Carrie Stamps

Woodland Deer

Today's Christmas card is one I made for my Facebook group, The Gel Press Journey. 

The Gel Press Journey is a page for those who want to learn how to use the Gel Press to make their own backgrounds like the one I used in this card. 

It is a ombre polka dot background made using red and white paint, a Gel Press, brayer and stencil.  The snowflakes were stamped on top of the polka dots. 

The other star of this card is the deer, die cut from the Woodland Deer die set by Spellbinders (currently on sale for $9.44). 

All the white parts on this deer I colored with a white gel pen. The eyes and nose I colored with a brown marker. 

I'm very happy with how this card turned out and am a big fan of making my own background with my Gel Press for one of a kind cards. If you want more information about  using the Gel Press and my page The Gel Press Journey, click HERE. 

Thank you for stopping by, I'll be back soon with another Gel Press Print Christmas card! 

Turkey Day Card

If you follow my blog then you might know that I love to make prints on a Gel Press. Having unique one of a kind backgrounds that I made is so much fun! It has added new a level of creativity and artistry to my paper crafting. BUT, sometimes I make a print that I don't really like. Well, not all is lost. I took one of those prints, it was plain and there was not a lot going on, so I stamped the Color Me Fall background stamp on it. And that was the start of this card. 

You can see what the print looked like before going on the card on the right. From that point I colored in the images with colored pencils. Then I sponged with edge of this panel with Oatmeal Cookie ink to draw the eye into the center. 

For the Turkey I used the Holiday Box Window Plates die set, I die cut the turkey shape with the details die inside of it from Cocoa Powder card stock. Then I glued that to another Gel Press print and die cut it again, using just the outside turkey die. 

To make my turkey POP, I coated him with a layer of Journey Glaze. 

If you want to learn more about the Gel Press you can click on the Gel Press category on the right hand side of my blog for more ideas. I also offer Gel Press 101 a getting started series of videos and printable PDF which is part of my Gel Press Journey Facebook page. Find out more about Gel Press 101 here. 

I have linked all the products I used to make this card below for your convenience:

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog! If you have any questions do not be shy about reaching out. I am glad to help.  

It's Cold Outside Christmas Card

Time to share the Christmas card I made on Monday night with the It's Cold Outside Stamp Set of the Month. 

It is very similar to yesterday's Fall themed card. I also made this background on my Gel Press with the Buffalo Check Stencil. I love the matte look of the acrylic paint on my card stock and it has a bit of texture that you can not get with ink. 

 

I added some snowflake elements to this card by stamping a snowflake background on the green circle using the Cold Snap stamp by Spellbinders. 

The black snowflake element is 3 die cut snowflakes from the Snow Flowers die set by FSJ. I just glued the three snowflake together to make it a thicker element. Once in place on the card I covered it with Journey Glaze. 

On the LIVE demonstration (see video below) I said that this month I would be making a card and matching tag each week with this Stamp Set of the Month. So, here is the matching tag for this card. 

It's very similar to the card. Take a close look at the sentiment. I added a shadow to the stamped image with a light gray colored pencil. Giving it a shadow and a bit of a vintage feel. 

This tag was die cut from the Special Day Tag Die set. After die cutting the tag, I added a hole in the top of the tag for my twine and a hole in each of the scallops at the bottom. 

What a cute set, I so enjoyed making a tag to match my card. Below you will find all the things I used to make these projects as well as the video to the Live demonstration of this card and the fall card.  You will want to see how I made the background for these on a Gel Press.

See the making of my first two card using the November Stamp Set of the Month, It's Cold Outside, here: 

NOTE: When you purchase the Stamp Set of the Month at my On-Line store then I will send you an exclusive card kit to make your first card with your new set on me!  Just email me your order number and the address that you want me to send the kit and tutorial to. (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog. I am here to chat if you have any questions and of course I'd love to hear your comments too. 

