It's going to be good!!

Something HUGE is starting tomorrow at Scrapmaster's Paradise. . .



that's right! Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out all the juicy details :O) I can't wait!!!!!!

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Stampin' With Sami Lesson: Ribbon & The Card Base

Each Saturday, I hope to have a Stampin' With Sami (SWS) Lesson for you -in the form of a tutorial with step-by-step photos. It will either be a fancy technique or a cool new way to use a product. The purpose of me bringing your these mini workshops is to hopefully convince you to become one of my lovely customers :O)

Today, I am going to teach you my little technique for attaching ribbon to a card. I am sure some of you out there already do this or at least have seen this done, but while teaching a class, I had to back up a step and teach this because no one in the class had ever seen this before so I hope that some of you will learn something new today :O)

My full card details will be posted tomorrow.


SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Cardstock for your card base (used here us a piece of Whisper White cardstock 8.5X5.5inches scored and folded in the center)
• Cardstock for your card front(used here is a piece of Whisper White cardstock 4.25X5.5inches)
  
• Ribbon (Bermuda Bay Polka Dot In Color ribbon used here)
  
• Embellishments or layers for your card (used here is the a wedding stamp from the Stampin' UP To Have and To Hold stamp set, which is retired)
• SNAIL Adhesive
  

First, I want to go over a little card "strategy and terminology" for you to make sure we are all on the same page and you understand a little of how I work on my cards. Shown in the photo above there is a card base and a card front.

Card Base: The cardstock part of your card that becomes the folded piece, in which you will write in. For a standard greeting card like shown here, it is half of a 8.5X11sheet of cardstock and then fold it in half.
Card Front: The front piece of your card, which you will later attach to the card base. For a standard greeting card, this is a quarter of a 8.5X11sheet of cardstock.

When I am designing projects, I make all my card fronts first, and then attach them to card bases as I use the cards. That way, they don't take up as much room for one thing, which is a definite plus.

I use the card base/card front method because you can hide things like brad backings, ribbon ends, etc. Also, even if your decorated card is a dark color, you can still easily write on the inside of your card because you can make your card base out of white cardstock or a light color.

Finally, another upside to using the Card base/front method. . . it makes your card thicker and it just comes off as more handmade and professional to me. Of course, this last point is totally personal preference :O)



STEPS:
1. After decorating the rest of your card as desired, decide where you want to attach your ribbon. If desired, tie a knot like shown above. Cut a length of ribbon so there is at least an inch of excess ribbon left on the piece of ribbon.

2. Using SNAIL adhesive, attach adhesive to the back side of the ribbon. Make sure to get adhesive especially at the ends of the ribbon. Place ribbon where desired on your card front and press to attach. (TIP: sometimes with SNAIL adhesive, you may need to rub a little over the ribbon to generate a little heat to make the bond permanent).

3. Flip your card front over and fold over the ends of the ribbon so they are attached to the back of your card front.


4. Attach your card front to your card base. Complete your card as desired.


Now the ends of the ribbon are tucked inside the card so there are no loose ends and no fraying to worry about!!

Here is a photo of the edge of the card. You can just see the ribbon folded inside the card. I think it gives the card a nice professional look :O)

And here is the completed card:
DISCLAIMER: If you have ever looked around on my blog, you can probably tell that I am what I like to call a HIGH VOLUME paper crafter (meaning I am creating MANY projects on a DAILY basis). That means I use LOTS and LOTS of adhesive. As such, I have opted not to be a daily user of SNAIL adhesive for everyday crafting because I just go through adhesive (especially tape runners) so quickly. If you are anything like me, I would suggest using Stampin' UP's Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive, which is a liquid glue. It seems to go a LONG way so you get more bang for your buck. I would save the SNAIL for things in which you need a tape runner, like ribbon.

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Gotta Be In It To Win It!!

Wanna win my blog candy?? Click here to find out how to enter!

(Staying at the top so scroll down for your daily dose of Scrapmaster's Paradise!)

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Happy Snowman Card

**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**

Happy Saturday and Happy Halloween!!

I have been working on wedding thank you cards a lot today and finally finished them. JUST IN TIME because my new Limited Edition Cricut cartridges came in the mail today!!! I wasn't expecting them to arrive until Monday so I jumped up and down with excitement :O) I pre-ordered all three of the new ones: Snow Friends, Very Merry Tags, and When It's Cold Outside.

