It’s about time to start shipping out the May Card Class in a Box and I wanted to show off May’s cards. We have 7 cards again, and 3 bonus cards…for a total of 10 cards for just $20 without a subscription.

This month we’re using Studio Calico Memoir papers. We’ve also included some Bazzill embossed cardstock, jewels, My Mind’s Eye brads, Maya Road labels, October Afternoon stickers, and some Prima canvas flowers.

Add-ons we’ve used this month are:

 
Prickley Pear 5 Vintage Ladies

Ranger Distress Stain Vintage Photo

Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabber Sandal

Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist Copper

It’s about time to start shipping out the April Card Class in a Box and I wanted to show off April’s cards. We have 7 cards again, and 3 bonus cards…for a total of 10 cards for just $20 without a subscription.

This month we’re using Authentique’s FreeBird collection. We’ve thrown in some My Mind’s Eye Epoxy Dots, Jenni Bowlin buttons, Martha Stewart stickers, American Crafts cardstock, and more.

Add-ons we used this month are:

Paper Smooches Healthy Vibes

Memory Box Tabbed Card Die

Watercolor Paper

Ranger Waterproof Ink Pad – Black

Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils

Other items you may find useful:
Versamark ink pad
White embossing powder
Heat Gun
Tombow Multi Liquid Glue
Grey Alcohol Marker (American Crafts or Copic)
White Pigment Ink pad
Light blue or teal ink pad
Brown ink pad
Foam pop dots
Scor-Tape

If you’d like to read more about our Card Class in a Box, click HERE to read our post about our classes. If  you’d like to order a subscription, we are currently taking subscription sign ups via the phone at the store. You  can call us at 712-476-3443 from 10 – 5:30 Central Time Monday through Friday. We are at the store from 10 –  1 Central Time on Saturday. You can also email us for questions, or to sign up.

It’s about time to start shipping out the March Card Class in a Box and I wanted to show off March’s cards. We have 7 cards again, and 3 bonus cards…for a total of 10 cards for just $20 without a subscription.

This month we’re using Fancy Pants’s Hopscotch collection. We’ve thrown in some Echo Park brads, Maya Road chipboard and ribbon, American Crafts cardstock, and more.

Add-ons we used this month are:

My Favorite Things Lisa Johnson Designs On the Line

Cherry Lynn Designs Honeycomb Frame die

Spellbinders Tan Embossing Mat

My Favorite Things Beautiful Bows Die-namics

My Favorite Things Butterflies Die-namics

Library Card stamp from Taylored Expressions (these are not available in our online store…but only at our Brick & Mortar store)

 Tonic Duo Ticket & Corner Rounder Punch

Basic tools you will want/need:
Corner Rounder
White Embossing Powder
Heat Gun
Versamark ink pad
Black pen
Scor Tape
Pop dots
Brown Ink

The first card starts with the polka dot paper cut to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4.
The numbers paper is cut to 5 x 3. With the extra numbers from the sheet, I cut 3 out and pop dotted them over 3 other squares to make them stand out.
Wrap the orange ribbon around the numbers piece (tucking them under the pop dotted pieces) and tie in a knot.
Attach the numbers paper to the polka dot card front.
Pierce a hole through the card right under the knot in your ribbon and stick your brad through the layers.
Pick 2 stickers and stick them onto the card front, overlapping the numbers piece just a bit.
Attach to card front.

Cut cake paper to 3 3/4 x 5 1/2.
Cut stripe paper to 2 x 3 1/2.
Cut green chevron to 2 x 1.
Cut tiny star paper to 2 x 1/2. Notch one end to make a pennant.
Adhere stripe and green chevron papers to card front 1/4 from the left side of the card.
Adhere star piece to overlap where the stripe and chevron pieces meet.
Adhere sticker onto star piece.
Thread orange ribbon through a large button and tie in a knot. Adhere to the card using a Glue Dot.
Adhere chipboard piece using a glue dot.
Adhere to card base.

