Baroque Valentine 2

I promised that I would post the second Valentine that I created using the Baroque Motifs. I really liked the card that I designed for my open house but I know that I could some how step it up and make it really something special! Plus I wanted to use my new Baroque wheel too!

I altered the original card by changing the pink from Pretty in Pink to Pink Pirouette, I then ran that along with a Very Vanilla piece through my Big Shot using the top note die and then trimmed along the perforated edge of the pink one. I stamped the large Baroque motif in Chocolate Chip not only on the top note but also in the opposite corners on the card base. I used the Baroque wheel on the Chocolate chip strip (this was Very Vanilla on the original) using Versamark. I stamped the scallop "flower" in riding hood red on a very vanilla piece, and finished it with a brad. I also moved the sentiment to the Top Note, and stamped it in Riding Hood Red. Oh, and I inked around the scallop punch, Top Note pink piece and the card base and Chocolate strip all with Chocolate Chip ink!

Products used:
Stampin' Up "Baroque Motifs" stamp set, "Fundamental Phrases"
Stampin' Up Card stock- Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
Stampin' Up Ink- Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red
Accessories- Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Brad, Big Shot "Top Note" Die

Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

Open House Recap

Hey there,

This past Saturday was my first ever Stampin' Up Open House and it was a HUGE success. In fact, it was such a huge success that I am going to do it again in February. Stay tuned for more information!

Now on to the last Open House....... I featured two make & takes. One was based on the Fun Fast notes set. I demonstrated how you can make cards for any occasion using this very versatile set, and how to colour a stamped image in using the Stampin' Pastels.

Products used:
Stampin' Up "Fun Fast Notes"
Stampin' Up Card stock- Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue
Designer Paper (SU)- Bashful Blue & Pink Pirouette
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Black
Accessories- Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pens, 2-way Glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

The second card was made using the Baroque Motifs set. I created what I call "Baroque Valentine". I wanted to show how you can make a Valentine's Card without hearts and without a Valentine set.

Products used:
Stampin' Up "Baroque Motifs" stamp set
Stampin' Up Card stock- Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
Stampin' Up Ink- Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red
Accessories- Scallop Circle Punch

This is actually a very simple card. And my idea of a beautiful Valentine! Later I will show you how to step up this card and make it very very elegant!

And what would a Open House recap be with out pictures of the event and an official annoucement of the Door Prize winners!! Soooooooo without further ado..........................

The winners are:

Starstruck stamp set- Brenda Guiney
5 pack of cards- Loretta O'Connell
Cute & Curly Tags- Wanda Woods
Cute & Curly Tags- Brenda Guiney
Fall/Winter 2008 Catalogue- Wanda Woods

I will be in touch to get you guys your stuff!















Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

Blog candy, and a sample with a new set

I have been spending a lot of time looking through the catalogue. And I LOVE the new sets! I am going to miss some of the old ones too (particularily Wonderful Words, it was sooooo versatile!!). This card was made using the new "Branch Out" set. It comes as a tree with no leaves, but you can cover it with snow or leaves! How cute is the tire and the bird house? I think that this set will work for so many cards or scrapbooking layouts for all seasons! What is your favorite set from the new catalogue???

Canadians, answer this question by commenting at the bottom of this post by Friday, Jan. 23rd at 8pm, for your chance to win a copy of the new catalogue (a $12 value). But please, Demo's you already have your catalogues. I am looking to hear from the Canadian non-Demo's out there. To view the new catalogue on the Stampin' Up website click here. Good luck!

Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

The New Catalogue!!

The new Spring/Summer 2009 Catalogue has now been posted. Online ordering is also back up and running!! Stampin' Up is offering all brand new customers who purchase online a new catalogue. Contact me to place your order directly and I too will give you a new catalogue!! Offer only valid to first time customers.

Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

New Catalogue day!!!

Hi Everyone,

Today is an exciting day in the Stampin' Up world................. it's new Catalogue day!!! Unfortunately the link is not up yet to show you what they have cooked up this season, but I can give some of the highlights (from my perspective):

• Lots of new sets (Birds, trees, flowers etc.)
• New single stamps at a very affordable price
• Lots of new Sizzix dies for the Big Shot!!
• Texture plates for the Big Shot!! (I am really excited about this!!)
• New, and very beautiful Designer Paper (some textured too!)

Those of you coming to my Open House will get to see the new Catalogue!!!! Are you as excited as I am???

I will post the link once it is available. Just an FYI, the Stampin' Up Online ordering system will be down until 3pm (Eastern Standard Time) to transition to the new catalogue and new products.

Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

Bloggin' in the wee hours of the mornin'.......

Yes, I am up blogging at not quite 5am, because my 1 year old son, Alexander has been up since 2:30. I didn't really stress much about it (yet, lets see how I am doing by noon...) because I had this weeks Colour Inspiration Challenge from KwernerDesign.com on my mind.
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with these colours until I went to Shoppers Drug Mart tonight to pick up some stuff. They had Valentine's Day promotional posters, and suddenly I had a vision. Thanks to Xander, I was able to put the vision on paper this evening. I knew that I wanted to make a valentine's day card but until I saw the poster in Shopper's (I wish I could find a copy of it) I didn't know how. It's amazing where you can find inspiration. This card ended up being very very simple and quick to make.

