Stamping & Scrapping with Jen

Hand Stamped Baby Gifts

If you are a faithful blog reader, you probably know about the new babies in the family.  Last weekend we went to meet baby Chloe and my girls had stamped onesies for her.  I love making these as presents for new babies.  It's always something a new baby can use; it's great to be able to personalize their gift; and it's something there is no way someone else will get them!!  It's also super easy to do (even a 6 year old can do it!!) 

All you need to do is wash & dry the onesie first without using fabric softener. Then select your stamps and Craft ink.  (An alphabet set is great for the personalizing.)  Then slip a piece of cardboard on the inside of the onesie (so the ink doesn't seep through) and stamp!  It's best to stamp and hold your stamp onto the fabric for a few seconds to let the ink soak in a little more.  Then, once you are all done, let it air-dry for 24 hours, then turn it inside out and throw it in the dryer on medium for 30 minutes to heat set it.

Your best bet for future washings to retain the intensity of the color is to wash the onesie in cold and air-dry, which is probably not that likely for baby clothes, so just let the new mom know the ink will probably fade a little with multiple washings.  It won't disappear altogether, but it might get lighter.

Here are a few pictures of them hard at work!

And here are their finished onesies!!!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Do you know what today is?????  It's not just Valentine's Day, but it's also my birthday!!!  Today I turn 39 years YOUNG, and I have a feeling I will stay at that age for a VERY long time.  :)

I thought I would share some of the Valentines we made today.  And by "we" I mean my kids and me.

Here is what Erin, my kindergartner, did for her class.  She used a variety of heart punches, with a little random marker drawing thrown in here & there.  Notice no two Valentines are alike!

Emily, my third-grader, had a much more analytic method of creating her Valentines.  She first sketched her design, then labeled all the colors in her design, and then set out to make her sample.  She played around a little until she was happy with it, and then made 23 of the same kind.  Here is one.

And here is a shot of the Valentines I made for my two sweeties.  They use the Greeting Card Kids stamp set, and I colored them with markers and blender pens.  I used the pattern prints Designer Series Paper to color block the background, and the Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding.  Notice one has brown hair and one is blond.  :)

I also have gotten back on the running bandwagon!!!  My ankle is better and I still have some nerve issues I'm dealing with, but they aren't too bad now that I have new sneakers!  Today I ran 4.5 miles at 6:00AM and it was a balmy 39 degrees!!  We had a little wind, so our pace wasn't stellar, but we were out there!!  That was the 4th day out of 5 out on the road for me!!!  I'm looking forward to tomorrow's rest day and then another 6AM run on Wednesday!!  I think it's going to be "warm" again.  (Remind me in November that I thought 39 was warm.)

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!  Tomorrow I have some birthday cards to share!!!

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Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolli, Lolli, Lolli...

LOLLIPOP!!

If you need a cute and unique Valentine idea for your kiddies this year (or for yourself - you're never too old for lollipops, right??), you might like this project!  I have a whole tutorial written up that you can easily download to your Kindle.  If you'd like to check it out, click here: Lollipop Holder Tutorial. I bet you already have all the supplies to make it in your craft room!!

If you'd like to check out my other Kindle Tutorials, click here.  More will be coming soon!!!

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Little Girl Party Favors

Our party favors for Saturday's pool party was a home-made headband using the Big Shot.  We made 18 of them - one for each girl who came, and one for each of my girls.  Here are a couple pictures.

First, here is what it looks like on.

And here is a shot of a bunch of them.  They are all a little bit different.

If you are one of my newsletter subscribers, you saw the directions on how to make these flowers last month.  There are a bunch of great new articles & ideas coming in July's newsletter.  Sign up now so you don't miss out!!!

Pillow Gifts

I thought I would try to get back on track now that I don't have the excuse of any big weekends coming up.  Thank you again for hanging in there with me - it was a rough two weeks, but I think I am on the road to recovery!  Today was honestly the first day I have felt normal.  I didn't realize how much these weekends take out of me.  But anyway...

As we usually do, we created pillow gifts for each of the guests who stay over at the hotel each night.  They actually don't go on people's pillows, we just announce that they are there and our guests can pick them up on the way to bed.  The best part is that they all include a door prize ticket!!

The first night, Friday, everyone got a little cello bag of jellybeans with the Top Note Die as the topper.  I used the Define Your Life stamp set to add different definitions appropriate to scrapbooking to each topper and decorated them with punched out flowers that matched the jellybeans.  (With 60 colors to choose from, OF COURSE they should match!!)  Here is a close up of one of the Top Notes.

 On Saturday night, we gave away lollipops.  I decided to make mine match the Shades of Spring Designer Series Paper.  (Everyone got half a pack of that - among other stuff - in their goodie bags!!)  These were pretty easy to put together - just a diecut and a few punches!!

Both of these projects would make great projects for kids and/or great party favors for any spring party or even the Easter table! I tied a little ribbon under the flower so the cardstock didn't slide down the lollipop stick.

So, check back tomorrow!  I plan to be back to my regular schedule now with lots of samples and projects to share!!

