Paper Flowers

I had such a good time creating these flowers using my Big Shot. I used the Daisies #2 die. This is a green project since I used pages from an outdated reference manual. I had a wonderful time going through my button stash to find ones to use as the centers of these flowers.

Many thanks to Lisa Pace for the inspiration.

Happy stamping,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX
www.sharoncheng.stampinup.net
http://scandcompany.blogspot.com/

Use It Up Class

Here are the projects for this Sunday's Use It Up Class. The first project is this circle book. What I like about this project is that you can cut out the circles with the Big Shot Circle Die. That makes this project go quickly.


When you open the book, you can see each page separately. I've taken a picture of several of the pages at once to give you a better idea about the project.


The second project is this quilt card. As a quilter, I especially enjoy this card. It goes much faster than a regular quilt!

Please contact me this week for the supply list. As with all Use It Up classes, you bring the supplies. You use up the paper and embellishments in your stash and make great gifts or keepsakes at an affordable price.

Date: Sunday, May 17th
Time: 2 - 5 p.m.
Location: Hurst, TX
Class Fee: $5

All About Inks

ALL ABOUT INKS

Inks can be divided into three basic types: dye-based, pigment and solvent. Each type of ink has its strengths. There is not one type of ink that works for every stamping technique.

Dye-Based Inks are the most commonly used inks for rubber stamping. Because they are water soluble, they are easy to blend and use for watercoloring techniques. They dry quickly and can be used on all types of paper including glossy paper. These inks usually come on felt pads that can be re-inked easily. Stampin’ Up! Classic inks are dye-based. Basic Black, Basic Brown and Basic Gray are different from the other Classic inks. Once they dry, they are not water-soluble.

Pigment-Based Inks are opaque and dry more slowly than dye-based inks, pigments. This makes them a great choice for embossing. The color is more fade resistant than dye-based inks. Pigment inks usually come on foam pads and the thickness of the ink makes it slightly more difficult to re-ink the pad. When using a foam pad, it’s important to remember to tap lightly when inking your stamp since the pad is more flexible than felt. The Stampin’ Up! Craft inks are pigment inks.
Versamark is a type of clear pigment ink. In addition to being used for embossing, it also leaves a watermark on many different types of paper for a subtle background technique.

The Encore metallic inks are also a type of pigment ink.

Solvent-Based Inks use one or a combination of solvents instead of water as the liquid part of the ink. They dry quickly which is why they usually come with an inner lid for the inkpad. Solvent inks are not water soluble and can be used on many non-porous surfaces such as glass, plastic, transparencies and shrink plastic. They are great for stamping line images that you will watercolor in since the ink won’t run when wet with water. While solvent-based inks may be sold as “permanent” inks, they can often be removed with rubbing alcohol. StazOn inks, alcohol inks and Sharpie pens are all different types of solvent-based inks.

Stamp Cleaners. Different types of inks can also require different types of cleaners. Stampin’ Mist is excellent for cleaning Classic and Craft inks. StazOn All Purpose Cleaner works well for all of the inks sold by Stampin’ Up! including StazOn, Basic Black, Basic Brown and Basic Gray.

Ink Refills. Stampin’ Up! sells ink refills that can be used to re-ink your inkpads. This is more cost effective than buying a new inkpad.

Was this information helpful? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Sharon Cheng
www.sharoncheng.stampinup.net
http://scandcompany.blogspot.com/

Butterfly Garden Explosion Box

I had such a great time creating this Butterfly Garden Explosion Box. When you take the lid off of the box, you get an unexpected surprise--a garden filled with flowers and butterflies.


Learn how to make this box including the technique for making it look like the butterflies are floating above the flowers. They also flutter in a gentle breeze.

Date: Friday, May 29th
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Place: Bedford, TX
Class Fee: $20 includes all supplies except adhesive

To register for this class, please contact me at cheng1170@sbcglobal.net.