Products used:
Stampin' Up "So Very" stamp set (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Pretty in Pink, Designer Paper (SU)
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Black
Accessories- Big Shot, "Top Note" die, heart punch, circle punch.

Don't forget about my very first Open House. Please let me know by Jan. 17th (tomorrow) whether or not you can make it on the 24th!! Lots of door prizes, make and takes, and special deals that day! :)


Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

Lots of Promotions!!

I have been spending the last few days orienting myself with all things Stampin' Up! And there are LOTS of promotions to tell you about.......
For the first time ever Stampin' Up is blowing out overstocked inventory. Mostly from the old catalogue but there are also items from the new catalogue that will be released next week. Click here for more info!Retiring stamps are available until January 18th so order now!! Click here for a list of all retiring stamp sets. Once they are gone, they are gone!!!
The love you much bundle is just in time for Valentine's day! It includes the "Love you much" stamp set, new "heart to heart" punch that coordinates with the 3 heart stamp in the set, and "Candy Lane" 12x12 designer paper. Click here to view the bundle or to place and order, available until January 31st.

Cheers,





Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
bmoch@rogers.com
http://blairmoch.stampinup.net
416-447-7964

Big BIG news today!!!!

Yes, that's right, today I can share my big BIG news!!! I have done it, I have become a Stampin' Up Demonstrator!!!!!!What does that mean? That means that I am now your source for all things Stampin' and Scrapin'! Stampin' Up is a Direct Sales company that has been in the industry for the past 20 years, and is the leader in their field.

They produce excellent, well made stamps, paper and all accessories needed to make beautiful things. Whether your thing is card making, paper crafting, scrapbooking or all three, Stampin' Up has something for you!!!

I am really excited to have taken this step. I am really passionate about crafting, and it has been such an amazing outlet for me. I am thrilled because now I can share it with others as well.

Stampin' Up has a ton of amazing promotions right now, and to take advantage of them, I am going to host my very first Open House on January, 24th. Please let me know if you would like to attend. There will be munchies, product demonstations, and everyone will get to make a few projects themselves!! It should be a really fun event.

In addtion, if you are interested in inquiring about making a little extra money (because who doesn't want to do that) by sharing your love of crafting, contact me and I can let you know why I decided to become a Demonstrator.

I look forward bringing the "world" a little stampy goodness from now on!! :) (I know, I am total cheese ball....). Tomorrow I will introduce you to my online store and all the awesome promotions that are running right now!

Cheers,




Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
416-447-7964

French Script

Those of you who know me well, know of my obsession (one of my many) with France. Well, when I saw this card at my friend Caroline's studio, I went nuts!! I had to know what that background stamp was. I LOVED how her friend aged the more mustard piece to make it look like a piece of parchment.

Well to my disappointment, I was told that it was a retired Stampin' Up stamp called "French Script". Bummer......... Well, that didn't stop me, I headed straight for Ebay. And low and behold, I managed to pick one up for $15. I was pretty pleased with myself. The other day I got to play with it finally!!! The first one I made, I totally screwed up the stamping. It smudged!! There is a real technique to working with these background stamps, and I am far from an expert yet. But I managed to make this copy look okay. This was a multi-step process. First I masked an area of the paper I was inking with the space I required for my Eifel Tower by taping a piece of paper on top. I then inked the stamp with my brayer. I then placed my paper on top of it, and then another piece of scrap paper, and ran the brayer over that. Once the paper had the stamp on it, I removed the piece of taped on paper to reveal the white square. I then dry embossed this space with a template I had made earlier. I punched out my Eifel Tower from a Quickutz 2x2 die and stuck it on the page. Et voila! I was quite pleased with the outcome. But I really wanted to do something like the card I had seen at Caroline's. Back to the drawing board.......

The second card I made I did a bit differently. First I inked up my brayer and stamped the image as I had done on the first one, but this time with out a mask. I then took that piece of paper and cut out a "Top Note" with my Big Shot. I then inked the edges of this to give it the aged look. I adhered this to my card. Then I punched out another Eifel Tower and adhered that. I then decided that it was missing something and dug through my ribbon stash and found this beautiful piece of black ribbon. Et voila!!! I was quite pleased with the outcome. My husband Ed said that if only I know what I know now, when we got married. This could have been our invitations!!

1st Card-Products used:
Stampin' Up "French Script" stamp (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- Whisper White, Basic Grey.
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Grey
Accessories- Brayer, Quickutz Squeeze, Eifel Tower 2x2 die.

2nd Card-Products used:
Stampin' Up "French Script" stamp (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- More Mustard, Basic Grey.
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Black, Chocolate Chip
Accessories- Brayer, Quickutz Squeeze, Eifel Tower 2x2 die, Sizzix "Top Note" die, Big Shot, Ribbon.

Cheers,

Finally scrapbooking again!!

