Blog Posts - Hand Stamped by Cheryl

Stuck on Adhesives?

12/4/2020

Stuck on Adhesives? Not sure which one to use when? Here's an overview of all the adhesives Stampin' Up! has to offer. Get yours here: www.handstampedbycheryl.stampinup.net

Also, would love you to subscribe to my channel! Still trying to reach 100 subscribers!

Fun Folds in VIP

11/1/2020

This month in VIP Club, we made some fun fold cards: a cube card, a center step card, and a table card. See below for some ideas, templates, and videos to make these cards.

Cube Card

I have been seeing these cards all over Facebook lately, and had to give it a try using this video as my tutorial. They are actually much easier to make than expected, and they use very little paper, just a lot of gluing, so make sure to have Liquid Glue ready! After you have your base scored and cut into the three cubes, choose some DSP (the patterns in Plaid Tidings were perfect!) Cut 8 squares, 1.5 x 1.5". Then choose the coordinating color of cardstock and cut 12 of those in 1.75 x 1.75". Add your greeting and embellish!

CenterStep Card

This card was CASEd from this blog, but I followed a different template which I posted here below in case you want to make your own. As we have been adjusting to life with a new dog, I have also been making a lot of cards using the Playful Pets suite. Isn't this card just the cutest? I changed mine up a bit to use the paw print die along the bottom and then added a strip of white cardstock behind to make it pop. The dog was colored using Smoky Slate Blends, plus Real Red for the collar and hearts.

Table Card

I saw a cute card made with this fold using the Playful Pets suite, but since I already used it this class, I needed to change the design up a bit. So I asked myself, what best goes on a table...drinks! And better yet, drinks on the beach! So I cut my Early Espresso cardstock to 5.25 x 6", scored it at 1, 2, 4, and 5", folded it to be a table, then added some In Good Taste DSP to add the wood look. Make sure to use Multipurpose Liquid Glue to adhere the table, and fold up right away to make sure it lays flat and will fit in an envelope. For the drinks, I used the Nothing's Better Than bundle, snipped off the base, and colored them with Blends. The palm trees and sign are stamped using the Timeless Tropical stamp set, and the pineapple and flowers are cut out using the In the Tropics dies. The birds came from the Looking Up Card Kit, but you could easily draw them yourself. Then I just snipped some blue DSP to look like waves, and tore a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock to look like an island. The leaves are stickers left over from an old Paper Pumpkin kit. Lastly, use Window Sheets and Glue Dots to adhere the drinks to the table, making sure they will also lay flat when the card gets folded. Now, who's ready to go to Florida? Or maybe the next incentive trip on an Eastern Caribbean cruise? Meeeeee please!

VIP Club takes off the busy months of November and December, but we'll be ready to start up again in January, just in time for Sale-A-Bration! If you are in Indy and want to join us, we have 2 spots open for guest VIPs in the Sunday group from 2-4pm.
See Eventbrite to register as a guest VIP!

Designer Series Paper Share!

10/1/2020

Stampin' Up! is having a sale on select packs of Designer Series Paper during October!
Save 15% off 15 packs! Order online: www.handstampedbycheryl.stampinup.net
And don't forget to use the October Host Code (NRP6AH9H) and get some happy mail!

Or...if you want them ALL, sign up for my DSP Share! You'll get a 6x6 piece of every sheet in all 15 packs for only $28.50! That's 120 sheets of 6x6 paper! See the images below for which packs are included in the sale and share.

Send your $28.50 by 10/15 to:
- Venmo: HandStampedbyCheryl
- Paypal Friends & Family: cherylstamps@hotmail.com

Pick up your DSP starting 10/31!
Live out of Indianapolis? Add $4 for shipping and I'll mail them to you!

Jar of Flower Shaker Cards

9/29/2020

This month in the VIP Club we used the Jar of Flowers bundle paired with the Mason Jar Shaker Domes. The Sunday Club has two open spots, so will be open to guest VIPs. The Club meets on the last Sunday of the month from 2-4 pm. At each Club we make three cards using the same technique, free in exchange with a $25+ order on the day of the Club. If you are in the Indy area, contact me to join in! Here are the 3 cards we made this month...

We started with this card because it involves painting the shaker dome, so you will want to give it time to dry. Thanks to this video for the inspiration! The flowers were stamped in Memento ink, which you want to use before using alcohol markers. We used Mint Macaron, Old Olive and Ivory Blends to color and fussy cut out using snips. The DSP we used is retired, added to a thick Whisper White card base. The twine was added and a sentiment stamped using the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set. Love the look of milk glass!

