Frantic Stamper Happenings

A little something from CHA...

2012-01-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Kaiser Tigerlily collection coming out in March:

And made with Tigerlily:

Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe coming out late February:

Also from Graphic 45 in late February, Kraft Collection:

2012-01-29T14:27:00.002-08:00

Fourth Sunday Template: Football Card

2012-01-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

The design team will be posting a template on the fourth Sunday of the month this year instead of on Tuesdays.

With the Superbowl coming Next week and lots of football (American Football, that is) parties being planned, we thought it would be fun to give you a "football" card template to play with. The finished card should be about 7x5 1/2" if printed at full size, but feel free to size to your needs.

We'd love to see what you come up with. Email photos to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and we'll add them to this post.

Technique Thursday: Hero Arts and Sizzix

2012-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today we would like to share a great video from Hero Arts on their great collaboration with Sizzix; Hero Arts stamps that coordinate perfectly with Sizzix dies and embossing folders. We hope you will enjoy it!

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Lis Whiting)

2012-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Lis Whiting)

Hi! I'm Lis Whiting and I have been crafting for many years now, and have been part of the Frantic Stamper design team for two years, joining it for a third as an alternate.

I currently live in California with two kitties who view my craft room as their personal toy factory, so they have to have monitored visits! I work full time at a hospital in the Finance Division which I also find very interesting.

I am a lover of art in all its forms. I love most types of music, my favorite art "period" is hard to say. I love impressionist painters but I love art deco jewelry. I enjoy classical music as well as rock. I really like the Victorian period - steam punk really appeals to me. I am a real fan of Tim Holtz and his distress/grunge. My favorite color is cobalt blue. I like deep rich colors like emeralds, burgundies and browns.

One of the questions that I was asked to answer is "how often do you window shop at Frantic Stamper?" I must admit that I look forward to coming home each day and spending a little "me" time (even if its only 5 minutes) by going to FS and seeing what's new! My favorite can't-do-without tool is, of course, my paper trimmer. I still have one of the old Fiskars grey trimmers that I use most often although I know I need to get a new one some day. If I had to choose any other tool it would be my die cutters. I have one from Sizzix and I also have an Accucut. I like to use thicker materials and these die cutters are absolutely essential!

I have two sisters who think I am a little nuts but hey....at least they know where I am!

The inspiration for my artwork...hmmm. That's hard to say. I think I am still finding myself. My biggest influences are the shapes of books, gears and the victorian period in general. I SO enjoy making cards and other paper creations. Putting paper together to make something beautiful is always a wonderful thing.

Here are my submissions for the DT call.

Sketch Sunday: January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday!

Today we have another simple card sketch for you. The bold pattern at the bottom of the sketch was intended to invoke the thought of a geometric patterned paper, or perhaps a geometric texture, but please feel free to interpret it YOUR way! These sketches really can be just starting points.

Here are some of the Design Team members takes on the sketch.

First up I have a card by Jane Larsson.

Next are two cards from Linda Phinney (I just love black and white themes; don't you love them, too?)

Here is a card by Jennifer Willis. The stamp is from FranticStamper's line of stamps: Cat Tarot Card - Le Pendu.

And how about a card by Sharon Jeffs?

And here is Kathy Berger's take on the sketch (a Valentine's Day card).

Reader Marcelle (Moz) Roberts decided to play along and sent us this photo of her card.

Reader LaCretia Ogle also shared with us. Here is her card.

We hope you, too, will give the sketch a try and share a card or two with us, too. Just email your photos to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and we'll upload this to this blog entry.

Technique Thursday:Hero Arts Cling Stamp and Technique

2012-01-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

I have only one video for you today, but it is a long one, with a fun finger-painting technique. I tried the technique, and I have to admit I felt like I was 5 years old again! I just loved it!

Check out Hero Arts Stamps and Distress Inks at FranticStamper.com.

Warehouse Wednesday: New Web Site and Shopping Cart!

2012-01-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Warehouse Wednesday: New Web Site and Shopping Cart!

Frantic Stamper got a major facelift on Sunday! For the past several months we have been working diligently to bring you a brand new web site. In addition to a new look, the site features a powerful search engine that makes finding items easier than ever and a shopping cart to make shopping more convenient and secure for you, our customers.

We have moved our most popular and newest items into the new site and are working to port the rest as rapidly as possible. There are already hundreds upon hundreds of man-hours (actually, mostly woman-hours) in this site, and we know we aren't done. So, we hope you will bear with us if something you need isn't on the site yet; the site is still a work in progress, and should be considered somewhat under construction. We hope that even with that caveat you will have an enjoyable experience using the site.

Please note that though the shopping cart provides you with a convenient and secure way to shop, we will ALWAYS be here to respond to your questions and will continue to take pride in giving you the best possible customer service. You can always call us (during business hours) at 541-826-2500 or email us at fran@franticstamper.com.

Quick, Clean, and Simple!

2012-01-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

by Jane Larsson

Quick, Clean, and Simple!

I bet many of you are like me: in the middle of a hectic life. Sometimes we just don´t have an evening to spend making a card you need for someone’s special occasion. That doesn´t mean you have to go buy a card!

Today I made a card in five minutes, and that included the planning! I will tell you how I did it!

Items used: 3xBazzill cardstock, 1xpatterned paper, stamp, ink, embossing powder, fluid chalk, glue, button, stickers, paper cutter and a heat gun.

The size can be chosen by the stamp you use. I used 9901-O Timepieces from Fran’s plate #99 which is the size 4.25" x 4.50" so here is how I worked with this clean & simple card.

First I stamped on the patterned paper. I used Bo Bunny’s "Smoochable - Heart Strings" and put on the Embossing Powder and heated it up with my gun. Powder used: a shiny powder that has become one of my favorites: American Crafts Zing - Black with Opaque Finish.

Then I glued it on my first cardstock (I used the color brown, I like to get great contrasts. The second cardstock is red. And the third and last is black and the base (scored in the middle, size 10,25"x6" before I scored it) I chalked the edges and glued it all together. At last I glued on the text (alphabet stickers) and the button…

…TADA! All done! Quick, clean and simple!

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Sharon Jeffs)

2012-01-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Design Team (Sharon Jeffs)

I live in sunny South Australia with my husband Matt and my daughters Emma (15) and Sarah (11). I am currently a primary age school teacher working with year 5 and 6 children.

I began card making after finding a card making kit at a local market. By the time the kit was finished, I was hooked! Since then I have discovered scrapbooking and love working creating all sorts of different projects.

This begins my third year as a member of the Frantic Stamper Design Team, and I am energized and excited for the new year. I am looking forward to getting to know the new team members and to sharing all sorts of my work with you!

Until my DT work is posted, you can see more of my work at my blog, http://www.justmeandthem.typepad.com, where I post my latest creations.

Here were the pieces I submitted with my application for this year's team. I hope you will enjoy them!

Tip Tuesday: One-layer cards

2012-01-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

One Layer Cards

Today we would like to offer some tips for creating single layer cards that are quick, simple, yet elegant and sophisticated.

Tip #1
Use a heavy-weight card-stock for your card. Without the extra layers to add stiffness, you will really need a quality heavy card.

Tip #2
Make sure whatever you use to color your card doesn't bleed through your card-stock. Test it on a scrap before using it on your final project!

Tip #3
The layout for a simple card is really important to the success of a single layer card. Consider using a card sketch for your layout, or create a quick prototype of your card before making your final card.

Tip #4
When using a bone folder to crease your card protect it with a sheet of typing bond so you won't leave behind a shine.

Tip #5
Create a faux-layer by dry embossing a border around the edges of the card.

Tip #6
You can also create a faux-layer by masking the borders and creating a colored area in the center area of the card, or by masking the center and coloring the borders.

Tip #7
Punching a small shape out of the card front can add interest to the front, especially if it results in contrast with the inside of the card.

Tip #8
Choice of color can make all the difference in the world in a one-layer card. Bold, bright primary colors can make a card really vibrant and modern. Pastel and monochromatic schemes can make cards look elegant and sophisticated. Since you have only one layer on which to make your statement, choose colors that enhance what you are trying to say!

Try making some one-layered cards sometime soon. Here are a couple of quick sketches to help you get started.

Sketch Sunday

2012-01-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

We wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that some changes will be coming to this feature (and others) as we phase out our 2011 design team and bring aboard the 2012 team.

This year we will be posting nothing but card sketches on Sundays (Sorry, scrappers, but we will try to accommodate you in other ways this year!) and we will be posting our sketches less frequently; twice a month instead of weekly. We will be moving our Templates feature to Sundays, offering either a shaped card or other template one Sunday each month. Our Tip Tuesday feature will be being phased out as a regular feature, but a new coloring feature will be being added.

We will continue to bring you weekly videos from our favorite manufacturers, regular news from our Warehouse, occasional product reviews and how-to's from our team, and, of course, fabulous design team projects in what we hope will be an ever greater number and variety.

We are really excited about the changes, and about the new team. We are looking forward to sharing with you!

So without further ado...here is this year's first sketch.

2012 Design team members Isabelle Drouin-Vachon and Jennifer Willis were kind enough to make cards using this sketch so we could share them with you. First up is the wonderful, colorful, wintery card by Isabelle:

And next is Jennifer's adorable card featuring Riley the Moose (now available at FranticStamper.com!):

Here is a beautiful card made by our reader, Marxelle Roberts.

If you, too, give this sketch a try and want to share your card with us, please just email a photo of it to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and we'll add it to our post.

Stained Glass Butterfly (Design Team Project)

2012-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

by Kris Hankins

Stained Glass Butterfly

This card is one of my favorite cards that I have made in a long time. I tried several new items with this card, and was pleased with how it all melded together.

First off, I had purchased the set of small doily butterfly dies (and coordinating angel wing dies) by Cheery Lynn Designs, available at FranticStamper.com. The butterfly was easy to make and beautiful when finished.

I first cut the “doily” butterfly from a black cardstock scrap. The angel wings (solid backing) were cut from a scrap of white vellum. I painted the vellum with iridescent Twinkling H20’s. I made sure I dabbed off any excess water from the vellum and dried it flat.

When the vellum was dry, I glued it to the back of the doily butterfly. The H20’s on the vellum created a stained glass look. Very nice. I curled the wings over a paint brush handle to give the butterfly some dimension, and finished the butterfly with some pearls down its body.

The card is made using two papers from Basic Grey’s “Out of Print” collection. The white text layer was torn and the edges distressed.

The cling rubber stamp I used is the beautiful Flourish #1 from Impression Obsession (this is a very versatile stamp!).

The card was finished off with a layered sentiment attached on 3D foam dots. Embellishments include thin twine and small paper flowers.

Simple yet elegant, don't you agree?

Here is a video from Cheery Lynn Designs on the Doily Butterflies and Angel Wings

Technique Thursday: Hero Arts Tips

2012-01-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Today we have a couple of videos for you that we think are just fantastic!

First, Hero Arts offers this video to show how sewing on cards can make a real statement.

Again, Hero Arts has some great tips! This time they are for making some fabulous bows for your projects.

We hope you have enjoyed the videos today!

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Jane Larsson)

2012-01-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Design Team (Jane Larsson)

I am a 41 year old mom who lives together with husband-to-be, our three wonderful boys and a cat in a small village in south of Sweden.

I work as a Financial Manager in our own business – and I absolutely love every part of my life!

My favorite hobby is paper crafting. I also enjoy travelling and spending time with friends and family.

I have been paper crafting since 2004, and my favorite store is without any doubt Frantic Stamper. I hardly shop from anywhere else – that is one of the reasons why this mission means so much to me!

Here are my submission pieces.

Tip Tuesday: Punch Storage

2012-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Design team members offered various tips for how they handle their punches. Here is what they had to offer:

The new slim-line punches have FABULOUS storage boxes available. but they also stack well, and stand up on a shelf well, even without the storage boxes! I am now buying my punches in this profile whenever I can!

I know my collection is big and always growing, but my stamping space is pretty limited. Storage is thus a really important issue for me. I use a rubbermaid over-the-door wire shelf system to store my mostly frequently used large punches. They are out of the way when I don't need them, but easy to access when I do!

I use a large tool box (similar to the one in the following photo) to store my smaller punches, with each drawer used for a different category (floral, geometric, holiday).

I use large Rubbermaid bins for my punches (yeah...I have a lot of punches). The punches are categorized by type such as borders or mega-fancy.

I keep all my holiday punches in bags. One for Christmas, one for Halloween. That way I can pull them out easily.

I use heavy-duty rubber bands on the handles of my punches to keep the punch in the closed position; they take up less room that way!

I use towel racks for my most often used punches. I mounted them to a wall near my work space, and put my punches on them. This worked great for the old-style punches and for Martha Stewart punches, but I not for the new slim-line of EK punches. Those, and my others punches, are stored in an Iris cart, categorized both by size and subject.

Holiday Break...

2011-12-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

The FranticStamper Design Team is taking a holiday break. We will resume posting in the New Year.We wish you all very happy holidays!

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Linda Phinney)

2011-12-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Design Team (Linda Phinney)

My friends call me Phin or Phinner.
I'm also known by my (not so) secret superhero moniker,
DeathGrrlRunningGoddess!
If we met on the street, I’d probably start talking your ear off immediately!
(blah, blah, blah! LOL!)
I’ll tease you, A LOT, if we’re buddies.
I'm pretty direct.
I have a lot of energy and have a hard time sitting still.
I get distracted easily…
SQUIRREL!!! hee!!!
I’m a crazy perfectionist, and
I get on my own case way too often.

Its important to my well being that I have a Starbucks earl grey tea latte
EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
I like to sweat by running and going to spin class.
I am obsessed with paranormal tv.
I like to wear glitter or black nail polish, exclusively.
I love my Mazdarati, ZooMZooM, and
I have conversations with my pet Siamese Fighting Fish, Newt (aka Buddy Buddy Fish Face.)

I’ve been playing with paint, glue, and paper, making messes for as long as I can remember…
I've been stamping since the early 80's,
and during college, I spent most of my textbook money on stamps and ink.
(Thanks Dad!!!)
I usually work in an 8"X10" space, most of my clothes have paint and glue on 'em.
Collage and mixed media, grunge, texture, and layering makes me really, really happy.
I like to make and trade ATCs.
I especially like to get mucky with gesso, I like sparkly things, and as far as I'm concerned, no work is complete unless it has a spattering of paint or spray ink!

Here are my DT entries:

Tip Template Tuesday: Winter Mitten

2011-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

Winter Mitten

Today we'd like to share a template for a mitten that can be used to make an element on a scrapbook page, can be resized to make embellishments for a card, or can be used to make a card itself.

We hope that if you enjoy the template and make something using it, you will share with us.Send a photo of your creation to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and we will upload it to our blog or share it on Facebook for you.

Sketch Sunday: Scrap #10

2011-12-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

I had really good intentions of scrapping a page from today's sketch, but life (and a new dose of medication that has me seeing double) got in the way. And none of the other DT members could get away from their holiday preparations to make a page, either. I do hope I will be able to get to the sketch soon, though, and if I do, I promise I will share!

But don't let our not playing along limit you; we would love to see what you do with this sketch! Just email a photo of your creation to me at FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and I will add it to this post.

Until next week...

Smiles,
Kathy

P.S. The kitty in the sketch is my kitty, Buddy, who passed away at age 16, two weeks ago. I miss her like crazy. Wasn't she just beautiful?

Ornate Snowman (Design Team Project)

2011-12-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

by Debi Wind

Ornate Snowman

Here is another wonderful project from our former team member, Debi Wind. I think this one just screams winter; don't you agree?

