Creations by Lynn Weiss ~ Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

ENJOY ~ INSPIRE ~ CREATE ~ SHARE


Monday, December 31, 2018

A Collection of Spirited Snowmen Cards

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Like many of you, I was super busy with the usual holiday preparations of shopping, baking, wrapping, etc...so I didn't have time to post on my blog. I did however manage to get some handmade Christmas cards finished and in the mail. I mainly used the adorable Spirited Snowman set along with Snow Is Glistening, Half Full and Buffalo Check stamps. Today I would like to share those cards.



I just love this cute skater snowman...above he is shown with the Buffalo Check background in Real Red  and layered die cut snowflakes. Below is the Granny Apple Green version with a hand cut holly image from the set.


Another version using the beautiful die cut snowflake swirl...


Here he is yet again using Pool Party and the Tin Tile Embossing Folder. I was happy to see that both this awesome new embossing folder and the Buffalo Check background will be sticking around after the Holiday Catalog.


This snowman couple and the sentiment is so sweet, isn't it? All these images were colored using my Aqua Painter and various inks pooled in the lids of the ink pads...still my favorite way to color. 


This snowman likes to have fun...here he is with some wine. I used the Half Full stamp set and the masking technique to create thses next couple of cards. 


A look at the inside...


As you can see, I have had a lot of fun with the Spirited Snowman set and have created a variety of fun cards with it. Today is the last day that you can purchase this stamp set and many others from the Holiday catalog. 


Cheers to you in the New Year! Wishing you much happiness and creativity in 2019!

Friday, December 14, 2018

So Hoppy Together

Taking a little break finishing up Christmas cards to play with a few new goodies that arrived here this week. It's that time of year when demonstrators can pre-order items from the upcoming Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs. I grabbed a few of my favorite items offered along with some catalogs.


The So Hoppy Together stamp set is adorable and you can get it FREE with a $50 order during Sale-A-Bration! I was excited to play with this stamp set, but the item I was most excited to see offered are the Stitched Rectangle Framelits! I know these are going to get lots of use! Both the positive and negative pieces have the stitched look around the edges, which is really cool for both creating frames and layering.


Some Stampin' Up! news in the New Year...there will no longer be wood mounted stamps offered. The red rubber cling stamps will all have a new stickier cling mount that actually stick AWESOMELY to the blocks with the labels on! I was one to never use labels on my stamps because I hated them falling off when cleaning. These new labels were easy to apply and I am happy to report that the stamps stayed put on my blocks even when cleaning them on the Stampin' Scrub!


I used the Buffalo Check background stamp inked in Granny Apple Green for the base and my Aqua Painter to color the image. I've read of some having difficulties getting a good image with this stamp, so I hesitated to purchase it even though I loved it. I'm glad I went ahead and got it because I got a perfect image the very first time I inked it up. I have stamped many more backgrounds using it  since, all with good results, so I thought I would share how I like to stamp using the big background stamps.


First, lay the stamp face up on your work surface and ink as shown in the photo above. Lay your card stock piece on top of the image as shown below.


I then cover it with a piece of scrap paper that's bigger than the stamp and rub over the entire top surface with my bone folder. This method has always worked great for me. Hopefully this helps if you have been having a difficult time getting good images with your background stamps.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Snow is Glistening Advent Calendar

This project was a real labor of love. I had hoped to have it completed by December 1st, but it took me much longer than anticipated. I am really happy with the way it turned out though. The best part was giving it to my sweet granddaughter yesterday! Right now she is still a little young, but I hope it will become one of the holiday traditions she looks forward to each year. Here is the finished piece, along with lots of other photos below.


This is a kit from Kaisercraft that I purchased quite a while ago. I had forgotten I even had it but came across it when cleaning my studio one day this past summer. Wish I had started it then! The kit comes with a balsam wood frame, drawers and numbers made of chipboard, BUT absolutely no instructions! It only has one photo showing what it looks like completed. I thought perhaps my kit was packaged without the instructions by accident, but after searching online I found others complaining of the same thing. Unfortunately before I could get to the fun part of decorating there were several grueling steps that were required to start with. Let me tell you...this first part was absolutely NO FUN at all! I will share how I put this together to hopefully help others.


First, the wood parts came connected which required them to be cut apart. If I had access to a band saw it would have been a piece of cake. Instead, I had to snip each piece using tin snips. Honestly my hand hurt for days afterwards. I saw many others who created this project saying they used a pair of  Tim Holtz scissors which cut through easily...but I didn't have those. I tried my old SU! rubber cutting scissors but those didn't work, so I went with the tin snips. Each little nub had to be sanded afterward in order for it to fit into the slots on the main backing piece.


