Triple Time Stamping with Live Beautifully

Hello and happy Saturday!
I'd love to introduce you to triple time stamping and give you a peek at the stamp and papers that will be featured next month!

This is a technique where you stamp on 3 layers of paper at one time.  Hence the name of Triple Time.

It looks more complicated than it really is which is my favorite part.

On this card, I used the Live Beautifully stamp set for the May 2017 National Scrapbooking Day (or Month) campaign from Close To My Heart.  When I first saw this stamp set I knew it would be great for this technique.  I like to use a large, fairly solid stamp for this technique because it does require me to push hard to stamp across the 3 layers of cardstock.  Usually I tell my friends, "don't perform CPR on your stamp (press down so hard on the stamp that it requires both hands).  You'll crush it and it and the image will be blurry."  In this technique, you want a sturdy stamp.

The stamp set used on this card will only be available May 1 thru 31 of 2017.  There's also a beautiful paper pack and scrapbook kit too.  Scroll to the bottom to see more.  In the meantime, here's a step by step tutorial.

There's 2 ways to cut your paper for this.  Many people start with a colored cardstock base and build up.

Not me.  I used a card base. I like my version because it uses less paper and there's more of the stamped image visible.  My upline & friend Michele Rowley showed me this trick of using less paper a few years back.  I've hung on to her card for years and recently put it in a safe place.  Of course that means I can't find it.  But I'm pretty sure the dimensions are the same.

White cardstock 
5.5 x 4.25 (or card base)
4.5 x 3.25
3.5 x 2.25

Notice how each one is 1" smaller?  That is key.  Knowing this, you can make a card of any dimension.  Square ones would be beautiful.

Now the colored cardstock/glitter paper.
The first one is .25" larger than the second layer of the white cardstock.
4.75 x 3.5
3.75 x 2.5. I used glitter paper on this layer.  It is also 1" smaller than the cardstock layer above it.

Now for the fun!

Set the colored cardstock side and grab some temporary adhesive.  Don't have any? Use a 1/4" of tape runner and rub your finger on it to lose most of its stickiness.

You'll be tacking the layers down temporarily.   Use just a tiny bit in the middle of each card.  I'm serious.  A half inch line of adhesive will be plenty.

Stack your 3 white cardstock layers.  Centering them as they'll be when finished.  Some people will tilt their pieces.  Let's stick to simple and centered today.

Let's start stamping.  I like to use fairly large and solid stamps for a project like this.  You'll be pressing hard.  Like doing CPR.  Baby stamps, like infants won't hold up under full chest commissions.

Stamp the flowers in a triangle configuration.  This looks random and natural.  I missed taking a pic of this until a step or two later. (see below)

I stamp on a solid surface with a piece if foam under the cardstock.  I use a scratch piece of paper to protect the foam from ink.  Foam doesn't soak up ink.  It will smear all over the next thing it touches.

Now check on the size of the gap between the layers.  It's ok to have a little. The cardstock will cover some of it.  If there's a large gap, press down again.  That's the beauty of clear blocks!  The area on the left had too much of a gap.  The light area is the ink still on the stamp that hasn't been transferred to the paper.  I pressed on the stamp again and it applied more ink to the card. (see next pic)

After stamping the 3 flowers, I needed to stamp the leaves.  I stamped a mask in a Post-it note and trimmed it out.  I was making a bunch of these cards so I made 3 masks and labeled them. I forgot to move the mask and stamped a stem across the flower accidentally.

Be sure to go across layers and off of the edge of the card.  White space is wonderful.  You don't need to fill every bit of the white paper.

The last thing I stamped was the sentiment.  I didn't stamp across layers for this.  I also didn't press hard because it would blur the image.

Next I pulled the 3 layers apart and rebuilt my card with the cardstock and glitter paper added back in.  I know that my papers are centered but I also paid attention to how the pattern lined up. I used glue dots to adhere the top layer to the glitter paper.  Glitter paper is rough and doesn't bond with a flat adhesive that well.

This is a fun and very flat card that mails beautifully.  Your friends will be impressed by your stamping prowess.  You don't have to tell them our secret.  You can let them think you're an amazing meticulous stamper who is an expert at lining things up.

Supplies used
White Daisy Cardstock
Sea Glass Cardstock, Glitter Paper, & Exclusive Ink (available now thru July 31, 2017)
Tangerine Exclusive Ink
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Live Beautifully Stamp Set (Available May 1-31, 2017)


Here's what the full stamp set looks like.

It coordinated with the paper pack that is also only available in May.