To use this Debi used card-stock from Bazzill (Lisbon, Simon, and Vanilla), Snowflakes and Holly paper by Daisy D, Stamps from Inkadinkado, Azurite Fluid Chalk Ink from Clearsnap, and embellishments from Bazzill and Queen & Co, all available at FranticStamper.

Here are step-by-step instructions from Debi on how to make this card:

Cut Simon cardstock to the size of 5 1/2"X8 1/2", score it and fold in half. Cut pattern paper to the size of 4"X5 1/4" and set aside.
Stamp Snowman image onto Vanilla cardstock in Azurite ink, cover with clear embossing powder, shake off excess and heat with heat gun. Trim and layer onto Lisbon and Simon cardstock.
Adhere Snowman to pattern paper. Set aside.
Run ribbon through Xyron. Adhere ribbon to pattern paper over snowman and anchor to back of paper.
Embellish with white poinsettia and blue rhinestone jewel.

technique Thursday: Imaginesce i-Top Brad Maker

2011-12-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

by Sharon Jeffs

I-TOP Brad Maker

A few years ago Imaginisce released an amazing tool called the I-Top Brad maker. Since then the company has been releasing a variety of accessories to enhance the creativity of this amazing tool.

The I-Top Brad maker is easy to use and can create brads, magnets, buttons and badges in 16mm and 22mm sizes. An additional carriage purchased separately will enable you to also create items in a 28mm size.

Imaginisce also create punches to punch out the brad toppers so you don't need to hand cut each topper.

Rather than create a lengthy document explaining how to use the I-Top tool, this video from the Imaginisce site will show you how how simple it is to create your own brads.

If you prefer a smoother more rounded brad then try following this amazing tip to create perfect brads.

The great thing about this tool is that it can create so much more than just different sized brads. Currently Imaginisce stock kits to make –
Brads
Button Badges
Magnets
Buttons
You can find all of these for sale at the Frantic Stamper store at http://www.franticstamper.com/imaginisce-brads.htm as well as this amazing tool and all its accessories.

The I-Top Brad Maker can be used with a variety of different material. Some of the materials I have used it with include –
Raffia
Hessian
Paper
Fabric
Lightweight lace
plastic sheeting

Finally, I wanted to share some of the many projects that I have created using the I-Top tool.

Cherry Topped Cupcake Card

To make this card I drew a rough sketch of a cupcake onto some white card and cut it out. From this template, I created a base with a piece of folded card so that I could make it into the pocket piece and the topper from two scraps of patterned paper.

When you pull on the tab held in place by my brad, the top of my cupcake pulls up to reveal a secret message to the recipient of my card.

Bobble Hair Ties

The button are made in exactly the same way, they just use a different looking daddy to complete the job.

To create my hair tie I made my brad then sewed it to a strip of gathered tulle and sewed this to a hair tie. Finally I adhered in some feather to finish it.

Flower Centres

The brads make fantastic flower centres and when you use a different type of material then they really pop. I chose to cover mine in a piece of cotton lace, centring the pattern around the brad topper.

Once made, all I had to do was push the prongs through the centre of my flower and voila!

Why don’t you try making button badges for your children to wear or even to add to a card as a milestone for the birthday person to wear at their party!! Or perhaps you are a bit like me and love anything to do with stationery and storage? Why don’t you try out the magnetic button and create fridge reminders that help to organise those notes we all love to store on our fridges!!

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Jennifer Willis)

2011-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Design Team (Jennifer Willis)

Hi, I am Jennifer, a sahm to two lovely little girls. I have been married for 13 years. Currently, my family and I live in North Dakota with one dog and an unbelievable number of cats (one day I will be known as that crazy cat lady down the road). My favorites include the colors purple and teal, Mexican food, and I love Halloween.

I don't remember when I first started paper crafting but I would say probably the late 80's is when I picked up my first set of stamps and it has been downhill from there. I have so many stamps and supplies I could open my own store - and I owe a lot of that to Fran! Every time she advertises her surprise boxes I can't resist picking some up! My can't live without tool would have to be my markers. I find myself gravitating toward them every time I stamp an image to color.

I find inspiration usually when I am not looking for it, a sketch, someone's work, a collage sheet or even just a shape. Once that little light bulb comes on I will twirl the thought in my head, searching for the perfect focal image, papers and colors. This is also how I work, pulling my focal image out, matching it with papers I find complements the image and finally coordinating my marker colors. Once I get to work it all falls into place quickly and I often find myself popping three or four creations out in an evening.

I look forward to sharing those creations with you as part of the FranticStamper Design team!

Tip Tuesday: Working With Vellum

2011-12-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

Working With Vellum

Tip #1
Any ink will work on vellum, but most will need to heat set before working with the stamped image. Always make sure the ink is completely dry before moving onto another step.

Tip #2
StazOn Ink works especially well on vellum because it is designed for non-porous surfaces.

Tip #3
To prevent your vellum from warping while heat embossing, keep the heat gun moving and waving over the image you are heating.

Tip #4
Paper Piercing with a craft needle is a great technique to use on vellum. Any template you have for paper piercing on regular card stock will work, or purchase piercing templates that are made specifically for the art of paper piercing on vellum, sometimes called “Pergamano“. The results can be very dramatic!

Tip #5
Be careful not to “crease” your vellum, unless it is intentional. A crease will create a permanent white line on your paper that cannot be undone. The fact that creases turn white, though, is part of what makes embossing on vellum so beautiful.

Tip #6
Use a barrel shaped tool (like a pencil or skewer) to curl the ends of your vellum.

Tip #7
2-Way glue works well on vellum and does not show through. Any clear drying glue will work; however, be sure to use a very thin coat.

Tip #8
Vellum makes a great template to create stencils. The negative piece left from any shape you punch or die-cut becomes the perfect stencil.

Tip #9
Alcohol-based inks do work on vellum, but not in the same way as on porous papers since they don't soak in. Practice on scraps before coloring your project, especially if you want to blend colors!

Tip #10
Coloring vellum on the "wrong" or back side of your project gives a wonderful softly-colored image on the right side. Just be sure that whatever you are using to color doesn't warp the paper and that it is completely dry before you move on to your next step!

Tip #11
Vellum can be embossed with embossing folders with absolutely stunning results. However, care should be taken to prevent tearing the vellum. Emboss the vellum between two sheets of text-weight paper or lightweight card-stock. Experiment with your particular folder and die-cut machine with scraps before embossing your project.

Hope you will give vellum a try. FranticStamper currently carries a few beautiful printed vellums and has plans to add plain vellums to its many lines of wonderful papers, in the near future.

Sketch Sunday: Card #17

2011-12-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Today we have a sketch for a multi-layered card with a folded down corner. We hope you will find of help in getting those final holiday cards made. Or if you are done with the holiday cards (I wish!) just ignore the color scheme of the sketch and make a card for some other occasion!

Once again some team members (and future team members) have jumped in to make cards inspired by the sketch and would like to share them with you.

First up, a wonderful card by Sharon Jeffs.

And next up we have two cards using Riley and Company stamps. FranticStamper is pleased to announce it will soon be carrying the complete line of Riley stamps in cling mount format! For a Riley lover like me, that is wonderfully fabulous news!

To celebrate the new line's arrival, I made a card using a stamp that I actually inspired! Here is Riley in his nightshirt with Milo the mouse in his, too.

Click to show the poem I used inside of my card

And then we have a wonderful card from future team member Isabelle Drouin-Vachon. She used an older Riley stamp, with Riley and his Christmoose tree.

The team hopes you have enjoyed the cards we have shared today! Happy holidays to you all, and happy stamping!

Something Special Saturday: Christmas Toffee

2011-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Today's project comes to you from Jane Larsson who was selected to be a FranticStamper Design Team member for 2012. We love her work and thought this project just had to be shared!

Every year Michael (my husband-to-be) and our boys makes the best Christmas Toffee in the whole wide world :-P This year I decided to give some of it away, in cutely decorated cellophane bags.

The base is a piece of Bazzill cardstock, scored in the middle. I used a stamp called Sleepy Santa (DoodleFactorys “Tis the Season”) colored with Copic Ciao pens. I also used Kaisercraft December 25 6"x6" Paper Pad and Micro Mono Stickers from the Basic Grey collection Curio.

I am totally in love with the Dec25-collection!!! Every single paper and deco is simply beautiful, don´t you think?

I stapled the bag and deco together with one of my favourite tools: Tim Holtz Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

Simple and easy, but so much more fun to give it away like this.

Thanks for visiting!

/ Jane

Shabby Christmas Gift Card Holder (Design Team Project)

2011-12-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

By Kris Hankins

Shabby Christmas Gift Card Holder

It seems like there is always someone on our holiday shopping list that we end up buying a gift card for. If you are like me, you want to present it to the recipient looking just as pretty as a wrapped gift box.

I made this shabby looking gift card holder using TWO manila tags. To give myself some space to insert the gift card, I added 1/2“ accordion pieces to the sides and bottom of the tags. This creates a space between the two tags. You can fill it with tissue or a wrapped gift card. Suggestion – this can be made with wider sides to hold small gifts too.

Here is what the gift card holder looks like from the side. Accordion sides were added, and the top portion of the tag was scored so that it could easily be tied together at the top.

I covered both tags with glittery paper from the Snowfall collection by Bo Bunny. I chose a paper that already had a glittered flourish pattern on it. Next, I stamped the snowflakes using stamps from the Frantic Stamper line of rubber stamps. I embossed these snowflakes in white and inked them afterwards with shades of blue ink. I added a thin layer of glitter glue to the snowflakes. This made them sparkle all over without being overly glittery. I attached them to the front of the tags - some double layered for added dimension. I embellished the tags with clear rhinestones, sheer ribbons, and small punched mini snowflakes.

Lastly, I stamped a Christmas sentiment, trimmed it into the shape of a mini-tag, and tucked it beside the ribbons and a snowflake.

I think this is a beautiful way to give a gift card. Someone in my family with be finding this hanging from the Christmas tree on Christmas morning! I wonder who it will be???

Happy Holidays.

Warehouse Wednesday: Meet the 2012 Design Team (Isabelle Drouin-Vachon)

2011-12-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Design Team (Isabelle Drouin-Vachon)

My name is Isabelle Drouin-Vachon! I come from St-Georges, Quebec, Canada. I'm 21. I have been married for two wonderful years and have twobeautiful little boys who are not quite 2 years. I also have a dog that we call Marley! He is a boxer, a real big baby. He will be 3 years old in April.

For now, I'm a stay-at-home mom because I am still in school full-time; it gives me the opportunity to practice my passion and spend as much time as possible with my children. I love doing family activities. Of course I also like going out with my husband, just to spend time alone together. We regularly go outtogether to eat the food I love most in the world ... shrimp! YUM!

Anyway, I have been doing scrapbooking for about a year. It became a passion when I started looking here and there throughout the internet for articles on Scrapbooking. I quickly became addicted. For cons, I still have a lot to see and learn. I try to go day by day and explore to learn and get the most out of everything for my art!

In my work, I love using vibrant colors. I love Clean & "Free" styles. In my projects, I like to use flowers .. that's what I love most ... If I could, I would use them all the time! But since I have two little boys, I have backed off a little.

I must say that I quickly became addicted to the FranticStamper store. The products Fran offers are so diverse! Not to mention all the specials available every month and closeouts. Fran is truly a top-notch owner and her store will easily inspire any creative team’s efforts throughout the years.

I am very pleased to be part of the new creative team at FranticStamper. I'll make sure to make you see all my fabulous colors and to share my personaltouch to help to get you out of your comfort zone!

I am looking forward to sharing my creations with you on the Blog and chatting with you on Facebook. Here is to the new year!

My entry projects:

For our French Readers, we hope to often feature Isabelle's projects in French on her own blog, but today, we want you to be able to read her introduction as she wrote it for our blog:

Je m’appelle Isabelle Drouin-Vachon ! Je viens de St-Georges, Québec, Canada. J’ai 21 ans . Je suis marié depuis déja deux merveilleuse année et j’aideux beaux petits garçons qui ont moins de 2 ans. J'ai aussi un chien qui s'apelle Marley ! C'est un boxeur, un vrai gros bébé.. Il aura 3 ans en avril .

Pour l’instant, je suis maman à la maison car je suis encore aux études a temps plein, cela me donne donc l’occasion de pratiquer ma passion à fondet passer un maximum de temps avec mes enfants. J'adore faire des activités en famille. Bien entendu j'aime bien aussi faire des sorties avec mon mari,histoire de passer un moment seul ensemble. Nous allons régulièrement manger au restaurant ensemble. Nous allons manger la nourriture que j'aimele plus au monde ... des crevettes ! Hihi..

Enfin bref, je fais du scrapbooking depuis environ 1 an. Je suis devenu une passionné lorsque je me suis mise à regarder ici et là dans tout les forum quiavait comme sujet le Scrapbooking. J’en suis rapidement devenu accro. Par contre, il m’en reste beaucoup à voir et à apprendre. J’essaie d’y aller au jourle jour et d’explorer le maximum de chose ! Dans mes créations, j'adore utiliser des couleurs vivantes. J'aime beaucoup le style ''Clean&Free''. Dans mesprojets, j'aime beaucoup utiliser des fleurs.. c'est ce que j'adore le plus... Si je pouvais, j'en collerai partout ! Mais étant donné que j'ai deux petits garçons,je m'abstien un petit peu.

Il faut dire que je suis rapidement devenu accro de la boutique frantic stamper. Les produits que Fran nous offrent sont tellement diversifié. Sans parlerde tout les rabais qu'elle rajoute à tout les mois. Fran est vraiment une propriétaire Hors-Pair et ainsi que toute sont équipe créative qui l'accompagnedurant toute l'année.

Je suis très heureuse de faire maintenant partit de l’Équipe Créative de Frantic Stamper. Je vais m’assurer de vous en faire voir de toute les couleurs etaussi de vous amener ma petite touche personnelle afin de vous faire sortir de votre zone de confort !

Au plaisir de jaser avec vous et de voir à mon tour vos créations.

Tip Tuesday: Non-crafty items for crafting...

2011-12-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Rather than our "traditional" tips, today we are just going to list some of our favorite non-crafty items that we have used on our altered items, scrapbook pages, cards, etc. We hope you will comment with YOUR favorites to add to our list!

1. Birthday Candles

2. Zippers

3. Broken wrist watch parts

4. Earrings who have lost their partner!

5. Paper clips come in tons of fun new shapes that make great embellishments for projects, and are functional, too!

6. Staples come in lots of fun colors (or can be colored with alcohol inks) and can be a fun accent.

7. Paint chips. Use as backgrounds; do art directly on them; run through die cut machine; etc.

8. Go to the garage or the hardware store - nuts, washers, fishing swivels, chain, springs, wire, metal flashing, knobs, etc. are all fun to use on your altered art!

9. Sandpaper is perfect for a beach scene.

10. Netting from bags of onions, burlap from potato sacks make great accents.

11. Drywall tape makes a great accent on a page or a card.

So what are YOUR favorite non-crafty items for use in your paper crafting?

Sketch Sunday: Card #16

2011-12-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

I have got to get going on making cards for Christmas, so I am making the sketches all about cards these days. I know I am way behind on them, but I have hit a little rough patch personally, so I am having a hard time getting going. But I did manage to make one card using today's sketch.

I challenged myself to create the entire card with no stamping. I like what I came up with, and I am one card closer to the 100 I need to make. I tend to be pretty literal with the sketch the first time I make a card with it, so here is my sketch card.

Current (and future) Team member Sharon Jeffs and future team member Jane Larsson also made cards from the sketch. First I will share Sharon's. I just love the silver panel in the center and her interpretation of the sketch's rounded rectangle is just beautiful, don't you agree?