Start with a card base folded into an A2 card (5 1/2 x 8 1/2 then fold)
Cut notches into leftover strips of paper to make pennants. Vary how long and thick they are.
Adhere one pennant sideways and stick the happy birthday sticker on it.
Adhere the cupcake sticker with a pop dot.
Adhere the chipboard piece to the card front with a Glue Dot, tucking it under the cupcake sticker.

It’s about time to start shipping out the February Card Class in a Box and I wanted to show off February’s cards. We have 7 cards again, and 3 bonus cards…for a total of 10 cards for just $20 without a subscription.

This month we’re using October Afternoon’s Cake Walk collection. We’ve thrown in some Basic Grey brads, Maya Road chipboard and ribbon, American Crafts cardstock, and more.

Add-ons we used this month are:

 Oh What a Day stamp set from Taylored Expressions (these are not available in our online store…but only at our Brick & Mortar store)

A Jillian Vance Design Gift Card die

 Taylored Expressions Stars Impression Plate (again, only available at our Brick & Mortar store)

Basic tools you may need:
Star die
Circle die or punch
Ticket punch
Various label dies

The first card uses brown cardstock cut to 4 x 5 1/4.
Next, I used four of the Journaling Sprouts (use the BACK side) and attached them at random to the card front.
I layered some ribbon around the card and stuck my cardstock letters for the sentiment.
Last, I stuck the the brads through the card using a paper piercer, and stuck the canvas stars to the front.
Finish up by attaching your card front to the card base.

The next card starts with a pattern paper with blue on the back from your scrap pile.
I cut it to 5 1/4 x 4 and outline with a white pen.
Find the pocket paper and cut out a pocket. In your scrap pile, you should have a little bit of the polka dot paper left.
Cut that to 5 x 2 1/2 and outline with a white pen.
Also in your scrap pile, you should have a little bit of paper that has a brown solid background.
Cut that to 2 1/2 x 4 and outline with a white pen.
Layer your pieces together and adhere.
I used the alphabet stickers for part of my sentiment and stamped the “totally cool” from the Paper Smooches Good Gab stamp set. I started with a navy ink, and then went over it again with my white pen.
I popped up the pocket with pop dots.
I also added the last three little canvas stars after I rubbed the stars over my ink pad to color them.

Card Class in a Box

I have something brand new to show you…it’s a sneak peek, if you will. Starting in January, we are introducing our new class concept called “Card Class in a Box”. The box will be packed with enough paper, cardstock, embellishments, ribbon, etc to create 6-10 cards (with tons of leftovers). So many of you have said you’d love to take some of our classes, but you are too far away. So, we’ve come up with this option!  Every month, you will receive a box with everything you need to create the cards, along with pictures of the cards, and sketches (for future use later!). We will also feature one or two stamp sets every month, and hopefully show you a technique or two as well.

Basically, how it works is there is a subscription for 3 months or 6 months at a time. IF we have extras after the subscriptions are sent out, you can purchase these individually for $20. We will automatically ship out your box. Inside your box is your paper, cardstock, and all of the embellishments you need. You will also receive a handout complete with step by step instructions on dimensions we used to cut the paper, and any other instructions you need to complete the cards. As a bonus, we have turned the cards into sketches, so even after you have your cards complete, you can save the sketches and make more cards using our blueprints.

There will most likely be some “add-ons” that you can add to your box if you’d like. It will usually be some sort of stamp or tool that you can add on if you’d like. The cards we create will use a stamp set that we feature, however you can substitute a stamp or sentiment that you have at home. On the 25th of each month, we will email you with your choice of add-ons for the next month’s card class. You can then decide if you would like them added to your box, or not. You will be able to add any featured add-ons for 20% off, and they will ship with your card class.

For example…seven of January’s cards look like this:

We have used Authentique paper, and have added My Mind’s Eye, Jenni Bowlin Studios, October Afternoon, Tim Holtz Jillibean Soup, and Queen & Company embellishments. We are featuring Paper Smooches’ “Good Gab” stamp set this month. We also used brown and blue ink pads, a paper piercer and Scor-Tape.