I got back to my roots yesterday and worked on a layout for my daughter Kieran's scrapbook. Since my card making obsession began about 6 months ago, and with Christmas and all, I have not been scrapbooking very much. I had a picture of Kieran, who is now almost 10, from when she was 13 months old and just walking (yes I am a chronological scrapbooker and am only at 13 months in her book!). It wasn't a very good picture, and I only had the one, but I wanted to use it somehow. Here's what I came up with:

It took me a while to get my groove on, but once I spent a bit of time looking through my supplies, I started to get into it. I found the round chipboard letters, which fit perfectly in the scallops in this awesome scalloped circle I had. I had picked up the foot ribbon a really long time ago and it just seemed to be a perfect fit. Some times things just work out. I guess you can make a good layout, out of a bad picture.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, where I will have two beautiful cards made using the French Script background stamp that I acquired a few weeks ago.

Cheers,

To emboss or not to emboss......

Hi Guys,

Today I am showing you yet another way to Dry Emboss. I made this card because a friend of mine asked me to make some thank you cards for her mom, and the only specification was that her mom LOVES purple. So, this is what I came up with. Those of you who were at Xander's 1st birthday might recognize the design, I used the same one for his thank you cards (with different colours and a different dry emboss texture).

The dry embossing for this card was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and run through my Big Shot. The flower is from the Sizzix Sizzlets "Birds and Blooms" dies that I also ran through my Big Shot. For the sentiment, I stamped it in Versamark and then used my clear embossing power to Heat Emboss it.


Heat Embossing is a different embossing technique where you stamp your image in an embossing ink (Versamark, Top Boss etc) and then you cover the stamped image in embossing power. You then require a heat tool to heat up the embossing powder so that it takes on a hard, shiny surface. It's a really professional looking technique.

I really like how these cards turned out. I love the lacy look of the Whisper white layer. I hope my friend really likes the cards, and I hope her mom does too!

Products used:
Stampin' Up "Wonderful Words" stamp set (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- Whisper White, Lavender Lace, Pale Plum, Certainly Celery.
Stampin' Up Ink- Versamark
Accessories- Stampin' Up clear embossing power, Heat Tool, Stickles glitter, Stampin' Up Scallop border punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Big Shot.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend, and for some, the last few days of their holidays!! Monday, it's back to the grind!!!!!

Cheers,

Embossing in the family...........

I was messing around with my "All in the family" stamp set again today. I was inspired again by Kristina Werner on her blog. She featured a technique for dry embossing a frame on a card with out any fancy tools. For those of you who don't know what dry embossing is, here is a definition:

Dry Embossing or Relief Embossing: Achieving a raised image on paper by placing the paper over a stencil, and rubbing with a stylus.

This technique results in giving texture to your card or project.

Here is a link to Stampin' Up's dry embossing tutorial using their "Classy Brass" templates. And here is another link to a tutorial at Split Coast Stampers. The card I featured yesterday included dry embossing using embossing dies and a die cutting machine (Big Shot) However as I mentioned before, Kristina's tutorial uses no fancy tools, just card stock, a cutting mat, craft/exacto knife and a stylus.

Here is the card I created. As I totally suck at taking pictures of my cards, you can barely make out the embossed frame, but if you click on the link to Kristina's blog, you can get a much better idea about what it looks like. I assure you it looks much much better in person. I decided to make this card for a boy, but he could have been coloured in pink just as easily, but yesterday I did a girl card.

Products used:
Stampin' Up "All in the Family" stamp set
Stampin' Up "So Very" (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Grey, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink
Accessories- Stampin' Up blender pens, Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Tomorrow I will feature another card using a different Dry Embossing technique.

Cheers,

Happy New Year, Happy new Blog!!

Happy New Year everyone!! To celebrate the new year, I have started a new blog. I will use this blog to feature some of the projects I am working on, cards I have made etc. I hope that this blog will be an inspiration to you.

Speaking of inspiration, I thought I would start off the new year by trying out a colour inspiration challenge.

These colour challenges are posted every week at http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/index.html and I have looked at them often, but have not had the time to try one out. But now that the holidays are over, and I LOVED the colour combination........I thought that now would be the perfect time to play. So.........without further ado, here is my interpretation of the colours....

I got this stamp set called "All the in family" before Christmas, and due to Xmas cards, didn't get a chance to use it yet, so I thought I would try it out today! I dry embossed the whisper white paper with my new Nestabilities tag dies in my Sizzix Big Shot and then finished the whole thing off with a ribbon. I am quite please with the outcome. What do you think? Feel free to leave me a comment! :)

Products used:
Stampin' Up "All in the Family" stamp set
Stampin' Up "So Very" (Retired)
Stampin' Up Card stock- Whisper white, Rose Red, Old Olive
Stampin' Up Ink- Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Accessories- Stampin' Up blender pens, Nestablities Tag dies, Sizzix Big Shot, Stamp-a-ma-jig, unknown ribbon.

Hope you enjoy my blog..... I have lots of ideas to share with everyone in the months to come!! And a surprise announcement in the next few weeks!! Stay tuned...........

Cheers,