Take Your Pick...

 

Most of you are familiar with our Take Your Pick Tool but are you aware of all the accessories?   I’d just like to take a minute to shine the spotlight on this versatile tool. Once you’ve seen the uses, you may not be able to live without one! Take Your Pick Tool This amazing tool comes with 2 changeable double-ended tips, including a paper piercer (aka pokey tool), mini spatula, small stylus, and large stylus. These are all interchangeable for one end of the base tool. The other end of the tool has a tacky putty tip along with an extra refill. Additional refills are also available. Protective caps are included for both ends of the tool. The piercer tip is great for poking holes in almost anything. (It’s not actually seen in the photo above because it’s inside the base tool. It’s on the other end of the spatula.) Use the spatula to slide under embellishments, release a card piece that wasn’t in exactly the right place, remove die cut images from your cutting pads, etc. The stylus tips can be used for scoring or poking ribbon through holes. The putty tip will easily pick up sequins, paper accents, and other small objects. Some of my friends who do Diamond Art absolutely love it! These are only a few ideas. I’m sure you’ll come up with many more! Take Your Pick Crafter Tips This set of interchangeable tips will fit on your original tool. There’s a hobby blade, a pick tip (which looks a bit like a dental tool) and a rotary perforating tip. The rotary perforating tip can be used for things you’d like to be able to tear off your projects, like a bookmark that could be removed for use, or those special gift coupons you create for a loved one could be torn out of a coupon book. These tips also have protective end caps. Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip This tip is also made to fit on your original Take Your Pick tool. Use this tip to easily remove small cut pieces from dies. The brush head twists into the Take Your Pick tool. It includes a brush head and two foam pads. What Do You Think? Now that you’ve seen how versatile this tool can be, do you need to add it to your arsenal? I know I have three so I can keep one handy at all times!

Sweet Sorbet

This is another card from the BRAYER CLASS on Saturday morning.  A great way to use a brayer is to pick up the color from the stamp pad and brayer the entire stamp.  In this case the lovely daisies are a retired background stamp from my 'loved and not forgotten' stash!  Background stamps and brayers get along particularly well.  The sentiment "You are the sunshine that brightens so many of my days" is from the stamp set HOPE YOU KNOW in the current annual catalog.  One word of advice ~ when using your brayer make sure that you have enough ink on the stamp pad ~ refills to the rescue!  And, do you love the color??  It is SWEET SORBET ~ an In Color ~ retiring soon!

 

Yesterday's Brayer Class

One of the techniques enjoyed in yesterday's Brayer Class in the Cat/Art Studio was using the brayer with embossing folders.  We used the Layered Florals 3D embossing folder on page 65 in the Mini Catalog.  

Using the brayer we added Starry Sky ink to the logo side of the embossing folder and ran it through the embossing machine with a piece of Starry Sky cardstock.

We trimmed this piece to the right size for our card and then added a light touch of White Craft ink (page 137 AC) to the raised images of flowers.

Here is another card created with the same technique.  This one uses Moody Mauve cardstock and ink.  It is a swap card created by Natalie Travis.

I will miss these....

This is my newest 3D embossing folder, LAYERED FLORALS, and one that I just received.  It is a beauty and one that I 'tried out' yesterday (as a break from doing taxes one of my least favorite jobs!).  You can find it on page 65 in the Mini Catalog.  It is $11.00 and the order number is 162935.  Like some of the other crafting products in the catalog it is hard to see ~ look up in the left hand corner.  I used my white watercolor pencil (you can find two assortments on page 125 in the annual catalog) to highlight several of the embossed flowers.  What do you think?

The colors that I used will be retiring soon!  I will miss them!  If you need any of the 2022 -2024 IN COLOR PRODUCTS it would be best to order them now ~ they will be out of stock soon!

Mix & Mask

On page 38 in Stampin' Up!'s Mini Catalog you will find the ENDURING BEAUTY BUNDLE which includes the stamp set, dies and a set of five decorative masks.  The picture above of my most recent creative mess includes the stamped image of flowers, the blending brushes and the stamp pads that I used with the masks.  When I finished coloring with the blending brushes I painted over the flowers with Wink of Stella.  If you would like more information about this technique join me on Saturday morning, March 2, for my BRAYER & MASK CLASS.

Embossing Folder & the new Brayer ~ no stamping!!

