"Be Brilliant" Girls

Introducing the "Be Brilliant" Girls of TAC! These are the stamp sets we receive for attending our Seminar in June! Aren't they awesome? So many ways you can use them. Here's a slide show on them:

Sorry they're only available to those attending the Seminar. Believing you'll enjoy these gals - bless ya!

Make Your Own "Juanita" Tri-fold Card

One of my favorite birthday cards I received last month was from one of my dearest friends, Juanita. When I began to open up her card I thought, "gees, I wonder where she bought this?" But then I started to recognize the TAC patterned paper on her card. "Hey, wait a minute, she made this!" I was so blessed with it especially since she's a "newbie" at rubber stamping and I love receiving surprises! Here's her card:


I loved her 8-1/2x11 one-sheet idea with matching envelope so much that I made my version of hers to share with you all (yes, I asked her) AND I used it as my project for Rita's CSWM. The ladies all loved it Juanita! They thought it would be neat when you want to actually "write" a letter to someone. Or, use as a holiday card and include a family picture with it. Here's my card:








Here's how to do it:

-Take one sheet of 8-1/2x 11 white cardstock.
-Fold at 3-1/2" and at 7" on the long side (the 11"side of the paper.) Use a bone folder to make firm, crisp creases.
-Stamp your design on the first two "thirds" of the paper.
-Cut a 1x8-1/2" strip of paper and adhere to the bottom of the card. This area is where you will write your sentiments.
-Stamp a matching image at the corner of an #10 envelope to tie it all together.

Voila! There you have your very own "Juanita" trifold card!

I used TAC's Sands of Time paper and colored in the Oopsie Daisy stamps with prismacolor pencils. Used the Speckle stamp for the background splattering look. I use this stamp alot to give my cards more depth. Leave a message if you have any questions. Bless ya!

Make Your Own Button Embellishments

Last week I said I'd post on how I make my own buttons/embellishments. Above is a card with one of the buttons I made - click on it to see details. The picture below is where I got my "inspiration" ideas:



These are the buttons I made:


These are the two together to compare:



Here's how I made them:

- Cut a circle, square, flower or whatever button shape you want, using a paper punch or die cut machine, from chipboard or heavy cardstock. I used the Marvy circle punch and the Cuttlebug die cut machine for the square.

-If you want to cover them with patterned paper, glue the paper to the chipboard first & then cut. If you're doing just ONE at a time, cut the patterned paper along with the chipboard so everything matches up. I used "Sands of Time" & "Genevieve" patterned papers.

-I Adhered the patterned paper with Yes! Glue. This stik flat glue is specially designed for journals, bookbinding so it sticks really well but you could use your favorite adhesive.

-Or, you can stamp directly on the shaped chipboard, color in with Prismacolor pencils or Gelly Glaze pens.

-Punch two 1/8" hole at the center for the ribbon. Optional: crimp two eyelets to holes.

-Ink the edges with Palette dye inkpad using a cosmetic sponge.

-Thread ribbon, scrapper's floss, raffia etc. thru the holes.

-Optional: For a quick 3-d shiny look, cover the button surface using the CLEAR pen from "Gelly Glaze" Pen set. Or, stamp some embossing ink on the surface, sprinkle CLEAR embossing powder over it and then emboss. Crystal Lacquer works even better when you have time to let it dry!

Let me know if you have any questions on anything I covered here. More examples here:

"The Good Life" Samples

How do you like my new TV showcasing samples of how you can use February's rubber stamp Incentive Set - "The Good Life"? It's a fun thing. Just click on the TV screen to see a close up of a card image. I used Kaleidoscope Girlz, Catelynne and Sands of Time patterned papers. These papers ARE examples of "Paper Blessings!"

The Incentive Set is shown on top of the TV set. How did it get up there?