Embossed Rose box

This started out as a plain white die-cut box from Sunday International. I haven't embossed anything in a while so I thought I'd play around with embossing in clear on the white box. Pretty cool... huh?

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: Die cut box from SI
INK: Ruby Red and Marvelous Magenta ink pads “StampinUp!”, Versamark ink SI
ACCESSORIES: Offray ribbon, clear embossing power “StampinUP!”, white tissue paper, sponge, paper towel, mini stick-on stones (my stash)

Emboss rose image in clear on front and back of box/ emboss tiny heart image on two sides
Rub Ruby Red ink over entire box covering all edges of box, wipe off excess on the embossed images with a damp paper towel
Attach 3 little stones on top left corner of box front and back, rub edges of box with magenta ink to darken edges a little
Add tissue paper to box, attach ribbon to tie handles together

I was trying to use my heart stamps from my Dee Gruenig Watercolor Valentine set to make a four-leaf clover card.

Here's the how-to.

Four-leaf clover card

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: Scrapbook printed paper “Paper Studio” (Hobby Lobby), white card stock “Georgia Pacific”
INK: Dee Gruenig Signature Series Marvy markers from SI #127 Lime Green, #129 Posh Green, #120 Lavender
ACCESSORIES: Offray mini flower, printed paper “Provo Craft paper stack”, green cardstock-from my stash, eyelet punch “Martha Stewart”, computer/printer, copy paper, pop dots, sponge, water, acrylic block

Left side folded card/ color, stamp and cut out four heart images, attach to card with pop-dots with the point of the hearts touching in the center to form clover design
Color, cut out ribbon image, draw a clover stem with marker/attach to base of clover, attach ribbon with thin pop-dots/ attach mini flower with pop-dot
Attach punched green cardstock just above bottom edge of card/attach printed paper to top edge of green cardstock
Print sentiment in green ink on white copy paper/attach it to the cardstock overlapping the printed paper
Color #120 marker on an acrylic block to use as ink, spray water next to the ink/ use sponge to pick up the water and ink (you’ll have to re-do this a few times) rub the sponge around the edges of the card front for a muted hint of color

Stamped boxes

Close-up of the flower

Just one more snippet before I'm done.

Oh, before I forget, my husband just asked me if I was 'blotting' then quickly he said 'blogging'? Now that's the funniest thing I've heard all day. I guess if I was stamping... I could be blotting. Made me chuckle.

This is a cute little box from the large stash I received from Sunday International to play with. I just wanted to show you something that was so simple and fun to do using stamps.

My Little Purse Box Instructions

STAMPS: Flower, Second Nature from Autumn Leaves; Flourishes, from Autumn Leaves
PAPER: White cardstock, Georgia Pacific (for the flower images)
INKS: Tempting Turquoise, SU!, Twinkling H2O’s, Kaleidacolor rainbow dye inkpad-Caribbean Sea, Black ink, Staz-On.
ACCESSORIES: Sheer organza rainbow ribbon, Hobby Lobby, pop-dots, anywhere hole punch

Rub Tempting Turquoise stamp pad directly onto the flat box, covering all areas, then rubbing with a tissue to blend
Stamp Flourishes (1 stamp image only) in Caribbean Sea rainbow randomly over the background, turning stamp for variety
Stamp flower 2 times on white card stock, color with H2O’s in your choice of color, cut both images out, take one image and using your thumb nail rub the petals of the flower to make them curl up and be rounded, attach curled flower on top of the other with pop-dots, attach to front of box with pop-dots
Punch hole in each side near top edge, attach ribbon by tying knots to the inside of box
Ink the edges of the box with the rainbow ink pad

Watercolor Rose Card

Can you tell I've been busy? This is just a small portion of what I've been up to.

I've also been making boxes, stamping boxes, and messing up boxes among other things. I did get some cute boxes out of the mix though. I can't wait for you to see them!

I've also got to get busy and do some sewing projects and make Valentine's Day cards too! I don't know if I can woo-hoo right now. Sounds like a lot to pull off for an old gal like me. I thinks me needs a nap! Do I hear a 'woo-hoo' for that?

