big reveal, so I can FINALLY craft something for my buddy!

I decided to make one of those super cute hexagon boxes made from two milk cartons. Have you seen them? Paula has a fabulous tutorial on her blog. I made mine to look somewhat like a pumpkin, but I didn’t put a Jack-o-lantern face on it, so it can continue to be used until Thanksgiving.

I filled the inside with chocolates, and covered them with stamped labels to make them more festive. I fit about a dozen in there.

Stamps: It’s a Wrap Holidays
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, Basic Black
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack, Labels
Other: Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Crop-a-Dile, Milk Carton Bigz Die, Big Shot

This was a really fun box to make. I hope she likes it!

On  the fifth Saturday of any month that actually has five Saturdays, we have a day of challenges, called a Stamp Jam, over at Stampin’ Addicts. I was honored when Trina asked me to host the “Other Winter Festivities.” So of course, I made a Hanukkah card. I used the fabulous sketch from today’s Stamping 411 challenge as well. It’s a great all-purpose sketch.

In case you were wondering, the main Hanukkah images from Shalom Sayings fits nicely in both the 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch and the 2 1/2″ Circle Punch. I also used a considerable amount of homemade Shimmer Mist on the Night of Navy piece. It is super sparkly in real life! To make this, put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and add a few drops of Shimmer Paint. I used the Snow White Shimmer Paint.

Stamps: Shalom Sayings
Ink: VersaMark
Paper: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Silver Glimmer
Other: Bashful Blue Satin Ribbon, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, 2 1/2″ Circle Punch, Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Snow White Glimmer Paint, Bashful Blue Satin Ribbon

I hope you’ll come along and play over at Stampin’ Addicts today! I’ll be posting the rest of my projects over the next week or so, I hope you will come back to see them.

Mark your calendars and join Stampin’ Up! at www.MyDigitalStudio.net as we celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day with a four-day online event, November 4-7. This event is for everyone, whether you are a digital scrapbooker, want to be a digital scrapbooker, or are just thinking about digital scrapbooking!!

Join us for:

• FREE digital downloads
• Project ideas
• Announcement of 2011 My Digital Studio Contest winners

Don’t have My Digital Studio yet? Anyone who purchases it through me will receive an hour of one-on-one training for free! (In person if you are local, by phone if you are not.) Contact me for more information!

This is another one of the cards that the Fourth Graders will be making with the seniors on their field trip to the Jewish Home. (See yesterday’s blog post for more information on this Service Learning project.) It also ties in well with the Pals Paper Arts challenge this week, to use ribbon on a project. I think this may be the first time I’ve used the Shalom stamp without embossing it! I decided I wasn’t brave enough to try heat embossing on the field trip. I did manage to bling up the card with some silver glimmer paper though.

Stamps: Shalom
Ink: Night of Navy
Paper: Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer
Other: Night of Navy 1 1/4″ Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

Unfortunately, this striped ribbon is no longer available in Night of Navy, though I did see it on the Clearance Rack not that long ago. If you are looking for shades of blue, it is available in Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy.

Twice a year our Fourth Grade students go to visit the residents at the Jewish Home for the Aged. On their fall visit, the Fourth Graders stamp cards with the seniors, and the seniors keep those cards to use. It’s a great project and I always enjoy working with our Service Learning Coordinator. This is one of the cards that they will be making this year — nothing too complicated, but a little sponging to make it fun.

Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Other: Old Olive Satin Ribbon

They will have the choice of all three of the different sayings that come with the Upsy Daisy set, so they can make a card that they need.

Are you thinking about holiday cards yet?  There are some great new digital downloads from Stampin’ Up this week! And not just for holidays, either! These downloads work with My Digital Studio and any other digital scrapbooking program that allows you to import PNG and JPG files, which is most graphics programs. (Clicking on the pictures above will take you right to the store to purchase these downloads.)

127570 Warm Holiday Wishes Photocard Template $1.95

Drop three of your fabulous family photos into this striking holiday photocard template for simply beautiful results. This digital-exclusive 7″ x 5″ double-sided postcard designer template also comes with a three-piece stamp brush set. All elements come as stamp brushes or a punch, allowing for complete color customization or use on any project. Coordinating colors include Garden Green, Marina Mist, Riding Hood Red, and Whisper White.

127573 Classic Poinsettia Photocard Template $1.95

Two striking poinsettias will make your holiday photo pop on this digital-exclusive double-sided 5″ x 3-1/2″ postcard template. Download includes a three-piece stamp brush set and three embellishments. Many elements in this designer template come as stamp brushes, allowing for complete customization or use on any project. Coordinating colors include Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, and Whisper White.