As normally scheduled for Saturday, I also have a new Stampin' With Sami Lesson prepared and ready to type up for tonight so stay tuned for that as well!

Here is my first card using the new carts:

• The base of the card is Stampin' UP Real Red cardstock. I embossed the cardstock using a Texturz plate and the Big Shot.
  
• This cart features a snowman from the Cricut Snow Friends cartridge. His little outfit was cut out of patterned paper from the Stampin' UP Merry Moments designer paper pack and Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker to make the buttons and the stitches on his vest and hat. His cheeks, lips and nose were cut from cardstock (Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, and Only Orange) but his eyes were drawn on because the little circles were too small to glue on. I drew them on with the Basic Black Stampin' Write marker.
• The snowflake was cut out of Old Olive cardstock using the Cricut When It's Cold Outside cartridge. This wasn't one of the most intricate snowflakes on the cartridge, but it wasn't the easiest one either and the Stampin' UP cardstock cut perfectly. I know some people had worried that the intricate cuts might not cut very well, but I think they will probably cut ok after trying this one out.
• The sentiment is from the Stampin' UP Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. I punched it out with the Stampin' UP Modern Label punch. See the border around the modern label??? I made that with one of the Movers& Shapers dies!!!!! I just got these with my last order and I love them!!! The Movers & Shapers have to be used with the Big Shot. I have a Stampin' With Sami Lesson on the Movers & Shapers (click here to see it).

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Celebrating 80 Mini Album

**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**

Technically it is still Friday so I am still good, although I am extremely late at getting this posted. :O)

Today was a very bad migraine day so I didn't make it to my exam this morning (UGH I HATE being the sick kid and having to have a make-up exam!!!) and didn't make it into the scrap room until late in the evening (8ish). The projects I worked on tonight cannot be shown because my camera had to be charged so I have another project to share with you!

This is the beginning of a mini album I am making for my aunt (technically she is really my Godmother) to give as a Christmas Present. This is an 8X8 album.

For this title page, I used some misc. patterned paper, Very Vanilla cardstock, and Rich Razzleberry cardstock. The alphabets were made using the Cricut Storybook cartridge with the shadow feature.


All of the supplies used here came from my stash. The cardstock used is Lavender Lace cardstock. The flower is a Prima, but for the center, I used a punch out from the Stampin' UP Boho Blossoms Punch and a button.

The journaling square was made using the recipe stamp from the Stampin' UP From the Kitchen of stamp set using Not Quite Navy Classic Ink.

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Pumpkin Fun Punches LO

**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**

Here's my layout this week for the challenge over at Practical Scrappers. The challenge this week was fun punches and I thought. . . what could be more fun than pumpkins and a turkey?!?!? HA HA HA!!

So I dug deep and found these photos from 2006 so I could scrap them (I wrote the wrong date on the journaling so I have to go back and redo it! Shucks!!).

The punched pumpkin and punched turkey are super easy to make when you have the right tools all you need are 4 punches (and you could even substitute for one!!). I did not come up with these on my own, I have seen very similar punch animals many other places around blog land.

• To make the Turkey Punch Animal: Using the Stampin' UP Scallop Circle Punch, punch out one scallop circle out of Kraft Cardstock and two scallop circles out of Soft Suede cardstock. Using the Stampin' UP Heart to Heart Punch, punch out a tiny heart using Only Orange cardstock. Using the Stampin' UP Scallop Oval Punch, punch out two scallop ovals in each of the following colors: Only Orange, Dusty Durango, and Crushed Curry cardstock. Assemble the pieces as shown on the layout, and attach two google eyes to complete the turkey.
  
• To make the Punch Pumpkin: Using the Stampin' UP Large Oval Punch, punch out one oval out of Only Orange cardstock and two ovals out of Dusty Durango cardstock. To make the stem, simply cut a small strip of Garden Green cardstock. Attach the Garden Green strip to the backside of the Only Orange punch out and then assemble the punches as shown on the layout to complete the pumpkin.
• TIP: For added dimension, you could assemble the punch outs for the pumpkin or the turkey using some Stampin' Dimensionals!!
• The title was cut using the Cricut Calligraphy Collection cartridge and Crushed Curry cardstock.
  
• The Journaling shape was also made out of Crushed Curry cardstock and the same cartridge. I stamped the turkey onto the journaling shape. This turkey is a single Stampin' UP stamp called Gobble, Gobble available from the Holiday Mini catalog. Then I did my journaling with my Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker.
• All the patterned paper is from DCWV's Indian Summer Fall Stack.
  