And here is Jane's card. I love the layers she did on the center panel and the card's focal point image is perfectly presented with the little red frame.

The Design Team would like to challenge YOU to make a card using this sketch and share it with us. Send a jpg or png photo of your card to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and I will try to add it to this post.

Snowy Wiper Card (Design Team Project)

2011-12-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

by Kathy Berger

Snowy Wiper Card

I have a thing for snowmen. I absolutely HATE real snow, but I just adore snowmen! I don't believe I have ever seen a snowman I haven't liked!

And since I like snowmen so much, I have a hard time walking away from a snowman stamp! The one I used on this card is one of my all-time favorites, and was made by Penny Black. Frantic Stamper has a wonderful assortment of snowman stamps, both rubber and acrylic, from several different companies (and I think I own most of them! LOL!), and just about any one of them would be suitable for use in a card like this.

This card style is known as a wiper card because of the little pop-up mechanism that swipes up with the motion of a windshield wiper when the card is opened. For my card, I used a piece of acetate to make my mechanism and added a punched snowflake to it. It makes it seem that the snowflake is suspended in the air.

If you would like to learn how to make this card, you can get an instructional PDF at this link.

Technique Thursday: EK Success, Inkadinkado, and more...

2011-12-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Did you know that EK Success, Inkadinkado, K&Company and Martha Stewart Crafts are all owned by the same parent company? Wilton Brands owns them all, and other craft product producers, too! Today FranticStamper would like to share a video from each of the paper crafting companies listed above. We hope you will enjoy them all, and will shop FranticStamper for your Wilton Brands products.

First up is a video with some beautiful ribbon weaving techniques using EK Success edger punches.

Next is a video about the new fabulous cling stamps from Inkadinkado. If you love rubber, you'll love these stamps!

Now how about a quick overview video from K&Company's Smash book series (we just LOVE Smash!)

And last, but by no means least, we have a video on using Martha Stewart Around the Page punches in creative ways. Enjoy!

Warehouse Wednesday: Design Team Selected!

2011-11-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

2012 Design Team Selected

It is with great pleasure that FranticStamper announces our selections for our new design team for the coming year. We were very excited by their submissions and their applications, and we are really looking forward to working with them in the coming year!

Kathy Berger from Livermore, California, will stay on as the Design Team Facilitator, and act as an occasional contributor. Here is the card she created with the skating Kritter electronic image:

Sharon Jeffs is from South Australia and a FranticStamper team member for the past two years. She has shared dozens of wonderful projects with us all during her tenure. We are thrilled that she will stay with the team in a full-time capacity. We think you will enjoy her submission for the electronic image portion of the application for which she chose to use the sunflower.

Jennifer Willis is from North Dakota, USA. She is a big fan of FranticStamper, and is looking forward to spreading the word as a full-time contributor! Here is her submission using the sunflower electronic image:

Linda Phinney is from California and is practically a neighbor to Kathy Berger! Not only were Linda's artwork submissions fabulous, her essay blew us all away with its creativity...she wrote us a song! She has been selected as a full-time contributor. She used the digital sunflower image in various sizes to create this wonderful piece...

Jane Larsson comes to the new team from Sweden, and has been selected as a full-time contributor. Recently Jane has been very active in posting comments to our Facebook Page, and in contributing fabulous cards to our Sunday Sketch challenges. Here is her terrific submission, also with our digital sunflower:

Isabelle Drouin-Vachon joins the team from her home in Quebec, Canada. Isabelle was the winner of our Easter Egg contest this past year, and has been active in posting comments to our blog all year. We look forward to her joining the team in a formal capacity! We just loved her take on the skating Kritter electronic image, and we hope you will, too.

And last, but definitely not least, Lis Whiting, a current team member, will be staying on as part of the team, but at a slightly reduced level. We are really thrilled that Lis will still be part of the team because she is always one of the first to jump in when something is needed, she is just a wonderful person to work with, and her artwork is wonderful, too! Here is her card using the sunflower electronic image...

We thank all of the people who applied for the team. We want you to know that we enjoyed each and every submission, and that it was a tough decision for us. But we are really sure we have made great choices and think you will agree as we move into the new year!

Sketch Sunday: Card #15

2011-11-27T00:56:00.000-08:00

Card #15

Today's sketch is for a card with a circle and a border element. I have tons of border punches and circle dies and find I seldom use them. I thought this sketch might get me to pull some of them out. I hope it does the same for you!

Design team member Sharon Jeffs used this layout to make a card for you. I hope you will enjoy it!

And I made a card, too. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't show the shimmer on the whole card from the shimmer mist I used on it...it really is a wonderful effect that gives the whole card the look of snow in sunlight.

If you make a card inspired by this sketch that you would like to share please just send a photo of it to
FranticStampersSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and I will try to upload it to the blog as soon as I can!

One of our readers took me up on sharing a card with us! Here is Jane Larsson's take on the sketch:

"Christmas Tree" (Design Team Project)

2011-11-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

by Debi Wind

Christmas Tree

Debi has had to step down from our team for personal reasons, but before she left she did provide us with some wonderful cards, one of which I would like to share with you today.

This card is made with Basic Grey Jovial patterned papers and a gorgeous stamp from Impression Obsession. The tree is stamped with Versamark ink, embossed with red tinsel embossing powder, and finally embellished with gold Stickles. Gold glitter brads finish off the project with just the right amount of glitz.

We all hope you are making good progress on your holiday cards (Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, New Years, etc.) We are all spending a good part of this weekend making ours.

Technique Thursday:Hero Arts Wintery Videos

2011-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hero Arts Wintery Videos

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers in the US!

Today we have a couple of videos from Hero Arts that we thought would be perfect for the winter holidays. We hope you will enjoy them. I know I will be making cards in my spare time today, and for the rest of the weekend. Got to get those holiday cards ready to mail!

Up first is using Stazon metallic silver ink on transparencies making some beautiful decorative and unique embellishments that could also be used as ornaments.

Next we have a wonderful Christmas tree made from buttons. Hope you will enjoy it!

And lastly we have a fun snowman card made without seasonal stamp images.

Warehouse Wednesday: DT Call Update

2011-11-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

DT Call Update

Our second FranticStamper Design Team Call has come to a close! We got a lot of wonderful applications and are busy sorting them and getting them ready for the selection team to access.

The next step will be to evaluate them based on several criteria (uniqueness, adherence to directions, quality of photos, quality of projects, use of materials, and then quality of written materials in both the application essay and the applicant's blog). We will narrow the applications down to a group of finalists, and then make our final decision. We hope to have offers out to the selected applicants as soon as possible, and then to make an announcement of the new team shortly after that.

The whole elimination process, though, is going to be tough to do because there were just so many really great samples submitted!

We would like to thank ALL of you who submitted samples and applications. We were thrilled with the response!

2011-11-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today we have a few tips for helping with that crafting budget. We know they can be a little tight, especially this time of year!

Tip #1
If you are looking for a great deal on stamping consider trading with fellow stampers. Have a swap meet. What maybe one’s trash may be another’s treasure.

Tip #2
When setting your monthly budget have an entry for stamping supplies. This will help you not to overspend on craft supplies by using a credit card. If you find your budget to constrictive start putting all your spare change in a jar. Before you know it you will have extra money to shop with.

Tip #3
Watch for inexpensive acrylic paints to be on sale. Cheap acrylic paint can be used on mixed media, altered art, and collage projects.

Tip #4
Use “natural” embellishments. Look around your environment for bits of twigs, feathers, beach glass, sea shells, flower petals, and birch bark. (In the US, though, be careful of feathers. Because of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, it is illegal to gather feathers of 836 species, including 58 legal game birds. Better just to buy feathers there!)

Tip #5
Make envelopes from wrapping paper, wallpaper, magazine pages, and old maps.

Tip #6
Paper bags, wallpaper, scrap paper, and parts of old greeting cards can be used to make cards.

Tip #7
Cut images from magazines, wallpaper, and fabric to use on cards and collages. It can change the entire look of the cards and collages.

Tip #8
Use a 5”X8” unlined index card and fold in half for an inexpensive card. Invitation envelopes are the right size for the folded card. Note: these are not acid free or archival!!

Tip #9
Buy inexpensive boxed cards at the Dollar store and "craft" them up by adding embellishments, glitter, and stamped elements. These cards are great for when you need a quick card.

Hope these tips are useful to you and to your wallet!

FINAL CALL: Design Team Call Deadline TONIGHT!

2011-11-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

FranticStamper is STILL looking for a few good stampers, like you, but the deadline to apply is almost here! We are going to be putting together our next design team, and we would love for you to apply, so don't let time run out. We hope you are busily prepping your application, because we would love to have YOU on our team! But you only have a few hours left! The deadline is TONIGHT, at midnight, Pacific Standard Time (That is the time zone of the west coast of the USA.)

How to do you apply?

Send an email with the following information tofranticStamperDTCall@yahoo.com

Your first initial and last name in the subject line of the email.
Your name, address, blog address, and email address in the body of the email.
4 attached files as follows:

A photograph of a card made with one of the the following two images (your choice), saved in jpg format, sized to less than 1 MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “1” as follows:
FLast1.jpg

Please make sure you are doing the kind of work you plan to do for FranticStamper each month when you make this card. If you spend 40 hours on this sample and you won't have 40 hours to spend on the cards you make as a design team member, the team will suffer!

A photograph of a scrapbook page you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “2”as follows:
FLast2.jpg

A photograph of an altered item, home decor item, or wearable you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “3” as follows:
FLast3.jpg

A brief statement, 300 words or less, of why you would like to be part of the FranticStamper team, as a Microsoft word or Rich Text format file. Name the file with your first initial and last name as follows:
FLast4.doc or FLast4.rtf

What will you get as a team member?

Each quarter you will receive a package containing:

8 to 10 Frantic Stamper cling mounted stamps of our choice
Sample papers
bonus embellishments

Plus, throughout your tenure as a team member, you will get

a 15% discount on all orders from the Frantic Stamper site
40% off any Frantic Stamper stamps of your choice you wish to use for a DT project
A logo for your blog
The chance to work as part of a great team for a great store!

What do you have to do as a team member?

Weekly

Make a post or comment on the FS facebook page

Monthly

Make 2 cards using FranticStamper stamps as the main focus images with brief write-up
Make 1 item from card sketch provided, using Frantic Stamper stamps
Color 1 Frantic Stamper image (using Copics or other coloring media available at FranticStamper) and provide a list of colors used (this item can later be used in one of your cards or other projects)
Share 1 item made from FranticStamper products at Splitcoast Stamper, to Facebook, and/or to your Blog (you MUST have a Blog!)

Quarterly

Make 1 ATC, Tag or Altered Item using Frantic Stamper stamps
Make 1 Wearable art or home dec item using any stamps carried at Frantic Stamper, and papers provided in your quarterly mailing
Make 1 scrapbook layout using papers provided
Provide 1 product review or technique write-up of a product carried by Frantic Stamper

Annually

Participate in a FranticStamper blog hop (with an item made with a FranticStamper image and other products available at FranticStamper.) FranticStamper will provide blog candy.

If this sounds like something for you, get stamping and send us your application before the deadline (TONIGHT, at midnight, PST.) Team members will be announced on or before January 1, 2012. The first quarterly mailing will occur in early January 2012.

Sketch Sunday: Card #14

2011-11-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today I have a sketch for a long card intended to go into a business-sized envelope... perfect for inclusion with a printed holiday newsletter.

I am envisioning the little circles (which are really meant to be ANY repeated element) as jingle bells, or maybe wreaths. Or perhaps they could be stockings on a fireplace mantle...

Unfortunately, though, I haven't gotten to my stamping table in days so I haven't made a card yet. I hope to be able to get to one later today, and if I do, I'll be sure to add it to this post.

You, too, can have your card added to the blog! To do so, simply send a photo of it to FranticStamperSketchPhoto@yahoo.com and I will upload and share it!

Blog reader Jane Larsson made a WONDERFUL card with this sketch and is allowing me to share it with you!

Isn't it great?? I really love it! And I would LOVE it if YOU would send a photo of a card so I could share it, too!

Until later!

Smiles,
Kathy

Auld Lang Syne (Design Team Project)

2011-11-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

by Lis Whiting

Auld Lang Syne

It is getting to be time for finishing up and mailing holiday greetings to family and friends near and far. This season is one of my favorites as I get to send a piece of my heart to those I love by sending a card I have made with love.

This card uses silver glossy card-stock, blue glitter card-stock, and music-patterned card-stock to create a simple and elegant card. The rosette is made using the Tim Holtz rosette die. I used a line of silver Stickles on my strip of paper before folding it into the rosette to give that pretty touch bling. Notice that I placed the rosette on a silver die-cut scalloped circle just a little larger than the rosette to frame it. And I added a bow whose tails wrap around the card to finish things off in an elegant way. It is lovely, don't you agree?

2011-11-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

Today we have some heat embossing videos from Stampendous to share with you. First up is a basic embossing video, sharing how to heat emboss.

Next we have a couple of videos on a "painting" with embossing powder techniques. These are really unique and can be quite beautiful!

And last, we have a wonderful video of embossing on glass. Think of all the wonderful personalized gifts you could make using this technique!

Be sure to check out all the great products by Stampendous, including cling-mount stamps and embossing powders, available at Frantic Stamper!

Warehouse Wednesday: Design Team Call Deadline Approaching!

2011-11-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Design Team Call

FranticStamper is STILL looking for a few good stampers, like you, but the deadline to apply is approaching! We are going to be putting together our next design team, and we would love for you to apply, so don't let time run out. We hope you are busily prepping your application, because we would love to have YOU on our team! But you only have a few days left! The deadline is November 20, 2011, at midnight, Pacific Standard Time (That is the time zone of the west coast of the USA.)

How to do you apply?

Send an email with the following information tofranticStamperDTCall@yahoo.com

Your first initial and last name in the subject line of the email.
Your name, address, blog address, and email address in the body of the email.
4 attached files as follows:

A photograph of a card made with one of the the following two images (your choice), saved in jpg format, sized to less than 1 MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “1” as follows:
FLast1.jpg

Please make sure you are doing the kind of work you plan to do for FranticStamper each month when you make this card. If you spend 40 hours on this sample and you won't have 40 hours to spend on the cards you make as a design team member, the team will suffer!

A photograph of a scrapbook page you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “2”as follows:
FLast2.jpg

A photograph of an altered item, home decor item, or wearable you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “3” as follows:
FLast3.jpg

A brief statement, 300 words or less, of why you would like to be part of the FranticStamper team, as a Microsoft word or Rich Text format file. Name the file with your first initial and last name as follows:
FLast4.doc or FLast4.rtf

What will you get as a team member?

Each quarter you will receive a package containing:

8 to 10 Frantic Stamper cling mounted stamps of our choice
Sample papers
bonus embellishments

Plus, throughout your tenure as a team member, you will get

a 15% discount on all orders from the Frantic Stamper site
40% off any Frantic Stamper stamps of your choice you wish to use for a DT project
A logo for your blog
The chance to work as part of a great team for a great store!

What do you have to do as a team member?

Weekly

Make a post or comment on the FS facebook page

Monthly

Make 2 cards using FranticStamper stamps as the main focus images with brief write-up
Make 1 item from card sketch provided, using Frantic Stamper stamps
Color 1 Frantic Stamper image (using Copics or other coloring media available at FranticStamper) and provide a list of colors used (this item can later be used in one of your cards or other projects)
Share 1 item made from FranticStamper products at Splitcoast Stamper, to Facebook, and/or to your Blog (you MUST have a Blog!)