This card uses hand sanitizer to add liquid to the jar, inspired by this video! The card base is Bumblebee and the mat in Just Jade, two of the newest In Colors. The front of the card is Whisper White but embossed with the Tasteful Textile folder. The sunflowers were colored with Mango Melody, Crumb Cake, and Just Jade Blends. When you turn the shaker dome over, add the Flowers for Every Season Gems before adding the hand sanitizer. We used about 4-5 squirts. Then take the sticker off the dome and add a piece of Window Sheets behind to trap in the hand sanitizer. Then, add some Bumblebee Ribbon and you have a fun card, perfect for fall!

How cute is this card! It was CASEd from The Creative Teacup. I don't even like pop, but I am sure someone who drinks it will love it! The stamps used are from Nothing's Better Than and the rays and hearts are from Press On. The Playful Alphabet letters were used to die cut out the word COLA after coloring a strip of Whisper White cardstock with the Real Red, Crumb Cake and the Early Espresso Stampin Write marker. Just punch a hole in the top of the jar using a standard hole punch. The straw fits perfectly to prevent the Sequins for Everything from falling out.

10 Reasons to Join Stampin' Up!

8/30/2020

Do you love Stampin' Up! products? Have you ever wanted a discount on your hobby?
Or have you thought about wanting to start a business?
Do you have questions about the Starter Kit? Or what it's like to be a demonstrator?
Let's just say, 10 years later, I never thought I'd be doing this!
See the video below to hear more about my story...

Click here to see the flyer of what you get for FREE in September.
If you sign up under me, I always offer to do your 1st workshop free, where I prep all the cards and you get the sales. So with the Get & Go promotion, you'll be ready for your 2nd workshop!

Northern Lights

7/21/2020

This month, we met for a make-up VIP session, since VIP Club was cancelled in April due to the coronavirus. The Saturday and Sunday groups were combined for an optional Club, plus I opened this club up to guests wanting to check out the technique of the month: Northern Lights. You can check out this technique by searching on YouTube, but really it's quite easy! Just use daubers or sponges to add color and then apply a dark color over the ink, leaving streaks peeking out. I like to apply the streaks with the daubers and then use the sponges to apply the dark layer over top, applying with a good deal of pressure in a circular motion. Don't forget to add stars! I used Wink of Stella, drops of water with Water Painters, or a white pen. Here are the three cards we made and the supplies we used listed under each card:

Cardstock base: Basic Black
Mat: retired Grapefruit Grove
Stamp Set: Mountain Air Bundle
Heat Emboss Mountains in Black
Heat Emboss Sentiment in White
Ink Colors: Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Mint Macaron, Highland Heather, Blackberry Bliss

Cardstock base: Basic Black
Mat: Gold Foil Paper
Stamp Set: Mountain Air and Waterfront
Heat Emboss Sentiment in White
Ink Colors: Rococo Rose, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy

This card was made by my upline, Christina Wedell. She sent it to me as a Christmas card last year, so I guessed on which ink colors she used.

Cardstock base: Night of Navy
Mat: Whisper White
Stamp Set: Waterfront
Heat Emboss Sentiment in White
Ink Colors: Real Red, Garden Green, So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry, Misty Moonlight

If you are interested in joining the next VIP Club, message me to let me know! The Club meets either Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons, the last weekend of the month. The Club starts in September and goes through April (taking off the busy months of November and December). VIP members get the chance to try advanced techniques and get their turn at being the hostess for a month, earning free Stampin' Rewards!

Everything You Need to Know About Paper Pumpkin

5/11/2020

By now, you've probably heard of Paper Pumpkin, the monthly subscription kit by Stampin' Up! where every month you'll receive a surprise kit in your mailbox with everything included to complete a crafty project! I've been a subscriber since inception in 2013, so I wanted to try to summarize everything you need to know into one blog post. Here's how it works:

How to Subscribe:

If you want to do month-to-month with automatic monthly billing, use this link. You can always pause or cancel at any time.
If you want to purchase a pre-paid subscription (either 1, 3, 6, or 12 months), use this link. Add items to your cart and check out (use my monthly host code pinned to top of my Facebook page for free gift!). After you place your order, you will get an email with details on how to redeem your code.

Dates to Remember:

Making Your Kit:

Like the Official Paper Pumpkin Facebook Page which gives hints each month before kits ship!
Subscribe to the Paper Pumpkin YouTube Channel where you can see videos on how to make each kit!
Follow the Paper Pumpkin Pinterest Board for alternative ideas to make with your kit!
Join the unofficial Paper Pumpkin Fan Club Facebook Group for more alternative ideas!

