Stamp Art

2011-11-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Cardinals? Well, at least their bright red colouring works so well with our Christmas palette! This is a design board from Northwoods Rubber Stamps. When they told me the entire board was to be done with Cardinal designs, I couldn't imagine there would be this much variety. All of Northwoods stamps are wood mounted and priced from $4.50 to $13.50. I still have a good selection of these in stock. These images would make great winter cards for birthdays etc. We all know winter lasts for ever here!!

Happy Stamping!

2011-10-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

The sillicone sets from Viva Decor continue to impress me. This set has six seperate images in a Vintage Christmas theme. The red card in the top corner has the Ornament Postcard stamped in black in the background, and we have used the reindeer's antlers as a scroll on the brown craft card backing. The top layer is white gloss distressed with Antique Linen ink. We then stamp the girl/sled image in Archival black ink. Final colouring was done with Tombow markers.

The card on the bottom right has the reindeer stamped in Sepia ink on Cream cardstock, cut with Labels 2 from Nestabilities. The embossing plate underneath is from Sizzix (657066) Sugar and Starry Night set. Brown coordinations paper was used so we could sand the surface after it was embossed. These sets sell for $13.95 and there sure is a lot of product for the money.

Happy Stamping

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Quite often as stampers, we tend to overlook the 12 x 12 paper packs, presuming that the designs will not translate well to card fronts. What a misconception! These beautiful papers from Hot Off The Press have some incredible visual effects. Love the Masculine(Steampunk) / Fall (Spicy) collections, and the Christmas (Vintage Roses). I find all of these collections to be very unique and love that they offer such a wonderful alternative .

Each pack contains 2 sheets of each design for a total of 12 pages, at $7.50.

Below is an example of overlapping using some of the Steampunk paper and Cheery-Lynn Leaf dies.
Just a little Hello is a Magenta cling stamp.

Happy Stamping.

The Bow Maker

2011-09-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Are you having difficulty making bows for cards? This handy little tool will help you to make ribbon bows in a snap. As with all things, you just follow the steps. It's that easy.

Step 1: With 2 pegs set at the total width of the finished bow, bring your ribbon from behind and place the right over left.

Step 2: Right ribbon will tuck under partially formed bow, between the posts. Then bring the same ribbon tail back toward you on top, and between the 2 posts.

Step 3: With the top ribbon tail in your hand, create a square knot with the bottom ribbon and pull it taut.

Step 4: Slide the completed bow off the pegs. The kit comes with four pegs, if you want to try your hand at double bows. There are written and pictured instructions on the back of the package. I change my bow a bit by using the top tail to tie the square knot.

One advantage to this bow is that it is knotted and will not come undone on you as you adhere it to your card. Please note that heavier cotton ribbons like Grosgrain will not pull a tight center due to their weight. At only $6.95, you'll wonder how you ever made do without it.
Happy Bow-making.

Delicate Dies Just Keep Happening

2011-07-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Fanciful Flourish die below is from Cheery Lynn Designs (price $10.95). I absolutely love the delicate scrolls and the fact that the leaf veins are cut for extra detail. This die helps to create a very quick card. The card below simply uses Inkadinkado's "Flower Oval Wood Set" (price $14.95). The Pansy corner was stamped in two corners as well as on the raised label.

The two kits used below are the Exotic Butterfly Mini (set of 3 @ $10.95), (size is approx 1 and one half inch wide, by approx 1 inch high) and the Mini Angel Wing (set of 3 @ $5.95). These butterfly dies are incredibly detailed and even after running through your pressure machine, you will need to take a pin and pop out the cut-out segments. The Mini Angel Wings are in the exact same shape as the lacy butterflies and each die in this kit is only one half of the butterfly, so they need to be cut through on the fold of your cardstock in order to open as a complete Butterfly shape. This half image accounts for the much cheaper price on the Angel Wing set.

These dies below are just the larger cousin of the mini butterflies.Pack of 3 designs @ $12.95 . Approximate size is 2 inches square. Again, the Angel Wings set is a collection of 3 one half butterfly images designed in the exact shape of the lacy butterflies.Price is $6.95 for the set.

We're off to CHA in Chicago to see the new and wonderful!!! We'll try and post another blog soon.
Happy Stamping.

New Magenta Cling Stamps

2011-04-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is a new stamp from Magenta, designed by Helene after she returned from a trip to Asia. An easy way to show colour on dark cardstock is to emboss the image with white embossing powder, heat, and colour with chalks. This is a card that Bev made. The stamped layer was white embossed on black and coloured with chalks. She has lightly distressed the edges before she put it to a lavender layer. It was then added to a black gloss card. This technique works well with fairly solid images. If you try and use just an outline image, the thin lines really aren't enough to pick up good colour with chalk.

This unmounted stamp sells for $11.95. I presently have a good number in stock. If you are not able to get to the store, we can ship this item to you in Canada for an additional $2 plus tax. Please email me at: sillystamper@hotmail.com.

Happy Stamping

Quick Cards to the Rescue!!!

2011-04-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Although you won't see the metallic shine, this cardstock is embedded with incredible lustre. It is from Kanban Crafts and a package runs for $2.75. In the package there is a 12 x 12 sheet, with another 4 x 12 strip in the opposite colour.

The card below is done with Bella Paisley - Chocolate cardstock backed with Champagne shimmer cardstock and a flower punched with the Pop-up Water Lily craft punch from Martha Stewart. It couldn't be any easier to put together.

In this card we used Bella Paisley - Mocha cardstock backed with the same Champagne shimmer cardstock. The layer was made with Nellie's Multiframes in the Rectangle set and the flower is the same punch as above. The sentiment is a woodmounted stamp from Inkadinkado. Again, it doesn't get much quicker than this.

Hope you have an opportunity to drop into the store and see these great foil masterpieces from Kanban. Here's hoping the weather continues to improve, Happy Stamping.

The Flowers are Here

2011-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

As we impatiently wait for spring we'll have to make do with some beautiful new stamps from Stampendous. Although these stamps appear to be quite large in size, it is easy to use portions of them on a standard sized card.

The Dahlia card below (by Claudette), was white embossed on white card stock and coloured with Ranger Adirondack inks in shades of yellow and orange. The Hydrangea card was embossed on white card and Shimmer sprays were used to colour it in.

The Peony, below, works well white embossed, and cut out. The card on the left (by Claudette), has been coloured with metallic H2O's. The card on the right has been white embossed as well and coloured with Teal Zircon Twinkling H20's. We used the scroll from the set with Adirondack Pool Ink to create a soft background. The verse stamp is from Impression Obsession.

We'll have to make do with these flowers until the real ones appear, Happy Stamping.

Hopefull Spring Wishes

2011-02-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of elements we used to create this card. Let's start with the Martha Stewart border punch called "Infinite Loop Trim". We have layered this punched out trim on top of printed paper to draw from the colour combination for the card.

We used a Magenta paper in shades of greens and pink underneath the punched out trim. On the white card we've stamped just the leaf portion of the Hero Arts stamp, (pictured further down), in Peeled Paint Distress Ink (A wet paper towel will clean off any ink that strays to the flower head).

To create the scrolled edge of the card and white layer, we've traced the edge of the Hero Arts envelope template on both layers. Below you will see the punched trim which will lay on top of the matching size printed paper.

Using Victorian Velvet Distressed ink, we've only inked the flower portion of the Hero Arts stamp below and stamped 3 or 4 times resting at the top of the grass designs. The card was embellished with Glue Pen and Prisma Glitter towards the center of the flower head.

Don't forget that if your polymer stamp design is thin enough, you can force it into a curve onto the clear block. We used the Kaiser Craft clear set below, and did just that with our verse. As a finishing touch, don't forget to hide your smudge marks with a little bling. *L*

Maybe if we all think and stamp Spring it will come a little bit faster. Happy Stamping.

Belated Happy New Year / Early Valentines Day Wishes

2011-01-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am slowly catching up after holidays and pneumonia. I would like to say thank you to all those well wishers, my energy levels returning to normal and I'm finding some time to play. The following card was made with Nellie's Heart dies. After the large heart was cut out, I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder to add some more texture. The pink heart is stamped with Impression Obsession's flourish C2040. The edges of the smallest heart have been distressed with Adirondack Watermelon ink. All the hearts have been raised with foam tape and adhered to shimmer card stock. The "With Love" is from a clear kit from KaiserCraft.

Keep in mind that it's easy to turn any stamped image into a valentine by using the traditional heart shape to stamp on. For all of you cat lovers, this clear set from Penny Black can cover lots of occasions. Priced at $16.95. Paper flowers and Bling have added the finishing touch.

There are so many Heart Shaped punches on the market. You can always make a quick card by punching some out of printed paper or different colours of card and then adhering them in a 'tumbling' pattern across a card face.

I used an already distressed Labels #1 cutout from my scrap drawer. The small envelope punch gives the hearts a starting point to tumble out of. The 'Be Mine Valentine' is from Impression Obsession, priced at $6.25. Don't be afraid to use non-traditional colours as shown in Earthtones below.

Ramblings for A Winter Day

2010-12-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

I know I've shown this stamp before, but if you're looking for a fast and easy winter card try a plaid background with alcohol inks on gloss cardstock. To create the plaid effect use your felt applicator and make vertical and horizontal wide and thin stripes in single colours. For this background we used Celery and Stream from the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Remember when stamping on top of an alcohol ink background you will need to use a water-proof die ink (Not Stazon). Ranger's Archival Ink is a good choice.

After last week's snow storm here in London a statement like "think snow" should be forbidden. However, I like the look of this card for a masculine birthday or greeting card. This great image from Northwoods has been embossed and coloured with Tombow markers. Embellished with a mylar snowflake, and a gold cord for the sled rope.

For those of us already wishing for Spring, I had to show you this new embossing folder from Crafts-Too. I love the open line daisy combined with the dotted scroll. There is still time for you to put this on your Christmas wishlist. Only $6.95.

We're getting down to the crunch. Two weeks from today and the Christmas holiday will be all over.

Happy Crunching.

Christmas Open House

2010-12-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Just A Reminder

Please come Join us on December Saturday 4th, from 10:00am - 3:00pm we will be celebrating our Christmas Open House with make and takes, refreshments, and even more great deals. As usual, the store itself will be open till 5pm.
Hope to see you soon,

Happy Stamping.

Just a Little Note

2010-11-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

There's a few things going on in this card to describe. First of all, what does one do with a lot of left over ribbon? I love this heavy duty punch from EK Sucess which allows you to easily punch through two or three sheets of card at the same time creating a thin rounded rectangle slot, (shown in the 2nd picture below), to slide ribbons through. Secondly, when I'm hand colouring a solid image stamp with markers, (one of my favorite things to do), this is an easy way to use some of your printed papers.

The stamp used is Floral Silhouette 2 by Stampabilities. It was so easy to choose some shades of green markers to work well with this background paper by Magenta.

Don't forget that tommorow we have a "We Pay The Taxes Day" on everything in the store plus a few other deals. If your not already on the newsletter, you can check this out at http://www.stampart.ca/. Look on the homepage, bottom left. And next saturday December 4th is our Christmas Open House. Look for more details to come in our new upcoming newsletter.

Happy Stamping.

2010-11-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the card I promised made with the Hello stamp from the TPC clear set of greetings (Shown earlier). We have used Broken China and Spicy Marmalade Distress Inks with the Tim Holtz Blending Tool onto water colour paper. The image from Crafty Individuals has been stamped twice along the bottom and white heat embossed. I cut off the butterfly from the rest of the stamp to prevent it from showing up twice in the same location. This way you can also add more butterflies to your final image wherever you want to place them. We made a paint from Rangers' white Opal Pearls and water and lightly brushed over the surface of the card. Next, we spritzed the entire front panel with some Perfect Pearls and water in a Mini-Mister. This technique really creates a Pearlized finish on the card face. We tore off the top edge of the cardstock and actually used it inside. The Hello has been stamped in the Rangers' Stream Ink and the Nestabilities shape behind the Hello is Labels #4. The gold dragonfly brad is just a fun touch for any floral card.

See you next week, Happy Stamping!

New TPC Studios Sets

2010-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

These are some of the new clear kits from TPC Studios. Especially for scrapbookers who are looking to complete pages of their children's sports activities. The following kits are available in Football, Baseball, Soccer and Cheerleading (This American company has not made a Hockey set).

Here are some cute kitchen bits and scribble flowers.

This kit of scrolls (on the left), has such a nice variety of sizes that I'm sure you"ll find the right one for your project. The Granda's Attic set includes great designs for your distressed collages.

Last but not least, the lovely fonts and scrolls in this salutations kit can be used simply as a lifted label on printed card stock for a fast card. Sorry theres no card sample right now, we're still playing catchup. We'll aim for another blog towards the end of this week.

For those of you who have been dissapointed when trying to register for our fun morning, we have now added a wednesday afternoon class from 1pm to 2:30pm. Please call the store to register, the price is $5 +H.S.T. for this one card class.

Happy Stamping.

New Mini Clear Stamp Kits from KaiserCraft

2010-11-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

The following pictures are just some of the new kits from KaiserCraft. Some of the fonts are extremely delicate and need some practice to find the correct pressure. You'll find this holds true of many of the polymer stamps. The best recommendation for ink would be Versafine. Firstly, this hybrid pigment clings well to the polymer material, unlike straight dye inks; and it also is fine enough to keep the tiny lines clean.

Here are a few Christmas designs to add to your collection. At $2.98 each you can forgive yourself for splurging on more Christmas stamps. In particular, the salutations are a very nice size to fit into tight spots.

The flower cluster and the heart tree are just waiting to be coloured with your choice of colouring medium. Although they are fairly small, the flower cluster measures 2" x 3", they will still make a nice focal point. There are even more kits then I have displayed here. Wonderful scrapbook sentiment 'Treasure These Memories", and more salutation kits.

Hope your Christmas card designs are coming along as quickly as you've hoped. Keep us in mind, we still have a store full of Christmas stamps.

Happy Stamping.

Think Spring! It'll be back before you know it!

2010-10-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is a card that was done in class, and we had a recent request to put it up on the blog. The back single card (blue panel) is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and the parchment card tri-fold is 5 1/2" x 10 1/2" (scored at 3 1/2" intervals). The branch was stamped multiple times with Versafine's Sepia and we've used the bushy branch from the kit below. The small verse is from Impresssion Obsession. With the first two panels folded together, we used a Whale Of A Punch Oval. Feed the punch in from the top as far as it will go, and punch through the two layers at once. Pencil through the open oval onto the third panel to frame where the verse will sit.

Using the McGill Botanicals Bird punch, punch out several robins using different colours of velvet paper. Don't forget to punch some of them from the backside of the velvet so you can change the direction that the bird is facing. The tree kit below is called 'Delicate Branches' from Inkadinkado. We used the top branch in this set. We added green colour with a Sakura's Metallic pen. With the parchment folded as shown, attach to the back blue panel. I hope this helps, Esther. :)

Sorry for the delay. We've been busy with Workshops and our visit from Stacy Rich of Stacy Stamps. We'll see you again shortly. Happy Stamping.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Cards!

2010-10-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

I made the easel card below with Hero Arts people at CHA in Chicago in July. The stamp kit is a cling-mount called 'Enjoy the Seasons' and there are 3 snowflakes stamps and the sentiment. It sells for $12.95. The shape was made with the Tim Holtz Alterations die from Sizzix called 'Styled Labels'. We used die inks and misted them with a solution of water and pearl coloured Perfect Pearls so that the snowflakes glisten as the ink dries. A very nice effect for wintry images. The background on the card was made with Hero's 'Magical Background'. A lovely large cling stamp (4" x 6") covered with dotted scrolls, sells for $11.95.

This is a nice winter village scene from Stamp Barn. It cuts up easily into three panels for a window-pane look. The cling version sells for $12.75. This scene was stamped in Versafine Olympia Green, onto white card stock, and some winter sky was added with blue chalk. As always, Hero Art's ultra fine Prisma glitter (A.K.A. Stampendous' Multi ultra fine glitter) puts on the finishing touches.

Snow Writer creates wonderful dimensional snow effects and is perfect for any of your winter scenes. The 2oz bottle sells for $2.69. There is a foil seal underneath the screw lid and once this seal is opened, you will want to finish using the product within one to two months as it tends harden in the container. One way of prolonging the lifespan would be to cover the bottle with a saran collar before you put the screw lid back on. If yours is already dried up, try adding a small amount of water and/or shake it as much as you can, this is a water based product. The stamp is from Northwoods and the water has been coloured with Twinkling H20's. The Snow Writer itself dries a mat white so while it is still wet, you'll want to sprinkle on the ultra fine Prisma glitter for the glistening effect. This stunning card was made by Judy Kennedy.

Martha Stewart's Snowflake Trim punch ($22.95) is a great way to accent any winter card. The trees below are from Hero Arts. Unseen by the computer's eye, Louise has used the Snow Writer and glitter again on the trees.

Believe it or not, Christmas will be here before we know it. Happy stamping.

Awesome Adhesives

2010-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

Below is the perfect product if you're looking for a lightweight adhesive applicator. I love how the tape has tiny 1/16" cuts which allows you to stop and start easily. It has a great tack and likely the most user-friendly dispenser I've ever used. To protect the tape end for storage, you can easily pop the cartridge out and put it in the dispenser backwards. Right now the 3 pack of replacement cartridges are discounted to $24.95. A single replacement cartridge sells for $9.95. That's like getting the third one at 1/2 price.

This mother of all tape rolls is the best dimensional tape to raise card layers. It does not shred when you go to cut it and it is easily doubled for a higher lift. It will last you awhile, but it is worth investing in.

Kool Tak Micro Dots are the perfect answer to adhere vellum layers or small paper embellishments. These tiny dots are wonderfully tacky and see-through at the same time. You would simply press four corners of the vellum layer into the exposed dots and then apply the vellum to the card layer. As in the picture below, simply place your punched flower onto the exposed dots, burnish gently and peel the flower off the acetate layer and place to card. This is less troublesome than using a glue pen for smaller objects.

As far as tape runners go, this product really lives up to its name. It is extremely sticky and very easy to use and the right price at $3.50 for 8 yards. There are no refills for this product.

You might want to consider these products for your Christmas gift giving. From stocking stuffers to under the tree presents, glue is both a staple and consumable for all crafters.

Couldn't leave a blog without showing you at least one card. This is Stamp Barn's Loon. The bird panel is raised with the foam tape. The background is just torn paper in different colours glued to a background panel and the edges are trimmed.

Happy Thanksgiving, see you next week.

New Deep Edge Punches

2010-10-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well we blew our perfect record (since august) of posting every week. Although the blog should have gone out before our Anniversary Saturday, I'm still going to use that day as an excuse for being behind. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the well wishes and your support for our continued success. Preamble out of the way, have a look at these great punches by Ek Success, the Garden Trellis is under the Martha Stewart name.

The card above is our version of a card that Pauline Campbell made for Louise's birthday. The trellis edge creates a dainty effect and yet is still strong enough for the card to stand. The bird on the front of this card is English Robin by Inkadinkado.

This Palm Leaf deep edge punch creates a nice lacey effect. As above, consider backing your punched layer with another colour of card stock before layering to a printed paper. The paper is by Kaiser Craft, Utopia Collection, Idyllic. This card is finished with paper flowers and gemstones.

See you later in the week with this week's blog, Happy Punching.

New JustRite Kits

2010-09-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

If you are not familiar with this collection, what they offer are a combination of designed images which fit into frames that can be interchanged. You do need to purchase a different handle for the different shapes and sizes of their stamps. On each of the kit covers at the top left corner, they will state the handle size that you need. The back of each stamp has an interlocking ribbed grid surface which locks into their handles. Be aware that this system will not allow you to use the stamps with just an acrylic block for the above mentioned reason.

These nested frames work well to layer up a salutation. The rectangle shapes work well with border punches for an additional elegant touch. In the photo below, they've used Martha Stewart's 'Iron Gate Corner and Border punches'.

These are two of the newer design releases. The Autumn Blessings has some lovely pictures for fall, a perfect choice for your Thanksgiving cards.

The sample below was made with Backyard Birds. Note that this is the only Christmas bird in the set, and the rest can be used year round. The interchangeable pieces to these sets lead to a multitude of possibilities. The Merry Christmas is from Stampabilities and the tiny pine bough is from Art Impressions (cling $4.95). I really like this tiny bough for creating bigger branches. I used the Clear Sparkle pen from Sakura to colour the outside ribbon on the largest frame and trimmed the ribbon frame with scissors.

Some Great Kits From Kaisercraft

2010-09-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is a card that Bev did for class with one with the bird kit from the Peachy Keen collection. We all love Cuttlebug folders for adding texture, but if you choose to take it a step further, acrylic paint is a nice touch. In this card, we've used the Forest Branches folder on brown card stock and Adirondack acrylic paint dabber in aqua to match up with our card stock.

I don't know if you can see the fine design in each of the leaves and the birds chest, but each has a different pattern which really adds character to this set of stamps. The small word set below is also from Kaisercraft. I love the larger font on the lowercase 'thinking of you'. It is a nice fill for a larger space.

Here's 2 more Kaisercraft kits, a great deal at $8.25 each, and come in their own plastic sleeve that is 2 hole punched and ready for notebook storage.

We really are impressed with the quality of these stamp sets for the price. Hope you'll come in and check out the Kaisercraft images.

Happy Stamping.

Cover A Card Background Stamps

2010-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you're in the need for some quick backgrounds, why not consider Impression Obsessions' lovely large backgrounds. These stamps are unmounted and a whopping 5 3/4 " square. I have kept the price at $11.95 which is the US suggested price. Great value for the size of the surface. You can see all the styles available at http://www.impression-obsession.com/ . This is one of my favourites called Paisley. The sample below has been copper embossed on chocolate brown card stock. Although the picture might not do it too much justice, it is a stunning effect. I'm loving this Swirls & Stars background. It made for a quick design on the inside panel. The outside stamp and the inside verse are both from Penny Black. The small 'Happy Birthday' is from Printworks.

Although this acrylic mount was designed specifically for these Cover A Card backgrounds, don't be afraid to use them with any of your large cling or clear stamps. The price is $27.95. You will find that the ergonomic handle will make life much easier then trying to grasp a 6" square block.

Here's to better backgrounds

Marvelous Metallic Foiling

2010-08-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

What better way to top off a certain look for your cards then with Metal Leaf Foiling. This metallic flake product is so fine that it will adhere beautifully to tape, glue, or Palette's Stamp & Stick glue pad and re-inker @ $12.95.

For the following two cards we used the Palette glue pad. Keep in mind that this pad wants to be lightly re-inked for each stamping session. Once you have inked up your stamp and stamped it onto gloss card stock, you will need to heat it for approximately 15-20 seconds. This ink/glue is not tacky until it is heated, so it is kinder on your stamps then some other products. If you have trouble with the metallic leaf smudging it is because your ink is not dry. When your heating the ink, watch for the look to go from glossy to flat. With a brush, softly work the flakes into the adhesive and brush away extra. This coloured combination of metallic flakes is dynamite on black gloss. The stamp used in the first card is Hero Arts' Silhouette Grass.

It's easy to change your white gloss card to coloured gloss by blending a few colours of Distress Inks on the surface before you stamp and foil. The below sample was made with Faded Jeans and Concord Grape. The stamp is Iris by Penny Black.

Another way to decorate with foil leafing is by laying a strip of double sided tape to frame up an image. In this card we've used Be Creative 3mm tape as a very fine foiled border on the edges. This tape is a great value, $3.50 for a whopping 25 metres. We carry this tape in a number of different widths up to almost 5" and each roll is 25 metres long. The stamp used in this card is from a kit by Elusive Images called Tall Trees.

We presently have the above mentioned products in stock, Happy Foiling!

The Perfect Cardstock

2010-08-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for the perfect base for an elegant card? Although we've had this product in for awhile, the more I use it, the more I love it. The textures include linen, and a heavier texture, all with a beautiful shimmer finish. The linen comes in white, off-white, and gold. A nice weight at 84lb. The textured comes in white and off-white and it's a bit heavier at 105lb. All of these sell for $0.75 a sheet at 81/2" x 11". To complement this cover stock we also carry a liner paper to match in white or off-white with the shimmer finish. These sell for $0.50 each at 81/2" x 11".

The embossing background used for Claudette's card is "Daisies" from Crafts-Too as well as a flourish border from the Cuttlebug Organic set.

The Organic flourish was also used on the inside paper liner.

The liner paper is much easier to punch through or emboss. On this card we've used Martha Stewart's Doily Lace border punch and Tim Holtz's Regal flourish embossing folder. We've also used Martha Stewart's water lilly punch to punch the flowers from the liner paper and used Brilliance sky blue ink to colour them and the panel behind Stamp Barn's Happy Anniversary. We finished the flower centers with another small flower punched from the liner paper and pearls.

These strips of bling are from Kaisercraft. A nice inexpensive way to jazz up your cards. There are 7 colours choices in the rhinestone strips and 6 choices in the pearl. These self-adhesive gems sell for $2.79 a package. There are some unusual colour offerings. I love the brown and caramel pearls as well as the amber / jet rhinestones.

Have fun embellishing, see you next week.

Wonderful Webbing

2010-08-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Creative Impressions has a great product called Web Ribbon. This 2" wide woven poly-cotton blend is a nice way to add colour without too much weight. You can spray through this with your shimmer mists for a funky background pattern. It will also take embossing powders if you keep your heat gun at a distance. Simply lay your webbing on scrap paper, press your embossing ink pad down across the length of your webbing. Then move webbing to a new piece of scrap paper and pour on embossing powder, tap off the excess, and heat. You can go back and put embossing powder on your original scrap paper and heat it. It will create a broken embossed background. This product sells for $1 /yard and we presently have it in: Fuchsia, Lime Green, Aqua, Black, Brown and White. We also have a Christmas Red and Green on it's way in.The above card was made using Stamp Barn's Cone Flower by Sunshine Designs and some pink flocking.

This is a sample of the white mesh embossed gold, and a Magenta flower embossed and tiny happy birthday sticker words. To the right is the leftover scrap piece that I embossed.

Happy Stamping

Adding Cork to Your Creations

2010-08-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

We have just had too much fun with cork recently.

This is such a nice change from using card stock. The fact that this cork sheeting is so thin allows us to use punches with it as well as using it as a layer. 8 1/2" x 11" @$1.25 a sheet, 12" x 12" @$2.00 a sheet.

Magenta has taken this a step further by offering pre-cut and adhesive backed cork. It is a fast way to use cork shapes when creating a card or page. I find it very user-friendly. There is opportunity to peel off and re-stick (8 1/2" x 11" @ $4.95 a sheet). Above is an example of using the small scalloped circle punch with a cork sheet to use as a backing for the word circle. The punches cut through the thin cork easily. Consider some cork flowers, buttons, or fish as embellishments.

I found the pre-cut cork very simple for a quick card layout. Try colouring the cork with your alcohol inks or permanent pens to change colour.

Welcome Back To Stamp Art's Blog

2010-08-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

We're back from CHA with renewed enthusiasm, and so many ideas my head hurts. Here are a few of the make & takes to tempt you. Unfortunately, we won't see the new product until the end of August.

The Trees are from a new clear set from Hero Arts, simply coloured with the Tim Holtz blending tool & Peeled Paint Distress Ink. The felt snowflake, with layered gemstones creates a nice dimension to the card.

Bev made this Penny Black sample. 'Be Merry' is made with (4108k Christmas Usher), this funky Christmas gal has been stamped with Black Versafine. The new poinsetta (4104k Christmas Star), has been stamped with Platinum Metallic Staz-On, which has a nice tone on tone look. The colouring was done with Memento markers and the skirt has been cut out and lifted, before it was adhered with a sweet tiny ribbon knot.

Our hope is to have a new posting weekly. We'd like to continue providing inspriation for your stamping needs.

Thanks so much,

Nancy & Staff.

Last minute gift ideas***

2009-12-10T05:26:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some last minute gift ideas for those crafters on your list look no further that these cute buckets at STAMP ART!!!

They come in two sizes and are $2.95 and $3.95.
Stuff them full of some stamps and other goodies , decorate them with stickers , glitter and ribbon and you have a fabulous treat for someone on your list!!

These stickers from Penny Black work well as a quick decorative element on the bucket.

IN A PINCH THIS CHRISTMAS???

2009-11-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

DON'T BE!!! If you need Christmas cards in a hurry then Stamp Art has the goods to make some gorgeous cards in a flash!

Check out these beautiful designer papers and the sticker sheet. They all co-ordinate with one and another and the results are just beautiful. All you have to add if you so choose is a bit of ribbon and any other embellishments that you have on hand.

Have fun with these ladies and thanks so much for stopping in...

Look you don't even have to use a punch. It's already done for you and so is the glittering.

All you have to do is use a little imagination and put the pieces together...

Let's Get Punch Drunk***

2009-09-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

On punches that is!!!

Introducing EK Success border punches and Martha Stewart Snowflake punches at Stamp Art!

The border punches are fabulous with a clean crisp image. And they have a lock that will keep them flat for easy storage...

This is the Martha Stewart snowflake punch. Another wonderful image and the piece that gets left behind is one piece and can be used on your creation as well. On this card the leftover snowflakes are attached with a bit of glue beside their negative images. Some dot sparklers add accent to both cards.

Looks can be deceiving***

2009-08-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

Check out these beautiful cards... You might think they have been inked or stamped but they haven't... This is a new line of cardstock at Stamp Art called "Coredinations".

It has an inner core that co-ordinates with the cardstock color instead of a white core.

One side is textured and one side is smooth!!

You can sand it, tear it, emboss it!! The first card has been sanded and torn and the next card has been embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then sanded. The results are amazing.

Also there are some new Dew Drops on the market from "Robin's Nest".. Clear, pearl and champagne. Very pretty!! They would look lovely on a wedding or anniversary card.

And another new little thing out there are the new CuttleBug borders. Look at the fabulous crisp image that you get. Check them out the next time you are in STAMP ART!!!

DIRTY STUFF!!!

2009-07-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Now get your mind out of the gutter!!!

Are you tired of making cards or scrapbooking and then get ready for a night on the town and your hands are full of ink, glitter and marker colors???

Stamp Art is now carrying Savvy Soap Hand & Brush Cleaner from Marvelous Marianne's...

For just $4.50 a bottle you can get all the remnants of your messy cardmaking session off your hands and look beautiful for your night out.

Also to go along with the Soap there is Skin Safer... For just $9.95 a container your hands will be protected the next time your go at your inks. It acts like a barrier and allows the inks to wash off much easier when you are done creating.

Are you looking for a great product to add dimension to your embellishments or card layers?

Try Glass Bead Gel by Golden. This product sells for $4.95 for a 2 oz. jar. It is a gel medium that dries clear with clear glass beads inside.

You spread a thin layer on a teflon craft sheet with a pallet knife and let it dry for 3-4 hours. You now have a pliable sheet that you can lay on an outline sticker for example and then trim around it..

You can color it from the other side with permanent pens or alcohol inks. The results are quite unique.

Here is a Christmas card made with the Glass Bead Gel... The stamp if from the Sunshine Design Company and the sentiment is from Penny Black.

Invisibles***

2009-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Heidi Schwapp has some fabulous new paper out that cuts your embossing resist time in half.

This paper comes in sheets that are 12 x 12 and have wonderful designs...

The sheets are $1.25 each.

The one card shown below are colored with Tim Holtz distress inks in Broken China, Peeled Paint and Marigold. The other is colored with Brilliance inks in lavender and pink..

You can use any flourish or any other stamp that you may have on top stamped in black ink.

The designs are the paper show through beautifully..

FLOWER SOFT***

2009-07-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't seen Flower Soft yet... Here it is!! Stamp Art has kits of different mixes for $34.95 and single containers for $7.95... plus all the paraphanelia that you will need to use it...
The images used here are from Impression Obsession and are perfect for Flower Soft. You can make any scene come to life with this product..

Check out Stamp Art's supply !!!

New Stamps in the House***

2009-05-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Stamp Art has a new line of stamps in the store from the "Local King Rubber Stamp" Company... and they are made in Canada... The images are clean and crisp and the possibilities are endless..

The manufacturer has also added the size of the image on the package as well.

Here are two cards made with these new sets. The birds are from the Chicks set which has 5 stamps in it... Simply colored with markers and stamped onto white cardstock. A sentiment was added and layered to cardstock. The second card is made with the Tree 1 set. The tree was stamped with Sepia ink onto cream cardstock. Simple and perfect for the man in your life.

Tote and Cards the Stampendous Way

2009-04-03T11:26:00.001-07:00

Nancy and Arn are just back from the Sue Gilman show in Boston with lots of treats.

This project was one of the classes they took featuring stamps from Stampendous..

Check out this cute tote made from cardstock and a few large brads... It holds the cards that you see below.

Such a great project! The stamps are cushion mounted and adhere to your acrylic blocks.

The price is right as well at $6.50 for the stamps and $4.95 for the sentiments.

Here are the cards that are inside this particular tote.. Check out these stamps the next time you are at Stamp Art!!

NEW PENNY BLACK AT STAMP ART!!!

2009-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

STAMP ART has new Penny Black stamps in stock!! Take a look at the beautiful art boards with cards made from the newest stamps!!

Have you been bit by the bug yet???

2009-03-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

The Cuttle Bug that is!! Stamp Art has many Cuttle Bug embossing folders... Nancy can order what you want as well...

Here are a few examples. If you have a Cuttle Bug and some folders try your hand at simple and easy cards!

Less Than $1.50 !!!

2009-02-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

Stamp Art is featuring two clear stamps that offer up an array of possibilities... Stamping, coloring, layering, popping up, multiple stamping, paper piecing.... You name it! And all for

$ 1.49 !!!

That's right! Only $1.49 for each of these stamps.

Let you imagination run wild with all the wonderful cards or layouts you could create with these two simple stamps.

This card was created using different colored inks with the flower stamp, stamped repeatedly on ivory cardstock and then cut out once and popped up.

A piece of silk ribbon matching the blue cardstock was added along with a happy birthday sentiment and some flower gemstones.

This pretty pink card was made with the tree stamp. It was stamped in olive and brown inks onto white cardstock.. Some designer paper was added as a background and the blossoms on the tree were flocked with pink flock.

Strips of holographic line stickers were added in the corner.

Here is a closeup of the flocked blossoms.
You could use flock, small round stickers, or simple color them in with pencil crayons or markers.

Silouhette Stamps and Inks

2009-02-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

This week we are featuring the "STAMP OF THE MONTH". This month it is a silouhette stamp from Magenta. The card done here has the stamp of the month stamped in black archival ink on white glossy paper. The inks used to do the background are Alcohol inks from Tim Holtz in Wild Plum and Stream. Remember to use black archival inks for your main image when using Alcohol inks!!!

A butterfly sticker added to a piece of clear acetate was added with the help of a glue dot.

What a simple yet effective way to use your silouhette stamps and alcohol inks. Just think of the color variations you can achieve!!

The following cards use silouhette stamps as well with distress inks. The sample here uses Spiced Marmalade and Broken China applied with foam applicators.

Here is another sample with about 4 different distress inks used to achieve sky and ground colors ...

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT STAMP ART'S GREAT SELECTION OF DISTRESS AND ALCOHOL INKS AND THEIR STAMP OF THE MONTH!!

STICKERMANIA PENNY BLACK STYLE

2009-02-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

We all lead busy lives and when it comes to making a card quickly but effectively, stickers are the way to go.

Penny Black has two new sticker lines. Pond-side Celebration and So Cute!

Pick your card stock, add some designer paper, maybe some texture with a Cuttle Bug embossing folder and a sentiment and you can have a card done in a matter of minutes.

This is a great way to make a number of cards for yourself to have on hand when you need one.

One sheet of stickers could potentially give you 10 cards. It's a great value..

Check out Stamp Art's supply of stickers. You won't be sorry.

Edited to add* The cards using Pond Life were made by Dawn Strang

Notecards and Just Rite

2009-01-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Stamp Art is featuring a wonderful monogram set from Just Rite.

This particular set does not require the Monogram stamper as it has a round wood block in the kit that you can attach the border and letters to.

