Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

I know that most of the country has been blanketed in snow, but here in Los Angeles we’ve been getting our fair share of rain. My after-school stamping club, which consists of first and third graders, were really sick of making valentines. Really, really sick of valentines. So I thought, with this kind of weather, it would be a great time to make some dog and cat cards! (Get it? Raining cats & dogs?) They were very excited by this idea.

We used the D is for Dog and C is for Cat sets to make two very similar cards. (Did you know that you can get these sets free as Sale-a-Bration choices? How great is that?) I also had to incorporate the Big Shot, because these kids LOVE to use the Big Shot. I help them make the “sandwiches,” but they get great joy out of turning the handle and watching what comes out! We used the Scalloped Square Bigz Die to create these cute cards.

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay
Paper: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Other: Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Square Clear Bigz Die, Big Shot

Stamps: C is for Cat
Ink: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango
Paper: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Whisper White
Other: Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Square Clear Bigz Die, Big Shot

On another note, I am proud to announce that my school was awarded the California State School of Character Award. You can read the full article here. Amazing that I put up my “Do Good. Be Kind” sign on the same day we found out!

Yesterday was super exciting and exhausting as we finally got to meet and take home our new Great Dane puppy! His registered AKC name will be Echo v. Evans Hijack My Heart, but we are calling him Jack. His mother Annie is a champion, and his father Humphrey is only  points away from being a champion as well. We’re hoping that Jack will follow in their footsteps. In the meantime, we are enjoying his adorable puppy self. Eve has wanted to do nothing other than snuggle him since before we even got him! She was so excited when he fell asleep in her lap last night, that I just had to take a picture. It seemed to be the perfect picture to use for both the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge and the Pals Paper Arts Challenge.

I did it in My Digital Studio, of course, while the puppy is sleeping beneath my legs. One more good thing about My Digital Studio — no small pieces for the puppy to chew on! This is an 8″x8″ page. I figure it’s never too early to start on the scrapbook!

If you are in the Los Angeles area and would like one-on-one lessons in My Digital Studio, please contact me for more information.

Welcome! It is time for another Stampin’ Addicts Blog Hop! This blog hop celebrates the fabulous freebies you can earn with every $50 in your subtotal during Sale-a-Bration. Each blog on the hop will be featuring  these items, many of which are only available until March 31st! If you are traveling forward in the blog hop, you just arrived from Holly’s Blog, where she showed you some beautiful projects made with Bella’s Bloom. If you are starting here, no worries. All of the posts link together to make a large circle.

I am excited to be showcasing the adorable D is for Dog  stamp set. In case you didn’t know, there is a big new change this year! In addition to the six Sale-a-Bration products, Stampin’ Up! will be letting you pick from a limited list (on the last page of the SAB brochure) of stamp sets from the big Idea Book and Catalog. How awesome is that?

The first card I have to show you today is a doggie Valentine. Whether it is from the dog or to the dog is up to you, but either way it is super cute! Here’s a handy tip I discovered — the full heart punch layers just perfectly on top of the new Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit!

Stamps: D is for Dog, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
Other: Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Full Heart Punch, Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Pretty In Pink 5/8″ Satin Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I got the idea for this next project after seeing all of the bird houses that people have been making with the new Mini Milk Carton Die. If you can make a bird house, why not a DOG house? So I did!

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: So Saffron, Real Red, Basic Black, VersaMark
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Mini Milk Carton Bigz L Die, Wide Oval Punch, White Embossing Powder, Paper Snips, Sticky Strip

My finally project is one that every dog owner dreads, but unfortunately it is a card that has to be made from time to time. I am glad that this sentiment is included in this set, even though I hope I never have to use it. This is inspired by a similar card made by Patti Chesky.

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: So Saffron, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Whisper White, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack
Other: Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Sponge Daubers

Here’s a look at the entire six piece stamp set. Can you believe that you can get this for free? Wow!

Your next stop on the blog hop is Jean,  showing you projects created with one of my favorite single stamps, Elegant Thank You.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the projects made with the products that you can get free with a $50.00 purchase during Sale-A- Bration. Now you can see why it is every stampers’ favorite time of year!

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Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts’ Dormant Retiring Blog Hop! We will be featuring several sets that are currently on the Dormant List and will not be available after January 4th. You may have just arrived from Krystal’s fabulous blog featuring Grand Soiree. If this is your first stop, don’t worry, we’ll take you in a circle!

I am so excited to be featuring Man’s Best Friend. This adorable dog set has four solid dog images, a fire hydrant, and the saying “bark, bark, bark (happy we’re friends).”

The first card I want to show you features the adorable Yorkie. I just had to make a black and red card with it!

Stamps: Man’s Best Friend, P is for Paw Wheel
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

The next project I want to show you is a cute little doggie treat bag. I thought it would look great with some dog biscuits inside, but Biscuit wasn’t real keen on the idea of not eating them. So I put some chocolate caramel candy corn inside instead. (Do not give your dog chocolate. This is a people treat!)

