Wordless Wednesday 2/29/12

Thank you forjoining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Are You A Stamper or A Scrapper?

 “Are you a stamper or a scrapper?” Oh my gosh! If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked that question in the last 15 years, I would be a very wealthy woman. But, I can tell you now, my answer has always been the same… “Why not be both?”

When I began in rubber stamping, making cards with rubber stamps was pretty much all we ever did. And scrapbooking? It consisted of putting your pictures in those yucky, sticky albums that you needed a chisel and a hammer to get your pictures out! That was how it remained for a few years. Rubber stamping continued to grow with new inks and pattern papers coming from manufacturers left and right. Then…BOOM! Scrapbooking took over the craft world like nothing I have ever seen in all my years in this business. It was unbelievable! Manufacturers kept producing more pattern papers and embellishments than the store shelves could hold. I thought to myself, “How cool is this? Look at all these great products I can use with my card making!” But in my classes, the women I was teaching were more like, “Why do I need to buy that pattern paper when I have a stamp that can make the same design?” and “Why would I purchase those stickers when I have a stamp that looks just like them?” And so the big debate, stampers versus scrappers began and continued for many years to come. In my classes, I tried, to no avail, to change this way of thinking. My students, on the other hand, stuck to their guns. You are either a stamper or a scrapper, but you can’t be both. UGH!

Now, after all these years, I am happy to say that stampers and scrappers co-exist quite nicely. Stampers have found out that sometimes placing a sticker on that card is much faster than pulling out the stamp and inkpad. And scrappers now know that using that rubber stamp can add a beautiful look to their page that they didn’t have before.

I don’t hear that question getting asked too much anymore. But, if you do, you now know the answer… “Why not be both?”

 Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

A Great Giveaway!!!

My very good friend, Vicki O'Dell, The Creative Goddess, is having a great giveaway on her blog. Check it out here-  http://www.vickiodell.com/i-love-my-flip-pal-mobile-scanner-giveaway/ 

You have  a chance to win a Flip Pal Mobile Scanner! They are a very cool tool that you will just have to have in your craft tool box. So don't forget to go over to her blog for your chance to win. I know I will! I want one too!!!!

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Animal Print Lamp

Scrapbooking is the number one craft hobby in the craft industry and it’s a multi-million dollar business. I should know because I, like many of you I’m sure, have contributed to that multi-million dollar business! With all of the different pattern papers and stickers, etc. how could you not spend a small fortune on products? Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I love all the wonderful products on the market but, every once in a while, I want to go “old school” by making my papers myself. There are lots of different ways to create your own background papers, and I will discuss some of those ways in a future article. But for now, I’m going to tell you how you can create a simple animal print that I used for this lampshade.

Here’s how I did it:

Materials

Wineglass

White copy paper- 8 ½” x 11”

White card stock- 8 ½” x 11”

ColorBox Archival Dye Inkpads- Pumpkin Pie, Mudslide & Wicked Black

Lampshade template

Spray bottle

Heat tool

Xyron Machine with Acid Free Permanent Adhesive Cartridge

Glue gun

Black trim

Beaded trim

Ribbon- Carmel & Black

Gold charm

Candle

Paper towels

Instructions

Lay white copy paper on work surface and beginning with the Butterscotch inkpad, rub ink all over paper. Repeat the process using the Brown inkpad until entire paper is covered with ink.

Lightly spray paper with water. Using a paper towel, gently blend the two ink colors together, being careful not to mix the colors too much. Dry paper with heat tool.

After paper is dried, crumple paper with your hands then smooth it out again onto work surface. Take the Black inkpad and lightly rub over entire surface of the paper. The wrinkles in the paper will pick up the black ink, giving it an “animal print” look.  Adhere the inked paper to a piece of card stock using a Xyron machine.

Trace the lampshade pattern to the back of the paper and assemble the lampshade.

Glue beaded trim on the bottom of lampshade with glue gun. Next, glue black trim on top of beaded trim and also around the top. Add bow to back of lampshade. Tie two bows around the wineglass stem and glue charm to the center of the bows.

Fill wineglass ¾ full with water and “float” candle on top of water.

Remember to never leave a lit candle unattended.

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Handkerchief Card Set Holder

In this day and age of text messaging and email, it seems to me that the joy of writing a letter or sending a card to your loved ones is becoming a thing of the past, and for me that’s really sad. But, I refuse to give up! I know that I cannot stop the technology revolution, and to be honest I really don’t want to. I just want to remind people to stop what they’re doing every once in a while and sit down to write your loved ones a nice note informing them of what’s going on in your life. With those thoughts in mind, I will continue to create projects around cards and stationery sets.

