Sunday Stamper - Birds

I had so many things that I should have been doing today, but I saw this video by Jennifer Mcguire this morning and was totally enthralled. She used the Sizzix Tattered Pinecone die to make adorable felt roses. Well...you know how much I love that die - I couldn't resist trying it!

I decided to make mine just a bit differently. Instead of cutting plain felt, I first saturated mine with fabric stiffener. When it dried, I embossed it with my Sizzix Regal Flourishes Texture fade and then cut the embossed felt with the Pinecone die. Before I rolled up the flowers, I used a Snow Cap Dabber to highlight the raised portion. I really thought the embossing would show up more, but it just kinda fades away. So sad. :( The fabric stiffener did give the felt a lot of body, though, and I will definitely try this again.

For today's Sunday Stamper, Hels' wants us to use birds in some way. I immediately grabbed one of my favorite Artistic Outpost stamp sets - Birds of a Feather. Is is a such a beautiful stamp collection and just perfect for this time of year. The tag background was created using the faux batik technique. I stamped the music stamp (from AO's Ephemeral Backgrounds set) with clear embossing ink and covered it with clear embossing powder. Inked the tag and then ironed off the embossing. I swiped over the center with a Snow Cap Dabber and then stamped my bird in the center with Archival Jet Black ink.

I hope you aren't getting sick of my Sizzix Baroque frames - I just can't stop! This one was meant for another project (which will be pretty cool if I ever finish it), but I stole it when I decided to make this tag. The sentiment stamp is from the Birds of a Feather set and is stamped on a banner cut using the Sizzix Tattered Banners die.It's a little hard to tell, but I added quite a bit of Martha's clear glitter over everything.

If you're looking for any of the supplies I used, you can find them at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order. Oh! And there is still time to enter the Inspiration Journal 'Go Green' challenge. You can read all about it here. I hope you join us!

Artistic Outpost Birds of a Feather	Sizzix Tattered Pinecone Die	Sizzix Mini Baroque Die	Sizzix Baroque Die	Sizzix Regal Flourishes Texture Fade
Idea-ology Lavish Trimmings	Inkssentials Manila Tag	Snow Cap Paint Dabber	Ranger Clear Embossing Powder	Distress Embossing Ink
Bundled Sage Distress Ink	Tumbled Glass Distress Ink	Ranger Heat Tool	Jet Black Archival Ink	Inkssentials Blending Tool
Inkssentials Glue N' Seal	Vagabond

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Thanks so much for stopping by - have a great week!!

Live in the Moment

Today I'm sharing a card I made as one of my CHA samples for Tim Holtz' new Idea-ology release in January. It uses two of my absolute favorites from the line - the Word Bands and the Crinkle Ribbon. It also uses a lot of my favorite Sizzix dies!

I love making pine cones with the Sizzix Tattered Pinecone die, but I might like the roses even more! I used Kraft Glassine and then added a little bit of Snow Cap Dabber to give them a frosty look.

The frame was cut from chipboard using the Sizzix Baroque and Mini Baroque dies together - I just love using them this way! It was painted with a blue Dabber (either Aqua or Cloudy blue, I can't remember and I can't tell from the pic!), sanded lightly, and then given a nice coating of clear glitter. It's really hard to see here, but trust me - it's covered! Behind the frame is some of Tim's Terminology Tissue Wrap.

Don't you love the new Word Bands?! Once of my favorite things to do is add color to the depression with Dabber paints. It's a great way to add a little pop of color to a card like this. Underneath the Word Band is a frame cut from cardboard using the Sizzix Tag and Bookplates die. It wasn't until I was working on this card that I notice the shape is exactly the same as the Baroque dies. I'm a little slow sometimes. ;-) I love how it echoes the frame. Very simple, but so pretty!

The Word Band is attached to the card with a length of Crinkle Ribbon. I love that stuff! Honestly, I thought it was pretty much like the seam binding you can buy, but it's not at all. It's wider, for one, and it has a much silkier texture. It is just gorgeous and so fantastic to dye. I'm absolutely thrilled that it's now available by the package.

All of the new Idea-ology is in stock now at Inspiration Emporium! Yay! You can find everything I used here at IE through the links below. Make sure you use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order.