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: White CS (Georgia Pacific), Black (Provo Craft stack pack), Very Vanilla (SU!)
INK: Ruby Red re-inker and marker (SU!), Clear Resist (Ranger Ind.), gold chalk ink (Anna Griffin), Baby Pink #116, Posh Pink #118, Ruby Red #114, Lime Green #127, Posh Green #129, (Dee’s Signature Series Brush Markers-Marvy), gold leafing pen (Krylon)
ACCESSORIES: Brass heart-shaped brads (CraftsEtc.), sheer gold ribbon (JoAnns Fabrics), Pop-dots, glue runner, hole punch, ruler, clear embossing powder (SU!), heat tool, Tim Holtz alcohol ink applicator, small piece of felt, rubbing alcohol, facial tissue, spray bottle of water, watercolor brush (Dick Blick)

7x10 white card stock side-folded to 7x5 / rub gold chalk ink around all four sides
Cut black stock to 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 / cut very vanilla stock to 4x6
On the very vanilla card stock use clear resist ink / stamp the Rose image randomly all over the background / emboss with clear powder
Use the ink applicator with felt attached / put several drops of the Ruby Red ink from re-inker bottle onto the felt / spritz a little alcohol onto the inked up felt to get it wet / rub the applicator all over the embossed card stock covering all the background with ink / rub off excess ink with facial tissue, being sure to clean the embossed images / use heat gun by moving it around a lot to dry the stock
Using ruler as a guide, run the gold leafing pen around all four sides of the embossed piece of card stock
Take a long piece (approximately 18 inches) of the gold ribbon and put a little strip of the glue runner on lower back of the embossed stock to hold ribbon in place / wrap the ribbon around to the front of embossed stock / bring toward the lower left edge of front and tie into a knot two times / trim the ends of ribbon as desired / take another piece, about 8 inches, of gold ribbon, and tie this around the knotted ribbon at center, (it’s a knot on a knot) / trim the ribbon ends a little shorter than the first ones / attach the embossed layer to the black layer
Using the markers directly onto the Rose image, color using the lightest color first, going to darker for detail / spray water into the air and hold stamp underneath to catch the mist stamp onto Very Vanilla card stock / using an acrylic stamp block as a paint pallet, color the markers in little circles onto the block / use the watercolor brush to pick up the color / add detail to the stamped image where desired ( I outlined the rose petals and leaves with darkest colors) / wet the paper around the outer edges of stamped image / then color with lime green in the wet area for a faded background effect / dry with the heat gun / tear around the stamped image / rub the inked up applicator used earlier around the torn edges
Attach the colored Rose image onto the black card stock / tear around the edges of the black to fit the shape of the torn Rose image / attach a brass heart-shaped brad to upper left and lower right of this layered image / use pop-dots to attach this to the front of card
Now you have an elegant card using just one stamp, some paper, a little ribbon and two brads.

Spring Ribbon Card

I love to sew and have been stamping more than sewing lately, so I thought I'd combine the two. Lots of stampers add sewing to their cards and it's such a sweet look and very easy to do. You'll just have to save the needle to a piece of tape marked 'just for paper' when you get ready to sew again. I'm sure the paper will dull the needle pretty fast. Since I'm new at sewing on paper, I'm sure it'll make a difference what size needle you use, I'll experiment later on to see what I come up with.
Let me know what you think about my little "spring ribbon card" and thanks so much for looking!

Spring Ribbon Card

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: White, patterned paper, dark purple (Georgia Pacific, Die Cuts With A View)
INK: Baby Pink #116, Ruby Red #114, Lime Green #127, Posh Green #129, 120 Lavender, 110 Caramel, 112 Bright Orange, (Dee’s Signature Series Brush Markers-Marvy), black pen
ACCESSORIES: Assorted ribbons, ( American Crafts, JoAnns Fabrics, Wal-Mart), Pop-dots, glue runner, ruler, watercolor brush (Dick Blick), sewing machine, thread, scissors, die cut tag made with Sizzix Die Cutter

Fold 10x7 card stock to 5x7 / Cut dark purple card stock to 6-1/2 x 4-1/2 / Cut patterned paper to 4x6
Cut desired amount of assorted ribbons into 2-1/2 to 3 inch lengths (I used 11)
Using a zig-zag stitch, place the ribbon pieces under the pressure foot in a V shape along the left side of 6” length of patterned card stock, with tails of ribbon going to the left
Layer the patterned paper to the dark purple with the glue runner (just to hold in place), and stitch around the remaining 3 sides
Glue this stitched layer to the folded card / color with the Lime Green marker, around all four sides for a layered look / use the ruler to lift up the stitched ribbons and hold them out of the way while using marker on left side
Color and cut the 3 Flowers in pots image (cut close to the shape of the image) / use pop-dots and place the image in lower right corner of card front
Color edges of die cut tag with lavender marker / write the word “Hi” with Baby Pink / make little black stitched lines with pen around edges of die cut tag / cut a 4 inch length of narrow ribbon, put through hole / attach tag to card with pop-dots.

