Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

Welcome to the latest Stampin’ Addicts’ Blog Hop, celebrating my favorite Stampin’ Up event of the year, Sale-a-Bration!  You may have just arrived from Krystal’s blog, where she showed you the  cute Wellness Wishes stamp set, or you may be starting here. Either way, all of the stops link together in one big circle, so you won’t miss any of the great ideas and projects.

I am very excited to be featuring the adorable Build-a-Bear set, Bear Hugs. This is a set from the main catalog that is one of the choices at the back of the Sale-a-Bration catalog. I’ve had this set for awhile, and I love it more and more every time I use it! It makes great baby cards, and can be used from baby showers all the way through a first birthday!

The first card I want to show you is based on Lauren Meader’s original baby onesie card. This bear image is just perfect to decorate it! I stamped the image in Basic Gray for a softer look, then used my markers to color it in.

Stamps: Bear Hugs
Ink: Basic Gray, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Pear Pizzaz
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints II Designer Series Paper
Other: 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Subtles Brads (So Saffron)

My second card is another shaped card, this time a baby bib. (I believe this idea was created by the incomparable Jackie Topa.) It’s so easy to change the gender of the baby bear just by changing the color of his or her socks! I used my Aqua Painters and reinkers to color in the bear this time.

Stamps: Bear Hugs
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Marina Mist, Whisper White
Other: Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Clear Circle Bigz Die, Big Shot, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-a-dile

My third project would work great as a baby shower favor — just fill it with chocolate and you are good to go! I stamped my bear in Basic Gray on the different colors of card stock, then cut them out and paper-pieced it together. It is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Stamps: Bear Hugs
Ink: Basic Gray
Paper: Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, In Color Designers Series Paper Stack
Other: Blushing Bride Poly Ribbon, Mini Milk Carton Die, Big Shot, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Crop-a-Dile

My final project is by Eve, my favorite guest designer, and 7-year-old daughter. The Build-a-Bear stamps are a HUGE hit with the kids, and this one is no exception! How great is it that Stampin’ Up gives us a way to earn free stamps, so we don’t have to worry about letting the kids share them?

Stamps: Bear Hugs
Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Paper: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Whisper White
Other: Small Heart Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch

I hope that you enjoyed this stop on the Stampin’ Addicts’ Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop! I am honored to be part of such a talented group of women! Your next stop is over to Carmen’s blog to see the awesome Extreme Skateboard stamp! Enjoy the rest of the hop!

I can’t post some of the cards that I’ve been making lately, since they are gifts that have not yet been given. Instead, I have a special treat for you, a fantastic card made by Eve! First, I am happy to tell you, she can now use the Stamp-a-ma-jig by herself for perfect placement. Not bad for a 7 year old! She had a couple great ideas for this card. One is the girl bear’s tiara, which was stamped in Versamark and then embossed in silver. The other was to stamp the trophy separately, then cut it out and raise it up with Stampin’ Dimensionals. She drew the speech bubble freehand.

Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Versamark, assorted Stampin’ Write Markers
Paper: More Mustard, Whisper White
Other: Silver Embossing Powder, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I love stamping with Eve! She’s so clever and creative.

Happy Thanksgiving! When I saw these super cute Build-a-Bear Pilgrims on Heidi’s Blog, I knew that Eve and I had to make them! We had a lot of fun putting these together on Wednesday morning, before all of the cleaning and baking began. These are the ones I put together.

Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black, Brushed Gold, Real Red
Other: Bear Bigz Die, Beary Essentials Bigz Die, Small Tag Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1/4″ Square Punch, Paper Snips, Big Shot, 2-Way Glue Pen

Eve set hers up in the “Mooflower” that her Savta and Sabba bought for her when we all went to Plimoth Plantation (yes that it how they spelled it) two years ago. How cute are they, making their way to the New World? I think we’ll bring this over to my in-laws as decoration.

Thank you Heidi for the great idea, and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

We had a really fun afternoon yesterday at the after-school card making class! One of the projects the kids could make was to die cut a Build-a-Bear and they could dress it.  I had a lot of clothes left over from my summer school card making class, plus I added some pumpkins and witches. They LOVED putting these together! They made a little fashion show at the end so I could take some pictures. There were three color choices for bears — Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake.

Created by 2nd, 3rd, & 4th graders — Eve, Lyla, Laura, Giana, Jade, Sydney, Rosie, Esther, Avi, Reggie, Madeleine, & Carly.

Dies used: Bear Bigz Die, Beary Dressy Die, Beary Essentials Die, Kooky Spooky Die

The reason that some of the bears’ heads look a little flat on top is that these are cards that open, and the top of the head is the fold.

I am leading an after-school stamping activity, and the kids let me know that they are ready for Halloween! I took one look at this week’s ColorLab colors and knew that they would be perfect.

I have mostly girls in the club, so I decided to make a cute little witch bear with the colors.  I have a feeling this Season of Hugs set will be seeing quite a lot of ink this fall!

Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Season of Hugs
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Brights Designer Series Patterns Stack (Rich Razzleberry)

The boys will have the option of creating a pirate bear if they want.

Tonight is my nephew Leo’s very first Rosh Hashanah, and I wanted to make a special card for him. I combined the apple and honey lunch box from the Season of Hugs stamp set with the adorable baby bear from Bear Hugs to make a sweet Rosh Hashanah card. I inked up the bear with a Stampin’ Write Marker to get rid of the B on the bib and the rattle in the bear’s hand.