We are currently taking subscription sign ups via the phone at the store. You can call us at 712-476-3443 from 10 – 5:30 Central Time Monday through Friday. We are at the store from 10 – 1 Central Time on Saturday. You can also email us for questions, or to sign up.

 Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are your subscription prices?
Our 6 month subscription is $110 plus $4 per month to ship your box, for a total of $134.
Our 3 month subscription is $55 plus $4 per month to ship your box, for a total of $77.
IF we have extra supplies to make more boxes after the subscriptions go out, we will sell those boxes for $20 plus shipping.

2) Is shipping included in my subscription?
For our local customers, you can choose to have your boxes saved for you and you can pick them up at the store.

For our customers who would rather we ship them to you, there is a nominal shipping charge of $4 for your box per month.

3) How will you charge me for my subscription and shipping?
We will charge your debit/credit card for your total subscription (plus shipping) at the beginning of your subscription. Then, you will begin to get your boxes every month. IF we have any current months boxes left, you will start with the month you signed up. Otherwise, you will start the next month, if the current month’s boxes are sold out.

4) How do the add-ons work?
We will email our subscribers on the 26th of the month, with a list of the add-ons we used. You can order your add-ons by phone, email, or using the shopping cart on the website. We will provide subscribers with a coupon code to use to get 10% off their add-on items in the email. Usually, these add-ons will be things like dies, stamps, inks that we have used when creating the cards.

5) Do I HAVE to use/purchase the add-ons?
Absolutely NOT! We have tried to use basic tools to create these cards. If you have sentiment/image stamps you would rather use, by all means, use what you have in your stash! If you have label dies, you can substitute them for what we used! We will give you the dimensions to cut everything and create the cards we created. However, if your sentiment is longer or taller than we used..just make it a bit bigger than our dimensions.

6) When will my box ship?
As we stated above, preferential shipping will start with our subscribers. We will start shipping out the boxes the first working day of the month.

7) What is included in my box?

You will receive a box full of coordinated paper, cardstock, stickers, embellishments, ribbon, etc. You will receive 6×6 papers and cardstock. Sometimes they will be from a 6×6 paper pad, and other times it will be from a 12×12 paper. We will break up embellishment packages and divide them up. Sometimes your embellishments won’t match exactly with the sample card, but you will be able to substitute one color for another, or one shape for another from your box, to create the cards. You will also receive Stamp School 100# cardstock for your card bases. We will include enough envelopes to create the cards we have instructions for.

8) Are there any leftovers after I create my cards?

YES! There will be scraps of paper and cardstock along with ribbon and embellishments that you can use to create MORE cards!

9) How many cards will my Card in a Box kit make?

This will vary from month to month. We will average between 6-10 every month.

Hello! Today I thought I’d give you a little step by step on painting with Perfect Pearls. I used this technique to color in the present on this card:

To paint with Perfect Pearls, you need to start by stamping your image in either a waterproof ink, or by stamping and heat embossing your image. I chose to stamp and heat emboss my image (which is the present from Birthday Icons)

For the actual painting part you’ll need Perfect Pearls, a fine tipped paint brush, and some water (I like to use my Mini Mister for my water source).

Make a small puddle of water and a place a small pile of Perfect Pearls directly onto your craft mat (or a smooth, nonstick surface).

Pick up a small amount of water with your paint brush and add it to the Perfect Pearls. Mix the water in to turn the Perfect Pearls into a paint. I like to add a small amount at a time… you can always add more water, but you can’t remove water!

Now you’re ready to start painting. Just pick up some of the Perfect Pearls paint with your brush and add it to your image.

You can repeat this process as many times as you’d like to add more colors to your image. You can also mix colors of Perfect Pearls (just like you would mix paint) to create a custom shade.

The biggest down side to Perfect Pearls is that photos just don’t do them justice. I did the best I could to catch the light in the above photo, so you get at least an idea of how the light really plays off image and makes it shimmer different variations of the color.

