Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

Happy Valentine’s Day! I have one last project to share with you. I saw this super cute Valentine flower with a chocolate in the middle on Barb Mullikin’s blog. We used Hershey kisses for the flower centers. I made this with the afterschool kids’ club. It was winner, since it involved the Big Shot AND chocolate! (I made the one on the left, Eve did the one on the right.)

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Flower Folds Bigz XL Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Chocolate

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, full of love and chocolate!

The third grade teachers came to me for some ideas for a project their students could make at their Valentine’s Day party. We tossed some ideas around, and decided on having each child make two 3″x 3″ mini cards – one for each of their parents. I put together a supply order for them, and because of Sale-a-Bration and Stampin’ Up’s generous hostess benefits, they managed to get four free stamps sets with their order! We decided to stick with Real Red, Pretty in Pink, and Basic Black as our ink colors, combined with Real Red or Pretty in Pink as their card base. They will be encouraged to use their own creativity to create their cards, but I put together a few samples to get their juices flowing.

Here they each are individually:

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Whimsical Words
Ink: Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Stamps: A Happy Heart
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White

Stamps: A Happy Heart, Sprinkles
Ink: Real Red, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Whimsical Words
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, A Happy Heart
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Stamps: You & Moi
Ink: Real Red, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White

I can’t wait to see what cards the kids come up with!

Here is another card that could be used as a Valentine if you would like, but could be used for many other occasions as well. It uses the super cute Love Bandit stamp set. I used the Stampin’ Write Markers to color the parts of the stamp differently, and then colored the squirrel in as well.

Stamps: Love Bandit
Ink: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Old Olive, Going Grey
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad
Other: Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch

We made this card at my faculty card making class, and I have to tell you there is a learning curve with these new punches. (A big shout out to Amy who did it perfectly on her second try!) Luckily, Stampin’ Up has come out with a great video to use these punches.

Stamping 411 also has a size guide, showing you what size paper you need to get the punches to come out evenly as well. It takes a little practice, but it is worth it!

Here’s an oldie but a goodie! I pulled out my Loads of Love set to make a fun Valentine with my after-school kids club. They love coloring, so this one was great for them. Sometimes you just have to go back to the classics.

Stamps: Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories
Ink: StazOn Black, Real Red, Bermuda Bay, Basic Grey
Paper: Real Red, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Other: 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Crop-a-Dile, Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, Aqua Painter

I varied the colors of the hearts by using different amounts of ink on my Aqua Painter. I really like the combination of Real Red and Bermuda Bay. It is so striking!

We got the notice a few weeks ago. “Please send 50 Valentines to school with your children, unlabeled, signed with their name.” I’ve given Eve the option each year, whether she wants to buy her Valentines or make them. In past years, Eve has wanted to buy store-bought Valentines, usually princess ones. This year however, she decided she wanted to make them. She liked thet idea of lollipop holders. So we looked through all of my Valentine-related stamp sets, and she settled on the cute image of two birds from the Love You Much stamp set.

We made up a sample, then got down to business yesterday afternoon. The whole family helped (well, except for Biscuit). I cut and stamped, Eve colored and signed, Steve glued and punched, and we all threaded the lollipops through. We managed to put together all 50 in less than 2 hours yesterday afternoon!

Here is our final result:

Stamps: Love You Much
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Watercolor Pencils, Crop-a-Dile

And here is a look at all 50 together. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!

Steve punched the holes with the Crop-a-Dile. I asked him how he liked it, since I personally think it is an amazing punch. His reply? “It’s smooth! Like driving a Ferrari…”

January has been just a crazy busy month and I have gotten away from doing the weekly challenges that I enjoy so much. So I decided to jump back in with a splash and do not one, not two, but three challenges at the same time! I am combining Cindy’s Friday Funday Challenge (the theme is Friendship) with the sketch challenge from Stamping 411 and the color challenge from ColorQ.

I decided to make a sweet boy valentine with the Build-a-Bear stamp set. Did you know there is a special going on with all of Stampin’ Up’s Build-a-Bear products right now? For every $20 spent on products from the Build-A-Bear Workshop Collection, you will receive a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase at any Build-A-Bear Workshop store. This offer is valid through April 30, and the coupons are good through December 31, 2010. Now is a great time to purchase the Build-a-Bear stamp sets and dies!

Stamps: Bear Best Friends, Beary Best Times
Ink: StazOn Black, Stampin’ Write Markers (Real Red, Taken with Teal, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel)
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pad
Other: Real Red 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads (Bashful Blue), Stampin’ Dimensionals

It’s hard to tell from the picture, but his little Valentine is stamped on Bashful Blue cardrstock, cut out, and popped up on a Dimensional. I think it turned out cute! Perfect for my 5-year-old nephew!

I saw this valentine made by Joan and I knew immediately that I had to make one of my own. It is spectacularly gorgeous! I am making it with my faculty card-making class after school today, and I can’t wait! It looks hard, but between the Big Shot and the punches, it comes together very easily.

Stamps: Well Scripted
Ink: Real Red
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
Other: Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Full Heart Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Big Shot

Isn’t it gorgeous? There is glitter embedded in the paper! I love it!

This card could be used for Valentine’s Day but certainly has other uses as well, perhaps in supporting a loved one in a tough decision. It uses two of the Sale-a-Bration freebies — the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad and the Whimsical Words stamp set.  (Have I mentioned lately how much I love Sale-a-Bration? Free stuff! Whoo-hoo!) It was inspired by Corie’s card.

Stamps: Whimsical Words
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad
Other: Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

I was thinking this could be fun to do with other punched shapes as well, like stars.

Here’s another card made with the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set.  (Remenber, Stampin’ Up will donate $2 to the American Red Cross’s Haiti Relief and Development Fund for each of these sets sold.) This one is an easel card. It is fabulous to look at, and fairly easy to make. You can find detailed instructions here. I made it even simpler — I didn’t score my card stock first, just folded it in half, then folded one of the flaps in half again. And then I attached the 4.25″ square with a glue stick, it didn’t need sticky strip.

This is the front of the card.

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, With All My Heart
Ink: Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Other: Pinking Hearts Corner Punch,Pinking Hearts Border Punch,  Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big shot

Here is what it looks like from the side.

I thought I would also show you my first version of the card. I ended up redoing it because I thought it was too plain.

Which one do you like better?

It’s been Valentine central around here lately! I’ve been making Valentines with my after-school kids’ club and have a faculty card-making class coming up soon too. This card is easy to make and looks great! It uses the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set, which I mentioned the other day. For every set of these purchased, Stampin’ Up will donate $2 to the American Red Cross’s Haiti Relief and Development Fund. If you haven’t bought it yet, now would be an excellent time.

It’s hard to see in the picture, but the three biggest hearts were punched out, and are popped up on dimensionals.  I also sprayed it with “shimmer mist” (a combination of the shimmer paint and rubbing alcohol) after the picture was taken. The whole thing sparkles!

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Heart to Heart Punch, Pinking Hearts Border Punch

All supplies are available for purchase 24/7 on my website. Or contact me to schedule your Valentine’s workshop today!