In addition, there's a scrapbook kit!  There's pre-cut embellishments and preprinted designs that look like you spent hours cutting and designing.  It includes 10 pages to make 5 double page layouts!  Each page will actually take only a few minutes to assemble.  This kit is available 5/1/2017.

With joy in my heart and coffee in my cup, have a wonderful day!

Emboss It Blog Hop

Today’s post is part of a blog hop!  I love being part of blog hops because they feature some of the newest product Close to My Heart has to offer.  For this hop, we’ll be featuring the brand new 5x7 embossing folders that debuted in February! 
To follow this hop, you can start here and click the link to the next blog at the bottom of my post.  If you’re already on the hop, welcome!  You should have arrived here from { Michelle Jones’ blog. } If you’re ever lost along the way, you’ll find a list of all the blog posts here.  (this will pop open in a new window and then you can come back here and keep hopping too!)

My card features the Ariana paper collection.  I started by pleated the beautiful floral paper by scoring it at 1” and 1/2” intervals and folding it.  I followed this tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers nearly exactly.
Here’s a couple of my tips: 

• If you’re going to make several of these cards, score the whole paper from top to bottom before cutting the strips.  You might even want to fold them a bit too.  Folding a large sheet is ultimately easier than folding 6 individual 2” strips! 
• Ink the bottom edge of my paper before folding (& attaching it to the card)!  I used Garden Green, a retired color since Olive was a bit too dark.

Next is the embossed band that holds the pleats in place and gives them a finished look. I cut my 1 x 4.25” strip and embossed it with our damask embossing folder.  I distressed it using our sanding block from the distressing kit to take the color off the raised edges.  Here’s the fun part:  I then inked the white exposed areas with Blush and Sorbet ink.  The coral color is exclusive to the Ariana paper pack so we don’t have an ink that matches.  This worked!  Use a light hand when inking.  Don’t saturate the paper or it will be very intense and bright. 
For the label, I cut the shape from Art Philosophy in White Daisy at 2.25” as indicated on the Frame Flair stamp set.  The sentiment is from Greatest Love. 
For the Ariana Coral label that shadows the white, I used my Gypsy (It can also be done with Cricut Craft Room or Cricut Design Studio) to make it .25” wider AND taller.  It was also handy to layout the shape on my Gypsy since I only have 1 sheet of this beautiful Ariana Coral to work with. 
If you just bump up your Cricut dial to 2.5” your label be a little disproportionate because it won’t be just .25” longer.  On this label, it’s not that much trouble.  (Just call me Obsessive Compulsive Cricut Perfectionist)The less square the shape is, the more noticeable it is.  You might thank me later when you do a skinny object. 
Here’s where you’d see the distortion, on a long, skinny shape.  The less square shape. 

So much for a simple looking card that had a pleated paper tutorial, embossing & distressing in one and a Cricut Craft Room tricks.  But guess what, we’re done! 
Feel free to hop on over to { Katy Taylor’s blog } to see the next project!
Have a great day!

Artbooking Made Easy Episodes 04 & 05 Halloween

I didn’t get a chance to post last week’s video so I’m doing both this week.  I have to say THIS WEEK’S VIDEO IS FANTASTIC!!!!  (It’s in all caps because if you were in the room with me, I’d be screaming!)  Both videos are using the Halloween buttons.  In Episode 5, you’ll get a clear view of this album, I think you could pretty much replicate what they’ve one.  (No more angled camera shots.  We get to see everything!)

First up is last week’s Episode 04 featuring 12x12 Halloween layouts.

 

Now for this week’s fabulous  Mini-Album episode! 

There are so many tips and tricks in this video that will work for any album.   WATCH IT, even if you’re not wanting a Halloween Mini-Album.  I learned a ton and will be using a technique or two from this album in my Christmas Mini Class.   This screenshot shows how she cut a smaller page to make a mini-flap in the middle of her album!  Love it.  I think I’ll do something like that for my Christmas Mini-Album workshop that is coming up in November. 

This mini album was made using the features from pages 54-55 in the Artbooking handbook. 

Here’s another reason to watch.   She shows you that the Halloween buttons are not just for October 31st.  Make a Disney castle from the spooky mansion!

 

I’m offering free product  when you order Artbooking or any of the 3 Cricut bundles.  Contact me for details! 

Save your shapes

A quick little post tonight.  I thought I’d share with you a HUGE time saver for me.  I save my extra shapes that I’ve cut out on my Cricut that go with my Cricut Compatible stamp sets.  Where do I save them?  Right in the stamp envelope! 
Not all my envelopes are quite this padded but there’s a few here and there. 

This stamp set is Casual Expressions and is compatible with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. 

The new You are My Happy that is only available this month has a whole pile of cuts waiting to go in its envelope.

Have a great night!