Quarterly

Make 1 ATC, Tag or Altered Item using Frantic Stamper stamps
Make 1 Wearable art or home dec item using any stamps carried at Frantic Stamper, and papers provided in your quarterly mailing
Make 1 scrapbook layout using papers provided
Provide 1 product review or technique write-up of a product carried by Frantic Stamper

Annually

Participate in a FranticStamper blog hop (with an item made with a FranticStamper image and other products available at FranticStamper.) FranticStamper will provide blog candy.

If this sounds like something for you, get stamping and send us your application before the deadline (November 20, 2011, at midnight, PST.) Team members will be announced on or before January 1, 2012. The first quarterly mailing will occur in early January 2012.

Tip Tuesday: Holiday Card Tips

2011-11-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Holiday Card Tips

We would like to share some tips for those cards you might be making and mailing this holiday season. When mass-producing and mass-mailing, there are a few things we like to do to make things a little easier and a little less expensive. Hope there will be something in these tips that you find useful.

To save money when mailing it helps to keep the card as light and as flat as possible. Here are a few ways we accomplish that.

Tip #1
Use lighter-weight papers for layering. Layers of card stock add weight and bulk, both of which will cost you when it comes to postage.

Tip #2
Use faux-buttons, punched or die cut from card-stock or thin chipboard, instead of the real thing. They are lighter and thinner...saving on bulk and weight.

Tip #3
Instead of using a layer of card stock under another layer, consider using a faux layer made by coloring a frame for the top layer (either on the top layer or the layer below it).

Tip #4
If you must layer card stock for your layers, consider cutting out the center part of a middle layer to reduce the weight of the total card. Doing this carefully also adds a bonus of a scrap of card stock to use on something else!

Tip #5
Consider adding glitter or glitter glue instead of rhinestones (less bulk) to add bling to your project.

Tip #6
Rectangular cards can be mailed for less than square cards. Consider that when you create your design. If you must make square cards, consider mailing them in rectangular envelopes.

And here are a few of our favorite tips for getting those holiday cards done in a jiffy.

Tip #1
Always complete a prototype card before cutting parts for multiple cards. Measure as you go along and write down those measurements so you can be sure to be able to replicate the card. Stick to simple measurements as much as you possibly can! And a simpler card design is really best, too!

Tip #2
Make sure you have all the materials for the number of cards you plan to make before you start cutting, and make sure you have some SPARE materials for those inevitable mistakes!

Tip #3
Cut ALL of the pieces you will need of one size before cutting another size. It will prevent confusion, and is faster!

Tip #4
Stamp all copies of one image before moving on and stamping another image. Much faster than alternating!

Tip #5
Once all materials have been cut, stamped, and colored, lay out as many copies of the card as you can fit on your stamping table. Attach layers to the cards in an assembly line manner... doing the first layer on all of the laid out cards first, then the second layer, etc., as opposed to fully assembling one card, then moving on to the next card. It is quicker and less error-prone!

Tip # 6 Mailing labels do make addressing the cards much quicker. If you insist on hand-addressing them, then address all the envelopes first, prior to inserting the signed cards. And sign all the cards at once, too. You will find it a lot faster than signing one card, inserting it, and addressing that one envelope. Repetition of a single task is quicker and less error prone!

We hope you will find our tips helpful. Now we are all off to make our holiday cards and get them in the mail!

Sketch Sunday: Card #13

2011-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Card #13

Once again life has been too busy for me to get to stamp, but I did want to share a really simple sketch with you. Imagine the star as any shape at all (I am thinking of a triangular Christmas tree and will probably use it as one of my Christmas cards!)

Here is a wonderful card made by blog reader Jane Larsson!

If you, too, would like to share a photo of a card you've made, simply email it to FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and we will try to upload it to the blog or share it on Facebook.

Something Special Saturday: Are you getting ready?

2011-11-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

Are you getting ready?

We have a design team call out and are really looking forward to choosing the new stampers/scrappers/crafters who will represent Frantic Stamper for the next year on our Blog and on social media!

Don't be left out of a chance of a lifetime! The rewards are great; some are tangible like the quarterly packages of goodies and the store discounts, while others are intangible, like working with other wonderful designers and having the chance to have your work displayed throughout the year.

Check out the details of what is required for an application, as well as what the year's team membership will encompass. You can find all the details here.

We look forward to getting your application!

Live In the Moment (Design Team Project)

2011-11-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

By Kris Hankins

Live In the Moment

I personally love the colors on this card. I find fall and neutral colors very pleasing to the eye. Just because the colors are less vibrant doesn’t mean the card has to end up looking that way. This card uses neutrals with a blend of patterns (and a pop of color) to make it come alive.

I used a Kraft card and papers from Basic Grey, some Bazzill in brown and orange, Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die, and a bit of natural twine to make my autumn card, which is a little bigger than the standard quarter-fold card at 4 1/2" x 6".

Here are some photos of the steps along the way to a finished card. I hope you enjoy the card as much as I enjoyed making it!

Technique Thursday: Smash!

2011-11-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Smash

It seems impossible that anyone hasn't seen or heard of the fabulous new scrapbooking craze known as "Smash." This line of products takes scrapbooking back to its roots while making it modern and totally fun at the same time. Check out a little bit of this scrapbooking phenomenon.

Here is the Orange Smash book:

Check out International Smash:

And here is the Green:

Next up is the Blue:

How about the Black Smash:

Time to share the Pink book:

And finally, here is the Red Smash:

So... which Smash is YOU? No matter which one suits you, FranticStamper has it and all the great accessories to go with it. Get Smashing!

Warehouse Wednesday: Design Team Call in Progress!

2011-11-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

Design Team Call

FranticStamper is STILL looking for a few good stampers, like you! We are going to be putting together our next design team, and we would love for you to apply. We hope you are busily prepping your application, because we would love to have YOU on our team!

How to do you apply?

Send an email with the following information tofranticStamperDTCall@yahoo.com

Your first initial and last name in the subject line of the email.
Your name, address, blog address, and email address in the body of the email.
4 attached files as follows:

A photograph of a card made with one of the the following two images (your choice), saved in jpg format, sized to less than 1 MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “1” as follows:
FLast1.jpg

Please make sure you are doing the kind of work you plan to do for FranticStamper each month when you make this card. If you spend 40 hours on this sample and you won't have 40 hours to spend on the cards you make as a design team member, the team will suffer!

A photograph of a scrapbook page you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “2”as follows:
FLast2.jpg

A photograph of an altered item, home decor item, or wearable you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “3” as follows:
FLast3.jpg

A brief statement, 300 words or less, of why you would like to be part of the FranticStamper team, as a Microsoft word or Rich Text format file. Name the file with your first initial and last name as follows:
FLast4.doc or FLast4.rtf

What will you get as a team member?

Each quarter you will receive a package containing:

8 to 10 Frantic Stamper cling mounted stamps of our choice
Sample papers
bonus embellishments

Plus, throughout your tenure as a team member, you will get

a 15% discount on all orders from the Frantic Stamper site
40% off any Frantic Stamper stamps of your choice you wish to use for a DT project
A logo for your blog
The chance to work as part of a great team for a great store!

What do you have to do as a team member?

Weekly

Make a post or comment on the FS facebook page

Monthly

Make 2 cards using FranticStamper stamps as the main focus images with brief write-up
Make 1 item from card sketch provided, using Frantic Stamper stamps
Color 1 Frantic Stamper image (using Copics or other coloring media available at FranticStamper) and provide a list of colors used (this item can later be used in one of your cards or other projects)
Share 1 item made from FranticStamper products at Splitcoast Stamper, to Facebook, and/or to your Blog (you MUST have a Blog!)

Quarterly

Make 1 ATC, Tag or Altered Item using Frantic Stamper stamps
Make 1 Wearable art or home dec item using any stamps carried at Frantic Stamper, and papers provided in your quarterly mailing
Make 1 scrapbook layout using papers provided
Provide 1 product review or technique write-up of a product carried by Frantic Stamper

Annually

Participate in a FranticStamper blog hop (with an item made with a FranticStamper image and other products available at FranticStamper.) FranticStamper will provide blog candy.

If this sounds like something for you, get stamping and send us your application before November 20, 2011, at midnight, PST. Team members will be announced on or before January 1, 2012. The first quarterly mailing will occur in early January 2012.

Tip Template Tuesday: Pop-up Gift Box Card

2011-11-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Pop-up Gift Box Card

Cut the pattern out of sturdy cardstock on solid lines. Score along dotted lines.

Stamp the inside image on the inside panel, below the score line.

Mountain fold both the inside and back panels on the score lines.

Draw a line down the front of the front panel to simulate the box's corner.
Attach the front of the card with strong tape or glue, just along the left, right, and bottom edges.

Attach lid to the trapezoidal part of inside panel that lies between the top edge and the fold line.

Adhere the lid lip to the lid. Embellish the package with ribbons, bows, gift tags, etc.

SketchColor Challenge Sunday: Autumnal Colors

2011-11-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

After suffering a loss recently I have realized how important it is just to take a few minutes to say "thank you" to people who have made a difference in my life. So,today I would like to challenge you to make a Thank You card for someone, using autumnal colors (in the Northern Hemisphere that means yellow, orange, rust, brown, red, and gold. I guess in the Southern Hemisphere it might mean something very different!)

If you want to share the card you made, email a quality photo of it to me at FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and I will add it to the post!

Smiles,
Kathy

Hot Air Ballons Card (Design Team Project)

2011-11-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

by Anne Harada

Hot Air Ballons Card

For this project I used two of Frantic Stamper's own line of stamps, the medium and the large balloons from plate #116. Aren't they just wonderful? I also used papers from the Max and Whiskers Basic Grey collect.

Here's how you can replicate my card:

Layer a 3-7/8” x 5-1/8” orange shaded panel of DP from Max and Whiskers collection onto 4” x 5-1/4” Black Cardstock mat.

Stamp the large and small balloons onto the panel as shown in finished sample.
Stamp the large and small balloons again, each onto different pages of DP from the Max and Whiskers collection. Cut each image out and paper-piece over images stamped on main panel.

Stamp the large and small balloons again onto brown shaded DP, but this time only stamp the very bottom part of the images where the basket and rings of the hot air balloon are located. Cut out the basket and rings and paper-piece onto the balloons on the main panel.

Stamp your choice of sentiment onto the main panel.

Optional: Stamp and cut out one of the balloons again to raise using dimensionals (the center balloon is raised in this sample). Do not add the raised balloon to the main panel until after the next step.

Turn the completed image over, draw a line ½’’ around each side of the panel, spaced evenly from the edge to form an inside panel. Use your craft knife to cut along the lines and dislocate the inside panel from the frame you just created.

Mat the inside panel onto a 1/8” wider mat of black cardstock. Add dimensionals to the back of this inside panel. Position the inside panel back onto the center of the frame and adhere with dimensionals to raise it and separate it from the frame.

Adhere completed panel to 11” x 4-1/4” folded Kraft card base.

Technique Thursday: Great new Sizzix Products

2011-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Great new Sizzix products

Have you seen the new "Framelits" collaborative die and stamp products from Sizzix and Hero Arts? These die and stamp combinations are just incredible! Here is a wonderful little video to show you just how great they work.

Next we want to share some exciting new etching and embossing dies inspired by Vintaj. These dies use special blanks from Vintaj to create fabulously unique embellishments for any project. Here is a little video to introduce you to these great new products.

Don't forget we are looking for new designers for our design team. If you are creative and enjoy paper crafting and want a chance to collaborate with other designers for one of the most exciting paper crafting sources on the web, check out our design team call and send in your application. The deadline is just a couple of weeks away!

Warehouse Wednesday: Design Team Call

2011-11-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Design Team Call

FranticStamper is looking for a few good stampers, like you! We are going to be putting together our next design team, and we would love for you to apply.

How to do you apply?

Send an email with the following information tofranticStamperDTCall@yahoo.com

Your first initial and last name in the subject line of the email.
Your name, address, blog address, and email address in the body of the email.
4 attached files as follows:

A photograph of a card made with one of the the following two images (your choice), saved in jpg format, sized to less than 1 MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “1” as follows:
FLast1.jpg

Please make sure you are doing the kind of work you plan to do for FranticStamper each month when you make this card. If you spend 40 hours on this sample and you won't have 40 hours to spend on the cards you make as a design team member, the team will suffer!

A photograph of a scrapbook page you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “2”as follows:
FLast2.jpg

A photograph of an altered item, home decor item, or wearable you have made in the past six months, in jpg format, sized to less than 1MB. Name the file with your first initial and last name and the number “3” as follows:
FLast3.jpg

A brief statement, 300 words or less, of why you would like to be part of the FranticStamper team, as a Microsoft word or Rich Text format file. Name the file with your first initial and last name as follows:
FLast4.doc or FLast4.rtf

What will you get as a team member?

Each quarter you will receive a package containing:

8 to 10 Frantic Stamper cling mounted stamps of our choice
Sample papers
bonus embellishments

Plus, throughout your tenure as a team member, you will get

a 15% discount on all orders from the Frantic Stamper site
40% off any Frantic Stamper stamps of your choice you wish to use for a DT project
A logo for your blog
The chance to work as part of a great team for a great store!

What do you have to do as a team member?

Weekly

Make a post or comment on the FS facebook page

Monthly

Make 2 cards using FranticStamper stamps as the main focus images with brief write-up
Make 1 item from card sketch provided, using Frantic Stamper stamps
Color 1 Frantic Stamper image (using Copics or other coloring media available at FranticStamper) and provide a list of colors used (this item can later be used in one of your cards or other projects)
Share 1 item made from FranticStamper products at Splitcoast Stamper, to Facebook, and/or to your Blog (you MUST have a Blog!)

Quarterly

Make 1 ATC, Tag or Altered Item using Frantic Stamper stamps
Make 1 Wearable art or home dec item using any stamps carried at Frantic Stamper, and papers provided in your quarterly mailing
Make 1 scrapbook layout using papers provided
Provide 1 product review or technique write-up of a product carried by Frantic Stamper

Annually

Participate in a FranticStamper blog hop (with an item made with a FranticStamper image and other products available at FranticStamper.) FranticStamper will provide blog candy.

Tip Tuesday: Recycling

2011-11-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Recycling

Reduce, reuse, Recycle... I think crafters of every ilk have conservation in their bones. We are always looking for interesting ways to use scraps and snippets. Here are some of the design team's favorite recycling tips. We hope you will enjoy them.

Tip #1
One of my favorite things to do is make Seredipity paper. Take all your scrap pieces of card stock and patterned paper that are too small for much else and glue them in a random way on a piece of card stock to totally cover the cardstock. Now cut or die cut shapes! This always seems to come out beautifully.

I use my reject cards as components for serendipity paper, too. I tear them up and glue the pieces onto base card-stock, then I add more images, color splotches, bits of glitter, paper lace, patterned paper, etc., and then cut the resulting paper into squares or cut into shapes. Sometimes I will run bigger shapes through a paper crimper or put into an embossing folder (if the paper isn't too thick)for a really different effect.

Tip #2
Use cereal boxes as inexpensive chipboard. Great for making chipboard squares as they cut easily with a guillotine style paper cutter. Just use the unprinted side. They will also cut well in die cut machines with steel-rule dies (the thicker dies like Sizzix Originals or Bigz... not thin dies like Spellbinders or Cottage Cutz)

Tip #3
I love to recycle the heavy paper coasters used to serve beverages on (I especially like the ones I get at Chili's). Covered with patterned paper they make fabulous covers for mini books or for post-it note pads, and the round ones make terrific Christmas tree ornaments! They also can be cut with many kinds of dies, and they take paint well.

Tip #4
Use old magazines and catalogs to craft on. The pages provide protection for the work surface and padding for stamping. Just tear off a page when it gets messy. ---- Also, old glossy catalogs are great for when using glue sticks. Apply glue over edges and dispose of sticky page immediately.