After You Make Your Kit:

How will you store your stamps? I use Full Wide Stamp Cases, decorate the cover, and label by year. Then I put all 12 stamp sets for the year into one case. Others use the Clear Mount Stamp Cases to store each stamp set individually with a case insert for each month. See this website for a resource if you want to print out individual stamp case inserts.

How will you store your ink spots? I use these tins to store my spots. You could also use the Full Wide Stamp Cases, but I prefer mine to fit snugly.

How will you store the extra parts & pieces? I used to use an empty Paper Pumpkin box to store the kit leftovers, but after 8 years, it was becoming too much to fit in one box. I then decided to organize by category in these storage drawers.

What will you do with your directions? I like to keep mine, in case I want to refer back and find a certain stamp set in my case. So I just use a hole punch to punch a hole in the corner and then keep on a binder ring.

What will you do with your empty boxes? I love to turn my boxes inside out and use for giving gifts. They are fun to decorate and great for mailing. They also can be used to store cards you've made by theme. Another idea is to store markers. They fit our alcohol markers perfectly!

Love A Particular Kit and Want More?
If you are a current Paper Pumpin subscriber, you are able to purchase past kits. These are based on availability so some months there will be no leftover kits, some months there will be refills only (kit without the stamp set & ink), and some months there will be full kits. See what's currently available here on my website!

Gifting Paper Pumpkin:
Paper Pumpkin also makes a great gift! Consider buying a pre-paid subscription and then printing out this gift certificate. Just write the code in the blank (which will come in your email after you purchase).

Are you a Paper Pumpkin subscriber? If so, I'd love to hear your ideas! If not, try it out!

Coming Soon...

5/6/2020

New Die Cut & Embossing Machines! Yes, you read that right, plural! Stampin' Up! will have two sizes of machines in the new catalog, but neither will be available to order in June. Stay tuned for more information. Think more compact for traveling & easier to understand the plates!
New adhesives! I am excited about a replacement for Fast Fuse and love how two strengths of tape will fit in the same dispenser. But I am also excited for adhesive sheets and foam sheets (to use before die cutting)!
Beautiful Designer Series Paper: I think I plan to order every pack of DSP! Think wood, maps, and ferns, cats, dogs, and whales!
Fun Alphabet Dies: Think uppercase modern font with duplicates of more common letters for less die cutting!
Bundles: Think birds' nests, sunflowers, chocolate, plaids, jars, the list goes on!

Did you know if you join Stampin' Up! during May, you can choose any $125 worth of products for $99 (and free shipping)? But what's better, you can choose from 88 new products from the upcoming catalog!

Going, Going...

5/5/2020

Stampin' Up! has announced which products are retiring before the new Annual Catalog starts June 3rd! Click here to see which products are retiring and get them before they are gone, while supplies last!

Here is my Top 5 List of products I am surprised or sad to see go!

Snail and Snail Refill: It looks like the refills are already sold out, but never fear! Stampin' Up! is coming out with new adhesive! Think: one dispenser for two kinds of adhesive, one stronger than Snail, and one stronger than our previous Fast Fuse. The cost is higher, but more adhesive included.
Glimmer Paper: We currently have 4 colors, and all are retiring! Rose and Silver on on sale, so get them soon!
Basic punches: Sadly, many of the circle punches are retiring, probably because we have circle dies. I won't be parting with mine!
12x12 Memory Keeping: Sadly, it looks like Stampin' Up! will only be carrying the 6x8 size starting in June. The 12x12 album is on sale and while supplies last, but the pages are already sold out. You can, however, find other pages elsewhere to use this album. I love mine for documenting my Stampin' Up! trips, which sadly are being cancelled left and right due to the Coronavirus :(
Bonanza Buddies bundle: I have so much Designer Series Paper with these cute animals on it, I don't plan to part with the stamps and dies yet! I love how the dies can cut out the images on the paper. Plus, these are so great for kids' birthday cards!

Place an order on my website in May, use host code QDEN6CFG at check-out, & I'll mail you a FREE pack of gems!

SCRAP Challenge Completed!

5/3/2020

During the month of April 2020, while the world was on lockdown for the COVID-19 crisis, I decided to use my time by using up my scraps! I had originally scheduled a Scrap-A-Thon, but when I had to cancel that, I decided to do it on my own and challenge myself.

Here is the BEFORE and AFTER of my scraps! I started keeping them in this IKEA bin which is great, but they were getting buried. So I used them all month and now plan to organize them by category in these drawers from Amazon. I plan to share more when I get around to recording a video of my craft room.

Before

After

See my creations below
(and click on the picture to see if a current product was used to make that card).
Comment by number which one is your favorite!

See a card you want to CASE? Place an order on my website in May
and use host code QDEN6CFG at check-out, and I'll mail you a FREE pack of gems!