Last Day! The little things :)

Last day of the Virtual Party! You do have tomorrow and Tuesday to get your order in on this party. :) (Well, you can always order from me, but if you live in the Edmonton area, it will likely save you shipping if you order for the party!) And don't forget: The Online Extravaganza ends on the 30th and the Holiday Mini ends January 3rd!


Let's talk today about all the extras that are needed. Stamps are glorious, ink and card stock a clear necessity. But what else do you need?

• Well, you need to think of things like envelopes. You'll be making your cards, right? What are you going to put the final product in? Check out page 182 for the variety of envelopes you can purchase. The medium envelopes are the standard envelopes for cards made by cutting an 8.5x11" sheet of card stock horizontally. Just a note that using one of the stamps used in your card, or something similar, and putting the image on the corner of the envelope can really add something special. :) 

• What about how you are going to get everything stuck together? I used to use glue sticks and the typical tape dispensers of double-sided tape. Then I discovered the Recollections version of the "snail" and was in heaven--until I tried the Stampin' Up SNAIL (p. 206).
  Now I can't stand my Recollections "snail" and can't wait until it runs out. While you are on that page, you might check out the other items and see what you might like. I really like the Stampin' Dimensionals; such an easy way to add some dimension to a card. I just made a card for my niece for her birthday (and forgot to take a picture for here! bah!) and put a cupcake from the Cupcake Punch on the front of it, using Dimensionals. My husband, of all people, looked at the card and was really impressed by the fact that this cupcake was like ones you see in cards from the store, all 3D. Dimensionals can really make a difference to a card! As for other adhesives, the 2-Way Glue Pen is a very easy way to get glitter to stick.

 

(All images taken from Stampin' Up online store)

• Speaking of glitter... On p. 201, you will find Dazzling Diamonds glitter. This is all I have used up until now for my cards. I use the 2-Way Glue pen where I want the glitter to be added, then you can use a big Ziploc hard container to hold the card over while you sprinkle some glitter onto the card, then shake off the excess glitter. If you want less mess, go for the Dazzling Details glitter glue available in the Holiday Mini. It will not be available to order after Jan. 3! Personally, I'm buying a couple of bottles and hoping it will make a reappearance later next year or even in next year's Idea Book and Catalogue.

• On  p. 207 in the Idea Book and Catalogue are some really great tools. If you have decided to buy brads, you will need a way to poke the hole without damaging the card, right? That's where the Paper-Piercing Tool and the Mat Pack come in. You need both--the Mat Pack protects things so the Paper-Piercing Tool doesn't poke holes into the surface you are working on. The Grid Paper can be very helpful to line things up when preparing a card.

• And, let's face it, you need a way to safely and effectively clean your stamps, which is where the Stampin' Mist Stamp Cleaner comes in, along with the Stampin' Scrub. The Stampin' Mist helps condition the stamps and keep them in good shape so they have the longest life possible. The Stampin' Scrub, now that I have one, is truly something you will love. You can get by with just the Stampin' Mist and a cloth or some paper towel, but with the Stampin' Scrub, it makes life that much easier--and the stamps clean better.

 
Well, I think I've covered a lot this past week. If you have any questions, post a comment, send me an email, anything! :) Thank you for visiting during this party!

If you have figured out an order, let me know!

The Big Shot

Yes, today, the third day of the Virtual Party (please check out previous days if you don't know what I'm talking about :D), the focal topic will be the Big Shot. Before we get started, I just want to remind everybody of the Online Extravaganza: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/daisys/promotions . I finally got a chance yesterday to really look through everything and see the savings on some items that I really like and, well, gosh darn it, it's having me replan my own order for next week! There are some items that just seem too good to pass up, like the On Your Birthday stamp set (both in English and French) for 50% off, the Many Merry Messages, also for 50% off, and the Joyful Season Letterpress--after the 50% off, it's only $3.48. WOW!

Of course, you mustn't forget to keep looking at the Holiday Mini and Idea Book and Catalogue. :)


For today's "workshop presentation" part, I am going to talk about a product I love: the Big Shot.

I love the Big Shot. (Yes, I realize I'm repeating myself, but doesn't that say something?) I first used it earlier this year when I went to a friend's workshop. There is just something so cool about it. lol.  And yes, I took part of a promotion in October where you got one free if you signed up as a demonstrator. (Alas, that promotion is no longer available.) How could I pass that up? Or, in my 14-year old daughter's words: "What's there to think about?" As you can see in the link above, there is so much you can do with the Big Shot. You can:

• cut shapes in a variety of materials: paper, Stampin' Up wood sheets, cork sheets, magnets and even fabric!
• cut out shapes while embossing them at the same time (see the Embosslits Dies on p. 216 of the Idea Book and Catalogue)
• have ink *debossed* effects (see p. 217 for the Letterpress Plates)
• there are all kinds of embossing folders available (see p. 218-219 for those)
• the Texturz Plates are fantastic--they give a very subtle embossing
• just cut a variety of shapes with the Originals Dies (p. 220) or with the Bigz Dies (p. 222) or the Sizzlits Dies
• use dies and folders from other companies! Yes! You can use your Cuttlebug accessories with the Big Shot!
• do even more, like dies that help you make little gift boxes (no, not joking!) but I will stop linking the pages now. ;). Check out pages 216-225 (yes, that is 10 pages of Big Shot accessories!) for all the details.

The Big Shot is really easy to use and, really, just a lot of fun for some reason. My 14-year old daughter loves the Big Shot, too, and my 11-year old son likes to be the one to "build the sandwich" and turn the handle. I just showed it to my 6-year old niece this week and she is not only able to use it on her own for texture plates, but wants to keep going and going and going! It's just a fantastic product and so easy to use. Here are some videos for you to check out to see it in action, but do check out others:

• The Big Shot with Letterpress Plates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJpeQ7fL5mw  (Don't pay attention to her mention of what's in the catalogue--the video is a year old!)
• The Big Shot with Texturz Plates http://youtu.be/JNFQq6opMpg
• Make a box template with the Big Shot http://youtu.be/2mpGfN0aqZM
• Setting up the Big Shot (for the dog! lol; so cute) and using it with dies http://youtu.be/llWG4nhS52E

If you decide to get the Big Shot and some dies, folders or plates, do make sure to see the description of the dies, folders or plates in the catalogue to find out what else you need to get. While the Big Shot comes with two plates, some of the dies, folders and plates require special platforms or pads to work properly. I will check your order and ask you if you have the required items, but it's always best for you to know ahead of time just what you need to buy to be able to use a product!


So, how about a project to share for today? Since Christmas is so close, how about another Christmas card?

(Not sure why my phone is leaving a smudge on the right-hand side. 

It did that to another photo. Hm... 

In any case, I believe this card was designed by Tamara Bertram. 

I made it at her house, anyhow.)

Another nice, simple Christmas card. The standard Whisper White for the card itself (you just take an 8.5" x 11" sheet, cut it in half horizontally, then fold each half; voilà! two cards!). For the purply colour, it's all done with Elegant Eggplant from the Regals Collection, both the card stock and the ink. The decorations image is a stamp from Merry & Type and the sentiment comes from the Word Play set. Use a 2-Way Glue Pen and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter and that's it! Very easy to do, yet just lovely.

As previously mentioned for Edmonton and area residents participating in next week's group order, when putting together your order list, write down the item, the item code and how many you want! I can take your order anytime, but I won't be sending it in until Nov. 30.