Tip #5
I like recycling plastic packaging (Tim Holtz also had this idea). I cut the fronts out so I have a flat plastic piece to work with. I use them for thicker plastic die cuts. I look for bubble packaging too as I can use it for shaker boxes.

Tip #6
Long, narrow scraps of patterned paper can be cut into long triangles and rolled into paper beads to exactly match a project. Just coat them with a clear sealant once they are made (or dip them into melted UTEE.)

Tip #7
Recycle gift wrap. Gift wrap can be used for backgrounds. Also, punch shapes to be used as embellishments. Or use gift wrap to make paper flowers.

Tip #8
Some food goods come in shiny metallic wrappers. I like to use the wrappers as special elements in my stamping. For example, I recently used a piece of a wrapper with a mirror stamp to give a real mirror effect. I also have used that same kind of wrapper as an ice pond for some skaters.

Tip #9
I like to recycle containers to help me organize my stamping stuff. For example, I had a bunch of clear boxes that that a friend gave me, that stamps from a home party stamping company came in. I found that 10 Copic reinkers will fit in one PERFECTLY. I now have my growing collection of reinkers sorted into those containers and placed in a drawer. I also saved my clear plastic spice jars; I washed them really well, removed the labels and the shaker pieces in the lids, and used them for storing eyelets, brads, jewels, etc. Since they are clear, I can easily see what is in them and I have them handy in a spice rack I bought at a flea market for a buck.

We came across a wonderful blog post (not in English) with some FABULOUS little houses made from recycled milk cartons. We thought we would share!

http://annespaperfun-aksh.blogspot.com/2010/12/julehus-scrappehuset.html

(Note: this blog is in no way affiliated with FranticStamper. It is just a page we enjoyed!)

Sketch Sunday: Card #12

2011-10-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sketch Sunday:Card #12

Today I have another card layout for you. This is a simple layered card with one non-rectangular element and some very simple embellishment. I hope you'll give it a try; I did and I loved it! Here is the layout:

And here is a sympathy card I made using it. I normally HATE making sympathy cards, and I feel my creativity goes on vacation every time I need to do one, so having this layout as a starting point really helped! I wish my photo were better, but it was pretty dark when I got the card done (winter is definitely coming!) and I couldn't get better lighting. The flowers and vase are a FranticStamper stamp, to which I added some flowersoft flowers on little paper-wire stems and some mini-pearls. I hope you will enjoy my card!

Halloween 31 (Design Team Project)

2011-10-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

by Lis Whiting

Halloween 31

Hi everyone! I’ve started seeing ghosts and witches on front lawns! You know it’s that time of year!

When Halloween came around, my sister and I would walk the neighborhood, knocking on doors and going as far as we could before we came home exhausted with a bag full of candy. Oh, the candy corn and apples and goodies we had!

My Halloween card was inspired by those neighborhood travels.

My materials:

I used The Townscapes Alterations die and some grungeboard to cut out the town. I colored it with some walnut distress ink which gave it an old woody kind of look. I wanted the windows to glow and I wondered, “Now how can I get windows to glow?” I used some gold stardream paper behind the grungeboard.

My card mat is in black cardstock and is flicked with silver paint. Looks pretty good, don’t you think?

I cut a circle out of silver glossy and added that to my card. I attached the houses with mounting tape to give it some lift.

I needed to add some kind of sentiment to the cover to identify my card. What better than “31”? I got the number from Tim Holtz’ Seasonal Stickers.

Here are some close ups of my card.

I hope this card inspires you to make some scary cards of your own! Until next time!

Technique Thursday: Friends Furever

2011-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today we would like to share a few projects from We R Memory Keepers, using their Friends Furever line of papers and embellishments. We thought you would enjoy seeing how versatile line is as the materials are used in a variety of ways. The paper, stickers, brads and more that are used in these projects are available at Frantic Stamper, your one stop paper crafting store.

First up is a doggie treat jar, decorated with Treat Jar (WRM-P-61471) and Lazy Time (WRM-P-61466), a cute tag from the Layered Chipboard Tags (WRM-S-41878) and some chipboard letters.

Next we have a card made with items from the 4"x6" pad (WRM-4x6-41877).

Now we have a card made using Embossed Stickers (WRM-S-41880), Fabric Brads (WRM-BR-41888), an embossed tag called Cat Notes (WRM-T-41871), You're Purrfect clear stamp (WRM-CS-41887), and papers from the 6"x6" pad (WRM-6x6-61478).

And lastly we have a picture frame made with Pawsitively Perfect (WRM-P-61469)paper, and items from the 12"x12" Scrapbook Pad (WRM-Pad-61476).

We hope you have enjoyed seeing these great Friends Furever projects from We R Memory Keepers.You can see these and more ideas using Friends Furever papers in the We R Memory Keepers idea gallery.

2011-10-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Paper Storage

Tip #1
I try to keep my paper stored vertically. I purchased the Clear Bags sizes so that I can see exactly what I have.

Tip #2
All my holiday papers are stored separetly. Christmas, Halloween, etc are stored each in their own plastic envelope along with embeliishments. All I have to do is grab the right holiday bag and Im ready to go.

Tip #3
I purchased a two shelf bookcase cheap. I store my paper vertically in that. I have enough room to be able to put the plain papers in color order and the patterned papers on the next shelf.

Tip #4
You can also purchase paper trays like those used in stores. There are clear stackable trays available. They stack in a "tower" up to 30 trays high. I like to keep my papers in these types of trays sorted by color families.

Tip #5
Be sure to keep your papers away from direct sunlight so they don't fade.

Tip #6
If you live in a high humidity area, store your papers in closed boxes and put a silica pack inside the box. Silica packs usually come in the box when you buy shoes, or inside purses, or toner cartridges. I save all mine and reuse them when I want to keep moisture at bay.

Tip #7
I was fortunate enough to find a paper storage cabinet when a local stationary store was going out of buisness. It has 24 cubby holes, each just the right size for a ream of 8 1/2" x 11" paper. It is a great idea to shop at stores that are closing...you never know what kinds of treasures you can find in their shelving!

Tip #8
I use a full size "Iris" cart to store scraps. Each drawer is for a different color family. I keep it right under my work station, so I can always check scraps first or quickly grab a piece for a matt.

A 7 Gypsies Card (Design Team Project)

2011-10-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

by Lis Whiting

Hi everyone! Today I want to share with you a card I made with some of the new 7 Gypsies items! I really like collage and that old fashioned style. The latest 7 Gypsies release really appeals to me for that reason.

I had a very hard time picking out which paper I was going to use. 7 Gypsies has 6x6 pads which are great for card makers. I used Gypsy Market (Isn’t that a great name?) It’s full of muted colors and designs, distressed and double sided! Who could want more?

I also have some of their very new Tissue Paper. I was surprised at how many sheets there are in each package. The main color reminds me of pattern tissue (the kind you buy to sew clothes). The one I used is full of birds and bird cages, music notes and such. Very pretty. I just had to use some on my card! I decided to do a fan fold. It was really pretty easy. I used a quarter of a sheet and cut a curve in it to make a quarter circle. I held the tissue at the top and made my folds. I added glue to the paper and glued the folded tissue on. Simple! You will see that I left the bottom untrimmed. I thought that made an interesting accent.

I used spellbinders label dies to cut the rectangles. I printed out a photo onto some sticky canvas (Ranger) and cut out the picture. Since its sticky backed all I did was attach it to the paper.

I used mounting tape to add some dimension. When I added my stick pins, I stuck them in the mounting tape.

I used a non traditional button ribbon for the card. The color really accents the card.

I hope that you enjoyed my card today.

2011-10-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today we'd like to share a couple of inspiration videos for our scrappers provided by Basic Grey.

Be sure to check out the wonderful lines of Basic Grey available at FranticStamper!

Warehouse Wednesday: Copic Certification

2011-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Copic Certification

Monday, I had the pleasure to attend a Copic Certification class with Kathy and Sherie, taught by Debbie Olson, in Sacramento. We had a great time, and we learned soooooo much information! To boot, the weather was so nice for our 5 hour drive. It was almost like a mini vacation!

We cannot wait to share with you all the knowledge we acquired during the day-long class. We learned how to test papers and inks for compatibility with Copic markers, how to color, shade and blend, how to pick colors, and how to care for your markers. It's going to take us some time to play and practice, to test products and create projects, but in the end, we hope to have an entire "Copic Corner" on the blog with tons of resources for you.

If you ever have the opportunity to take this class, I highly recommend it. It was well worth the price to learn so much and to feel much more comfortable about using this coloring medium. We all know what an investment they are, and having the knowledge really adds to the value of these tools.

Happy Paper Crafting!
-Fran

Pop-Up Snowflake (Design Team Project)

2011-10-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

by Sharon Jeffs

Pop-Up Snowflake Card

I know many people are making Halloween and fall cards right now, but I am getting a start on my holiday cards, and I have one I wanted to share with you.

Ever since I was 18 and I received my first ever pop-up card, I have been hooked. I love the playful nature of opening up a flat card to find a dimensional object inside.Pop- up cards are actually pretty easy to make so long as you understand the mechanics behind making them work. One of the easiest to construct is one that features layers and I’m going to show you how to create a layers mechanism for a Christmas card. Here is what it looks like finished …

To begin, you will need to find an image that you prefer. An ideal image is one that is very symmetrical so that when you combine the layers, they smoothly transition together. For my card I googled “free snowflake clip art to find mine. If you’d like to use this image, you can find it here.

Once you have selected your image, print two copies that are exactly the same and cut them out.

Next, layer them both on top of one another (this would need to be different if your image has a distinct top and bottom) and cut along the dashed line as seen here.

Then on both of the snowflakes, fold along one of the thin lines, alternating sides on each (for example – the left side on the first and the right side on the second). These folded parts will make the tabs for attaching your snowflake into your card.

To assemble your snowflake, slot the first snowflake together with the second through the cut slots until both halves are aligned.

Make sure that the snowflake that has the folded tabs is to the back of the snowflake.

Create your card base, open the base and lay flat on your workspace. Open up your snowflake to the way you want it to look when the card is opened. Once you are happy with it, place a small amount of strong glue on one of the tabs and press down in place.

To make sure your pop up closes flat, flatten the snowflake to one side as it would when the card is closed then place a small amount of adhesive onto the final tab and close the card. The tab will then adhere in the perfect place for a flat closure. Once dry, have a go at decorating the front of your card in a similar theme. Here’s what I did with mine …

I used a range of Memory Box dies to complete my card. (http://franticstamper.com/memorybox-dies.htm) These are great dies because they have such pretty designs at such an affordable price. I finished off my card by coating the snowflakes and decorative swirls with some Ice Stickles.

Warehouse Wednesday: Cleaning House

2011-10-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

We're Cleaning House!!

Sweeping the cobwebs… we're finding lots of products to put on the "Bargain" page.

If you've not visited our bargain bin lately, get ready for a treasure trove of wonderful products at up to 75% off! There's flower, stickers, papers, stamps, and embellishments for everyone! Don't let the deals pass by…. some items are in very very limited quantity and will NOT be reordered.

Have fun!

Hugs,
-Fran
www.franticstamper.com
541-826-2500

Warehouse Wednesday: BasicGrey Samplers

2011-10-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

BasicGrey shared this project with us, and we thought you would enjoy it, too. Be sure to check out all the wonderful BasicGrey papers available at FranticStamper.com

Easy. Simple. Fast. Fun. What new product is the talk of the town?

BasicGrey's Samplers!

Check out this one by designer Amy Friend. As you can see, it is a symphony of simple shapes (You could do the same with punches and circle cutting tools) and easy techniques. Featuring Picadilly paper and embellishments, this example is just one of many ways you can decorate them for a great and personalized piece of home decor!

Needlepoint, scout badges, photographs, paint, glitter, paper, fabric, ink and every embellishment you can think of--this project works with them all. Looking for a new creative way to use every tool and product in your collection? Look no further. You are only limited by your imagination!

Until Next week!

Hugs,
-Fran
www.franticstamper.com
541-826-2500

Tip Template Tuesday: Cylindrical Pop-up

2011-10-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Cylindrical Pop-up

Start with a piece of card-stock 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" and the following template. Cut on the solid lines; Score on the dashed lines.

Decorate the front as desired. I stamped mine with a Snag'Ems stamp and colored with COPIC markers.

Fold on the score lines, and then add strong adhesive to the tabs as shown. (This mechanism is upside-down from the way it will be inserted into the card.)

Insert the mechanism into a pre-folded card that has been cut down to fit inside a standard card with a small border, placing the small tab side about 3/4" from the fold, but ensuring that the other side doesn't extend beyond the edge of the card. The long tabs should extend UNDER the mechanism and toward the left of the card.

Next, pull on the long tabs until the cylinder pops up as much as desired. Keeping the cylinder popped up, adhere the ends of the long tabs to the inside of the card.

Carefully close the card so that the long tabs fold as the cylinder slides back flat. Crease on those folds. With the card again opened, hand-draw the mug's handle.

Insert the smaller card into the standard sized card and decorate the left inside as desired, being careful not to cover beyond the fold in the long tabs.

Decorate the front of the card as desired.

Materials I used include:
COPIC Ciao Markers Y06, Y25, YR16, R27, E00, E11, E15
Paper and card-stock: by Bazzil and K&Co.
Stamps: "Encouraging Words" by Stampendous, "You make me smile all over" by Inkadinkadoo (modified by hand-writing word "hot"), and "three leaves" Snag'em Stamps by Imaginisce.
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: 3 square mini brads, 12" of brown ribbon
Other: black marker, atc gun, strong double-sided tape

Hope you will give the template a try!

Smiles,
Kathy

Sketch Sunday: Card #11

2011-10-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to share a sketch for a square card. Though originally drawn as 6" square, you could make the card virtually any size... 4 1/4" square, 5", 6", whatever! If you make it 4 1/4" or smaller, you could add it to a standard sized card as a layer! And this card sketch could be scaled up and used as a scrapbook layout sketch, too.

Unfortunately, the design team didn't have time this week to make any samples with this sketch. If any of us get time this coming week, I'll be sure to add them to this post at a later time.

OR if you make something with this sketch and want to share it, email a quality photo of it to me at FranticStamperSketchPhotos@yahoo.com and I will add it to the post!

Smiles,
Kathy

Technique Thursday: Memory Box Dies

2011-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today we'd like to share a few videos from Memory Box showing how to use their dies.

First up is a video showing how to use the dies with their matching rubber stamps. We shared this once before, but the information is so useful, we thought we would share again, especially since they have so many great new dies available at FranticStamper, and because they are so much more fun with their matching stamps!

Now we have a video that will fill in some gaps that might have been left in the first video.

And now a video on using the Rosette die with the standard plates in a die cut machine.

We hope you enjoyed the videos!

Warehouse Wednesday: Dies and embossing folders

2011-10-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Dies and embossing folders are the hit of the summer!

This summer, it's all about the die cutting and embossing. I'd say this is our number one selling category this summer with Memory Box dies and Cheery Lynn dies leading the pack in popularity. Also very very popular are the Marianne Creatables dies from the Netherlands.

Some of my favorite designs are the 3 deer from Memory Box, the Rosebuds & Leaves from Marianne, and the Fanciful Flourish by Cheery Lynn

Our newest additions in the embossing folders are from New Zealand: Couture Creations and Craft Concepts. These 2 sister companies release a new collection of folders every month. The folders are only made 1 time, so once they are gone, we cannot get them anymore. The designs are fantastic!

Our friends at Darice are also jumping on board with a nice selection of more simple embossing folders. The price on these is quite low too, so they are perfect for budget projects.