If you have any questions about this technique, don’t hesitate to ask! Happy stamping,

It’s Sketch Challenge time here at Stamp School!  I came up with an easy sketch and a CAS card.  I just am happy with clean and simple cards!

Here is the sketch;

And, here is my card;

See the fun button?  Quickly, 3 punched circles- glue together, punch 2 holes — holding button with tweezers in the holes (leaves holes open that way) – emboss with clear embossing powder.  I absolutely LOVE self made buttons! — So easy to have the exact match in color for anything you make!

Have fun with the sketch!  Remember you have until August 31st at 11:59 pm to play along. We’ll pick one winner to get a really great prize package!

Thanks for stopping by~

STAMPS: Birthday Icons

Hi all.  Amber here from The Country Scrapper.  Today I want to show you how to build a shaped card.  I started out with a scalloped tag that I wanted to use as a focal point.  I used the adorable birthday stamp sets from August’s Stamp School release.  I stamped the birthday cake stamp straight on to my tag.  I then stamped 2 banners separately, added sentiments, and adhered them to my tag.

Next up, what’s the easiest way to cut out a circle for your card base?  I simply use Spellbinder Nestabilites.  Fold a piece of card stock in half.  Then when you run your card thru your cutting tool (I use a Cuttlebug), let your die hang over the edge of the paper a little, creating the “hinge” for your card:

All that’s left is to adhere your scalloped tag to your card base:

Enjoy!!!

Stamp School Birthday Images and Sentiments

Today we are making this card:

Supplies needed; Alcohol Inks, shiny paper, compressed air, Black dye ink

Make a few drops of your choice of alcohol inks around the paper

Using compressed air, spray in spurts to spread out the inks.

Using black dye ink, stamp image on inked panel, and mount on card base with pop dots.

I hope you enjoyed this small tutorial and that you try it out!  I also tried hair spray – it made a beautiful background, but just that — you can’t stamp on it.  Ask me how I know that!

Thanks for stopping by~

STAMPS:  Stamp School  Birthday Icons

]]> http://www.stampschool.com/2012/08/17/teacher-lounge-8-17-12/feed/ 1 http://www.stampschool.com/2012/08/15/art-room-81512/ http://www.stampschool.com/2012/08/15/art-room-81512/#comments Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:10:43 +0000 Potaylor http://www.stampschool.com/?p=2679

Hello! Samantha here today with what seems to be a pretty trendy color combo for today’s challenge.

Photo Credit

So today’s colors are Orange (Orange Fizz), Turquoiose (Berrylicious or Blue Raspberry), and Brown (Kraft or Hot Fudge). This is a great color combo for masculine cards. I created this one for my nephew’s birthday (he just happened to be turning 7, so I used 7 candles).

Here’s my card:

This was a pretty simple card to put together. The final card measures 6″ x 4″. I stamped the birthday candles from Birthday Icons 3 times on white card stock. Then I colored them with Copic Markers, cut them out, and attached them to the card. I like how they really pop against the kraft background.

We’re adding a submission form below this post. Make up your card and post it on your blog (with a link to our blog of course). Submit your card by adding it below. Make sure to post it to the actual blog post and not just your general blog address. You have until 11:58 on the last day of the month to upload any challenge entries.

We will randomly choose a winner from each month’s submissions to win a prize package from Stamp School.

Stamp School Birthday Icons

Stamp School Birthday Sentiments

Copic Markers: BG45, Y35, YR12

Hi all.  Amber here from The Country Scrapper.  Today I want to share sentiments galore.  Sometimes budgets may not allow for multiple stamp sets….so if you settle on “just” a sentiment set – can you build a card?  The answer is YES.

I used this month’s Birthday Sentiment set from Stamp School to build an all sentiment card.  First of all, I picked some bright card stock and different, but similar, sentiments:

Then I decided to stamp stars at the bottom of my base card stock.

Next, add your sentiment strips and you have built a card:

Such an easy card to build, took around 30 minutes, and you end up with a bright and catchy birthday card.  Enjoy!!!