Stamps: Man’s Best Friend
Ink: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Other: Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Small Cello Bag

The final project I have to show you is an all-occasion card. It could be used for a new baby, a birthday, thinking of you, or thanks for taking care of my dogs while I was on vacation. Because of the Gingham paper, I think of it as my country dog card.

Stamps: Man’s Best Friend
Ink: So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Ballet Blue, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Ballet Blue, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper
Other: Spiral Punch

I hope you enjoyed these examples. Remember, Man’s Best Friend will not be available after January 4th! Here’s a look at the whole set:

Man's Best Friend $19.95

Thanks for stopping by! Your next blog is Cindy E, with a look at the gorgeous Ocean Commotion.

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Great Danes? What do Great Danes have to do with rubber stamping? Well, when you are going over to meet another scrapbooker’s Great Danes, they have everything to do with rubber stamping! My husband Steve has been thinking about Great Danes a lot lately, and is exploring the idea of getting one. Norri, a fabulous scrapbooking friend of mine, invited us over to meet her Great Dane Stanley and his sister Annie. Wow! They are beautiful dogs! I didn’t want to go over there empty handed, so I made her a clear envelope brag book for pictures of the gorgeous Stanley. He is a fawn colored Great Dane, so I chose colors to match. Neither of the dog stamp sets show a Great Dane, so I chose to use paws and a quote instead.

Stamps: D is for Dog, P is for Paw wheel
Ink: Creamy Caramel
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Jumbo Eyelets, Basic Black 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Crop-a-Dile, Clear Translucent Envelopes (inside)

It will hold ten 4″ x 5 1/2″ pictures. (You can get 4″ x 6″ pictures and crop them.) And since I know you want to see this gorgeous dog, I’ll leave you with a picture of Steve and Stanley.

In addition to the organized convention swaps that I signed up for, I also sent Melina with some general swaps. Not too many, just enough to get some fun swaps back. I decided to use the new Scallop Square Bigz Die for my base, and the adorable D is for Dog stamp set. I made two versions of the card — one in Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede, the other in Real Red and Close to Cocoa. I love them both! Which one do you like better?

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay
Paper: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Accessories: Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Square Scallop Bigz Die

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: Real Red, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
Accessories: Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Square Scallop Bigz Die

I’m very excited about the second swap I am in for the Stampin’ Up convention. When I get the pieces back, I will have an alphabet book, where each page has a letter and an animal made of punch art to match. There are 13 people in the swap, and each of us are doing two letters. I chose to do “D” for dog and “L” for lion. A big thanks to Angie Kennedy Juda for her fabulous lion and dog punch art designs.

Stamps: Varsity Alphabet, Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Ink: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: 1″ Circle Punch, 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1/4″ Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Slot Punch, Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Sponge Daubers, Googly Eyes, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Stamps: Varsity Alphabet, Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Ink: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard
Paper: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Whisper White
Accessories: 1″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1/2″ Circle Punch, 1/4″ Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Sponge Daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig

We had very specific instructions as to size and design of the pages so that they will all fit together nicely into one 6″ x 6″ album. I can’t wait to see the other 24 letters!

I finally had a chance to do the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge! It was like a breath of fresh air to do a card as clean and simple as this!

I decided to use my brand new D is for Dog stamp set. Now, I may be partial since I have a lab, but I think this dog is so cute!! I love this new set, and I think it will go fabulously with the Man’s Best Friend set (currently on the dormant list). Here is what I came up with:

Stamps: D is for Dog
Ink: So Saffron, Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Paper: So Saffron, Real Red, Whisper White

It has been a long time since I made a card without any ribbon, or punches, or anything other than just stamps, ink, and paper. I am really pleased with how this came out!

My friend Mike gave me the most beautiful box right at the end of the school year. His husband Rob had taken photos of Biscuit and modge podged them all over the outside. It is absolutely amazing! I figured the very least that I could do was to make them a cute doggie stationary set. I tried to make it look like their dog Murphy, but the only similiarity really is that she is brown. Here’s what I came up with. I love how it came out!

Stamps: Man’s Best Friend
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Gold Brads

Don’t forget! Only 3 days left to order Stamps on the Last Chance List!

As promised, here is the card that started out for yesterday’s Mojo Monday sketch, but ended up competely different! I have to say, I really like this dog set much better than the last two that Stampin’ Up has come out with. The yellow lab is our dog Biscuit, so I colored the eyes and nose black like his. I also tried something new (for me, anyway) and made a photo corners out of the ribbon. I thought it looked pretty good! Here’s the card:

Stamps: Man’s Best Friend
Ink: So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Jackpot DSP
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Man's Best Friend $19.95 images©Stampin' Up