Well, today is my last full day in Tarboro, NC.  My husband and I will be leaving to go back to Charleston, SC tomorrow morning.  But we had to bring you one more project before I left.  Today we made washer pendant necklaces.

Yes ladies – run out and raid your husband’s tool box right now.   We actually went and purchased these washers yesterday.  They are called Fender Washers and are 1-1/4″ in diameter, which was super convenient because we were able to use the 1-1/4″ circle punch to punch out our designer series paper.  We then used a standard hole punch (1/4″) to punch out the hole in the center.

We used E6000 glue to adhere the designer paper to the washer.  Then we took the sanding block and went over the edges just to ensure there was no overhang.  Sponged the edges with coordinating ink and added some pearls and rhinestones for additional bling.  On the red ones, we even stamped the En Francais stamp using VersaMark and Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

There are 2 ways to finish these off.  You can coat the top with a thick layer of Crystal Effects and let them sit for a day or so.  The way we did it, however, is to emboss it multiple times using Glassy Glaze enamel.  This is much quicker since you don’t have to wait for it to dry.

We have some trials and tribulations we can fill you in on.  First, we had the bright idea of finishing both sides differently.  Then all you’d have to do is flip your pendant over for a different look.  This may have worked fine with the Crystal Effects if you did one side, let it dry completely and then did the other side.  However, with heat embossing, you end up messing up your completed side trying to work on the other side.  We tried laying it on numerous things to heat it up.  A pencil works the best, but you have to remove the pencil from the center before the embossing powder cools or it will be stuck there as well.

We tried laying the completed side on wax paper and heating the other side – the wax paper stuck.  If you’ll notice on the black/silver one, there is are a few uneven spots around the edges.  This is a buildup of embossing powder where the heat gun “pushed” the liquid embossing powder over the edge.  This was the one that got stuck to several things and we had to dig pieces of wax paper, paper towel, etc. out of it and reheat.  On these close up shots, you can see it, but once you’re wearing it, it’s really not noticeable at all.

We’re definitely going to be making more of these, however, this is all we had time for today.

I hope you enjoyed my visit with Brenda as much as I have.  It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season.

Happy Stamping!

Lianne Carper
CS partner and DTM for Brenda Cook
Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator

Supplies:  (all Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps:  En Francais (#109521)
Paper:  Thoroughly Modern, Christmas Cocoa, Night & Day designer series paper
Ink:  Basic Black, Real Red, Soft Suede, VersaMark
Accessories:  Iridescent Ice and Glassy Glaze Enamel Embossing Powder, Half Pearls and Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), E6000 Glue, Fender Washers (hardware store), Necklace kit (Darice) 

Time flies when you are having FUN. I cannot believe we are on Day 6 already!

Today, we bring you a CASEd card by jaydeestamping using the Dasher single stamp. He is adorable just being stamped, but when you add Versamark and gold embossing powder, he becomes an elegant reindeer worthy of any card or other papercrafting project.

We actually made two each of this card and it took approximately 2 hours to complete the cards, which I believe was pretty quick. So count on it taking about one-half hour to make one card.

Do you see the stitching on the two front panels – well, Lianne decided it was time for me to learn how to use my sewing machine. LOL

I did tell her that she needed to make sure that the bobbin was full so that it would last until she returned for her next visit. Sure hope I do not need to change ribbon colors! Oh my, what will I do if I need to change thread colors?

To the right, you will see a closeup of the reindeer emblem, which we used the Signo Gel Pen to make the little dots on each scallop. Yep, that part was easy! Before you ask.YES, Lianne had to make my bow for me, as you know that I am “bow making challenged.” I wish that the gold embossing showed up great in the photo, so you could see the classy effect.

By the way, Lianne and I went to the hair salon today and both of us got hair cuts. I am still in shock, but Lianne says she loves my “new do.” Lianne’s hair got butchered in several places, so we will be returning to the salon in the morning for a FIX! Since when did 1 to 2 inches mean 4 inches?