The project that I’m sharing with you today is a unique way to store your cards and stationery. Handkerchiefs are very inexpensive and if you can’t find a load of them in your mom’s dresser, you can pick them up at any thrift store for less than a dollar. The handkerchief holder is easy to put together. With a few simple folds and a couple of stitches, you can create this lovely project for yourself or as a gift that won’t cost you a fortune. Those are the kind of projects I like. How about you? 

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

 Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Tip from the Designer

If you don’t have a stylist in your tool box, you can use an empty gel pen. To add a little glamour to it, fill the empty barrel of the pen with micro beads.

Supplies

Ÿ Handkerchief 12” x 12”

Ÿ Card Stock: dark blue, light blue and white

Ÿ Black permanent inkpad

Ÿ Olive Grove, Wheat and Light Blue dye-based inkpads

Ÿ Faber-Castell Chalk Pencils

Ÿ Blue ribbon/ Dark Blue ribbon for bow

Ÿ Therm O Web Super Tape

Ÿ Krylon Preserve It!

Ÿ Lady Bug button

Ÿ Self adhesive Velcro

Ÿ Needle & White Tread

Ÿ Fiskar Paper Edgers

Ÿ Rubber Stampede Daisy Block Print

Ÿ Rubber Stampede Daisy Blossom

Ÿ Close To My Heart Simple Joys

Instructions for Cards

Cut dark blue card stock to 4 ¼”W x 5 ½”H to form a card. Cut light blue card stock to 4”W x 5 ¼”H and white card stock to 3 ¾”W x 4 ½”H. Stamp white card stock with daisy stamps randomly using light blue, olive grove, and wheat inkpads. Stamp Simple Joys” on lower right side with black inkpad.

Stamp large daisy stamp twice on a scrap piece of white card stock with black inkpad. Color images with chalk pencils. Spray with Preserve It! sealer. Cut out. Adhere white card stock to light blue card stock Super Tape. 

Wrap ribbon around light blue card stock. Secure in place on the back with tape. Adhere light blue card stock to dark blue and daisies to front of card with Super Tape.

Instructions for Handkerchief Holder

Lay handkerchief flat with four corners facing “north, south, east and west”. Pull bottom corner up to the center about 4 ½” from the bottom. Fold right side to center and then left side to center.

Tack all three sides together at the center point using a needle and white thread, being careful not to sew them to the back of the handkerchief. 

Fold top corner down to center and place a small piece of self adhesive Velcro on the back of the top corner and also where the top corner meets the folded handkerchief. Add bow and button with glue gun.

Note from Designer:

The size of you handkerchief holder will depend on the size of your cards. Always be sure to lay your cards, with their envelopes, in the center of your handkerchief before you tack the corners into place, to be sure that they will slide in and out with ease.

Rose Candle with Handmade Paper

If you’re looking for a quick and easy project that doesn’t look quick and easy, I have the project for you. Whether it is for a wedding or a birthday, it’s a beautiful gift that won’t take you all weekend to make. You can create this project in less than an hour.

I recently had a friend that was having a birthday and I wanted to do something special for her. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what to get for her. I knew I wanted to create a gift for her instead of buying something, but I also knew that since I brought my new puppy, Ruby Renee home, that my time was very limited. What’s a crafty girl to do? Well, I know that she absolutely loves candles, so I wanted her gift to have candles in it somehow. Since I’m a rubber stamper/scrapbooker at heart, I definitely wanted to create something with my stamps and some of the paper I had in my scrapbooking supplies, so I had a great place to start.

I decided a trip to my local Michael’s craft store was in order. I browsed through the whole store hoping that something would jump out at me. I stopped in the aisle that held all of the candles and candle holders etc. and then I saw it. To someone who does not have a creative eye, the glass candle holder would look just like that…a glass candle holder. To me, it was going to become a fabulous glass candle holder, hand stamped on a beautiful piece of handmade paper. Most importantly it was going to become a gift that I knew in my heart my friend would treasure forever. Here’s how I created it;

MATERIALS

Ÿ Glass candle holder- I purchased mine at Michael’s Craft Store

Ÿ Votive candle

Ÿ Handmade paper

Ÿ Lace & Pearl trim

Ÿ Mauve ribbon

Ÿ Faber-Castell Chalk Pencils

Ÿ Xyron Machine with Acid Free Permanent Adhesive Cartridge

Ÿ Glue Gun

Ÿ Heat tool

Ÿ Versacolor Pigment Inkpad- Ash Rose

Ÿ Delta Ceramcoat Matte Interior Spray Sealer

Ÿ Rubber Stamps: Large Rose by Rubber Stampede

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Cut handmade paper 14”w x 6”h to fit glass candle holder.

Step2. Stamp rose three times on paper with ash rose inkpad. Use heat tool to dry the ink before coloring.