It's Cold Outside

Introducing the November stamp set of the month, It's Cold Outside!  It's is a set of 7 images with a coordinating set of 7 dies!  That's right every stamp has a die!  I love that! 

For this share of the Stamp Set of the month I made two cards during my Facebook Live video, one fall themed and one Christmas themed. Both with a Buffalo Check background that started out on the Gel Press. Today I am going to share the fall card. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow to see the Christmas card and I will be sharing a coordinating tag with that card. 

To create this background I used the Buffalo Check stencil by FSJ with Black Licorice paint on the Gel Press. I love the look of the matte finish acrylic paint with this stencil. It's not perfect and it gives the paper some texture. I finished off the check with some pin stripping. To create this look I used colored pencils and a ruler, simple and quick!  

My little fox, isn't he so sweet!!! I color him with colored pencils as well. Then sentiment I chose for this card is from the Hello Fall stamp set. I also used a background stamp, Color Me Fall to stamp the circle the fox is sitting on. 

To dress up this card I used some gold thread, which comes as an off white thread and gold twisted together. I unraveled it and used just the gold behind the circle. I added a wooden leaf element and some candy drops. 

You can watch the making of this card below, and the Christmas card as well!  

As with every Stamp Set of the Month, I will be back next Monday with another project with this set. This month I am focusing on cards and gift tags, join me next Monday night at 8pm MST on my Facebook page. 

I have linked all the products I have used to make both cards below for your convenience.

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my creations with you. Remember if you purchase the Stamp Set of the Month, It's Cold Outside then you will get a card kit in the mail from me. All you need to do is send me an email with your order # and your shipping address. (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)Kit go out at the end of the month. 

 

October Besties Swaptacular Part 2

Welcome back for part 2 of the October Besties Swaptacular! 

Today I am sharing the card that I made with the collection of products that I chose and sent to Georgie. 

I sent Georgie the Gel Press background you see on this card, the Chambray Shirt Ribbon and the DIY enamel dots. 

I immediately thought of snowmen when I created this background with Liquid color and a stencil on the Gel Press. 

These snowmen and sentiment are from the Snowmen Days stamp set. I stamped them in Grape Fusion ink onto a Pretty Amethyst circle. I thought it worked better on this card to have them on colored card stock than to color them in.

So apparently Georgie had the same feeling about this background paper as I did because she chose to put a snowman on her card too, check it out.

You can see the post and video about this card on her blog HERE.  Isn't that skating snowman so cute!  And she even used the same snowflake die on her card that I did!!! 

Below you can view the making of my card. 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my creations with you. Please reach out if you have any questions. And of course I'd love to hear what you think of todays projects. 

Halloween night sky with the Gel Press

Today I am sharing one of the cards I created for The Gel Press Journey, a private facebook group for those wanting to learn about the Gel Press. 

This background is one from a post on 5 things you can do with prints you don't like. Originally this print was very purple with bits of green in it. It was just kinda boring. So, I decided to add to it and that is where the black comes in. 

To create more of a night sky I splattered Whip Cream Silk on it to create the look of stars. 

For the moon, I die cut a circle from the print and once mounted to the card base I filled in the moon with Journey Glaze to give it lots of shine. 

My favorite element on this card though has to be the tree. 

It's a die cut from the Spooksville Die set. The tree is cut from Pretty Pansy card stock. I then pressed it into a clear pigment ink pad and embossed it with my own homemade mixed embossing powder (3 parts clear embossing powder to 1 part Sparkle Dust - a very fine glitter). I added some Monster Eyes, bringing my little tree to life. 

I have listed all the things I used to make this card below: 

 

 

 

Find out more about my Gel Press 101 online class and my private group The Gel Press Journey HERE. 

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Liquid Color and a Stencil

The story behind todays card makes me smile. It all started at my Gel Press class, with some play. My friend Kimberly who was learning the Gel Press for the first time wanted to try using Liquid Color and Stencils on the Gel Press. Class was nearing it's end and much paper had already been using pulling prints with Acrylic paints, but we gave it a go. With print making you just have to play around, and some of the things you will not love and others will make you giddy. And the later is what happened with Kimberly!  