Other Crafty Items

Sweet Treat Can

I used a large Coffee Mate (2.2 lbs.) can that is great for re-purposing. (Just rinse out with hot water and dry immediately.) At Christmas time I put gifts in the can and then wrapped it to look like a big piece of candy. Now that's re-purposing!

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: Scrapbook printed paper “Paper Studio” (Hobby Lobby), white sticker paper, (SU!)
INK: Dee Gruenig Signature Series Marvy markers from SI, # 119 Fuchsia, #12 Grey, #128 Grass Green, #114 Ruby Red, #1 Black, #124 Ice Blue and #127 Lime Green
ACCESSORIES: Offray ribbon in pin-dot black sheer, Cricut Expression die cut machine-(Accent Essentials and Storybook cartridges) “Provo Crafts,” glue, scissors, paper cutter, watercolor pen, Crystal Lacquer.

Cut printed scrapbook paper to fit can. I used two different coordinating prints. Tear the lower edge of one piece to layer over the other one. Put the torn-edge piece at the top edge of can. Glue each piece to the can by applying glue to the back of the paper and overlapping the edges when wrapped around can.
Cut the words “Sweet Treats” at 2”, using the Storybook cartridge on the Cricut Expression die cut machine. Cut a round-shape using the Accent Essentials, to fit the lid. Thread the ribbon through the die-cut holes and tie a bow. Using glue, apply the letters to one side of the can, in a staggered line.
Stamp the rose, two hearts, and the open heart images on sticker paper, color using the markers directly on the stamps. Use the watercolor pen to blend the stamped images. Cut each one out, apply the rose at top left of the word “sweet” and apply the open heart at the lower right of the word “treats.” Apply the two solid hearts in the center of the lid.
Lay can on its side. Apply Crystal Lacquer to the rose, let it dry. (Don’t apply too much as it will run due to shape of can.) After the rose is dry, stand the can upright, and add Crystal Lacquer to the two rose images on lid. Let dry.
Wrap ribbon around the top of can that matches the one in the die-cut on lid. Form into the bow of your choice. I tied ribbon into a knot and then tied another ribbon around the knot.

This can is going to be great to hold my homemade “Chewy Chocolate Cookies” for a Valentine’s Day treat.

Scrapbook Pages

Just another little snippet of what I've been up to lately. I have to admit, I've been in a fun-zone in my craft room. Lots more things I've made, I just need to get them photographed. So hang in there with me for more 'snippets of whimsy' by BZstampr.

You can really do more than cards using rubber stamps. Just look at the fun and easy scrapbook page I made. Doesn't it just make you want to smile? I can't wait to put a picture of my granddaughter in the frame. She's going to a Valentine's dance and I'll get a picture of her before she goes. Woo-hoo! (Oh.. I better not woo-hoo... she's growing up too fast!) She's 12 going on 20.

Let me know if you have any questions about stamping in general or creating scrapbook pages with rubber stamps.

Scrapbook page for SI, Jan. ‘09

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: 12x12 white card stock (Paper Studio), Kromekote-white (Marcos Paper), Black (SU!)
INK: Pixie Pink, Red, Black, Bordering Blue, Going Grey marker, Bordering Blue marker (all SU!), black calligraphy marker (Zig markers)
ACCESSORIES: Offray pin-dot black ribbon, 3-D Crystal Lacquer (Sakura), Glitter glue (Ranger Ind.) white glitter (Art Institute Glitter, Inc.), small white brads (SU!), blue painters tape, ruler, sponge, pop dots, glue runner, distressing tool (Making Memories), Exacto knife