Let's not forget Sizzix, Spellbinders (have you seen their new interchangeable border dies?), Crafts-too, and Provo Crafts also have some great choices in dies and folders!

Here are links to the dies on our site:

Memory Box
Marianne
Cheery Lynn
Craft Concepts and Couture Creations
Darice embossing folders
Crafts-too embossing folders
Spellbinders
Sizzix dies
Sizzix embossing folders
Provo Crafts

Let's get those die cut machines to work!!

Hugs,
-Fran

Tip Tuesday: Die Storage

2011-10-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Die Storage

Tip #1
I have a collection of sizzix dies so I have the sizzix die towers. I like them because you can see the names of the dies and they spin so you can store on both sides. I like sizzix new spinning die storage. Its similar to the old tower but its horizontal instead of vertical storage. You can see what you have easily and it doesnt take up much room.

Tip #2
I have a lot of dies. In order to find what I want quickly, I have a list in my computer with the details of each die and what "bin" they are located in. Each bin is numbered. I always find what I need quickly and easily. The list also acts as a shopping guide so I dont buy the same die twice!

Tip #3
I store my Nestabilities and similar dies in CD cases. I cut pieces of magnetic sheet to size to fit in the plastic folders, and put the dies on the magnet, then into the folders. I have different cases for different categories of dies. It is a great solution for those Nestabilities, and very portable, too!

Tip #4
I store my nestabilities on a magnetic sheet. I buy the Xyron magnet/laminate. I run a 4x5 paper with the label name through my xyron and then use the magnet side for the storage. I put all of these in photo boxes which are then put in a storage bin. Neat and tidy!

Tip #5
I store my sizzix dies in modified copier paper boxes. I cut the box so that its about as high as a BIGZ die standing on end. I stack them all in side and then print out the list of dies on paper - add the paper to the lid and voila! instant storage.

Tip #6
I got rid of the plastic boxes that Tim Holtz's dies come in. I cut the product picture from the packaging and use clear packing tape to attach it to back of the die. I then store them in a decorative box.

Tip #7
You can see a fun storage idea in a PDF at this link.

Sketch Sunday: Scrap #9

2011-10-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Layout #9

Today I have another scrapbook page layout to share with you.

I hope you will take a chance and give it a try. Design team member Sharon did, and came up with this really lovely page.

I am totally NOT a scrapbooker, but I took the challenge and made something with the sketch this week.

I had promised my daughter I would scrap the photos of her very first trip to Disneyland, but I have just not done it at all... because I am really not fond scrapping. BUT I am fond of my daughter, so I am challenged myself to use the sketch to make a page for her book. It has only been 13 years sonce that trip, so it is about time, don't you think? Here is the my first ever finished page for her book!

If you decide to use this week's sketch the design team would love it if you would share! Upload a photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then share a link with us in the comments by adding the following line to your comment, and then replace the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My Page</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My Page" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

Smiles,
Kathy

Something Special Saturday: World Card Making Day

2011-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Happy World Card Making Day!

The design team has already gotten a start on some card making today, and has plans to make some scrapbook pages so we can share with you tomorrow when we present our next sketch. Some of us plan to shop for crafting supplies (at our favorite on-line paper crafting store, FranticStamper.com, of course), and to do some organizing in our craft areas. We are planning to make creative use of the day!

So what are YOU doing for World Card Making Day? We would love to see your creations. Simply leave us a note in the comments with a link to your photo. Don't know how? It is really quite simple. Just upload your photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then place a link to that photo in a comment by adding the following codes and replacing the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My Creation</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My Creation" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

We wish you the happiest of days filled with a lot of creativity!

Sweet Friends (Design Team Project)

2011-09-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

by Kathy Berger

Sweet Friends

I just loved these papers from Bo Bunny! I loved the colors and patterns of these papers, and when I saw the cakes and cupcakes I just new I had to have the whole collection! I am planning to use most of them for a small recipe book for my daughter, loaded with all my mom's best cookie and cake recipes, but I just couldn't resist using some for a sweet little card for a friend.

As you know by now, for me a card really just has to "do" something for me to be truly happy, so I decided to make this one a little suspension card where I could showcase two of my favorite little images from the paper. Doesn't the suspended circle that spins just make the card more fun?

I hope you've enjoyed today's project! Until next time!

Technique Thursday: Hauntings from Hero Arts

2011-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Only a month remains until Halloween, so it is about time to get started on those Halloween greetings. Hero Arts has a few videos to help inspire some spooky thoughts, so we thought we would share those with you today. We hope they will get you in the right spirits (bwaaahhaaahaaa! Pun intended!) Enjoy!

First up we have a little video for making a cute Halloween gift bag.

Next we have a vellum window card. We think you'll love the way the vellum creates a ghostly image of the spooky tree stamped inside the card.

By the way, FranticStamper DOES have vellum available, and we hope to get it onto the site soon. In the meantime, though, if you want some, just drop us a call or an email, and we'll get you set up!

And lastly, we have a spooky (well, maybe not) tri-fold window card, with TWO windows.

We hope you have enjoyed today's videos and that they will help get you creating for Halloween. FranticStamper has a wonderful assortment of card-stocks, papers, stamps, and embellishments to help you. You won't be tricked if you treat yourself to some new goodies from FranticStamper.com!

Warehouse Wednesday: We are swamped!

2011-09-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

We are swamped!

The warehouse team has barely had time to breathe this week. We have tons of new product arriving that has to be sorted, added to the web page, and put onto the warehouse shelves. We have been getting a lot of orders that are keeping us busy (BUT filling your orders is our reason for being! We just love to provide the best service we can and love getting the best products into your hands!) Plus we have a bunch of exciting projects for FranticStamper on the burner.

We are so busy, though, that we really don't even have time to share anything special with you this week. We will aim for next week.

In the meantime, be sure to keep checking our New Products page to see some of the wonderful new stuff we can send your way!

Tip Tuesday: Decorating Chipboard Shapes

2011-09-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Decorating Chipboard Shapes

Tip #1
Ink the edges with ink pads.

Tip #2
Paint with light colour then dry brush edges with a darker colour or shade.

Tip #3
Cover with dimensional magic to creater a glazed look and feel.

Tip #4
Ink with embossing ink then coat with UTEE and heat. Repeat, then while last coat is still hot, stamp into the UTEE to emboss a pattern.

Tip #5
Cover with glitter then coat with Dimensional Magic to seal.

Tip #6
Add texture paste to the chipboard then swirl and/or stamp into surface to add pattern to the texture.

Tip #7
Apply a paint and crackle medium. Leave to dry thoroughly then rub a darker tone ink or paint into the cracks to highlight.

Tip #8
Add dimensional paints to the surface in a pattern.

Tip @9
Glue paper to the chipboard piece. When dry, trim as closely as you can with scissors, then use a sanding block to sand off the edges, sanding from the front of the piece to the back. The edges will get a little distressed, so add to that by sponging on a little ink around the edges.

We hope you'll enjoy trying these tips!

Sketch Sunday: ATC #7

2011-09-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today's sketch, scaled for an ATC (3.5" x 2.5"), is unusual for this size in that it contains a number of layers. Those layers, though, can be perfect for showcasing a tiny stamp or sticker.

This week a few members of the design team took up a challenge to use the sketch this week so we could share with you. Here are their designs.

Kathy chose to be pretty literal with the sketch and made a Halloween ATC to share with you. The little Jack O'Lantern is a sticker that has a little shaker built in!

Sharon, though, decided to be less literal and scale the sketch up to make a card. Here is her card, inside and out.

Lis also decided to go with a card translation of the sketch.

Next, though, Kathy decided that since she doesn't trade ATCs or save them she would use her ATC on a card. She used last week's basic layout to create a card that featured her ATC as the focal point of the card.

We would love to see what YOU do with this sketch. To share, all you have to do is upload your photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then place a link to that photo in a comment. Then add the following codes to your comment, and replace the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My ATC</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My ATC" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

Something Special Saturday: My Copic Solution...

2011-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I finally got the complete collection of Copic Ciao markers.

I bought them as 5 different sets of 36 markers, and the sets each came in a crystal box. At first I thought those cases would be great store the markers, but I soon found that I really struggled to use them. I couldn't see any of the numbers on markers that weren't on the edges of the box, and when I was stuck in bed while recovering from the surgeries the boxes would tip over pretty easily and dump all the pens out. They just didn't meet my needs.

So I started looking for another solution. In my search I saw a lot of different shelf units with dividers But I didn't like having the fact that the markers wouldn't be a lot more visible since they wouldn't all be at eye level. And I was worried that the markers wouldn't be secure in the horizontal shelves (I have a very curious cat who just loves anything cylindrical and who loves to watch things drop to the floor; I was concerned that he would be able too easily to knock markers out of the horizontal cubbies and run off with them.)

Then I went to lunch at a cafeteria, and my solution popped out at me! I realized that what I needed was a cafeteria silverware server! I found a 6-cup one at a restaurant supply store, and I have to say it is PERFECT! Each cup snugly holds 30 Copic Ciao markers, meaning that the entire set of 180 markers fits just right! I sorted the markers by color family, then split them into groups of 30, and placed them into the cups (I cut a few circles from thin cork with a Nestabilities die and lined the bottom of the cups. With a few layers of cork I was able to raise the pens up so they fit less snugly, and was able to prevent the pen caps from getting stuck in a hole in the bottom of the cup.)

But then the trouble of finding just the marker I wanted recurred. It is impossible to see the numbers on the side of the marker, so it is hard to find the right pen.

I solved THAT problem by labeling my Ciao caps. I saw several different solutions for doing that on-line, and I combined my favorite ideas into my solution. I created a file with all the colors in numerical order by color family, complete with little circles around the numbers. I printed two copies of the file (I did both ends of my markers.) You can get the file here.

I then colored each of the circles with the matching color and then cut the paper into strips by color family.

I punched each circle with a 1/4" circle punch, and affixed it to the cap with a mini glue dot.

Though it was a tedious and time-consuming job, it was totally worth the effort since I can now find the right color with little effort. I just choose the color I need using my color chart and then go to the right cup and grab the right pen pretty quickly. I really love my new solution!

How do you store your Copic markers so they are easy to use? I'd love to hear your solution.

Til next time!

Smiles,
Kathy

Mini Desk Set (Design Team Project)

2011-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

by Kathy Berger

My daughter recently moved into a furnished victorian house for her third year of college. In lieu of a desk in her room she has a trundle sewing machine cabinet she plans to use. She really does most of her studying in the library, so this will really be just a place to do some quick homework or jot a note to a friend.

She really doesn't want to write directly on the antique wooden surface of the desk, though, so she wanted to have a blotter to use; however, all the commercially available blotters were far too big for her space. So, I made her a blotter, and added a few other pieces for a little desk set.

I used a can from french-fried onion rings to make a pencil holder, made a box for a small pad of paper, created a few matching pens out of translucent barrel pens, and made the blotter from a pad of watercolor paper.

All of the items were decorated with papers from the Authentique Blissful Collection, available at FranticStamper.com. These papers were just perfect for this project. And my daughter loves it on her "desk"!

Technique Thursday: Art Institute Glitter

2011-09-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today we would like to share a couple of how-to videos from Art Institute Glitter. First up is the technique for coloring an image with multiple colors for a rainbow effect.

Next we have a video for a beautiful way to make a glitter lace card.

We hope you have enjoyed these videos and want you to know that the gorgeous glitters featured in today's videos are available at FranticStamper.com.

Warehouse Wednesday: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Frenzy....

2011-09-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Frenzy....

ahhhh.... that Tim.... always there with unbelievable products.In case you missed all the buzz, Ranger and Tim teamed up to produce a set of 3 "limited edition" fall colors of Distress Inks, which include: Seedless Preserves (purple), Ripe Persimmon (orange) and Gathered Twigs (olive brown).

The 3 ink pads are sold as a set only. They are a "stack" set, meaning the 3 pads stack with 1 lid on top. Great for carrying and space saving!Sadly, there will NOT be reinkers produced (yet) for these colors. Of course, if enough people ask the powers that be at Ranger, this may change in the future.... one never knows.

Back to the ink pads. Ranger put a limit on how many we could buy through them. We were lucky (or crafty) enough to secure some from other sources (wholesale distributors) as well.... so we have a good stash. However, we're getting very very low on them. If you have not yet secured yours, please email us (fran@franticstamper.com) and we will reserve a set for you. They are due to arrive today and we will be busy shipping out all the pre-orders as fast as we can.

Now for the exciting news.... drumroll.... yes, you guessed it: there will be a WINTER set of colors as well. We do not yet have the names or shades of those colors. But, we do have an availability date. Ranger will start shipping them to us on November 1. We should have them approximately 1 week after that. We do not yet know how many they will let us order. If you want a set of those, let us know and we will do our best to reserve a set for you.

Read all about it on Tim's blog.

Hugs,
-Fran
www.franticstamper.com
541-826-2500

Tip Tuesday: Using Envelopes Creatively

2011-09-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tips for Using Envelopes Creatively

Tip #1
Seal an empty envelope. Cut it in half and now you have pockets!

Tip #2
Decorate your envelopes with pearl or shimmer sprays.

Tip #3
Stamp scenes on your envelopes before mailing.

Tip #4
My friend always uses the stamp she used for her card on the outside of her envelope to have a matched set.

Tip #5
Trim the envelope flap with decorative scissors before sealing to get a decorative edge.

Tip #6
Use envelopes glued together by their flaps to make accordion books.

Tip #7
Cut flaps off larger envelopes and glue them together at their centers. Add a cover to form an accordion holders to store your standard cards.

Tip #8
Line the flap of the envelope with paper to coordinate with your card.

Tip #9
Stamp across the bottom or the flap of the back envelope with a long stamp or a roller stamp. It will help to coordinate your card and envelope but won't interfere with postal processing.

Those are our tips for today. Do you have any creative tips for using envelopes to share? If so, please add to our list by leaving a comment. We would love to hear from you!

Sketch Sunday: Card #10

2011-09-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

Today I offer you a card sketch, in blue. "Why blue?", you ask. Well, as those who know me know, I love any color as long as it is blue! But, I do enjoy other colors as well, and I know this sketch will work wonderfully with other colors, too.

I can see this sketch in bright, festive orange, purple, and greens, with a witch stamped in the circle, and a Happy Halloween message. Or perhaps in rich fall colors, with a turkey stamped in the circle, and a "Give Thanks" for a message. Or in red and green plaid, with a Christmas tree. Or in pastel shades with a little elephant stamped in the circle with a "Little One..." for a message.

I think this is a super versatile and easy sketch, and I plan to play with it a lot. I will share when I do (I still am not stamping much post-surgery), and I hope that you will, too! If you do make something starting with this sketch, please share a photo with us! All you have to do is upload your photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then place a link to that photo in a comment. All you need to do is add the following codes to your comment, and then replace the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My Card</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My Card" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

This week, some members of the design team took up my challenge and made a card based on this sketch. We'd like to share.

by Joanne Wardle

by Kathy Berger

by Kathy Berger

by Kris Hankins

by Sharon Jeffs

by Lis Whiting

We hope you will join us and play along!

Smiles,
Kathy

Something Special Saturday: My Go To Copics...

2011-09-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

My Go To Copic Pens

Today I am going to share my list of pens that I seem to be using the most often and that I took with me on my month-long trip to the east coast this past summer.

I came up with my list after taking a pretty good look at the bulk of the images I like to color. It seems I have a lot of florals and quite a few kind of cute animal images that I like to color, so that influenced my color list somewhat. If you color really different images, your list of must-haves is likely to be pretty different.

My floral fandom means that I need colors in the pink, red, coral, violet, and green spectra. My critter craze meant I would want to have browns, tans, and grays. And then I needed to have some blues because, as everyone who knows me knows, I love any color as long as it is blue!