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Your Stampin' With Sami Shopping List is Here

I have had some questions lately regarding items I have featured in my posts. The questions are all very similar in nature "I really like (enter item name here), but I can't find it in the catalog and I'd like to buy it!" Well to help eliminate these questions, I have created the Your Stampin' With Sami Shopping List feature!!

You will now see the above graphic near the end of every blog post! So, I will be posting an extra list at the bottom of each blog post that contains a list of all the current Stampin' UP items I used in the project. This list will have all the important information so that shopping with me is as easy as can be!!

When you are ready to place an order with me, you will already know the item numbers and prices so all you have to do is send me an email at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com or place your order online through my Stampin' UP Website here:

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Christmas Combo #10 Snowy Christmas Card

Happy Thursday y'all!!

I hope you are having a great day today! My day has been filled with studying and wedding card making. I do have some good news. . . Johnny got a new laptop delivered this morning so he is enjoying his new toy :O) LOL I've been hearing that some of ya'll have been getting snow and I hope you can send some of that snow my way. I would love some! He he, just send it on over here :O)

Speaking of snow (nice transition, huh???). . . today, I have a snow filled card to share with you. This is a card that goes along nicely with Christmas Combo #10.

Remember, if you use my Christmas Combo for your Christmas or Winter Holiday project, add your project to Mr. Linky below. You might just be featured on my blog!!! And you will get my special "I was Featured" button for your blog. :O) To see my other Christmas Combos, click here!

And here is my card:
I actually made this card a while ago when my dear friend Stephanie was over here hanging out. She and I are both totally in love with the Season of Friendship stamp set, which I used on this card and at the time, I was testing out my new Modern Label Punch (love it by the way!!)

• Tree and Bird are all stamps from the Stampin' UP Season of Friendship stamp set. This set is so neat because it has stamps that coordinate with the seasons to go with the tree! So you have leaves, a snowflake, a flower, and a bird so you can dress the tree up for every season.
• The snowflakes used here are from the Stampin' UP Serene Snowflakes stamp set.
• To make the snow on the ground, I ripped some Whisper White cardstock into "mounds" and then ran the paper through my Big Shot using a Texturz Plate and then inked the raised side of the paper.
• The sentiment is from the Stampin' UP Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. I stamped it onto Kraft Cardstock and then punched it out using the Stampin' UP Modern Label Punch.
  

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Christmas Combo #9 Cocoa Lovin Bear Card

**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**

Well, I have fallen behind in posting my Christmas Combos, but I am trying to step it up this week so I can catch up a little bit.

Here is Christmas Combo #9.

Remember, if you use my Christmas Combo for your Christmas or Winter Holiday project, add your project to Mr. Linky below. You might just be featured on my blog!!! And you will get my special "I was Featured" button for your blog. :O) To see my other Christmas Combos, click here!



And here is the card I made using this combo:

• The base of this card was made using the Cricut Wild Card cartridge and Bermuda Bay cardstock. Then I cut circles using the Accent Essentials cartridge from Stampin' UP Kraft cardstock and MME glitter Christmas paper.
• All of the stamps are from the Stampin' UP Cold and Cuddly stamp set and everything but the sentiment was stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock.
• The polar bear was stamped using Bermuda Bay Classic ink.
• The hat and cocoa mug were stamped using Rose Red Classic ink. The hat was stamped separately from the rest of the images (polar bear, iceberg, and mug were stamped as one layered image using the masking technique which can be found under the SWS Lessons tab at the top of my blog) and then I used a Stampin' Dimensional to make the hat pop up off the card a little bit.
  
• The iceberg shape was stamped using Soft Suede Classic ink.
• The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black Classic ink onto Kraft cardstock using the Stamp-a-ma-jig (see Perfect Placement lesson under SWS Lessons tab) and then matted onto Rose Red cardstock.
  

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Cousin of Sparrow Layout for Cricut Wednesday

**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**

Happy (late) Wednesday!

It was a migraine morning so I am way late getting this posted. BUT I hope the laughs are well worth the wait :O)

Yes, these are photos of my lovely fiance three years ago at Halloween time. He decided to dress up as a pirate and hand out the candy to the Trick-or-treaters. Well, they kept asking if he was Captain Jack Sparrow, and he kept telling them "No, I am his cousin, Jimmy". LOL And the little kids believed him!! Ha ha ha ha.

