Thursday, October 30, 2014

Inspired Stamps online store is moving!! Any store credits must be used by Tuesday!


Hello friends!
BIG NEWS today here at Inspired Stamps!  We will be moving from our current online store address at www.inspiredstamps.com to a new address starting with our NEW STAMP RELEASE on WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5th (just a few days away)!  If you have a current store credit, these will expire at midnight EST on Tuesday November 4th and will not be able to be transferred to the new online store site!   This week's 12 WEEKS OF CHRISTMAS TUTORIALS will be shared on TUESDAY AFTERNOON along with our new store address (we are so excited and with much lower shipping costs, we know you will be too!)  Until Wednesday, our online store is up and running as usual: www.inspiredstamps.com

Today we have SCRIPTURE to share in the Design Team projects!
KARY starts us off with this lovely card:
Up next is SHANTA's stunningly creative card:
Deneen made this card we'd all love to receive!
Belinda has this beauty:
Jamie has several (she'll be teaching you this technique on her week of 12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorials):

And up next is Chere's candle creations...(she explains the process of how to do this on her blog!)



 These are so wonderful! 
Thank you for stopping by and be sure to come back over on Tuesday when I share the next tutorial and our new store site!! 
Blessings,
Antoinette and the DT
inspiredstamps.com  shipping most orders out the SAME DAY they are placed!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Card in a Box! 12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorials: Week 9 with Chere!

Hello everyone,  Today Chere has this great tutorial for you....Here's Chere:
Christmas is right around the corner and many of us are still looking for Christmas card and project ideas.  Well at the Inspired Stamps blog you will find a new idea each week, this week it is my turn to share a project tutorial.  Today I created a "card in a box" using the Shepherd boy and the standing sheep stamp and laying sheep stamp.  I stamped the sheep several times on cardstock and watercolored the images using distress markers.  There are several different versions of this "card in a box" on the internet, but I like this one the best because you can get two out of one 8.5 X 11 inch piece of cardstock.  You cut the 11 inch side in half, to get two pieces of 8.5 X 5.5 inches.
 Place 8.5 inch side on top fence of scoring tool and score at 2, 4. 6 and 8 inches.  Turn 90 degrees and score at 2 3/8 inches.  Now you will need two tabs for inside of box and these can come from your scrap pile (we all have one of those don't we?)  These are 3 X 1/2 inches, score each end of the 3 inch length at 1/2.  (It is easier to score at .5 inches and then flip around strip and score again at .5 inches).  Then you will fold one part toward the back and one part toward the front.  This is a Z-fold.  Apply sticky strip (strong adhesive) to the outside edges of scored piece to attach inside box.
 The box panel is folded and burnished on three sides.  (You want to keep fourth side upright, this will be your back panel, this is also where the sides are attached with strong adhesive. Cut up three of the score lines to create flaps (this is the shorter of the panels).
 The Z-fold strips are placed on the inside of the box.  It is easiest to use a strip with fold facing back panel and line up with the back edge, adhere, then line up side and fold box on side and burnish.  Repeat with strip toward the front of the box.  These pieces are needed for the box to have stability and to allow you to attach your embellishments.  I added pieces of BoBunny paper from the Christmas Collage collection.  The pieces were cut to 2 X 2.25 inches, adhere to 3 side panels, the back panel was a bit longer.
 I cut 1/4 inch strips to attach to back of my Shepherd and sheep to better attach them to the inside strips.  I also added some grass to these strips, since sheep are grazers and it helped mask the white strips.  I added Luke 2:11 to front flap and stars to back panel.
 More BoBunny Christmas Collage paper was added to bottom panels.
 The back of the box is where you can stamp your sentiment and write your personal message.  My sentiment came from the Christmas verses set.
 Here is the box folded flat.  When you are adding your embellishements you want to make sure they will not stick out the sides when folded flat, so that the card will still fit in a standard A2 envelope.  The card mails flat, but what a wonderful surprise for your recipient when the open up and see your creation.  I just love how fun these cards are to make and how happy they make the recipient.  I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I hope you will give this card a try.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you so much for stopping by today and please be sure to check in often at the Inspired Stamps blog for more inspiration.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

ANYTHING but a card, using Inspired Stamps!