Now check out this print made using Liquid Color and a Stencil on my Gel Press. 

I LOVE this saying. What a perfect card to lift the spirits of someone who maybe facing big changes in their life. Change is hard but there is still a way to shine.  And sometimes the best way to do that is to PLAY, just like Kimberly did. Play and find that joy and share it, because it is contagious!  I had a blast making these prints. What do you think?  Maybe it's time to sit at the craft desk and just play! 

Supplies:  

 

Find out more about the Gel Press HERE. 

Besties Swap

Hey stamping friends.  Do you have friends that you have made because of stamping, or crafting?  Two of my best friends are my friends because of stamping. And I can not live with out these girls. I and LOVE that crafting brings people together and friendships are forged that last and mean something. Georgie and I met at a stamp party I did for a mutual friend over 10 years ago. And to this day Georgie and I are besties and love stamping together. Even though we live in the same town life gets busy and we don't stamp together as much as we want to.  SO, we came up with this swap.  I send her some things, she sends me some things. No rules. And then we both make a card with each others things as well as the things we sent each other. That way you can see what two different  people made with the same things. 

Today I am sharing the card I made using the things that Georgie sent me. 

But first up check out what she sent me. 

And here is what I made with my goodies.  I loved the fall feel of these items and paired it with one of my current favorite stamp sets to play with, Happy Harvest. It has so many fun little images to go with the scarecrow as well as sentiments. 

You can find the making of this card here. 

Are you ready to see what Georgie made with the same supplies??? 

And if you'd like to see how she made her card click over to her blog, HERE.  She has a video for you as well. 

I have listed all the supplies I used to make my card below for easy reference.  

 

 

 

TAKE NOTE: INK PADS and CARDSTOCK is currently 20% off!  Find out about this sale HERE and take advantage before it ends on 9/30/18!

INCLUDED in that sale is the bundle at 25% off!  I already got mine, so excited about the Rainbow Drops being on sale! 

 

Thank you for taking time to stop and visit my blog, I love doing this swap with Georgie.  Stay tuned, we will be back on the third tuesday of the month LIVE on my FB page for another swap in October! 

 

 

Come back tomorrow, I will be sharing the items I sent to Georgie and the cards that we made. 

Gel Press Swap

Today I am sharing another card I made using a Gel Press Print that my friend and fellow Creative Team Designer gave me.  We actually swapped some prints to challenge each other and see what we could come up with. 

Here is the print as she sent it to me. 

For some reason I felt that this print had a tropical feel to it. Here is the card I made with the print.

Besides the print, I especially love the PomPoms in the center of the flower!  It's the first time I have used them and they are just too darn cute!  I do love some texture in my cards and the Gel Press print is the first layer of texture and the PomPoms are the second.  

I made this card for one of my friends and am hoping that she gets it in the mail today!  Lately it just seems to me like more people need some happy mail in their lives. I know it makes my day when I get a hand made card in the mail. 

If you are curious about the things I used to make this card I have it all listed out for you below. 

 

 

The PomPoms  are currently available as part of a discounted bundle at FSJ (sale ends 9/16/18), check it out HERE. Also, all ink pads and solid packs of card stock are 20% off at FSJ, check that out HERE. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you are inspired to create and send out some happy mail too! 

Pink and Yellow on the Gel Press

Two of my go to colors of acrylic paint to use on my Gel Press are Pink and Yellow. Sweet Berry (bright pink) and Lemon Drop (bright yellow) paints by FSJ to be exact. I'll also throw in some Bubble Gum (light pink) and Citrus Cooler (orange) I have several prints that I have made with these colors and this week I created several cards with them.  

For both of these cards I press something into the paint after braying it on to my Gel Press the top card I used a rubbing plate, meant for preschoolers to put a paper on top of and rub with the side of a crayon to make a rubbing of a flower. The bottom print I used a produce bag that once held oranges. 