Stamp School Birthday Images and Sentiments

Hello! It’s been awhile, since I’ve created a Teachers’ Lounge tutorial post, so I hope you enjoy what I have to share today. Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time playing around with Perfect Pearls from Ranger.  There are lots and lots of ways to use Perfect Pearls, but one of my favorite (and easiest) ways is combining them with a dry embossed background.

Here’s my card:

While the background photographed pretty, let me tell you it’s so much better in person. The Perfect Pearls give it this great luminescence.  To create a background like this you’re going to need an embossing folder or plate. I chose one called Bees Delight.

Run your card stock through your die cutting machine according to the manufacturer instructions.

Take a Versamark or Perfect Medium ink pad and rub it over your embossed surface. Do your best to get all of the embossed surface covered with ink without getting too much ink on the debossed surface.

While your ink is still wet use a larger, soft bristled brush to dust Perfect Pearls onto your background. I used 2 colors of Perfect Pearls here, but you can easily use 1, 2, 2, or even 4 different colors. The amount of colors you use will depend on the look you are going for.

 When you are done applying the Perfect Pearls, use a Mini Mister to lightly spray your card stock. You just need a little. The water will help set the Perfect Pearls so they don’t rub off of your card. Less is more here, add too much and your card stock will warp and even tear.

When you’re all finished you should have a beautiful background on which to build your card.

Please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment if you have any questions about this technique. Thanks for stopping by Stamp School today!

Stamp School Stamps: Birthday Icons

Perfect Pearls: Forever Red, Turquoise

Hi all!  Amber here from The Country Scrapper to share a fun new sketch for Geometry Class.  Take a look:

This month Stamp School is focusing on birthdays.  My cousin will be having her Sweet 16 next month and I knew SS’s  birthday stamps would make the perfect card:

 I had a great time glittering the candles to add extra shine:

I added to different stamps from the SS birthday sentiments and then added “16″ stickers.  I also added touches of felt – felt makes everything prettier!

We’re adding a submission form below this post. Make your card and post it on your blog (with a link to our blog of course). Submit your card by adding it below. Make sure to post it to the actual blog post and not just your general blog address. You have until 11:58 on the last day of the month to upload any challenge entries.

We will randomly choose a winner from each month’s submissions to win a prize package from Stamp School.  Enjoy!!!

Stamp School Birthday Sentiments
Stamp School Birthday Graphics

Hi everyone – Vicki here.  Today, I made a fun bright card;

Have you ever been over to the store A Walk Down Memory Lane?  Lisa has like 40,000 items in her store and I used 2 of them, along with the new stamp Birthday Sentiments.  I love this card, and I also love the additional embellishments I used!  I’m telling you, you need to check out the store — A.MAZ.ING!  Meanwhile, the products I used are linked below.

Thanks for stopping by~

STAMPS:  Birthday Sentiments

Hi all!  Amber  here from The Country Scrapper to share a tutorial with you.  I love stamping and sometimes catch myself not thinking outside the box.  So today I wanted to show you a technique that is outside the box – stamping on felt.

Today I used the darling birthday stamps from the August Stamp School release.  I wanted to stamp the present onto felt.  I used Black Licorice ink to stamp onto the felt:

Then I wanted to color my present.  I used bright blues to stand out against the pink:

Next up, I decided to cut out my package using a scalloped oval:

And decorate your card:

Don’t be afraid to try something creative.  I’m sure when most people think of stamping, they usually think “paper”.  But keep in mind, stamping on felt and material can be a blast!

Stamp School: Birthday Icons, Birthday Sentiments

Hi Vicki here today with the Color Challenge for the month of August.

The colors this month are Purple, Red and Black, with any neutral.  Easy enough~  How did I make this card?  I inked up my acrylic block, spritz it with water and stamped it on my card stock.  I love this effect, you can’t plan how it will work out!

Remember, if you are the random winner, you win a prize at the end of the month!  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by~

STAMPS:  SS Birthday Sentiments

Misc: spray bottle with water, gems

This sentiment set has lots of ways to tell people to CELEBRATE!