Blogger Valentines :: 3 of 5

Hey... have you been to Craft Critique yet??? Why the heck NOT!?! Win some free stuff why don't ya! And tell your friends!!! While you are there I recommend you subscribe... and then go put a ink up on YOUR blog! :) I just happen to know that we have some AWESOME stuff planned for the coming weeks. I would hate for you to miss out!

And NOW for the Valentines! From our Canadian participants!

First up we have Amy Rysavy's card. If you don't know "Prairie Paper and Ink" then you are just not reading enough stamping blogs. Amy is known for her awesome tutorials and her prolific card posts... I swear the girl must always be stamping... she posts a card or TWO almost daily! The thing you don't know about Amy is that her swaps smelled like CANDY! Seriously... it was the nicest thing to open that envelope from Canada and get a whiff of those cards.... not that I smell my swaps by the way... you just couldn't HELP but notice the sweet-tart smell of these cards. How do you do it Amy?

I love the HEART on this card; it's all glittered up and really bold. She also used a White Uniball pen to trace around the holes she made on the scalloped edges of the focal point circle... isn't that CUTE? And check out the doodled boarder she made... gotta love it! And I love the googly eyes too... nice touch! Thanks Amy!


Isn't this card by Terri Digness amazing! The layers on this baby are so thick and wonderful... that's TWO chipboard hearts there... count 'em... TWO! Plus she added a heart made with microbeads on one! Look at the heart in the center. She embossed around the edge... so lovely! Combined with the Brushed Silver paper, the ribbons, brads and faux stitching... WOW!

Terri has a terrific blog; "Stampin' Terri". Be sure to look at her Emboss Resist Glass Etching Tutorial. I thought it was particularly impressive.

Slit Punch + Coluzzle = Scalloped Circle

Ok... this is gonna take just a couple minutes.... gather 'round kids! Go get your Coluzzle, your Slit Punch and some Card stock... grab a cuppa joe too... it's early.

Now cut yourself a circle WITHIN another circle; this is easy with the Coluzzle... just keep it in place and cut TWO circles. Look at the bottom pic... see I used the THIRD and the SIXTH ring to make this Circle. Use a touch of adhesive on your Coluzzle mat to hold the paper in place if you need to.

Now just slide your slit punch inside and start punching! Punch right beside the prior punch! Wowza right?!?

Use this as a frame, or layer OVER the center hole to use this as a background layer. Stay tuned to see what I do with this scalloped Circle. FYI; this works for ovals too... and if you get to the end of the round and find you have some space... just cover this boo-boo with a little ribbon tie. Pretend you MEANT to do it that way! :)

See; I used the THIRD and SIXTH Coluzzle rings to make this circle. I found this was the BEST way to ensure an even distribution of the scallops... if I punched RIGHT BESIDE the prior punch it ended up even-steven in the end with this size circle.

EXTRA TIP: Use a Sharpie marker to mark every OTHER ring for easier viewing.

Blogger Valentines :: 2 of 5

Before we talk Valentines, let's talk RIBBON! Stampin' Up! has the best ribbon EVER... and you can get a whole box full (225 yards) from me! Email me NOW for the details on how to join my Ribbon Club or view my Specials on my Stampin' Up! Website for more info. Club space is limited so contact me today... I would love to help you get your hands on ALL of the Ribbon that Stampin' Up! has to offer!



Now back to my blogger buddies! I have three cards for you all today!

First up we have this FAB card by Erika Martin (aka Sunshine Mama) ... Erika is such a great artist; and a total "Technique Queen!" She actually featured this "Double Resist" technique on her blog back in the beginning of January. This picture does NOT do this card justice. It's all sorts of shiny, and it she did a great job with the layers... raising one heart on two dimensionals to give it extra POW! Be sure to visit Erika's Blog "Erika Martin Designs" for the specifics on this card and to learn that cool resist technique! Erika is also planning a feature on little ole' me in the coming weeks... and I will be featuring HER! We are working on a little fun Q and A to make the whole thing extra entertaining. Stay tuned for more on my fave hippy stamper!



I need to tell you... I was so excited when Michelle said she would participate in this swap. Among us "B List" Rubber Stamp bloggers Michelle is the Blogging Queen. You can visit her blog "Ink Artist" for proof. She has almost 5 years of archives for you to sift through! Like Michelle; I hadn't yet mounted this set; "Much Love"... but this card changed my mind about it. Don't you love the glittery heart? I also really like the hemp with the beaded embellishment. It really helps to create a nice balance between the collage style of the card and the romantic "valentineyness" (new word) of it.

Be sure to look at Michelle's SCS gallery HERE, Michelle is SCS Dirty Dozen Alumni... so she is officially stamping royalty. She also rocks; and not just because she wears a cool hat... but because she is a wonderful artist who still takes the time to answer my cat related questions!



Something you should know about Amanda Sewell... her handwriting is as neat as a pin. Seriously, she should start a business hand addressing wedding invites. Her handwriting is so lovely she should never have to purchase a sentiment stamp for any of her cards. If you are a stamp designer... well, you might want to consider hiring her to design some sentiment stamps for you. I am so serious.

Don't you love this card? First of all; you can't go wrong with black and pink. Secondly; I love the black lipstick kisses! Sort of punky... very "hep", yes "hep" with an "E". This paper by Diecuts with a view is super cute as well... and the faux stitching; well, you just can't go wrong!

Be sure to look at Amanda's blog; INKSPIRATIONS. Not only does she have cute stamped stuff... but tasty recipes! Yum!


Stay tuned for more adorable valentines!

A Chipboard Valentine's Day Box

Before you enjoy Sarah and the Stampstars... please visit Craft Critique! It needs your LOVE and you need some free stuff right!?! Please tell everyone you know about Craft Critique!

Ok... on with the stamping...

How much do we LOVE these boxes made from chipboard coasters! See a tutorial on how to make them HERE. The large scalloped circle was made with the help of a small corner rounder; just remove the corner guide and work your way around the circle. The red glittery heart was created with Heat and Stick Powder and Stampin' Up! Glitter!

The stamp set I used is called "Happy Hearts". At only $14.95 it's a must have for Valentine's Day! Real Red ink and Basic black were used. Oh... and those cute little dots? I used a pencil eraser! The perfect dot, all the time!

These white chipboard coasters are so great at accepting ink. Feel free to email me for the source!

Last Year's Valentines

At the risk of being perceived as lazy; I have a few of LAST YEAR's Valentines. I am actually attempting to go to bed early tonight... so this will just have to do! I still like all these cards... although my style has changed quite a bit. Last year I was really into distressing and I wore my Close to Cocoa ink pad OUT with Direct to paper techniques. Lately I like a fresh, trendier look.
Each card will link directly to it's recipe on SCS. Just click on the card. Enjoy!