When I do go, I carry my 36 must-have markers in a wonderful portable storage wallet, available at FranticStamper (Copic wallet for 36 markers; holds Ciao, Sketch or Copic Markers, COP-WAL-36, MSRP: $19.95 -- Fran's price: $15.95!)

So... without further ado, here is my list of Go To Copics.

Yellow: Y02, Y08
Yellow Red: YR02, YR04, YR07
Red: R20, R22, R27, R29, R81, R85
(NOTE... I don't carry any Red Violet or true Violet)
Blue Violet: BV00, BV02, BV04, BV08
Blue: B93, B95, B97, B99
Blue Green: BG000, BG01
Green: G21, G28
Yellow Green: YG11, YG17,YG91, YG95
Earth Tones: E00, E31, E33, E35, E37, E49
Gray: W1, W5 (though if I had Copic Sketch, I would probably use N1 and N5 and I do sometimes wish for cool grays...)
AND... of course,
Neutral: 0 (which is the blender pen)

I also carried a Copic Multiliner and a couple of Momento markers in the side zipper pouch of the wallet.

I'd sure love to see which picks you agree with, and which ones you have to have instead. Leave a comment! I really look forward to your input!

Smiles,
Kathy

Wise Wishes (Design Team Project)

2011-09-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

by Debi Wind

Wise Wishes

For this project I used Bazzill Cardstock (Grape Slush, Sea Glass, Apple Crush and Vanilla) and some great papers from Bo Bunny's Peacock Lane collection, along with some warm violet chalk ink and glossy accents to make a fun birthday card. I think that this card can be used for someone of just about any age, and could even work for a man.

I cut Sea Glass cardstock to make the base card, in a standard size. I layered on my Grape Slush and patterned paper to complete my base.

I cut a piece of Sea Glass and another of Apple Crush cardstock and then layered them with coordinating patterned paper. I then adhered those to the card.

I then stamped my image in Warm Violet ink onto Vanilla cardstock, trimmed, and layered onto Apple Crush, Grape Slush, and then Sea Glass cardstock.I adhered my main image to card.

I finished off the card by adding Glossy Accents to the balloon.

I hope you enjoyed my card today! It just makes me feel cheery, and I hope it will do the same for you!

Technique Thursday: Working With Alcohol Inks

2011-09-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

by Sharon Jeffs

Working with Alcohol Inks

One of the most versatile products on the market is Alcohol inks. You can buy them in pen form like the Copic markers or in bottle form such as the Adirondack ink range. There are so many ways to use them as well as a bountiful supply of surfaces to use them on.

The Adirondack range is supported by Tim Holtz and features refillable pens for application, applicator tools with replaceable felt pads and over 40 different colours including metal mixatives to personalise your surface further.

Using an applicator

There are lots of different ways to use these inks but one of the quickest is with the use of an applicator with felt pads. Ranger, the same company who creates these inks also produce a great applicator that features a velco surface so you can replace your felt pads frequently.

To use a felt pad, place into squarely over the Velcro and gently push into the Velcro to hold it in place.

Add only a couple of drops of ink at a time to several different areas of the pad the dab down gently in a dabbing motion to colour.

You can also add two or three different coloured drops at a time if you want to get a dappled effect with varying shades.

Here is a list of some of the ways I have used these amazing inks –

Acetate backgrounds

Last year, I created a card tutorial featuring this technique with acetate. You can find the article here (http://franticstamper.blogspot.com/2010/03/hummingbird-friends-card.html). This card featured a panel of acetate which I applied alcohol ink to.

Colouring chipboard

Another great use for alcohol inks is to use them to add colour to chipboard shapes and words. You need to begin with a good coat of paint on the surface of the chipboard before you begin, this seals the surface so that the alcohol inks can be blended and don’t just soak into the chipboard.

Here I have an actual piece of wood that has been scroll cut to form a word. I painted an undercoat of white gesso over its surface and left it to dry before inking it up with Cranberry, Raisin, Shell Pink and Silver Mixative.

Embossed metals

One of the things that drew me to Scrapbooking and cardmaking was the ability to use everyday items to create a piece of art. Metal surfaces such as the seal on the inside of a Milo tin or even the sides from an aluminium soft drink can; can all be cut or even run through a die cut machine to create new items for decorating your home.

You can dab alcohol ink directly onto metal surface or for something a bit extra, try embossing the metal first.

Another alternative is to dry brush a layer of gesso over the embossing, leave it to dry then buff off the paint on the raised paert of the pattern. Finally, dab the alcohol inks over the surface of both the paint and the metal.

To create this card, I used a piece of the metal lining from a Milo tin (I usually have a lot of this because of my children’s addiction to Milo)and embossed it before adding a layer of paint and alcohol inks to create this different effect.

Marbling

One of my favourite activities from my childhood art lessons is Marbling. I love the soft feel that inks immersed in water produce. Alcohol inks are perfect for this because the alcohol component reacts with the water’s surface tension in unpredictable ways that can give you some amazing effects.

Begin with a flat container of water that is wider than the product you will be marbling. Drop ink onto the surface of the water.

Once you have added ink and achieved a look you like, place the paper/card flat onto the surface of the water. Leave for a couple of seconds then pull up lay flat to dry. The inks will continue to react with the water as it is drying.

I used Stonewash, Denim, Cloudy blue and the silver and the Copper Mixatives on white glossy card to create my example.

Glass and Plastic

I think the best part of using alcohol inks is probably that they are so translucent. I can use them on a surface that is clear and gain a colour without losing that transparency. This is particularly handy when you want to paint onto clear surfaces or if the object being painted is something you would like to see the sun glisten through.

Here I coloured the faceted clear bead with alcohol inks before threading them all together to create my suncatcher. I used the colours … Denim, Cranberry and Citrus with a Silver Mixative. The best part of this project was that it didn’t matter if the colours of the beads where slightly different because the alcohol inks blended them all together.

For this photo stand I wanted the colour to be a lot simpler since I was also adding flowers. I used … Citrus, Bottle, pesto and a little of the Silver Mixative (on the tips of the pale pink flowers and the fern leaves).

Warehouse Wednesday: Knee Deep in Prima

2011-09-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

Knee Deep in Prima

We're "Knee Deep" in Prima……Literally…..

Our humongous Prima shipment from CHA has arrived (after more than 3 weeks of delays) and it's keeping us hopping!

The sad part is some of the most popular items are backordered…. so we'll be dealing with this all over again when those items show up, which should be in 2-3 weeks.

If you have placed a pre-order OR a recent order that includes new Prima items, please be patient. We are working as fast as we can.

One thing for sure: Prima never disappoints with the quality and beauty of their products! Take a look if you haven't seen them yet:

http://www.franticstamper.com/prima-chapreview.htm

'Til next week…. don't forget to stop and smell the roses!

Hugs,
-Fran
www.franticstamper.com

Tip Tuesday: Traveling Tips

2011-09-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Tips for Traveling with Your Paper Crafts

Tip #1
Prepare project components ahead of time and store them in zip lock baggies for traveling

Tip #2
I like to take small repetitive "assembly required" items with me such as: tea bag squares to fold, pre-stamped cards that just need coloring, pre-die cut rosettes that need assembling/folding, ribbon to make into ribbon flowers, etc.

Tip #3
Before leaving home, make several "wish you were here" cards with the theme of where you will be staying. You can also pre-address them, so all that's left to do while on vacation is write a personal note in each card!

Tip #4
Be on the lookout for unique items you can use as embellishments while on your trips. Examples: trip to the beach - find shell stores for tiny seashells; trip to the zoo - bring back a zoo map; trip to France - save metro tickets or museum brochures; trip to Vermont - gather maple leaves; trip to the moon (OK, maybe not)

Tip #5
I like to pick up picture postcards of places I visit to add to my scrapbook pages. I also save brochures and ticket stubs to add to a page.

Tip #6
Always have a basic stamping/art kit ready to go with you on a trip.

Tip #7
I like to take stamped images with me to color when I travel. Easy to carry in little space. The act of coloring seems to calm me also.

Tip #8
I like to take small pieces of card-stock and a black marker with me and draw doodle tangled images (sometimes called Zentangles, but I've been making these since elementary school in the 1960'a!) for backgrounds. The repetitive doodling is something I can do just about anywhere... I keep a piece of card-stock and a marker in my purse for those times when I have an unexpected wait.

Tip #9
I have a travel case for Copics that I fill with my 36 must have colors, and a lot of pre-stamped images for me to color. It really helps me to pass the long hours on an airplane when I travel, as well as filling those hours when I am awake and my traveling companions aren't. (Check back on Saturday for which colors made my list of must-have colors, and share your ideas, too.)

What are some of YOUR favorite travel tips for your papercraft and art? Please let us know by leaving us a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Sketch Sunday: Something Different...

2011-09-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the United States by Al Qeida Operatives, we are not going to have a sketch for you. Instead, would like to ask those of you in the States to join in the National Day of Service by helping where you can. Clean up a school yard, plant flowers at a home for the elderly, paint over graffiti, cook a meal for a shut-in...make a difference.

We would also like to challenge all of our readers everywhere to take time to thank first-responders in their communities for their service, in honor of all the brave men and women who died going into the World Trade Center to help the victims of the attack, and who became victims themselves when the Twin Towers collapsed. Make a card of thanks and drop it off at your local fire or police station. These hardworking and dedicated people put their lives on the line to protect us each and every day. Today seems like a perfect time to let them know that we appreciate all that they do.

We will never forget...

Wish Big (Design Team Project)

2011-09-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

by Kris Hankins

Who wouldn’t like receiving this fun card on their birthday? It’s easy, bright and dimensional. Perfect for just about any one at any age.

This project uses papers from Bo Bunny, a chipboard party hat from Maya Road, and Crystal Stickles, though you could substitute other paper or other chipboard shapes to suit your needs.

I used a standard-sized white card blank. Next I cut a 4.25” x 5.5” piece of Bo Bunny Double Dot Licorice cardstock and a 4” x 5.25” piece of Bo Bunny Petal Pushers “Whoosh” paper. (The circle side will be the background, the pink side will be my highlight. I love to use double-sided papers because I can count on the two sides coordinating!)

I inked the top of the chipboard party hat with Lime Pastel Fluid Chalk ink and let it dry. I then took a small piece of “Whoosh” paper and glued it to the front of the inked chipboard party hat, with the circle” side glued to the chipboard. I trimmed the excess paper from around chipboard hat.

Using “crystal” Stickles, I completely covered the pom pom at the top of the party hat. The green ink underneath shows through the Stickles.

I inked the pre-cut Bazzill dot border with the same Lime Pastel Fluid Chalk ink as I used on the hat. (I love these new Bazzill “Half the Edge” pre-cut borders. These are only 6 inches long, come 20 to a package, and are PERFECT for card making. You can get them in colors, but I prefer the white and just ink them as needed.)

I stamped my birthday sentiment on white cardstock using black Memories ink, trimmed it to size and glued the inked dot border to the white cardstock. The white cardstock shows through the punched holes in the border.

I layered my sentiment onto a piece of Licorice Double Dotted cardstock and trimmed to about 1/8” larger.

I then attached the “Whoosh” layer to the Licorice colored cardstock, and then added that to the front of the white card base.

I finish up by attaching the sentiment to the front of the card with 3D adhesive foam squares and glued the chipboard hat directly to the card.

Wish BIG!

Technique Thursday: A Coloring Experiment

2011-09-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to share several coloring techniques with you. If you want to see an image in a larger format, just click on the photo. Click on the browser's your back button to return to the blog.

For comparison purposes I colored the same image, on the same paper, with seven different products. I had considered using different papers (for example, watercolor paper for the watercoloring-like techniques), but decided that it would be more difficult for you to compare the techniques with that variable thrown in. So I tried out a few different papers with each of the techniques. The Copics bled too much on watercolor paper and cheaper white cardstock. The watercolor techniques caused the cheaper white cardstock to pill up a bit. So, the paper I chose was Bazzill Ultra Smooth White. It is a wonderful paper for use with Copic Markers, but it also holds up fairly well with water color techniques, though it does warp a little when it is gotten very wet. I don't think I would use it with wash techniques and watercolors, but it was just fine for this project.

The image I chose was a beautiful large magnolia from FranticStamper's own line of stamps (148-05-N, $5.50) This beautiful image is large enough to showcase the various media; the image has enough room in the petals to be able to see the color gradations and blending. I loved coloring it!

The ink choice was a little trickier. I wanted to use the same ink for all of the different colorings so that the only variable would be the coloring media. I decided to try a few of my black ink pads with the media and see how each worked out. I tried Mememto, Versafine, Stazon, and Memories black ink pads. I didn't bother with my water-based or distress ink pads because I knew they wouldn't hold up to the water in watercolor techniques.

First, I used the side of my ink pads to create a bar of black ink on a piece of the Bazzill paper. I let them dry completely (the Versafine took the longest to dry.) Then I used my chosen media (distress ink with a water brush, colored pencil, and Copic Markers) which were a representative sampling of the various techniques I plan to use, and I made lines across the ink bars, scrubbing back and forth a bit across the bars.

Here are my results:

I was more than a little surprised to see how poorly the Versafine fared. It had been my go-to ink pad for a few years, and I didn't realize how easily it would smear, smudge, and run! Memories ink, which I had also used for years, did a little better, but really didn't hold up all that well with the mineral spirits or the Copics. The Stazon couldn't be used with the Copics since their inks are incompatible and the ink could damage the tip of the Copic marker. The clear winner was the Memento ink pad. It didn't really smear or run with any of the media.

So, I stamped seven copies of the mangolia with the Memento pad on quarter sheets of the Bazzill Ultra Smooth white paper and prepared to color each a different way.

Chalk

My first effort went into coloring the image with chalk. I chose to use pastel pencils because I had only a primary color chalk palette, where I had 24 different chalk pencils. One certainly could use a palette with sponge applicators for similar results, and would likely get better results with a broader palette. The pencils I used were CarbOthello pastels that I have had since college.

I started near the center of each flower and worked the chalk in as I went along, making sure to add shadows with darker chalk and blending it out lighter where I wanted highlights. I made sure to dust off (by blowing) the stray chalk as I went along to avoid getting it where I didn't want it. When I had the image completely colored, blended, and rubbed in (the chalk really needs to be rubbed into the paper or it will rub off later), I cleaned up stray chalk with a white vinyl eraser.

The color of pastels is somewhat subtle, and perhaps a little muted. For best results pastels should be set with a fixative to avoid future smudging. Coloring and blending are easy. The choice of colors is dependent on your choice of pastels, but most brands provide a more than adequate palette to enable good shading and blending. The pencils make it easy, too, to add texture to the leaves as desired.

Note that these pencils can also be used with water, but I didn't want to add water color-like techniques to this sample.

Distress Inks

Next, I decided to give watercoloring with Distress Inks a try. My color range was a little bit limited, having only Victorian Velvet, Worn Lipstick, and Spun Sugar in the pink range. There wasn't really a "dark" color to provide deep shadows, and none of the three colors really were right for the magnolia blooms.

Additionally, I didn't have reinkers, so I stamped my ink pads onto a clear acrylic block to create my palette for watercoloring. I picked up color from the palette with my water brush and painted the blooms. I made effort to ensure that any drops of color were pulled toward the center of the flower or toward areas of shadow to be sure that I wouldn't have dark areas left in unwanted places when the drops dried. I layered the color, using Spun Sugar last to brighten up the flowers. I used Victorian Velvet for my shadows, and worn lipstick, watered down considerably, as my main color.

The leaves and buds were done with Forest Moss, with a little bit of Spun Sugar mixed in in spots to make a brownish tone.