Stamps: Bear Hugs, Season of Hugs, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand
Paper: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

The little lunch box is cut out and popped up on a Stampin’ Dimensional. I made the “Sweet New Year” phrase by combining the “Sweet Treats” and “Happy New Year” stamps from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set. Amazing what you can do with a Stampin’ Write Marker and a Stamp-a-ma-jig!

Hello and welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop, where we are featuring a variety of the products in Stampin’ Up’s new Holiday Mini Catalog. You may have just arrived here from Lisa’s blog, where she showed you the adorable Merry Crittermas stamp set, or you may be starting here. Either way is fine, the blog hop will take you in a complete circle.

I am excited to show you the 15 piece stamp set, Season of Hugs, the latest stamp set in the Build-a-Bear line. This set is designed to work with the bears from the set Beary Best Friends, as you will see in my projects below. Like the other Build-a-Bear stamp sets, it is only available in the wood mount.

My first project is a Back to School card. Look at this little bear, all ready for school with a honeybee lunch box and an apple for the teacher! I think I’ll send this with Eve to give her teacher on the first day of school next week.

Stamps: Season of Hugs, Beary Best Friends
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Clear Circle Bigz Die, Stamp-a-ma-Jig, Big Shot

My next project is a Halloween card. How cute are these hats? And the goodie baskets? Love them! The pirate hat and the eyepatch are one stamp, and are designed to work perfectly on the bear. (I highly recommend using the Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect position.) The little witch bear’s dress is paper-pieced – you can click on the picture for a closer look.

Stamps: Season of Hugs, Beary Best Friends
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Real Red, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper
Other: Paper Snips, Stamp-a-ma-Jig

My third project is a Thanksgiving card. I used a few other new products on this card, including the gorgeous new Fall designer series paper. It is a textured, heavy-weight card stock.  I was tempted to make it the base of the card, it’s that thick! The largest scallop square has been in the catalog awhile, but there is a new Bigz Die with two more scallop squares on it! I used the larger of the two to mat my bear. It measures 3″ x 3″.

Stamps: Season of Hugs, Beary Best Friends
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Elegant Eggplant
Paper: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper
Other: Scallop Square Clear Bigz Die, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Big Shot, Early Espresso Satin Ribbon, More Mustard Brads, Stamp-a-ma-Jig

My final project is a cute little Christmas Matchbox. I was amazed at how perfectly this tree fits on the front! I opted not to use one of the bears with this. Although the paw prints aren’t quite the same, I thought this would be perfect for the dogs to give Christmas treats to all their doggie friends. The top of the Christmas tree is one of the new glimmer brads. Although it looks gold, it is actually the So Saffron brad from the Subtles pack.

Stamps: Season of Hugs
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Garden Green, Real Red, Soft Suede
Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White
Other: Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Big Shot

As you can see, the Season of Hugs stamp set is a very versatile addition to Stampin’ Up’s Build-a-Bear Workshop line. The super cute stamps cover Fall and Winter wonderfully! Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up on the blog hop is Candace, who while be showing you the beautiful single stamp, Christmas Postcard.

I’ve been teaching a summer school class on rubber-stamping and card-making to elementary school kids this week. It is super fun and lets me experience the joy of beginning stampers all over again! Do you remember that moment when you looked at your first card and went, “Wow! I made that!” ? Today I am bringing in the Big Shot and letting them die cut and dress some paper Build-a-Bears. Have you ever seen an 8-year-old run something through a Big Shot? Sheer joy!

This is a card I made for last weekend’s Stampin’ Addicts’ Iron Stampers Throw down. It combines two of the challenges — Throwdown Challenge #3: Hit me with Your Big Shot! (use the Big Shot at least three ways) and Iron Stamper Challenge – 8 PM – Secret Ingredient: School Days. I used some of my new dies and paper!

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Beary Dressy Originals Die, Bear Bigz Die, Beary Bright Sizzlet, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Big Shot

I think I’m going to have to save this for Eve’s first day of school card. Hopefully I’ll remember…

Here’s another card I made for yesterday’s Stampin’ Addict’s challenges. The theme was birthday, and I decided to use this super cute new stamp set in the Build-a-Bear line. I’ve been making a lot of baby boy items lately, but I really wanted to use this gorgeous new In-Color ribbon, so this one is a girl. This ribbon is awesome! It is so soft and pliable. Expect to see a lot more of it!

Stamps: Bear Hugs
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake
Paper: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other: Blushing Bride Stitched Poly Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Big Shot

I love the dotted white background. It is so delicate and baby-like to me. Too bad everyone I know is having baby boys…

I love these colors for this week’s ColourQ challenge! They are so fun and little boy-ish! Look:

The first thing I thought of was how perfect these would be for the Build-a-Bear die cuts! Most of the colors are in the Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper, and the bear itself could be Kraft! Eve helped me run all of the pieces through the Big Shot. At age 7, after having used the Big Shot with me for a year, Eve is able to build the “sandwiches” and run things through the Big Shot on her own. In fact, she finds it much easier to use than a certain small die cut machine that was sold specifically for kids to use. Of course, she still only uses it under supervision. Here is the card Eve and I put together last night.

Paper: Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Kraft, Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper
Other: Bear Bigz Die, Beary Essentials Bigz Die, Beary Boy Sizzlits Die, Big Shot Machine

Super cute, huh? The Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper is still available in the Summer Mini Catalog, but Ballet Blue will be retiring at the end of June. Stock up now if you need it!