I am working on a project that requires stamping 50 sentiment in a pretty tight space.  The sentiment will be punched out so I thought about stamping the sentiment and then punching the circle out.  This would be one way to do this but it seemed too time consuming   I thought about what tools I had that would help me. I am sure you are not surprised that I reached for my Stamparatus. 

The Stamparatus is not a tool I use every time I stamp.  However there are situations, like the one I am in that it is an invaluable tool.  Here's a quick refresher on how I used the Stamparatus to quickly stamp 50 sentiments.

The project requires the sentiment (from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set) to be stamped on a 2" circle. Here's what I did. 

• Punch out all the 2" circles
• On a scrap piece of paper punch out the 2" circle (template) and position it in the corner of the Stamparatus
• Position the stamp/sentiment in the circle (template) where you want the sentiment.  Close the lid to attach the stamp to the Stamparatus plate
• Place a 2" circle in the circle (template).   

• Ink up the stamp
• Close the plate and apply pressure over the stamp

• Perfectly stamped sentiment
• Remove the circle from the template
• Repeat

Using the Stamparatus it took very little time to stamp 50 2" circles.   This is  good to remember since we are heading into the time of year that we are stamping multiples like holiday cards.

Thank you for stopping by.  Hope this little refresher on one way to use the Stamparatus was useful!

It is Friday and time for the Festive Friday Challenge!  The festivity we are being inspired by is the First Day of Summer #FF0060.

To play along with the challenge all you have to do is pick 3 of the items on the Inspo List and use it on your project.  Once your project is complete head on over the Festive Friday Blog and enter it in the gallery.  You have until Monday, June 8 at 8pm CST to enter.  I hope to see your entry in the gallery!

I was inspired by watercolor, patterns, and bright colors from the Inspo List.  This card is a mix of sneak peek items (Many Medallion dies and one of the new In Colors, Magenta Madness) and items carrying over from the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog Timeless Tropical stamp set and In the Tropics dies (purchase them as a bundle before June 3 and you will save 10%, Timeless Tropical bundle ).

I love the Many Medallions dies!  I can think of so many different ways  to use these dies.  Today I simply layered it over my favorite new In Color (at least for today), Magenta Madness.  There have been overlays before in different kits. I was always reluctant to use them since they were just a few of them but now I can make as many as I want which gives me permission to play. I think they would make fun stencils to use with embossing paste, brayers, and sponging techniques.  When I am in the right frame of mind, it would also be fun to inlay them in  different colors.  That's just a few ideas I have roaming around in my brain.  Hope to have a stretch of time to play.

I tried something new on the "aloha".  I wanted it to be raised up but wasn't sure how to do it since it is pretty skinny and I didn't think trimming dimensionals would be very satisfactory.  While I was thinking about what to do I remembered finding some white fun foam while cleaning out my room and yes, I decided to try and cut the fun foam with the aloha die.  It cuts like a dream, no problems at all.  I glued the Sparkle Glimmer paper aloha to the fun foam and problem solved!  This is an easy solution and so much easier than cutting tiny pieces of dimensional.  

Did you know that every member of the Festive Friday Design team creates a tutorial for their project?  Some are videos, some are on the blog post, and some are PDFs.  I created a PDF for you!  You can access it HERE.

Thank you for stopping by!  If  you do not have a copy of the 2020-21 Stampin' Up! Annual catalog that goes live on June 3 and do not already have a Stampin' Up!® demonstrator please contact me.

I never seem to have any get well cards in my stash.  I guess I don't like to think about any of my friends needing one.  

Do you think this cutie will help bring a smile to someone not feeling their best?  I sure hope so! 

In the Special Someone set  there are skinny images that need to be cut out, like the flower stems and the balloon strings.  When I first cut out the flowers my stems were not being cut properly.  Here's how I solved that problem.

1.  Place your stamp image side down on your table.  Place the block over the stamp and press down to stick it to the block.  Why?  Sometimes   Photopolymer stamps can be stretched  when you place them on the block making them not line up properly with the die.  
2.  Stamp your image.  Line up the die on the image.  Take care to line up the flower and then look through the hole at the bottom of the die.  If you   can you see the ink through it, you are lined up properly.  If you see the cardstock then you need to shift the die.

Try it and let me know how it works for you.  These 2 tips have made cutting out the Special Someone images with the Special Days Dies so much easier.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today! All of the products I used on this card are listed below. You can click on any of the photos to go directly to my Stampin’ Up!® online store. 

The Host Code for February is VRH7HE4C.  When you place a Stampin' Up!®  order using this code I will send you a project tutorial.  If your order is $50 or more I will also send you 2 card kits and completed samples as a thank you gift.

Please do NOT use the host code if your order is over $150 (before tax and shipping). You will earn host rewards from Stampin’ Up! AND you'll also receive a project tutorial and a gift from me. 

Product List

Special Someone Photopolymer Stamp Set [151643] $17.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084] $7.50	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [147094] $7.50	Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad [149165] $7.50
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990] $8.75	Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper [152311] $0.00	Special Day Dies [153587] $29.00	Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924] $7.00

Don't you love it when you try something new and it works?  I am sure someone else has already figured this out but it is new to me.  Here's how it started.  I wanted to make a fancy edge on my card front so I looked through the different framelits to see what might work.  I file my dies alphabetically and I was getting pretty discouraged until I got to S.  What did I see?  You got it the Swirly Scribbles thinlit!

Tips & Tricks:  Here's how I got that great wave edge.

    1. Cut a strip of DSP the same length as the card front.

    2. Secure it to the front edge of your card.  In the picture I secured it with a Post-It.

    3. Cut the edge with the long Swirly Scribbles thinlit.  I used the edge that has more of a smooth curve.  

I cut the DSP at the same time as the card front to make sure the curve is exactly the same.

Product List

Cool Treats Photopolymer Bundle [145181] $48.50	Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad [126979] $6.50	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982] $6.50	Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398] $6.50
Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad [138323] $6.50	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975] $6.50	Versamark Pad [102283] $8.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $7.00
Tasty Treats Specialty Designer Series Paper [142770] $13.00	Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705] $35.00	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $30.00	Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies [141497] $27.00
Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Stitched Satin Ribbon [141691] $9.00	2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes [141410] $9.00	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751] $5.00	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130] $5.00

 Tips & Tricks  Make a custom mix of 1 part Clear Embossing Powder and 1 part Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  Creates a glittery shiny accent.  I used this on the center ice cream.  If you are wondering,  I inked the stripes in VersaMark ink and then in the Watermelon Wonder ink.  The VersaMark is clear and sticky so it makes a perfect ink to heat emboss with and the Watermelon Wonder ink adds the color.   These 2 tips I use a lot.

Just a few more days left of Sale-A-Bration.  Don't delay!  You can go to my online store and with a $50 order(before shipping and tax) you will be able to choose a free Sale-A-Bration gift.