This cards was also made with a rubbing plate, both of which I found at the dollar store. I love finding things that will make cool texture and pattern on my Gel Press. If you are unfamiliar with the Gel Press is a plate made of gel, it soft and has a bit of squish to it. You make your own prints on it by braying paint or ink on it. Then you lay a piece of paper over that and pull up a print. If you want to learn more about the Gel Press check out Gel Press 101. 

If you have any questions about this card or the Gel Press, please just let me know. I have taken courses on how to use and am the creator of Gel Press 101. Below you will find all the supplies I used to make these cards. 

  

 

Thank you for letting me share one of my favorite crafty things with you, the Gel Press. 

Thankful Friends BONUS

The kits are in the mail and now I can share with you the BONUS card for my August Stamp Set of the Month, Thankful Friends. 

I love how this stamp set can go from cutesy to woodland. 

For this card I went all out, I wanted those who got this card kit in the mail from me to have a WOW card for their first card with their new stamp set. 

The background is stamped with the Pine Background stamp.  Isn't it gorgeous with Cool Pool Silk splattered on it. 

The circle that the squirrel is special paper, it is from a print I made on my Gel Press. After cutting out a circle from this print I embossed the circle with my Barn Wall embossing folder.  BUT here is the magical part, take a piece of fine grit sanding paper and sand off some paint from the raised areas of the embossed lines. These are the things that make my giddy!  

Do you LOVE the pinecones??? I adore pinecones to stamp, die cut, collect, decorate with!  I have several pinecone ornaments fo my Christmas Tree. So I have been making different variations of pinecones with this new die set and have lots of fun! 

So other extra special touches I added to this card are a strip fo corrugated stock, I love how just a little strip of this specialty paper elevates my projects. And a few rainbow drops added an extra bit of shine that this card needed. 

I am excited for my customers to get these card kits and make this beautiful card, if I don't say so myself. As you can see making cute things with paper is my jam, it brings me joy and fills my cup!  I hope that my creations inspire you to create and fill your cup as well. 

If you're curious about all the cool things I used to make this card I am listing them below for you. 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop and visit my blog. Sharing my creations with you is one of my favorite things about my job. 

Martha's Pumpkins

Happy September, a lot of you have told me you are really looking forward to fall.  Well it is about here!  I am loving that the temperatures have already cooled down. I am planning on savoring every last minute of it, since fall goes by so fast and winter lingers FOREVER! 

A new month also means a new stamp set of the month!  My pick this month is.... Martha's Pumpkins! 

What I love about this set: 

It's pumpkins!  Pumpkins are cute and the word is just fun to say. 

There are pumpkins for halloween and fall. 

These pumpkins are decorated. 

This stamp set has coordinating dies! 

Now, about this card the yellow background is a Gel Press Print that my friend Marty McGee sent me when we did our Gel Press print swap. She also sent me this picture of the print being made on the Gel Press. 

Pretty cool right, she used stamps to add a bit of texture and pattern to the acrylic paint before pulling this print. 

I made a second card just like this one, but using a print I had on hand, and this time I used a cat sticker instead of the spider sticker. Both are from the Spooky Eve sticker pack. 

I LOVE the spectacles and eyes on this pumpkin, it really makes him look like he was just scared and so was the cat. 

You can see the making of this card on the video below. Every Monday night I do a live video featuring the stamp set of the month, make sure to find me on Facebook so you can join the fun and watch me LIVE. 

 

All the products I used to make these cards are listed below. 

Whenever I make a Halloween card I like to make sure it comes with a treat. This one holds a gift card on the inside with the help of the Gift Slider Die. 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share my new favorite stamp set. If this set is one you love to and you purchase it from my online store, I will be sending you an exclusive card kit with this set, so you can make your first card with your new set on me!  