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

May Stampin' Up! Promotions

I made this card to show some of the Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper in the Occasions mini catalog. There are three different promotions to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month.

1. Buy three packs of Designer Series paper (including our Specialty Designer Series paper) or 12" x 12" textured card stock, and get a 4th one FREE!

2. Buy a sneak peek stamp set from the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog--Jumble Alphabet (set of 52; double-mounted)--at a 20 percent discount.

115199 Jumble Alphabet stamp set Sale Price $35.16

3. Join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $75 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:
113510 Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set* $42.95
113059 Simply Scrappin' Petal Party $19.95
108697 Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock (12" x 12") $11.95
105240 Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad $7.50
*Substitutable for any stamp set up to $43.95 value.

Please contact me at cheng1170@sbcglobal.net for more information about any of these specials.

Sharon Cheng

Get Connected Promotion

I wanted to use several of my new toys from Stampin' Up! and this is the card I ended up making. It uses the Manhattan Flower Texturized Impressions Die, Great Friends, Oval All and the Scallop Oval Punch. You can barely see the Walk in the Park Designer Series paper behind the Vellum cardstock.

With the Get Connected promotion, when you purchase $40 from the Occasions mini catalog, you can select one item from the under $10 group on page 208. Check out the promotion details on my website.

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX
www.sharoncheng.stampinup.net

All About Adhesives

With so many adhesives available, how do you know which ones to choose? It depends. There isn’t one product that works for everything.

Do you prefer a dry or wet adhesive? The advantage of dry adhesives is that they are usually easier to apply without making a mess. The advantage of wet adhesives is that they can be more versatile.

Both the 2 way glue pen and Mono Multi can be used as permanent or removable adhesives. If you attach your items when the glue is still wet, it will be permanent. If you let the glue dry first, it becomes a removable adhesive.

You can make a dry adhesive like SNAIL removable. Put the SNAIL down on your first piece of paper. Then stick it on your clothing multiple times to pick up a little lint. When you attach it to your object, you'll find that it is removable thanks to the lint.

Here's a summary that I created with more information about my favorite uses for different Stampin' Up! adhesives.

Crystal Effects
Type: Wet
Permanent
Can be used to attach metal to paper
May discolor ribbon if used to attach ribbon to paper
My personal fav for adding glossy decorative effects, can be dyed with reinkers, you can use it with Dazzling Diamonds to make your own Stickles

Dimensionals
Type: Dry
Permanent*
Not recommended for attaching metal to paper
Not recommended for attaching ribbon to paper
My personal fav for giving extra dimension to a project

Glue Stick
Type: Wet
Permanent
Not recommended for attaching metal to paper
Not recommended for attaching ribbon to paper
My personal fav for attaching paper to chipboard, it covers the best and gives the smoothest finish

Mini Glue Dots
Type: Dry
Permanent
Can be used to attach metal to paper
Can be used to attach ribbon to paper
My personal fav for attaching ribbons, adhering small metal objects to paper

Mono Multi
Type: Wet
Permanent/Removable**
Can be used to attach metal to paper
May discolor ribbon if used to attach ribbon to paper
My personal fav for attaching little things

SNAIL
Type: Dry
Permanent*
Not recommended for attaching metal to paper
Can be used to attach ribbon to paper
My personal fav for a quick, easy adhesive, doesn't work well in humid climates.

Sticky Strip
Type: Dry
Permanent
Can be used to attach metal to paper
Can be used to attach ribbon to paper
Covers more area than a mini glue dot, can be a little difficult to remove the red plastic covering

Two-Way Glue Pen
Type: Wet
Permanent/Removable**
Not recommended for attaching metal to paper
May discolor ribbon if used to attach ribbon to paper
My personal fav for adding glitter and attaching little things

*While these products are sold as permanent adhesives, they can be removed carefully with an adhesive remover
**If you attach the paper when the glue is wet, it is permanent. If you wait until the glue dries, before attaching the paper, it is removable.