Brenda Cook
Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator
Tarboro, NC

All supplies are by Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Stamp: Dasher (116816)
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Christmas Cocoa DSP
Ink: Versamark
Other: Gold EP, Soft Suede Ribbon, Snail, Dimensionals, Thread, Half Pearls-Kaisercraft
Technique: Embossing

I know what you’re thinking – it’s too early for Christmas cards.  Well, no, it’s not.  As many crafters know, it’s imperative to get started early when it comes to handmade cards and presents.  And now that I have some new stamps and paper to play with from the Stampin’ Up!T Holiday Mini catalog, it was time to start working on some.  I know, I know!  It’s hard to get in the Christmas spirit when the temperatures are still soaring into the 90’s everyday.  So crank down that AC, grab a cup of warm cocoa and start thinking Christmas!

Remember, you can click on the previews to see a larger image.

OK.  Now that I have you convinced it’s time to start working on Christmas cards, let me explain a little how I made this one.  It started with a sketch.  Sketches are valuable resources and really give you a jumpstart to get your creative juices flowing.  The sketch I chose is one by Flourishes.  It doesn’t matter where you get your sketch, it’s just a jumping off point.

From there, I had to decide on my colors.  Of course I had to play with the new Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP (#116770).  The pattern I chose was somewhat monochromatic, so I decided to run with it.  I’m not normally one to create a monochromatic card, so this is far from norm for me.  From there it was simply stamping and then layering and sponging and layering and sponging and layering and sponging – oops!  I already said that.  Have you all figured out yet that I REALLY like lots of layers and sponging?  We’ll delve more into the sponging later.

Ya know, it just dawned on me as I’m typing this up that this card is perfect for one of the card swaps going on here at CS – the Non-traditional colors holiday card swap.  Hmmm – might have to think about using one of these for that!  We’d love to have you join in on some of our swaps!  They’re free and great for the beginner swapper as most of them only require you to make one card!

Moving on.  Here’s a close up of the stamped image.  First, I stamped the Serene Snowflakes (#115438) in Very Vanilla Craft ink, and after that dried, I stamped them with Soft Suede Classic ink.  The vanilla snowflakes are kinda hard to see on camera, but trust me, they’re there.  You can see them pretty good in the header image up top as well.

To soften the edges and the overall look, I sponged every single piece of paper used in these cards.  The background texture was created by lightly sponging over the raised texture created using a texture plate. This really helps the texture pop.  On the Sahara Sand scalloped border and snowflake, not only did I sponge the edges lightly, but I also did a little pouncing all over the paper to give it a more “mottled” look. 

I layered a couple punched snowflakes and sewed them together with some of the hemp twine and a button I had in my stash.  I’m loving using buttons in my projects now, so this is a trend you’ll see in a lot of my cards I’m sure.  It just gives a little extra dimension and makes it more countryfied <-is that a word?  LOL.  Being a long time crafter, I have tons of buttons – and if I ever do run out, I have lots of clothes.

As I mentioned yesterday, you should also dress up the inside of your card just a bit.  Here I used a couple of strips that were trimmed from the paper that I used on the front.  Yes, these were trimmings that normally would have just been thrown away – Trash to Treasure!  Anyway, then I simply added a simple sentiment to the bottom.  As my daughter says, “Easy peasy lemon squeezy!”

I hope this inspires you – or rather motivates you – to get started on your holiday cards and presents.  Christmas will be here before you know it!

Supplies:  (all Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps:  Serene Snowflakes (shown right), The More the Merrier
Paper:  Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP, Soft Suede CS, Sahara Sand CS
Ink:  Very Vanilla Craft, Soft Suede
Other:  Soft Suede Grosgrain Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Texture Plate (Fiskars), Button (from stash), sponges, Dimensionals, Glue Stick, SNAIL Adhesive, Snowflake punch, Scallop Edge punch

Happy Stamping!

Lianne Carper
CS partner and DTM for Brenda Cook
Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator