Blogger's Challenge #38 - Birthday

This week's Blogger's Challenge was to make a Birthday card. Before I get to the details of the card, guess what? Lisa and Gerrie are both celebrating birthdays this week. Happy Birthday, Girls!!! I consider both of these talented ladies good friends and if you appreciate the inspiration they provide to the stamping community as much as I do, drop by their blogs and wish them a happy day (both are offering blog candy this week, too!).

Now, back to the card...

My card uses a new Paisley Cuttlebug folder (did I mention that I am flying high with 9 - yup nine - new Cuttlebug folders?) on the Aged Metal technique from the February issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. If you missed the news, Betsy Griffin has some of the Shimmer Sheetz in stock on the Innovative Stamp Creations website! If you are a TJer, you know these have been in short supply, so RUN (or click really, really fast) over to her website and order up some!

The stamps on this card are Stampin' Up!'s Birthday Whimsy, and one of the greetings from the big Block Party set. If you are familiar with this set, you know it was originally 3 stamps, with 11 or so individual greetings. I thought that was a waste of good greetings : ) so I simply ordered the matching block set from The Block Guy and mounted them separately.

With all the sets I have been doing this with, I have a TON of cool greetings : ) I know I have been telling you about the Block Guy alot, but when I get something new, I tend to use it, KWIM? You are just seeing me stamp with what I have : )

Okay, here are the full details for the ingredients for this card:

Stamps: Stampin' Up!: Block Party, Whimsy Wheel, Birthday Whimsy
Ink: Pink Passion, Chocolate Chip, Timber Brown StazOn
Other: Pretty in Pink & chocolate Chip Markers, Stickles, Assorted Primas (stacked together), Paisly Cuttlebug folder, Corrugated Cuttlebug folder, Doodlebug Designs Paper, White Paper

Wonderful Wednesday Giveaway - Stampin' Up! & The Block Guy

Today's giveaway is for 24 saying stamps from Stampin' Up!.

That's right, 24! Today I am giving away the "Lots of Thoughts" set, which normally is a set of 6...but this is a set of 24. The set has been cut apart and remounted for you on 12 blocks (2 sayings to a block) by using the blocks from The Block Guy, our sponsor of today's giveaway. I just love the idea that using a few more blocks expands the use of so many sets! Mitch Kemp, who IS The Block Guy, sells many other block sets to coordinate with many SU sets. Go take a look!

Already have this set? GREAT! Use one mounted with all the sayings and use one with the sayings separated! Double the fun : )

In addition to the stamps, the winner will receive the card above, which uses the Webbed Acetate Technique from the December 2005 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. (I just got 9 new Cuttlebug folders, too, hence the background; I am in heaven!).

Here is what I did for the winner, and what you could do with just 6 more blocks from The Block Guy. First, This is the original set:

I simply punched out the stamps (they come pre-punched which is pretty darn handy!), and cut the stamps apart. I use Kai scissors to do this; some people prefer a craft knife. If some of the words are close together, simply bend the rubber a bit to separate them when cutting.

When cut, I mounted one saying to each side of a block.

I added the index print to the sides...and viola! A set of 24.

Now, here are the details for the giveaway:

ANYONE can enter this give away. One entry per person, per give away, please. To enter the give away for today, simply leave a comment on this blog entry telling me that you would like to enter by 11:59pm EST on Friday, March 14th. No other entry methods will be included in the give away. If you email me to enter, your entry will NOT be considered a valid entry. When you leave the comment, make sure to put your NAME in the comment -- if you enter your comment as "Anonymous", I cannot give you the prize! Blogger does NOT record your email address for me, so you will need to check back to find out if you have won or include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you. A good way to do this is like so: phuntoon at optonline dot net -- it will help protect your privacy! I will have a random number generator pick one number from the comments to select one winner. Each give-away is separate, so to be eligible for a specific item you must enter that day's contest on the post where it is listed. Enter today -- good luck! I have blog give aways every week -- come play!

The winner of the stamp set and card is Melissa Erickson! Congratulations, Melissa!

Blogger's Challenge 34 - Happiness tip

Today's Blogger's challenge was to use the layout on Page 42 of the Stampin' Up! idea book (the HB card) for inspiration. The layout is rather, well, simple, so that left quite a bit for interpretation. My creation uses several of the stamps from the new 9 block Happiness set (formerly one block, see the post below about The Block Guy) .

I was thrilled to find out that the flowers from the Happiness set make a perfect scalloped border when using the round slit punch (shown right). That made me feel even better about breaking up that Happiness block!

The layout for the challenge is below the card ingredients. Make sure to check out the other Blogger's Challenge cards -- the list of players is on my sidebar.

Don't forget to enter the GiveAway for the Artistic Outpost stamps, either! You have until Midnight tonight to enter (Friday, Feb 15th). The details are two posts below this one.

Ingredients:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Happiness, Noteworthy, Whimsy Wheel

Paper: Pure Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Berry Bliss DSP, White

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pure Pomegranate

Other: Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Brown Prima, Pearl from SU Pretties Kit, Slit Punch, White Gel Pen, Paper Piercer

Happiness and how 1 equals 9

Today's artwork features the Oil Pastel Gesso Technique from the February 2008 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. The stamps used are from the Happiness
Stampin' Up! stamp.

I had been eyeing this stamp for a long time. I knew I wanted to split it up, though, because a stamp like that -- with so much solid space -- is almost impossible to ink properly. I am a big proponent of proper stamp conditioning to get stamps to hold ink and stamp the right way. It is a peeve of mine when there is white where there should be color. Especially on my OWN work.

In order for me to use the stamp unmounted, I would have to peel off the mounting cushion, and I hate doing that. I also know that unmounted straight-line stamps are very hard to use. So what to do?

One day I visited Patty Bennett's blog and she mentioned that she had a resource for wood blocks for this set. I was all over that like butter on toast! So I went to the blog of Mitch Kemp: The Block Guy -- and ordered my own set. I mounted them today and viola! A perfectly inked, perfectly straight stamp! And guess what ladies! He has them on sale now, too. I am not affilitiated in ANY way -- just thrilled with his service. If you have been thinking about doing this at all, I encourage you to email him!

When the set of 9 blocks came in the mail (very fast service!), I immediately went to seperate the stamps. Because some of the images are close to each other, I used a ruler and craft knife first to create guide lines before I used my Kai scissors to cut the rubber.

When done, I carefully used scissors to cut apart the index and adhered them to the blocks (very smooth -- very professional).

Now I have a set of NINE (9) stamps that I will use 9 times as much as the one big honkin' stamp!

The cool thing is that The Block Guy has wood for other sets too -- my next one to mount is the Lots of Thoughts set.

If you order, tell Mitch I sent you!