The notecard here was made with some bits of designer paper and a scallop circle was added to the monogram circle.

You can whip up a bunch of notecards in no time and use the note card holders that Stamp Art also sells to hold them. What a great gift for someone that is thoughtful yet inexpensive.

Penny Black "Hugs"

2009-01-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today Stamp Art is showcasing a great set from Penny Black called "Hugs".

This is a very versatile set. It can be used for birthdays, anniversaries or just as a note to a friend.

This set has it all. The images are great for coloring or paper piecing and has elements that can be stamped twice and popped up as well.

Enjoy***

Penny Black "Hugs" cards

2009-01-15T10:38:00.001-08:00

Here are three cards that Nancy created with the Penny Black "Hugs" set..

She has used a wonderful vellum paper in the first card as an accent called "Floral Background" from Paper Adventures. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The red card has elements from the Penny Black set and the flower pot has been paper pieced.

The third card also uses elements from the Penny Black set as well as gorgeous paper from Basic Grey - the Bittersweet collection.

Paper Can be Beautiful

2009-01-06T16:37:00.001-08:00

As I promised here are two more examples of super simple cards using designer paper as the focal point. The black and white card is simply the designer paper folded in half, a piece of black satin ribbon wound around the middle and a few scallop ovals to hold the sentiment. The inside is the opposite of the design on the outside. Literally this card took minutes..

The second card again showcases the designer paper layered onto accent cardstock. A band around the middle and circles in the same cardstocks makes this a card made in a hurry...

The flower is from the same designer paper.

Happy New Year ***

2009-01-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you.. Let's hope 2009 is a healthy and prosperous year with lots of cardmaking, scrapbooking and papercrafting in general.

To start off the New Year we thought we might show you some wonderful papers that STAMP ART has.

To begin with Nancy has some wonderful acetate 12 x 12's that are just wonderful.

This wedding card is a simple piece of white cardstock with a piece of the patterned acetate overtop attached with a ribbon. The wedding image is stamped in black and layered and then adhered to the acetate.

This type of cardmaking allows the paper to speak for itself and simplicity is the order of the day.

When you need a card that is straightforward and simple this is the way to go.

Take a look at the patterns that this wonderful acetate comes in. There are so many possibilities!!!

Come back when I will have some wonderful patterned paper to show you!!

Corner Rounders and Ticket Punches

2008-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!! Today we have some Christmas cards and a tag to show you that use Corner Rounders and Tonic Ticket Tag punch. Using these punches can add interest to your cards on the outside but don't forget to use them on the inside too. Rounding the corners of the paper you use on the inside also adds a little something extra to your card.

This card was stamped with a lovely leaf design and the corners of the main design were rounded as well as the green layer and the corners of the main card base. Instead of the usual corner - something a little different.

The ribbon was added to mimic berries. Also a little something different instead of glitter or pen..

This Christmas card was stamped with a great set from Stampendous. I have posted a picture of the set at the end of this post.

The design was watercolored and then the Tonic Ticket Tag punch was used on the corners. This technique allows for the addition of little extras like these star stickers.

This tag was made with the same set from Stampendous embossed in gold.. The Tonic Ticket Tag punch was used again.

This is the set from Stampendous that was used for the last two designs. This set is very versatile and allows you to come up with many different combinations. The trees and small houses could also be used for different seasons as well.

HELLO EVERYONE***

2008-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Stamp Art begins their blog today***

STAMP ART is a wonderful store in London, Ontario Canada that houses one of the biggest assortment of stamps that I have seen in this area. Nancy and Arn, the owners, have stamps from Penny Black, Northwoods, Serendipity, Stampscapes, Stamp Barn, Verses, Hero Arts, American Art Stamp, Magenta, Printworks, Impression Obsession, Inkadinkado and many more. They also sell paper, inks of every description, stickers, and embellishments.

I hope that you find this site interesting and inspiring.

Today we wanted to show you a few cards embellished with stickers. This card was made with a stamp from Northwoods, stamped in black Versafine ink and colored with Tombow markers and a Dove blender. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado. Snowwriter was used to cover the roofs of the birdhouses with glitter added while still wet.

It is hard to see in this photo but an outer layer of acetate was used over the main card. A sticker from Starforms was used as an embellishment at the bottom of the acetate. It adds just the right touch of glitz without overwhelming the card.

This card was made with stickers from Peel Off's called "Leaves".. They were placed onto vellum, cut out and arranged to form a poinsettia..

Some of the stickers were colored with sharpie pens so that a few of the leaves remained gold and some are a copper color. They were glued on a square of blue cardstock and then layered to a cream colored cardstock and then to gold shimmer cardstock. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado and the ribbon is Maru ribbon from Magenta.

A tree from Stampendous was stamped onto white cardstock and then layered onto silver paper then pink and then blue linen.

The sentiment down the side is from Impression Obsession stamped and embossed in silver tinsel embossing powder.

The dot sparklers in the corners are from Stampendous and have been colored with permanent pens to change their color. You will notice that there is also one in the middle of snowflake at the side of the card. The little circles on the tree as well as the star have been highlighted with a silver pen but you could easily have added dot sparklers as well colored with pens...

You can color these stickers with permanent pens, glaze pens or sharpies to change the color to match your cardstock or whatever color scheme you are trying to achieve.