Step 3. Color stamped images with chalk pencils. Spray images with spray sealer.

Step 4. Using a Xyron machine, adhere handmade paper to glass candle holder.

Step 5. Glue lace trim around top and bottom of candle holder with glue gun.

Step 6. Add mauve bow to front with glue gun.

NOTE FROM THE DESIGNER:

Handmade paper usually comes in a large sheet or roll. If you purchase it packaged, check the measurements on the package to make sure the paper will fit around your candle holder.

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Wordless Wednesday- 2/22/12

Ducks in a Row Baby Outfit

Thanks for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Using Chalks with Your Cards & Pages

Decorative chalks are a great way to add color to your scrapbook pages and cards. They are acid-free and very easy to use. There is a variety of decorative chalks on the market today. They come in different types and my favorites are the palate type by Craf-T Products, the stick type by Lowe-Cornell and my absolute favorite are chalk pencils by Faber-Castell. The General Pencil Company also makes a great set of chalk pencils. Let’s talk about how to use the different types.

Chalk Palettes

You can apply these chalks to your projects with a foam-tipped applicator, cotton swabs, or you can attach a small pom-pom to a pair of hemostats and apply the chalks that way. Simply pick up the chalk color you want to use with your applicator and rub it onto your project .

Chalk Pastels

You can use the same types of applicators as I mentioned before, directly on the chalk sticks, or you can rub the chalk stick on a piece of scrap paper and then use the applicator to pick up the chalk and apply to your project.

Chalk Pencils

Chalk Pencils

There are two different ways you can use chalk pencils. The first way is to use your chalk pencils the same way you would use a colored pencil. Use them to color directly onto your project. If you’re looking for a watercolor effect, use a Dove Blender pen with your chalk pencils. You can do that by coloring your images with the chalk pencils, add your highlights where you want them, then use the blender pen to blend the colors of the pencils together. You can achieve some beautiful results with this method.

Finally, after you have completed your project, be sure to use a spray fixative to “set” your chalks. This will seal the chalks onto your project so they don’t smear. My favorite fixative is called Preserve It! by Krylon Products. Never use hairspray to seal your chalks. It is not acid-free and it will damage your projects over time. And, after all of the hard work you put into each of your projects, you want them to last so future generations can see how talented you were!

Krylon "Preserve It!"

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Scrapbooking on a Purse!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye. NEWSFLASH… Scrapbooking is out of the album!

People from all walks of life want to cherish and preserve all of those special moments that occur in everyday life. Scrapbooking has been around for approximately 150 years now. I read somewhere recently that Thomas Jefferson was one of the first most famous American scrapbookers. He created a number of albums filled with the newspaper clippings of his presidency. Since cameras were not created yet, people would put things such as calling cards, poems, quotes, and other items in their albums.

The first scrapbook store was opened in 1980 by a lady named Marielen Christensen, and in the mid-1990’s the scrapbooking world exploded with all of the wonderful embellishments that we use today. Of course many more items have been added since the middle of the 1990’s, making scrapbooking into a multi-billion dollar industry.

Then a few years ago, we began seeing scrapbooking coming out of the albums. People began using scrapbooking materials to create wall hangings, magnets, home décor items and much more. And since sharing our memories with others is something we all enjoy doing, why not place those pictures on your purse for everyone to see. How do you do that? Well, with the right products to start off with, it is so much easier than you think.

First of all like I said, you need to begin with great products. The project that I’m going to share with you today started with a wonderful product called Daily Window. A lovely lady, Paula Krieger, from the company contacted me and asked if I would create a few projects using their purses, totes and bags. She asked if I would scrapbook on them. I have to admit, I was wondering how I was going to scrapbook on a purse, but I said I would give it a shot. When I received the products in the mail, I just about flipped out! I was expecting to be spending some time on these projects, but no way! They did all the work for me. The Daily Window purses, toes and bags are so easy to use. You simply create your scrapbook page or card and slide it into the clear plastic pockets, and viola! You're done!

 The wonderful thing about these bags is that they are changeable because of the pocket behind the window. It's a great opportunity to share many different options when it comes to hand crafted cards and pages. The bottom line is that the bags offer an ongoing opportunity to share and connect with others using your personalized ideas! For more information about Daily Window products, check out their website at www.dailywindow.com

NOTE: You will notice on my purse that I added some trim and chipboard pieces. I used Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive by Beacon Adhesives.

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

If you ever see me at one of the Craft and Hoby trade shows, this bag is something that you'll recognize. I'll never attend a show without this bag. It's just the greatest!!!

KaiserCraft is Just Too Kool!