This layout is for Cricut Wednesday AND for Pumpkin Patch week.

• This layout was made for Just Buggin' Challenge #9 which was to create a Halloween or a Spooky project using your Cricut.
  
• I also created this project for my DT work at Your Memories Here (link in sidebar)
• The layout design was made using a sketch from Scrapsketch as inspiration, but I had to change up a lot of things because my photos were way bigger than the original sketch.
  
• The pumpkins at the very bottom are from the Stampin' UP Pumpkin Patch Stamp set. I stamped them all onto Very Vanilla cardstock using Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink, Basic Black Classic Ink, and Garden Green Classic Ink using my stamp-a-ma-jig. Then I cut them all out.
• For the Skull, I used the Cricut Life's A Beach cartridge and the following cardstock colors: Very Vanilla, Only Orange, and Orchid Opulence. For each piece, I used Creamy Caramel Classic Ink and a Stampin' UP Sponge Dauber to add some distressing and dimension to the skull.
• The marquee behind the skull was made out of Green Galore cardstock using the Cricut Storybook cartridge.
• The photo mats were made out of Orchid Opulence cardstock.
• The patterned paper is from a PPA kit. The alphas were cut using the Cricut Don Juan cartridge.
  

If I can make it to the scrap room later today, I will get Christmas Combo #9 posted for ya, but it might have to wait until tomorrow. I might need a nap first, he he (stupid head!!)

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Two Quick Cards to Share

I've got two cards to share really quick. These are from last week's SP Color Combo #20. I've got to get back to "work" (work is in quotes because stamping hardly feels like work Tee hee hee) on my wedding cards order. :O) I'll be back tomorrow with some Cricut Wednesday projects to share with you!

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Use IT Tuesday #30

Every Tuesday, I am digging into my stash and using something I have been hoarding. I have a room full of stuff and I am going to try to USE IT!! I hope you will join me and start using your own stuff more. Go Use it!!

Today, we are on installment #30 of Use IT Tuesday! YAHOO!! And have I got a treat for you :O) I have been using all of my "ugly paper"!!! Ok, really, the paper is not ugly, and there is nothing wrong with it (I don't want to hurt the paper's feelings!!) But, it just. . . let's just say. . . it isn't my favorite paper.

So today will be part 1 of the using up the "not so pretty paper". . .

IDEA #1 Use that ugly paper!! I know you all have some paper sitting there that you think "oh no!" Well think of a way to use some of it!! For my project today, I used 4 sheets of my ugly paper. I am sure you can use some of yours too!!

IDEA #2 Scrap some Scraps!! Your layouts don't always have to be just photos. Put some real life scraps on there.

I pulled out some memorabilia from my to be scrapped pile and just scrapped it. I didn't use ANY photos at all today. It is all really plain and simple, but they are DONE, which is what matters. :O) I did a lot of journaling and the memories are there.

This first page is a layout I made of my planner covers from the last two semesters. I made both of the covers (and showed them on my bloggity as I made them) and now I can keep them forever.


The next four pages are certificates I received from Stampin' UP during my first year as a demonstrator. My year anniversary was in August so I did a lot of journaling about what the last year of being a demonstrator has meant to me. And of course, you know, I HAVE LOVED IT!!! I hope to make a career out of it.

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Newsworthy -Challenges -MDS -Butt Patch -Cards!!

OK I can FINALLY tell you my good news (more than one, tee hee)!! I have been working hard all day long on some things and still working on them, LOL. . . I know this is a long post so if you choose to accept the challenge of reading it. . . grab some hot cocoa and a warm blanket :O)


(DELETED!!)

AND


Stampin' UP's MY DIGITAL STUDIO IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!! I made this cute little card while playing around this afternoon:
Now this one DID take some time :O)
My Digital Studio is Stampin' UP's brand new digital scrapbooking program! Well my computer more than meets all the minimum requirements for My Digital Studio BUT I have over 1000 fonts loaded onto my computer.

Yes, that is right,
I am a paper junkie,
I am a stamp junkie,
I am even a Cricut junkie, and now. . ..
I am admitting to you. . .
I AM A FONT JUNKIE too. . .