Vagabond	Sizzix Tattered Pinecone Die	Sizzix Baroque Die	Sizzix Mini Baroque Die	Sizzix Tag & Bookplates Die
Idea-ology Kraft Glassine	Idea-ology Word Bands	Tissue Wrap - Terminology	Idea-ology Kraft Resist	Snow Cap Paint Dabber
Cloudy Blue Paint Dabber	Aqua Paint Dabber	Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon	Tim Holtz Paper Distresser	Idea-ology Sanding Grip
Inkssentials Glue N' Seal

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Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

The Vagabond Has Left the Building!

When you bring your Vagabond to Graceland for a photo shoot, be prepared for some stares and a lot of questions! "Um...excuse me, but...why, uh...are you taking pictures of that little suitcase?" Why, for the big Sizzix 'Where in the World is Your Vagabond?' promotion. Hello!? To be fair, I do tend to get a bit lost in my photography and the sight of someone practically stretched out on the sidewalk in front of Elvis' house taking pictures of a little suitcase is probably not what you expect to see when you're coming to see the King!

In case you didn't know (I didn't until recently) the walls that surround Graceland are covered with graffiti It is really pretty cool looking, and I thought it made a great background for my Vagabond.

Here it is sitting on top of the wall, with Graceland in the background. Would you believe I've lived about 20 minutes away from here for the past 10 years and never visited? I have friends who've lived in Memphis their whole lives and never been...it's just not something you do if you're a local, I guess. We did get to meet a lot of very nice and curious visitors which was really fun. I even had to demo the machine for one guy! I guess they will all have a little story to tell when they get home. :-)

In case you haven't heard of the promotion, Sizzix is sending a set of their new Gauge Keys and a sheet of new stickers (I got mine at CHA, you can see them on my machine) to everyone who shares a picture of their Vagabond on this post. You can read more about the keys and watch a video from Tim himself (rubber stamping's own Elvis) right here.

So, Don't Be Cruel to your Vagabond, get a set of Gauge Keys and make sure you're using the correct sandwich! Speaking of sandwiches, I'm suddenly craving a peanut butter and banana...



Man, Elvis was so sexy!

Vagabond

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Inspiration Emporium Pocket Watch Design Challenge!

Awhile back, the members of the Inspiration Emporium Team were given one of Tim Holtz' Idea-ology Pocket Watches to alter any way we chose. It was amazing to see what everyone came up with! One thing that is great about our team is that everyone has a style all their own - and my fellow designers are all very, very talented! You can see all their gorgeous creations here - make sure you stop by and take a peek!

As for me...for some reason these watches intimidate me. I never quite know what I should put in them. I admire and love everything I see done with them, I just have a block when it comes to me making one! While I was digging around in my stash, looking for inspiration, I came across a wood door rosette moulding piece. I was like, hmmmm....maybe? When I held the watch up to it, it was a perfect fit! A plan started forming...

I painted the block with a Snow Cap Dabber and then applied strips of vintage paper randomly. I added swipes of Picket Fence Crackle paint here and there, for an aged look (I love using Crackle paint this way, it adds so much texture). After everything was dry, I sanded it down and added a bit of Brushed Corduroy Distress ink. The little feet are wood spools I found on clearance at Michaels.

The sides are trimmed with foil tape that was cut with the Sizzix Vintage Lace die. I used an Espresso Paint Dabber to give it an aged look. I didn't want the pocket watch to look too new, so I painted it with several layers of gold, silver, Espresso, and Snow Cap Dabber paints. I love the crusty look of it!

I removed the back of the watch so it would sit flush on the block. Behind it, I added a photo from Tim's Idea-ology Lost and Found Paper Stash. On top of the photo, I adhered a stamped sentiment from his Stuff to Say collection, and vintage buttons to complete my little scene. The top is tied with a big, shabby bow made from Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon.

You can find all the materials I used at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Make sure you use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order!

Idea-ology Pocket Watch	Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon	Idea-ology Foliage	Idea-ology Lost & Found Paper	Inkssentials Metal Foil Tape
Sizzix Vintage Lace Die	Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint	Snow Cap Paint Dabber	Adirondack Paint Dabber - Espresso	Gold Adirondack Dabber
Silver Adirondack Dabber	Idea-ology Sanding Grip	Inkssentials Glue N' Seal	Stampers Anonymous Stuff to Say	Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
Rosette Moulding Block

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to see some of you at Tim Holtz' Creative Chemistry 101 Class on Monday - I can't wait!!