More Kids' Projects

Here are the second week of kids' projects from our Kids' Stamping Class.  This first project, a flower lollipop, actually has very little stamping, but it didn't seem to bother the kids!!  I I introduced them to the Big Shot and they LOVED it!!!  In this sample, they die cut flowers out of felt.

In the card this week, we used the Big Shot again, but this time with the embossing folder.  It was a pretty simple card, and it had snowed earlier in the day, so the theme was perfect!!!

These are actually Emily's samples this time around!!  Be sure to come back next week to see what we'll do this week. (I still don't know what we'll do yet.  Yes, I know the class is tomorrow, but I'll figure it out!!!)

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Kids Classes

I am teaching another stamping class this year at Emily's school.  It is for first and second graders and I have a few of the same students as I did last year, so the pressure is on to come up with new techniques and new projects!!  And to make things a little more complicated, I realized the day of the class that I was just about OUT of glue sticks, so I had to try to create 2 projects - one card and one 3D item - without using adhesive!!

So, first up was a one-layer card where were used sponging & masking.  Here was my sample.  (Emily already gave her sample away, otherwise I'd show you hers.)

And our 3D project was a covered notebook.  I told the kids they can use it to practice their spelling words. (I bet they loved that!!!)  Again this was my sample, but I promise to share Emily's samples in future weeks!!  We used the collaging technique where we layered lots of stamps in different colors on top of each other, and then we added some sponging.

I don't have any plans for this week yet, but I do know I will have glue sticks by then, so chances are it will be more than one-layer this week.  If you have any good ideas, please let me know!!  I have 5 more weeks of projects to figure out!! :)

Great Baby Gift!!

Need a great baby gift?  I have a great idea for you!!  And it's easy enough that your kids can do it too!!

 

How cute are these onesies???

My girls and I made these onesies for my great nephew, Logan, who is just three weeks old and is cute as can be!!!  He is so tiny, and is a rare boy in our family, so I thought I'd give him a unique personalized gift.  At first I was going to stamp both onesies myself, but the girls came down and insisted that they be part of the fun too, so I figured why not??

I did stamp his name on the first one above, and then Emily stamped the rest of the front and Erin stamped the back.  (Can you tell how proud she is in the photo above?)  And then my BORING onesie is on the bottom. :)

If you have never stamped on fabric before, here are a few tips:

• First, wash and dry the item without fabric softener.  (I let the onesies air dry.)
• Ink your stamp using craft ink (or other pigment ink) and instead of stamping quickly, let the ink soak in for a few seconds.  I had my girls put the stamp down and count to 10 before they lifted it up.
• Let the ink air dry for 24 hours.
• Turn inside out & heat set in the dryer on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Then for future care, it's best to wash it in cold water and air dry, but if you don't mind a little fading, you can just wash it with your regular laundry.  (That's what I usually do - who can be bothered with all that extra stuff!!!)

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Just for Kids Promotion

Stampin' Up! has announced another great promotion for the month of August - and it's all about the kids!!

You can purchase the brand-new Décor Elements Growth Chart (#117519) for just $24.95,  and as an added bonus, receive a free applicator tool with your purchase (a $1.95 value).  This adorable Growth Chart is self-adhesive vinyl and part of our Definitely Decorative (formerly Decor Elements) line.  It features the colors Taken with Teal, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip.  The Growth Chart is only available August 1-September 30.

* AND/OR *

Spend $35 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer buttons (Playground, Sherbet, or Button Latte)--a $7.95 value!  There is no limit, so you will receive a free container of buttons for every $35 that you spend!!

In order to take advantage of these great offers, order on my website or email me your order!!

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All Occasion Card Class - Kids' Birthday Sample

What is an All Occasion Card Class without a kids' birthday card?  This card would be great for a birthday boy or a birthday girl from 1 year-old to 7 years-old!!  Heck - it could even make a good baby shower card if Sesame Street is the theme!

Since there is very little stamping on this card, the star of the show is the Scallop Punch.  Here is how to create each character.

Big Bird
1- Yoyo Yellow Scallop Punch
2- Whisper White ½” circle punch
1- Yoyo Yellow Small Oval Punch
1- Pixie Pink Small Oval Punch - cut in half
2- Basic Black ¼” circle punch
Cut strips in yellow rectangle (about 1" x 1/2") to create hair

Elmo
1- Real Red Scallop Punch
2- Whisper White ½” circle punch
2- Basic Black ¼” circle punch
1- Only Orange ½” circle punch
1- Basic Black 1-1/4” circle punch – cut in half

Cookie Monster
1- Brilliant Blue Scallop Punch
2- Whisper White ½” circle punch
2- Basic Black ¼” circle punch
1- Basic Black 1-1/4” circle punch – cut so mouth is more than half the circle
1- Close to Cocoa ½” circle punch - use Black marker to make chocolate chips, punch out 1/4" circles for bite marks

Oscar the Grouch
1- Green Galore Red Scallop Punch
2- Whisper White ½” circle punch
2- Basic Black ¼” circle punch
2- Close to Cocoa Horizontal Slot Punch
1- Real Red ½” circle punch – cut in half
1- Basic Black small oval punch – cut so mouth is more than half the oval

Hope you enjoyed today's sample!!  Come back tomorrow for another one!!

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