After the cutting and sanding, there was the task of painting each piece. I used red acrylic paint. I was careful not to paint the nibs or allow paint to drip into the slots. These pieces fit together quite snugly and even the slightest amount of paint would make assembly very difficult. As you can see, I wasn't too concerned about even coverage in the center of the piece because I knew that would be covered. After 2 coats of paint and allowing it to dry overnight I assembled the frame. Despite being careful while painting, several of the small pieces had to have the nibs sanded down to fit into the slots on the frame to create the cubbies for the drawers. After all the pieces were in place, I carefully applied wood glue to the slots from the back where each piece joined the wood backing frame.

Finally I could get to the fun part! I picked several patterned papers for the drawers...mostly retired SU!, but I also used a line from Simple Stories called Oh What Fun! that had adorable little characters like snowmen, reindeer and penguins on it. I cut each strip to cover three sides and a square of each for the back side to cover the seams.

The 3/4" Circle Punch worked perfectly for the notch in the center of each drawer. I used Tombo Multipurpose Adhesive to assemble the little chipboard drawers. As I assembled them I attached a small rubber band on each one to allow the glue to set. I also used the same glue on most of the paper so it would easily slide into place on the chipboard, but on each end I also used Tear & Tape Adhesive as well. This helped add strength to the drawers and really held the paper in place while the rest of the glue dried.

I decorated each drawer using a variety of punched and fussy hand cut pieces. Each one is numbered using die cuts, stickers and the Labeler Alphabet stamp set. Even though the kit came with nice chipboard numbers, I didn't use them because they were quite large and left little room for other embellishments.


After decorating all the little drawers I created a winter scene to fit into the center. I used the Snow Is Glistening stamp set embossed with White Embossing Powder for the trees and the coordinating snowflake dies for both this back ground piece and for many of the little drawers. Here's a closer look at the drawers...


and the bottom drawers...
The center part has some Evergreen Sprigs, Red Polka-dot Ribbon and some charms that were available from SU! during previous Holiday Catalogs.

The 3-D resin Santa figurine was something I found in my stash of craft supplies...not sure where I got it? He's holding one of the snowflake charms that were available last month with the Snowflake Showcase of products.

More detail on each of the little drawers.

The drawers are large enough to hold two little candies each


Next year when Madelyn is a little older, it will be fun to fill it with other little items besides candy. For now, I think she enjoyed looking at all the little drawers and eating the Reeses Peanut Butter cup.


Now that I have this project finished I can concentrate on getting other things done. It's such a busy time of year! Thanks for taking the time to visit me here.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Glistening Spirited Snowman

You can almost feel the cool breeze blowing in his adorable face as this spirited snowman ice skates in a flurry of snowflakes. This is another fabulous image from the Spirited Snowman stamp set.


The Pool Party panel was stamped using the Snow Is Glistening stamp set. Three of the snowflake images were placed on one block to easily create this snowy background. Don't you just love the snowflake swirl die cut? It's one of my favorite dies included in the Snowfall Thinlits Dies. After watercoloring the snowman using my Aqua Painter I brushed over him with Wink of Stella so he really shimmers like snow in sunshine.


If you love the Snow Is Glistening stamp set and the Snowfall Thinlits Dies but don't yet have them, don't hold off any longer...


After tomorrow, November 30th, they will no longer be available. Shop now and don't forget to select me as your demo. For smaller orders that don't reach a hostess level you can use the Hostess Code: JAG97PFA

Have a GREAT day!

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Snow is Glistening in the Woodland

Sparkling silver snowflakes adorn this embossed white birch tree background created using new items from the Snowflake Showcase group of products along with one of my old favorites...the Woodland Embossing Folder.


The Snow Is Glistening stamp set has an image that consists of a little group of snowflakes. This was the perfect size to stamp in between the trees after it was embossed. I started with Whisper White card stock and inked my embossing folder with Pool Party ink before running it through my Big Shot to create this background. The snowflakes were die cut using the Snowfall Thinlits Dies. Basic Rhinestones and Silver Edged Satin Ribbon finish off this card which is perfect to send for any occasion during the winter months. 

There are only a few more days left to order these awesome products...get them while you can! 

There are so many fantastic new embossing folders in the annual catalog...including the Woodland Embossing Folder. Today and tomorrow (until midnight)  you can get 10% off all tools - this means embossing folders, punches, dies and more! PLUS all inks...which includes markers, ink pads etc...from the Annual Catalog!


Visit the SU! Website to learn all the details. Don't forget to select me as your demo and use the Hostess Code: JAG97PFA

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Spirited Half Full Snowmen

The other day as I was cleaning up after a stamping session I wondered if I could get this fun snowman from the Spirited Snowman set to hold a wine glass from the Half Full set. So I had to stop what I was doing and try it out!