Instructions: 1.  Cut 5 ½” x 8 ½” card base from Lost Lagoon cardstock and fold in half on long side at 4 ¼”. 2. Cut 3 ¼” x 5 ½” Pecan Pie Panel. Punch a hexagon from the center of this panel, staying away from the edges. This is a paper saving technique, as we’ll be covering up the hole! 3. Cut 3” x 5 ½” Flight & Airy DSP (Designer Series Paper) and adhere over the Pecan Pie panel covering the hole. Attach near left side of card front. 4. Punch the Pecan Pie Flight & Airy DSP using the Heartful Hexagon Punch and adhere to Pecan Pie cardstock Hexagon for stability. 5. Apply Stampin’ Seal across back of Pecan Pie Hexagon and arrange Linen Thread as desired. Add to card front with Dimensionals. 6. Fussy cut bird from Flight & Airy DSP and adhere with Multipurpose Glue to left side of Hexagon. 7. Use Brayer to add ink to the fine line side of the Thoughtful Moments Embossing Folder. Depending on your comfort level, you can either emboss a scrap of Basic White Cardstock with your chosen greeting and then cut it using the coordinating dies, or you can carefully insert the dies into the Embossing Folder before adding your scrap and cut and emboss at the same time. Add greeting to card with Dimensionals. 8. Cut three small flowers from Calypso Coral cardstock scrap and adhere to Hexagon. 9. Color Basic Rhinestone Jewels with Lost Lagoon Blends and embellish as desired. PRODUCT LIST Thoughtful Moments Hybrid Embossing Folder (English) [162927] Heartfelt Hexagon Punch [162888] Flight & Airy 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [162977] Lost Lagoon Cardstock [133679] Pecan Pie Cardstock [161717] Basic White Cardstock [159276] Calypso Coral Cardstock [122925] Pecan Pie Stamp Pad [161665] Stampin' Brayer [162936] Linen Thread [104199] Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] Lost Lagoon Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [161680] Stampin' Seal [152813] Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] Paper Trimmer [152392] Bone Folder [102300] Take Your Pick [144107] Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

Brayer Tips

Brayer with Sweet Sorbet ink over DSP

 

I am glad to see the brayer back in our stamping tools. This is a great tool and has many uses.  You can find it on page 18 in the January Mini Catalog.   I compared the new Stampin' Up brayer with the old one we had several years ago. The roller on the old one is softer than the new one. The new one is silicone in a bright red orangish color.  The roller on the new one is longer than the old one. The new one does not seem to stain as easily and can be cleaned easier if cleaned directly after use.  The new one has 'feet' to prevent the ink on the roller from getting on the wrong place on our projects ~ ever have that happen??? Tips 1. Make certain that your brayer is clean of dust or lint. 2. Since the new brayer is wider, when inking, hold the ink pad side to side instead of bottom to top. 3. Swipe the ink on to the brayer in one direction. Do not roll it back and forward. Test on a scrap paper to check if the ink is on the brayer evenly. 4. Always use a well inked pad. 5. Before applying ink to your paper make certain that the surface is clean as well as the cardstock. 6. Clean your brayer after each use with a damp cloth. Play with your brayer and try using it with different techniques. Practice makes perfect.  I have a BRAYER CLASS scheduled in the CAT/ART STUDIO on Saturday morning, February 17, at ten.  Let me know if you are interested in joining me for some stampin' fun!

Tool Tips/Sue Erickson

 

Helpful Tool Tips Q & A – Scratched Cutting Plates Question: My cutting plates are so scratched up and the scratches are showing up on the surface of my die-cuts. I seem to be going through new cutting plates like crazy. Is there anyway I can use the old ones and not have the scratches appear on my paper? Answer: I know exactly what you mean. I was cutting out labels for a card swap and noticed those scratches were being embossed into the cardstock while die-cutting. I didn’t have new plates to use to finish the swap in time so I did a Google search for a solution. Here’s a great solution I found. Place a piece of copy paper or wax paper between the cardstock and the cutting plate. This provides a buffer between your cardstock and the scratches. In the future have one new plate dedicated to only being a top plate and avoid it getting scratches. Tool Tip – Stamping Multiple Images   When making multiple copies of the same card, die-cut one label/shape from a square of cardstock at least 1” larger than the shape. Then use the square as a placement template when using a Stamparatus or another placement tool. Place each die-cut in the template to stamp it. I usually recommend stamping first and then die-cutting but when you have many to do, this is a very efficient way to get the job done.

Masking?

 

                                                        

 

New Brayer ~ surprise!

New tool?  No, not really!  I bet many of us have an old brayer in our stash of treasured craft supplies.  Stampin' Up! has redesigned this one to include a silicone roller that is wider than our previous one and it has legs so that you can set it down without getting ink all over ~ the ink stays on the roller!  You can find the new one on page 19 in the Mini Catalog along with some very interesting hybrid embossing folders.  I will be posting samples of how you can use these folders later this week.  (In the meantime, forgive my absence ~ Alan kindly passed his cold on to me Saturday morning and I spent Saturday and Sunday in bed, recovering and reading ~ historic fiction ~ GIRL BRAIDING HER HAIR by Marta Molnar ~ I recommend it!)