There is no stamp camp in December since this is such a busy month for everyone and I wish you all a Blessed Christmas with your family and friends! I am looking forward to January already for stamping projects and will soon post a video of a simple single-layer card we will be doing!

Here is the "Merry Mouse" card we will be making in October! I'll have Versafine pads for sale if you don't have one.

Cracked Glass Technique:
In October we are making a "rustic" Christmas card that uses the "cracked glass' technique. Here's the video to show you how:

Faux Patina Card - This is the video for the card we will be making in September:

We will also be making this thin "Joy Shaker card":

All stamp images used are copyright Stamping' Up!

Part 1: Partial Die Cutting

The following video shows how to use the circle dies with the Big Shot to cut a partial circle. Since I wanted the weeds from the Wetlands set to hang over the image of the truck and be a part of the frame, I thought this was the best way to do that.

Part 2: Coloring the truck: 

This video is in fast motion so you won't have to wait forever to see this slow process! There are a couple of things you should know about coloring with colored pencils. First is the brand must be a brand with a higher wax content so that they blend easily. I am using Prismacolor pencils. If you don't like the pencil scratch marks on your coloring then you should consider purchasing the Prismacolor blending pencil. This pencil is rubbed over the colors to make them blend together and pushes the pigment around so that is is a much more even color. Let me say, I am NOT an artist and I can get pretty good results with these.  Another thing to note is that you should always color with sharp pencils. The amount of color added depends on the pressure you use, not the point of the pencil. Finally, since I am a stamper and use dye based (water based) ink on this card also, any sponging with ink should be done BEFORE you color with the pencils as the wax in the pencils will repel the ink. 

Part 3: Putting It all Together

 The final video just shows what I did to finish the card.

Acrylic Block Technique

The following video shows the technique we will be using at our June stamp camp. Get more use from your acrylic blocks by using them to put watercolor backgrounds on watercolor paper. I would not recommend using this on plain cardstock. I have not tried it on the "shimmery white" cardstock and don't think it would work as well as you need the water and ink to absorb into the paper. I've used the shimmery white cardstock to watercolor on and it works well with markers as well as the watercolor brushes, however it does not hold up as well.

New Stamping' Up! catalog:

June 1st is the first date you can order from the new Stamping' Up! catalog. I've already ordered things to arrive before our June stamp camp date and can't wait to show them to you. Don't forget to sign up (find the link at the bottom right of the page).