As you can see...it worked out just as I had envisioned! I love when that happens! So I had a late night in my studio working on wine drinking snowmen! I went with Merry Merlot, naturally!, as my background layer and stamped it with snowflakes from the Snow is Glistening stamp set. The beautiful snowflake swirl at the bottom was cut from the coordinating Snowfall Thinlits  Dies

The snowmen were stamped and then the arm holding the glass was masked to add the wine glass. After I had my fun little scene stamped I watercolored the image using my Aquapainter


If you love the look of this snowflake set and coordinating dies as much as I do but don't have yours yet...don't forget that these are only available for a limited time only. I honestly really LOVE these, so I highly recommend adding them to your collection. 


Also, starting on Friday Stampin' Up! is offering many items in the catalog at 10% off! Check the SU! Website for more details. Right now, I know that each day for 6 days there will be a different category of products offered from the Annual Catalog. By the end of the 6 days, almost everything in the catalog will have been on sale! 

Day 1 - November 23–24 will be PAPER & EMBELLISHMENTS. So it will be a good day to stock up on card stock, envelopes and ribbon, etc...

As the sentiment says here, the best wines are ones we drink with friends (and /or family!) Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family/and or friends! I am truly thankful for all of you who stop by to visit me here and leave such nice comments. I am especially grateful for those of you who place orders with me. Thanks so much!

Monday, November 19, 2018

Tranquil Snow is Glistening Tree

The tree image in the Snow is Glistening is just beautiful! It's made up of all shapes and sizes of snowflakes and it looks absolutely gorgeous embossed!


Here I have used Silver Embossing Powder on Tranquil Tide cardstock. The Mint Macaron layer is embossed with the Swirls and Curls Embossing Folder. The snowflakes were die cut using the Snowfall Thinlits and White Velvet cardstock. 

I have been really enjoying using these new products so much! Make sure to get yours while they are still available!

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Love Never Melts

I have a weakness for adorable snowmen. So it's no surprise that the Spirited Snowmen set in the Holiday Catalog was at the top of my "must have" list!


All the images in this set are just darling and fun to color, but I think my favorite is this snowman couple, paired with this sentiment...it's just so sweet! The Pool Party layer was stamped with snowflakes from the Snow is Glistening stamp set inked in Coastal Cabana. The die cut snowflakes are cut using the coordinating Snowfall Thinlits. I love how this set of dies contains solid shapes to layer the more intricate snowflakes. 

After watercoloring this cute couple using my Aquapainter and various inks, I brushed over the top of the snowmen using Wink of Stella. This adds such a beautiful snow-like shimmer. 


The Snow is Glistening stamp set and the Snowfall Thinlits are available only during the month of November...or while supplies last. These really are fantastic! To avoid disappoint, shop now while they are still available. Everyone who purchases these two items from me will receive a FREE project tutorial from me as an added bonus/thank you. 

Monday, November 12, 2018

A Blizzard of Wishes

I finally got my hands on a few of my favorite products from the Snowflake Showcase offering...the beautiful Snow is Glistening stamp set and the fabulous Snowfall Thinlits Dies. This is the first card I've created with these items.


I couldn't wait to cut out that gorgeous large snowflake! It cut perfectly on my first attempt and most all the little bits popped right out...which is helpful! I used the White Velvet Paper to cut from. It adds a nice texture, but honestly unless you are touching it, it really isn't that noticeable. 

I used three of the snowflake stamps from this set placed on one block to easily stamp the beautiful snowflake background. Pool Party card stock and Coastal Cabana ink were used. 

The items featured  as part of the Snowflake Showcase are only available for a short time...while supplies last. (Actually, the White Velvet paper has already sold out.) I just LOVE anything with intricate snowflake designs so I'm glad I was able to add these to my collection to use for years to come. If you purchase these two items from me during this promotion, you will receive a FREE tutorial from me using these products. So, what are you waiting for? Order yours today while they are still available. 

Thursday, November 01, 2018

Let It Snow!

Are you ready???

Let it snow! Or at least, create a snowy wonderland using this incredible assortment of products. Today is the first day that you can begin ordering the Snowflake Showcase products...


With two stamp sets, paper, accessories, and dies, the only limit is your creativity! The Snow Is Glistening stamp set, the Snowfall Thinlit Dies and and the coordinating accessories are on the way to me now. I can't wait to get my hands on them and I have plans to create some fantastic projects I am sure you will LOVE! I will be offering a free tutorial to all those who purchase the stamp set and dies from me during this promotion. I also have plans for other project kits I will be offering...so you will definitely want to order at least these two items ASAP.


Remember these beautiful products are available for a limited time only...through November 30th, or while supplies last.

Shop now to avoid disappointment later.