Using blue painters tape (tape it against your jeans to reduce the stickiness) / place tape ½” away from outer edges of white 12x12 cardstock, creating a frame ( this gives you a nice, straight edge to stamp around)
Sponge Pixie Pink randomly around the outer edge / stamp Heart Border in Pixie Pink on top of sponged area-using tape as a guide
On inner edge of tape, stamp Heart in Pixie Pink, randomly with point of the heart going off onto the blue tape / stamp little heart in between the larger heart images, filling in spaces
Carefully remove the blue painters tape
Using a ruler as a guide – place ruler along the outside edge of the just-stamped heart images / draw a line with large end of black calligraphy marker held against ruler for guide, around the perimeter of the stamped hearts (boxing them in)
Move ruler over a little less than 1/8” from the first black line, using small end of black calligraphy marker, draw a line around perimeter just like in step 5
Stamp XO border stamp in black 4 times, onto the white Kromekote stock / cut out / trim off an “x and o” on one end of two of the pieces (to make two shorter pieces)
Form a rectangle shaped frame with the stamped XO pieces, using the shorter pieces for the left and right sides / mount to upper left portion of page using pop dots
Stamp the Open Heart image in Pixie Pink, 2 times on Kromekote stock / cut out both (cut out middle portion also), snip the edge of one image and loop it through the other image / loop both hearts on lower right edge of mounted frame / secure the lower heart to page with small strip of pop dot
Stamp Amore image in Pixie Pink edged with Going Grey marker onto Kromekote white stock / cut out close to edge / layer this to black cardstock cut a little larger that the stamped image / use distressing tool to rough-up the edges of the black cardstock / mount this to upper-middle right side of page with pop dots
Stamp the Letters image 1 time on Kromekote stock / color with Bordering Blue, Going Grey, Pixie Pink, Red, black / cut out and layer onto black cardstock cut to same shape as Letters image / mount with pop dots to lower right corner of page
Cut six 3” pieces of the black pin-dot ribbon / fold over 3 pieces into a V shape, make 2 of these / on each one, cut a little hole near fold with Exacto knife to secure with white brad / using the brad, secure one of the V shaped ribbons at the top and bottom of the Amore image
Cut about 14 6” pieces of the black pin-dot ribbon / tie in center with one ribbon strip / punch two holes (one on top of the other-as in a colon :) in the page at the lower left section (making room for the bow) / run 1 ribbon strip up through each hole / attach the tied ribbon pieces in a bow-shape
Stamp one Heart image in Pixie Pink on Kromekote stock / cut out / layer with pop dots over the center “tied” portion of the ribbon strips (it looks like a shaggy bow)
Add Crystal lacquer to the heart image on shaggy bow, also on ribbon portion of letters image, the letters AMORE, and the two open hearts,
Add red glitter glue to the heart on the shaggy bow, add white glitter to the letters AMORE and the ribbon portion of letters image / let dry overnight
Insert a photo in the frame of you receiving roses on Valentine’s Day.

Sunday International Stamped Cards

Key to my Heart card

WOW! I'm finally back to my baby blog. It's been a while so I hope you like what I've been up to lately.

I'm having a lot of fun being on the Design Team of Sunday International. http://www.sundayint.com/. The team consists of some fun-lovin' stamping gals and it's just a pleasure getting to know each one of them along with working with Sunday International. Visit the SI website and see all the other wonderful rubber stamp images they have to offer. Woo-hoo! (yep... I say this all the time.)

Here's the 'how to' of my card. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Sometimes it's easy for me to assume my directions are simple. (You know... simple mind that I am.)

STAMPS: Dee Gruenig’s Watercolor Valentine POSH#-82
PAPER: White CS-Georgia Pacific, White KromeKote C1S-Marcos Paper, Pink Passion-SU!
INK: Pink Passion, Real Red, Mustard, Rust-SU!, Birthstone-Kaleidacolor Rainbow pad
ACCESSORIES: Round brads-SU!, brass heart-shaped brad-CraftsEtc., rainbow ribbon-Hobby Lobby, Pop-dots, tape runner, corner rounder, corner rounder-notched, Exacto knife, scissors, Pink passion marker-SU!, distressing tool-Making Memories kit.

Cut white base cardstock to 10x7, Top-fold to 5x7
Cut white KromeKote 4.5x6.5 / round corners with notched corner rounder
Stamp small heart image randomly over background using rainbow pad getting stamp on half of light pink and medium pink (first 2 colors on left)
Rub edges of stamped panel with Pink Passion / glue down onto folded card base
Outline edges of stamped panel with Pink Passion-brush tip
Cut Pink Passion stock 2.5x4 / distress the edges with distressing tool
Stamp and cut-out Key image / tie rainbow ribbon around center of key / mount with pop-dots onto Pink Passion layer
Insert rust colored round brads to each corner of Pink Passion layer
Place in center of Pink Passion layer
Glue at an angle to left side of layered card-front
Stamp Envelope image and cut out
Stamp Heart image and cut out / insert brass heart-shaped brad into edge of heart
Cut opening (V-shape cut) in envelope / insert heart (also with pop dots)
Use pop dots to layer envelope to lower right-edge of card front
Stamp AMORE image / cut each letter out / mount with pop dots to Pink Passion card stock / round the corners / glue in a staggered line onto top section of card front / let pieces rest on top of each other just a little.