Hello friends!
Today our DT was asked to create ANYTHING but a card and Shanta starts us off with this clever bag using BO BUNNY PRIMROSE paper and $3.99 2x2 Single Scripture Stamp, PHILIPPIANS 1:3, BOTH found in the online store: www.inspiredstamps.com
Belinda made this ADORABLE sucker holders using Inspired Stamps FALL GRATITUDE:

 Chere created this beautiful wall hanging using a variety of Inspired Stamps you can find under our CHRISTMAS category:
 Deneen also made a lovely wall-hanging, using Isaiah 41:10:
 Kary created this beautiful tag using SHEEP LAYING and one of my favorite Scripture stamps:

We have some exciting news next week and then a brand new release the first Wednesday in November that you won't want to miss!
Have a blessed day!
Antoinette and the DT


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorials WEEK 10: GIFT CARD card

Hello friends!

We are busy busy busy this time of year as I'm sure you are too!  Today I have the 10th week post of our Christmas Card Tutorials with a really simple and really practical Card to make:  One that holds the gift cards all the teenagers (and some a little beyond the teenage years!) look for under the tree!  I have tons of nieces and nephews I don't live near that I always send a gift card to and this card style is easy enough for me to make them quickly and in production method!
I took a sheet of off-white cardstock and cut it to 5.5"x 9 inches.  I folded one end up an inch (and forgot to take a photo, but you'll see it clearly when I show the finished card photos) then folded the card base in half.  Here's the card itself using Inspired Stamps (HIS LITTLE ONES: WINTER GIRL, MATTHEW 1:21, and a sentiment from PERFECT CHRISTMAS SENTIMENTS) :
 Front of the card after it's folded in half and I rounded the bottom corners.  I used Bo Bunny paper (LOVE this winter paper) that you can find in the online store POWDER MOUNTAIN COLLECTION:
Below is a shot of the inside of the card.  You'll see the one inch strip at the base that was folded up and glued on the sides of the fold to make the pocket.  I used  a sentiment from Inspired Stamps' PERFECT CHRISTMAS SENTIMENTS on that 1" strip, background stamped a tree from FIR TREES and stamped JOHN 14:6 over that so the verse would pop:
 Here's a close up of the top:
 In the bottom I took 2 glue dots and a piece of ribbon and made a little loop so the gift card can be easily removed.  I always put a glue dot to hold the gift card in place so it doesn't fall all over the place in the mail:




I hope this gave you a quick idea on making some easy gift card holders this year!  The DT is back Thursday and then Friday another of our Christmas Card tutorials will be shared!  Hard to believe only 9 weeks until Christmas then!!

Blessings,
Antoinette

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Fall HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cards

Hello Friends!
I love fall...the colors on the trees, the crisp cool (sometimes cold!) air, and all the decorating that happens this season!  Our Design Team are sharing some beautiful FALL BIRTHDAY CARDS with you today using Inspired Stamps!  (TUESDAY I have a great card tutorial to share with you so be sure to check back TUESDAY afternoon!)

Deneen starts us off with this great card using HYMN GIRLS: FEBRUARY, LEAVES, and PERFECT SENTIMENTS stamp sets from our Inspired Stamps online store!
Jamie shared her card using a technique she'll be sharing:

Belinda is next up using our BIRTHDAY stamp set with LEAVES:
Chere combined a few sets to create this lovely card with the same sets and added a pumpkin from FALL GRATITUDE:
Patty made this lovely card with one of our $3.99 2x2 Stamp set, ISAIAH 43:1 and TAGS (Happy Birthday!):
Shanta created this lovely card using PERFECT SENTIMENTS  with Leaves:
Most used BO BUNNY APPLE CIDER paper pack you can also find at our online store!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! TUESDAY afternoon I will have week 10's post of 12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorial!!

Blessings,
Antoinette and the DT

Friday, October 10, 2014

Using Stencils: 12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorials with Kary week #11

Hello friends,
Here is Kary with her fabulous photo tutorial....

There are so many fun ways you can use a stencil.  The easiest method I think is using Spritz with the stencil.  Here I've used a chevron stencil and spritzed some gold and clear shimmer sprays.  It's not perfectly even and there's some splatters of ink but it's ok.


Next, I played with Embossing paste.  Place a stencil over the cardstock.

Spread a thin layer of Embossing paste over the stencil. I also spritzed some shimmer sprays over the Embossing paste.  Then lift the stencil from the cardstock.
 Here's the end result.  Let it dry for about an hour before using.

And here are the cards using the above stencil techniques:

The stamps I used are HLO Angel and the Scripture sentiment Luke 2:13-14, and you can see the chevron stencil piece behind the stamp images.



For this card, I used the Scripture sentiment Luke 2:11 with the Embossing paste piece in the background.

I hope you'll try these techniques with stencils and have a great weekend!

Thanks Kary!!  This is great!
Be sure to come back each Friday for our lastest Christmas Card Tutorial!
Blessings,
Antoinette