No such thing as a bad print

I am really enjoying getting to know the other designers on the FSJ Creative Team.  It just so happens that Marty McGee, who is on the team and is one of the other coaches I got to demonstrate with at convention in June, is also big into making Gel Press Prints!  So, we decided to send each other some prints and get creative. The on stipulation was that at least one of the prints had to be one that we considered to be "UGLY".  But Marty and I like to say, "There is no such thing as an ugly print, just an opportunity to get creative." 

Here is the "UGLY" print that Marty sent me.  

When I saw this print I thought of Halloween. And one of my suggestions when you are working with a print that you might find ugly is to stencil something over the top of it.  So for this card I pulled out my Designer Series Stencil to add to the print. And, I stenciled Modeling Paste on to this print. First, let me show you the finished card, then I will show you the step by step on how altered my print. 

First I taped my Gel Press print down to a scratch piece of paper. Then I taped the stencil down over the top of my print.  That way, nothing is going to move. 

Then I used a palette knife to spread the Modeling Paste over the stencil.  It's just like frosting!  Only it does not have to look perfect, so that is a WIN!  But, you don't have to be afraid to give this product a try, you don't have to be a mixed media artist to use this.  If you want something fun and new to add to your card making, this is just the thing!  It's super fun. 

So, the openings on the stencil will now be white and the areas where the stencil is will stay, letting my Gel Press Print background shine through. 

Once you remove the stencil, make sure you rinse it off under water or wipe it off good with a baby wipe. Then you need to let the modeling paste dry.  I did use my Heat Tool to speed up this process, just make sure you move it around like you would a hair dryer.  Holding it in one spot can cause the paste to bubble up.  But on a side note maybe there is a project in the future where you want to bubble up your modeling paste, so remember that. 

Once my background was dry I knew I could not use it with the background that white. So I decided to color it with PanPastels. I used the Silver and a Sofft Tool to apply it. It gave my background shimmer and darkened it up just enough. 

Then I had a fun print to use to make a Halloween card!  

Below are all the products I used to make this card, if you have any questions, please reach out and ask. I love to chat with my readers and help with crafting questions. 

 

If you'd like to see one of the prints that I sent Marty and what she made with it you can find that HERE. It's a really cute card with one of my favorite stamp sets, Thankful Friends. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this print be transformed and are inspired to create, thank you for stopping by. 

Many Thanks Gel Press Card

I can pin point the moment my life changed.  Do you have a moment like that in your life?  I may be being just a tad bit melodramatic here. I do love be overly dramatic about things I love. So, the moment my life changed forever, the moment things changed and will never be the same was the moment I put paint on my first Gel Press and created my very own print. I'm sure I saw magic that day, when I pulled up the card stock up and there was a background paper that I had created with paint, a brayer and a stencil.  I can say in a years time the love affair with the Gel Press is still going strong. So much so that I shared this love with my downline and bestie, Georgie!  And now we've created so many prints that we swap them.  That's a fun thing to do when you have hundreds of prints, right!?! 

Okay enough with the silly dramatics, but for real life, I LOVE that Gel Press!  Today I am sharing with you a card that I made with a swapped print from Georgie!  Yesterday I shared the cards made with the print I made and shared/swapped with Georgie. So, today I am sharing the cards made with the print that she made and swapped with me. 

Can you see the amazing print she made??? Here is a look at the print and the other goodies she sent me to make this card. 

I added a little to this background with some stamping and some silk. 

I inked up the Vintage Notes background stamp lightly and not covering the entire image evenly.  Then I stamped this onto the print. Next I splattered the print with Cool Pool Silk.  I love the shabby chic look of this print.  I chose the music note background stamp because Georgie is a musician and it reminds me of her.  Now take a look at what Georgie created with her print!  

CHRISTMAS ya'll, she made a Christmas card!!!!!!!!!! Isn't it gorgeous! If anyone ever loved making Christmas cards it is Georgie.  You can check out her blog of beautiful creations HERE. Tomorrow is her birthday, so be sure to click over and tell her how cute her card is and Happy Birthday! 