Well My Digital Studio DOES NOT work well with 1000+ fonts loaded onto your computer! LMBO. I had already heard of my fellow font junkies having problems with the program running slowly due to font overload so ALL DAY, I have been pruning my font list. . . WHEW! I am now down to 270 fonts. The program is running MUCH MUCH faster, but still not as fast as I would like. So tomorrow will be Day 2 of font pruning to get my list down some more.

I made the card above my playing around in the program. I started with one of the designer templates, but almost completely changed everything on it. It is such a user friendly program and there are SOOOOO many fun options. I really like the way it is set up and I can't wait to get to play with it some more.

***Now here is what matters to you!!! If you purchase My Digital Studio from me, I will be offering an Online Class with my support to go with your purchase!!!! I will teach you all the basics of using the program in the same format as my Stampin' With Sami Lessons (step-by-step tutorials with screenshot photos). I will be working on putting this class together on a private blog JUST for my students who purchase this program from me.***


AND


I wanted to share what happened at the endocrinologist last Thursday (read this post for past details). This is slightly TMI probably, but I always feel that it is better to be open and honest with you so I wanted to share my story with you. My hope is that someone in my same situation might search and somehow come upon my blog and find the right answer for their situation by finding me so just skip over all this next stuff if it is too much info for you. It's kinda embarrassing because I have to talk about some girly stuff :O)

Well, some of you might already know, migraines are very closely linked with female hormones and the female hormone cycle (hence why females are more likely to have migraines than men, especially during that time of the month). Well, in an attempt to regulate my hormones, I have been on various hormones (i.e birth control pills) so that I don't have a cycle as frequently and therefore reduce the frequency of my migraines. The migraines did in fact become less frequent when I went on the medications long ago, but apparently over time, these have made my hormones compete and my estrogen has become low and my Progesterone has become high. Now, the last thing they want to do at this point is take me off of the pills I am already on that were working for me up until now.

So now my endocrinologist is putting me on an estrogen patch because my estrogen is low. He thinks the little boost of estrogen will help my hormones to regulate themselves better. And get this. . . he tells me. . . I SHOULD PUT THE PATCH ON MY BUTT!!! BLAH AH HA HAH HAH AH AHA HAHH AH SO I have a butt patch :O)

Well the first two days on the patch so far have been AWFUL. I was feeling completely sick, had two migraines that lasted longer than usual, and the rest of the time, I have just felt completely awful and sickly. As you know, I try not to be a downer, so I am holding my head up high and just waiting for my body to adjust to it. He said I won't see improvement until about 2 weeks after starting the patches. SO I will just play with My Digital Studio as I wait. Tee hee!



AND FINALLY


I am giddy because I have sold some cards!! In this photo, I took a photo of a set of Christmas cards I sold a while ago (and I was super excited then!!!). . .but now, I have an order for ONE HUNDRED CARDS!!!!This is the first big order I have ever had and I am so thrilled to have it. I can't show you the card design until I am done, but let me tell you. . .they are very elegant. They are Wedding Thank You cards. So this week, I am working "overtime" LOL I worked on them a lot today.


Now if you have made it this far, congrats!! I will be back tomorrow for my Use It Tuesday project. I've got a super idea to share with you then so stay tuned!

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

Deals of the Week #4

Week 4
A special little pirate or princess in your life is going to love this weeks deal!!!!

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land

SPCC #21

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope everyone's work week has started out nicely. My Monday has been lovely so far. I have some good news I want to share with you, but for now, it has to wait until later!! I need to get my scrap room clean ASAP. LOL. I need a major overhaul!! Anyone else have a messy scrap room problem right now???

I've got my color combo card to share with you for SP Color Combo #21:


Here's my card:

This card came together super quickly once I found my patterned paper for my Bravo Burgundy shade.

• Cardstock is Stampin' UP Whisper White, Creamy Caramel and Ruby Red.
• Patterned paper is MME Lovenest
• The Ruby Red cardstock was punched with the Stampin' UP Eyelet Border Punch.
• The sentiment is from the Stampin' UP Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. It is stamped in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink (I used the marker because I don't have the ink pad). Then I punched out the shape using the Stampin' UP Modern Label Punch.
• The birds are from the Stampin' UP Love You Much stamp set. I stamped them in Ruby Red Classic Ink and colored them in with Stampin' UP markers. Then I used the 1 3/4inch circle punch to punch out the shape.
  

Here is a photo of the stamps in the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set:

SP and Company Stamps  |  SP Color Combos  |  Imagination Land