As I wind up my CHA winter show review with today’s post, I knew it wouldn’t be complete without declaring my infatuation with KaiserCraft.  Ever since this company hit the craft industry some years back, they have held a special place in my heart. Everyone that knows me knows that my first crafting love is rubber stamping. I have been creating with rubber stamps for years and I never get tired of it. Well, one of my most favorite surfaces for my stamps is wood. I LOVE stamping on wood! So, when I first noticed KaiserCraft at a CHA show those years ago, I thought my head would explode with the ideas I was getting just looking at their products, and my heart would explode with the excitement of creating some cool designs with all that wood.

Since that time, KaiserCraft has never let me down. Each year they come out with some great new stuff and not just their wood. I’m talking about their papers, bling, chipboard, flowers, even their rubber stamps! Be sure you hit your local stamp and scrapbook stores to check out their new collections like, “Tiny Woods”, “These Days”, “Tigerlilly”, and much more. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll walk out with a few of their wood products too!!!

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Friendships Made at Trade Shows

I have been attending the Craft and Hobby trade shows for the last ten years. In that time, I have met so many amazing people. In your life when you’re involved in this wonderful but sometimes crazy craft industry, you meet people that come and go. Each person touches your life in one way or another. Maybe it’s a manufacturer that you design a project for, or maybe it’s an editor that you write an article for. Whatever the reason they enter your life, you do the job and you move on to the next project. It's wonderful to have these people in your life, but those are not the people that I’m talking about now. The ones that I’m talking about are the ones that you meet at the show and they stay in your life. The ones that you develop a deep friendship that lasts.

I have been blessed to have quite a few of those people in my life, but the friendship that I want to share with you is the one I have with my dear friend, Ann Butler. I met Ann about 10 years ago and after talking to her for a few hours I felt like “Wow! This is someone who finally understands my love for all things crafty!” Someone who gets excited about a new rubber stamp or a glue that works great on paper! No one in my non crafty life even comes close to getting it, but Ann got it. She was one of my people!!! And ever since that day over 10 years ago, we have remained close friends. We only see each other twice a year at the CHA shows and we only talk about once every couple of months, but when we do get together it’s always like we were never apart. She is one of my closest friends and I love her with all my heart!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, that with all the craziness that goes into attending a trade show, between the meetings and checking out all the new products, don’t forget to take some time out of your busy day to spend with your friends. Nurture that friendship and cherish the short time that you have together. Stop and ask them, “Who’s up for a trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken?”

And to my friend Ann… I'm glad you're in my life. Thanks for being my friend. I love you girl!!!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

My friend Ann Butler. Isn't she just too cute!!!

Wordless Wednesday

What is Wordless Wednesday you might ask? Well, each Wednesday I will post a very easy project without instructions or any comments from me at all. Of course you could always comment on my blog if you have any questions about the project, but this will be the only time that I will comment, my post will include a project only.

 Wordless Wednesday is just a very simple way to share creative projects without the fuss. I know that my husband likes the Wordless Wednesday concept or at least the no chatter part of it for everyday!!!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!

Happy Valentine's Day

I don’t know about you, but I just love Valentine’s Day! I am s true romantic at heart and I always want to show the people I love how much they mean to me with some kind of a card or project.

I have been truly blessed to be married to my wonderful husband for almost 31 years. He is my everything and I really don’t know what I would do without him. I love you Honey!

Although the love for my husband is something I could shout about from the rooftops, today I would like to share a project that I created about another couple’s long lasting love, my parents, Earl & Yvonne Davis. Before my dad’s passing, my parents had been married almost 50 years. For me, the idea of being married for almost 5 decades leaves me in the state of awe. It also leaves me with the hope that one day, God willing, my husband and I will be able to achieve that wonderful dream too!

So, in honor of the love that my parents once had, I want to share with you this project entitled “Unforgettable Wedding”. And for the love of my life, Happy Valentine’s Day Honey!!!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!

Have You Seen Any Purple Cows?

No, I’m not talking about an actual purple cow, but then again maybe I am! All joking aside I’m really talking about the company Purple Cows! The wonderful people at Purple Cows are always so generous with helping professional designers, that any chance I get to talk about them I do! Their products are always fun and innovative. And what I saw was no exception!

When I stopped at their booth at the CHA winter show and I saw some of their new products, once again I was excited by all the great ideas that flew through my head. “Oooo, just think what I could do with that” and “Wow, that would look great using this paper!” As fellow crafters you know exactly what I was thinking because I know you would be thinking the same sort of things! 

 Now, I’m just waiting until the products start coming into the stores so I can buy them. I can already see the tears in my husband’s eyes and I’ll tell you, they’re not tears of joy! Oh well, I know mine will be! {Very Big Smile} 

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!

Look at the great patterns you can create with this craft punch. Awesome!!!