The color of this watercolor technique is very muted. The contrast is quite limited. Painting with the inks and getting depth and shadows is very difficult because the colors are just too similar. I would not chose to watercolor with this limited palette again unless I didn't care about adding shadows and highlights.

Colored Pencils and Mineral Spirits

One of my favorite coloring methods is coloring with colored pencils and then blending with odorless mineral spirits or GooGone™. With the colored pencils I had a lot of variety in colors so it was easy to get a lot of depth of color with shadows and highlights. I could blend smoothly with the solvent, and I could also add texture on top of the base colors.

I laid down my base color around the areas that I would expect to have shadows and then blended it out toward the areas of highlight. I added in small amounts of darker colors in the shadow areas and blended those in, too, but minimally. After the colors were blended in I added lines to create the veins of the petals of the magnolia blossoms. I very lightly blended those in, leaving them mostly intact.

The colors of the colored pencils are more vibrant and more varied than those of the reinkers or the chalks. I had a great deal more depth in my colored image because of shadows and highlights. This remains one of my go-to coloring methods because the results are always wonderful.

Niji Pearlescent Watercolors

Of all the media I worked with, these were without a doubt the most difficult. They would be wonderful if I simply wanted a single shade of a single color, with a lot of pearlescent shimmer. However, used as watercolors to get depth and shading, they were much less effective. Even resorting to dry brush techniques to try to get darker shades really just didn't work. The paints don't flow as smoothly as regular watercolors.

My set of Nijis had only a single shade of real pink. I used it, and a little bit of purple to shade. I used a couple of different greens and a little golden brown for the buds.

As difficult as it was to paint this image with the Nijis, it was even more difficult to get a photo of it. The amount of shine made using any strong light source impossible... the images were filled with glare. Photographing with an indirect light source completely misses the shimmer. I am sharing both failed images so you might get some idea of the results, even though neither photograph really works well.

Overall, I do like my Niji colors for some purposes, but I will stay away from trying to watercolor realistically with them.

Watercolor Pencils

I have had a set of Derwent watercolor pencils for years and have used them as one of my main tools for coloring images. I love the way they flow and blend. They offer the ease of colored pencils with the beauty of watercolor. They can be used directly on paper wet or dry, on wet or dry paper, as well.

I colored a small area of each petal, dry pencil on dry paper, where I would want shadow, with my main color. Then, using a waterbrush, I spread the color toward the highlight areas. Once dried, I added a smaller amount of color in darker shades in the same area, and blended it out less, leaving it to look more like shadow. When I was finished blending the flower and the buds, and when the image was dry, I added a little texture using the pencils without blending out to give the effect of veins in the petals of the magnolia.

As with all watercolor techniques, though, part of what makes the image so beautiful is the slightly unexpected and uncontrolled way the pigment moves in the water, where it pools. So even with the efforts to spread the water in a particular direction, this still has the looseness of a watercoloring, which I love. No matter what other media I may discover and enjoy, I will always go back to my watercolor pencils.

Tombow Markers

Markers could be colored directly onto the image, but I find that images colored that way are too dark, too flat, and almost too much like a "coloring book" for my tastes. But that doesn't mean that I couldn't use markers to color the image! I found that since Tombows are water-based markers, they can be used to produce a palette for watercoloring simply by scribbling them onto something suitable for a palette... I used an acrylic block.

I simply scribbled a quarter-sized spot of each of the colors I planned to use, and then picked them up with a waterbrush and painted them onto the image like I would have with any watercolor. I found that the color spread best on a wet base, so I painted water onto my image where I intended to add color. I then added my color as desired, being careful to not let pigmented water pool where I wanted highlights.

I used a variety of markers to get the color variations I wanted, belnding some on the palette, and some on the paper. They blended easily and were easy to use to get the effect I was after. The one drawback was that I had to frequently reload the palette with color, and the color did tend to bead up quite a bit on the block.

Though this was a fairly effective technique, I wouldn't make it one of my go-to methods of coloring an image.

Copics

This was my first-ever coloring effort with Copic markers. I had never attempted to use them before, so I have to admit I was a little intimidated at first. But I found them to be wonderful to work with. The color goes on smoothly and blends almost effortlessly. The colors are vibrant yet have enough variations from light to dark to be able to produce shadows and highlights with great color gradation between them.

I did read quite a bit about Copic techniques before using them, so I understood that it is best to layer on color to darken colors than to try to blend out darker colors into light areas. I also knew that it was best to work on smaller areas at a time to avoid lines. I decided to work on each flower, one petal at a time. I colored the whole petal with my lightest color, then adding the next darker color in from the shadow areas, blending with the lighest color, and then adding darker shadow colors until I reached the effect I was after. I then moved on to the next petal, and then the next flower. I colored the stems and buds last.

I have to tell you, I am totally in love with these markers. They are VERY different from the other media I have used before, including those I have discussed here. But I believe they are well worth the learning curve they require. They blend better than anything I have ever used before. The colors are more vibrant and alive than with any other media I've used. On the downside, they have a pretty significant cost associated with them; each pen is a bit of an investment. But from my very first attempt at coloring with them and with the projects I've colored since, I have not once been sorry about the money I invested in them. The experience of coloring with these pens is like no other!

A little note of warning, though. These pens do bleed through most papers and cardstocks. In order to blend thoroughly the paper really needs to get saturated with the ink. Make sure you color on a surface that won't be bothered by the bleed-through. And remember that if you want to use the image you've colored on a card, it probably should be added to the card as a layer. Also be aware of any ink you use with these markers. If you plan to draw on or around your image be sure to use a Copic Multiliner or a Memento marker. Don't use other alcohol or solvent-based products with your Copics. If you've made the investment, you will want to protect it.

Thanks for checking out my various attempts at coloring this fantastic image! I had a great deal of fun trying different media and seeing how they compared.

Smiles,
Kathy

Warehouse Wednesday: Check us out on Facebook!

2011-09-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Frantic Stamper now has a page on Facebook!

In addition to offering general paper crafting discussions, we will be sharing some of our best sale items and new product news, and will link to some of our blog posts to keep you up to date with all that is happening at Frantic Stamper.

We hope this new forum will give you a great way to help us stay in touch with you and with what you want out of your favorite paper crafting store!

Check us out. A permanent link to our Facebook wall is in our links section.

Tip Template Tuesday: School Satchel

2011-09-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

It is back to school time! Today we would like to give you a template for making a school satchel card.

Download and enlarge the template by 200% (should be 11" in length), and print it out. Cut out one of each of the elements on the solid lines. Score on the dashed lines. Put the handle through the cut slot in the top fold, and affix in place on the inside. Attach two ribbons to the inside of the front flap of the satchel, just above the buckles, then wrap all the way around the satchel, and pass through the satchel buckles to close the satchel. Glue on the name-plate.

Make your satchel from faux-leather, decorate it in school colors. Corner punch the corners of the top flap. Add grommets, buttons, or other hardware. Seal up the sides, or add an insert made from an envelope. Make it YOURS!

We would love to see what you come up with from this basic template. Please feel free to share by uploading a photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then share a link with us in the comments. To share all you need to do is add the following codes to your comment, and then replace the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My School Satchel</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My School Satchel" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

2011-09-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

OH MY! I have almost forgotten to post today's sketch! This was one of my first real "days out" since my ankle surgery three weeks ago, and with all the activity, I simply forgot to post! I hope I haven't inconvenienced any of you too badly!

Today I have a simple sketch for a layout. The diamond grid in the background could be patterned paper or perhaps paper that has been scored to produce the grid. One of the three blocks could be a journaling block, or perhaps just three photos that tell the whole story.

I hope that you will enjoy the sketch even though it is hours late. And I hope that those of you in the States will enjoy your Labor Day holiday tomorrow!

Smiles,
Kathy

A Day at the Zoo (Design Team Project)

2011-09-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

by Debi Wind

A wonderful activity to do during summer is to go to the zoo. I take my nieces and nephews at least twice during the summer...they love seeing all the animals. Some of their favorites are the elephants, the giraffes, and the monkeys.

So to commemorate our visits to the zoo I created this altered clipboard. Altering a clipboard is a fun way to make a wall hanging. It is different way to create a memory of an event one has done!

The materials (except for the clipboard & acrylic paint) are found at www.franticstamper.com. The products included are mini die cuts by Paper House, stickers by Jolee's by You, pattern papers Bo Bunny "Zoology" series, Giraffe and Leopard twill by Creative Impressions, Inkssentials 1"X3" memory glass and foil tape, and clear square buttons by Buttons Galore. The clipboard and acrylic paint is from my own supplies.

I painted the clipboard with 2 coats of light cinnamon acrylic paint. Once dry I added two different pattern papers cut to size and twill to embellish. I then added mini die cuts and stickers by Jolee's. I cut "Zoo" from a page of labels, add a microscope slide with pattern paper naming various animals and trimmed the edges with silver metal tape. I added 3 clear square buttons to embellish and twill to finish the project.

I enjoyed creating this altered clipboard wall hanging that can be used in a child's room as a wall hanging. It is a great way to share the memories of our trip to the zoo!

Technique Thursday: Great Products from We R Memory Keepers

2011-09-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Today we have a lot of great videos from We R Memory Keepers. These products are all available at FranticStamper.com, so head on over and check them out!

First up, we thought you might like to see the Cinch in action. This multi-purpose binding tool is a perfect way to make a photo album, cook book, journal, or calendar. We hope you'll enjoy the demo.

Next, we have the fabulous Crop-a-dile, one of the must-have tools for paper-crafters. See why with this demo.

Wait! We still have more! Here is a little video of the great new Sew Easy Stitch Piercing Tool, piercing holes for stitching on paper (or for "faux-stitching" for those of us who can't even thread a needle.)

And we aren't done yet! Our last offering for you today is a demo of the We R Memory Keepers Corner Chompers. These corner punches are the best we've used, and they really rock, with two differen corner designs per punch!

Happy Thursday!

Warehouse Wednesday: New products from SRM

2011-08-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

This past week, Susan of SRM Stickers contacted us with some wonderful information for their calendar line of stickers. We thought it was so packed with great information that we would pass it along to you. We carry a lot of their stickers, so be sure to check them out at FranticStamper.com. Here is what Susan had to offer (edited for this blog):

It's that time of year again, Calendar Time! The newest calendar added to our line is the mini-Calendars! They are such a hit. They come in two different styles, standard and Fancy.

We are beginning to get lots of wonderful projects from our Design Team using the new mini-Calendars. Here are just a few of the projects that they've made so far with lots more coming your way!

First up is a mini flip desktop calendar from design team member Virginia Lu. The entire calendar is stamped! What a work of art!

Virginia used the new mini-calendar standard stickers. She also used the new 2012 Year of Memories Sticker with lots of 2012 and '12 stickers.

And here is a mini calendar I shared with you before and many people fell in love with at CHA. It's from our design team member Ray Barthel. Rae used the Decorative Mini Calendar on this project and the 2012 Year of Memories sticker.

And here are some other popular uses of the Mini Calendar....

On a Card
Here is a beautiful card from Nina Brackett. Nina used the Decorative Mini-Calendar #48006 as the background for her card and a Fancy Sticker Sentiment, Love design, for her sentiment. Simply gorgeous!

On a layout
Here is a wonderful layout from Renee' Morris-Dezember incorporating the Mini-Calendar into a layout of her son. She mounted it on patterned paper, and then punched it and mounted it to cardstock. Love this! Renee' used the Standard Mini-Calendar #48005. What a great way to remember the time frame in a layout.

As a tag
Here is a mini-TUBE with a darling "save the date" project from Tanya Tahir. Tanya used the Decorative mini-Calendar and we love how she circled the special date! We also love how this product looks on Kraft cardstock!

Well...we thought what Susan had to share with us would be something you would find inspiring. We hope you will check out the new SRM products at FranticStamper. Wew have them in our warehouse and would love to ship some your way!

Hugs,
Frantic Stamper

Tip Tuesday: Storing Unmounted Stamps

2011-08-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today we would like to offer some tips for storing unmounted stamps. FranticStamper carries a HUGE selection of unmounted stamps! There are rubber-only stamps from FranticStamper's own line of stamps, cling-mounted rubber from various manufacturers, and then there are all sorts of clear stamps as well! Be sure to check out the possibilities at FranticStamper.com.

Tip #1
I bought a Clip it up when they were all the rage and I use this to store my stamps. I then used all my Kaisercraft reusable pockets (their embellishments always come in them) to store the stamps in and hang them up with these in the Clip it up.

Tip #2
I store my cushion mounted stamps in three ring binders (4 inch ones!). The stamps are mounted on plastic storage sheets. I make a copy of the images on that sheet and place that over the stamps in a sheet protector. This way my stamp images are protected. The outside of the binder is labeled with the theme. The tabs list company and theme.

Tip #3
I store my cling mount rubber stamps in CD cases. I label the side of the case with manufacturer's information, and store the CD cases in a CD case by category (holidays, floral, sayings, miscellaneous, etc.)

(I know one of the stamps is upside down...it just fit better that way, and I have no trouble reading upside down. lol.)

Tip #4
Store unmounted rubber stamps or cling stamps on plastic sheet protectors with a piece of cardstock inserted inside for strength. I then store these inside of clear poly file envelopes, standing on a shelf. Each envelope is numbered.

Tip #5
Keep a log of all stamped images, categorized by subject. I include location of stamp, when I bought it, who made it, and even the cost.

Tip #6
Use sturdy clear plastic folios/envelopes to store stamps on a sheet protector inside. This protects the stamps from being knocked off of loose sheets or binder pages. You can stamp images on cardstock inside the sheet protector to show where the stamp belongs. Stand the folios on their sides on a book shelf. Label index at the end of the folio for easy identification. Be sure to stamp all images in a master log showing location of stamp. Stock up on folios when back to school supplies are on sale.

Tip #7
I store my clear stamps in Stufftainers™. I store them by category (holiday, floral, sayings, etc.) in cardboard magazine holders on a book shelf. I can usually store two larger stamp sets and two or three smaller ones in a single container (I do not mix manufacturers in a container). I put a piece of cheap cardstock in the container, and using double-sided tape, tape the plastic backing for the set to the cardstock. I glue the label information to the back of the cardstock so I know the sets' names. And then I use a small mailing label to add the manufacturer's name to the side of the container. Works great for me!

Please feel free to share YOUR tips for storing unmounted stamps or leave us a comment about our tips! We LOVE to hear from you.

Sketch Sunday: Card #9

2011-08-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

It is time to share another sketch...

Rather than a standard mat for your stamped image, this card layout has offset layers to help your image stand out. It might be a good one for using some of those scraps of coordinating card stocks and designer papers, or perhaps this would be best with some high contrast, perhaps in black and white, with a single color like red, or light blue.

If you decide to use this week's sketch, the design team would love it if you would share! Upload a photo somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc.) and then share a link with us in the comments. To share all you need to do is add the following codes to your comment, and then replace the word "link" with the actual link to your photo:

<a href="link">My Card</a>

Your comment will then contain the words "My Card" which will link to your photo. The design team really looks forward to seeing your work!

Smiles,
Kathy

Georges; my father's album continued (Design Team Project)

2011-08-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

by Polinka

Georges (my father's album), Continued

Last week I showed you the cover of my dad's album, so this time I'll show you a part of the inner pages of his life...

As to keep unity I wanted to use papers from the same collection, and since this album was to have around 60 pages, I choose a complete paper pad from My Mind's Eye: "Best of Damask" 12"x12" pad of 180 sheets (MME-PAD-Damask).

See how simple it is to use this kind of patterned papers? You don't need much more than a few stamps and stickers or a little paint and tape: It is as easy as 1 2 3 !