127757 Celebrate Any Day Greeting Card Templates $9.95

Grab this download, and you’ll be all set with fantastic card templates for every occasion. They’re great for birthdays, Christmas, sharing thanks or congratulations, letting someone know you’re thinking of her, and more. The download includes additional stamp brushes so you can create even more cards. It comes with 12 digital-exclusive greeting card templates using four artwork styles (three 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ and nine 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ cards), a 24-piece stamp brush set, six Designer Series Paper patterns, and nine embellishments. Coordinating colors include Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Cameo Coral, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, So Saffron, and Wisteria Wonder.

127579 Merry & Bright Days Photocard Template $1.95

Simple and classy, our Merry & Bright Days Photocard Template will brighten your collection of yearly holiday cards. The digital-exclusive double-sided 7″ x 5″ postcard template offers four spots for your photos and customizable elements; each element in the template comes as a stamp brush, allowing for complete color customization or use on any project. And all the stamps used on the template can be used in other coordinating projects. Coordinating colors include Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Pool Party, and Whisper White.

127777 Handle With Care Stamp Brush Set $3.95

Use our four-piece Handle with Care Stamp Brush Set to ensure all your precious digital creations maintain their pristine condition. Use these fun “postage tape strips” for holiday or birthday designs—or a number of other occasions. Download also includes a 3-1/4″ x 3-1/4″ tag designer template.

127778 Something Blue Guestbook Template $12.95

Our sophisticated Something Blue Guestbook Template is perfect for wedding or anniversary party guest books. The digital-exclusive 24-page 11″ x 8-1/2″ photobook template download also includes number and lowercase alphabet stamps for complete customization. Coordinating colors include Basic Gray, Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie, and Very Vanilla.

128345 Mr. & Mrs. Stamp Brush Set $5.95

Celebrate the love of your life with our 11-piece Mr. & Mrs. Stamp Brush Set. Include the type artwork in your designs individually, or for a great background, try using the stamp brush image that includes all of the words together. Take the piece up a notch with pops of color by layering one or more images over the larger background stamp brush. This digital-exclusive set is great for wedding photobooks, bridal shower cards, gift tags, and more.

127779 Beautiful Season Stamp Brush Set $3.95

127780 Dasher Stamp Brush $1.95

You can purchase these or any other digital downloads through my online store. (Clicking on the pictures above will take you there as well.) They great news is that they are available for immediate use, with no shipping charges! Just click on Digital Crafting, then Digital Downloads, then Newest Downloads to see all of the recent additions! If you registered your copy of My Digital Studio, you may also receive end-of-the month emails from Stampin’ Up featuring that month’s digital releases.

There is a My Digital Studio tab to the top right hand corner of this blog. It is a handy reference to a variety of My Digital Studio resources, including a list of all of the downloads and a break down of the printing costs. There is also a Resources page on MyDigitalStudio.net that includes an MDS Catalog. It shows all of the MDS software artwork (contained in the boxed-version) and downloads from the October 2009 launch through September 30, 2011! The catalog gives a snapshot of the entire product line with artwork thumbnails followed by product details, which includes the colors of the designer papers! Because MDS is regularly coming out with new artwork, the catalog will be updated every month.

I had a fabulous workshop on Saturday! We made three fun holiday cards. It is so great watching everyone’s eyes light up as they admire their finished work. My hostess Stacey is expecting her second baby in a few months. She’s also a really big scrapbooker, so I wanted to give her a hostess gift that she could use either for cards or scrapbook pages of the kids. I realized that our adorable buttons fit nicely into the 1″ x 8″ cello bags, and put together this little gift  for her.

Stamps: Gift Givers
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Real Red, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Other: 1 3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, 1″ x 8″ Cello Bags, assorted buttons

Hmmm… Wonder what else will fit in those bags?

It’s funny, because when I first saw it, I really did not like the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, but the more I use it, the more I love it! When I saw this gorgeous quilted card by Rita, I knew I wanted to make my own as well.

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Soft Suede, Pool Party
Paper: Pool Party, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Other: Scallop Oval Punch, Punch Windows Movers & Shapers Die,  Top Note Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon

I love how rich and textured this came out!

Another great sketch from Margaret Moody over at Pals Paper Arts this week.

Although I do love square cards, I made this one into a rectangle because I finally got a chance to play with Stampin’ Up’s new Hanukkah Stamp! Isn’t it super cute? I have to say that I didn’t particular like the way they hung the stars and dreidels off of the letters. It made them look a little too much like ornaments, if you know what I mean. Since I was using markers in different colors to ink up my stamp, I simply didn’t color the strings. That’s the great thing about markers on stamps — you can omit whatever you want!

Stamps: Hanukkah
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Other: Marina Mist Scalloped Dotted Ribbon, Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot

We’ll be making this card at Stacey’s holiday card workshop this weekend! I can’t wait!