Below are all the products I used to create my card, click on an image to shop for it: 

 

If you'd like to learn more about making prints on the Gel Press be sure to read this blog post about Gel Press 101,

I am here to help! 

Thank you for taking time to stop by and visit my blog and let me share my creations with you. 

Be led by your dreams

Recently I got to share with other creative business owners how to move past fear.  It was an amazing experience to talk about something that has been a life changing experience for me. When I was making the card I am sharing with you today, I was thinking of all the women who shared about fears they are facing.  It seems like a lot of people have something in their life that might be holding them back. And the message on this card is one that can remind us that our dreams are bigger than those fears.  Focus on your dreams and face those fears and continue on your path to making your dreams come true. 

Today's card is special for another reason too, it is part of a swap that my teammate and bestie, Georgie and I do each month.  We send each other some goodies and then we each make a card with those goodies. FUN, right!  So today we are sharing our creations with the things I sent her.  

Here you can see exactly what I sent to Georgie: 

The polka dot background is a print I made on my Gel Press. Do you know about the Gel Press?  I love making my own background papers on it by braying on some paint and picking it up with a piece of card stock. If you'd like to know more about the Gel Press, under CATAGORIES click on Gel Press on the right side bar of this blog page. I even offer training for those who purchase a Gel Press at my online store, find out more about that HERE. 

Now let's take a look at Georgie's card. 

So cute right!  The sequins as little flowers with the little tiny leaves!  Tiny things make me happy.   Be sure to click over to Georgie's blog and check out her creations, she just happens to be one of my most favorite people. While your there leave her a comment and wish her a Happy Birthday!  

Did you know you can get easily get three of the things I used to make this card for FREE!  I did and I thought you might like to get in on a good deal too. With FSJ when you shop and spend $75 you get a Bloom Benefit, which is an exclusive collection of products that are gifts with purchase. The Sequins and the die set are BOTH a Bloom Benefit. So if you were to shop with FSJ and spend $150 in one purchase you could choose both of these as your free gift with purchase like I did. Also, with a $150 purchase you get to pick any ATS set (Artist Trading Stamp) that FSJ carries for FREE!  So, you could get the Dreams ATS (AT-0146) as your free selection.  Not to mention that you'd also get $20 in host dollars to pick out what you like for FREE.  All these rewards you get at check out.  I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE getting FREE gifts with purchase and FSJ is rocking this! 

Below are all the supplies I used to make my card, click on any image to shop for it. 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to stop and visit my blog. Please let me know if you have any questions about this card or Gel Press Print making. 

Pop of Color

Happy Monday!  Do you ever need a quick card?  Today's card is quick because I had several backgrounds I made on my Gel Press already done.  The are made with Liquid Color and a brayer, so easy.  

This background was made from Watermelon Fusion, Peaches and Cream and Lemon Drop Liquid Color.  So yummy, like a popsicle, you almost was to lick it!  

The other super fun thing about today's card is that I made it as part of a challenge with my downline, who is also one of my besties, Georgie Manning.  She also is as sweet as can be! We challenged each other to make a card using the Color Pop stamp set.  

So with my yummy background in hand, I embossed the sentiment from that stamp set in black.  Then I splattered it with some  Black Licorice and Sparkle Silk.

I trimmed the background down to 5" x 3-5/8" and mounted that to a Black Licorice panel that measures 5-1/8" x 3-3/4". 

Before mounting this to my card I added a strip of Black Licorice Sparkle tape to the spine of my Whip Cream Card Base (5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored at 4-1/4")

To embellish my card, I took a little piece of Black Licorice Twine, coiled up and stuck that down to the bottom left corner of my background. 

And then cute part, the yellow flower, is from a pack of flowers that FSJ calls; Fresh Cuts.  I added a little bit of Journey Glaze to the center so that the little elements there would stand out a bit. 

Last little touch is a few yellow rainbow drops, which are card magic!  Must have accents! 

And now for the fun part of this post, Georgie's card made with the same stamp set.  We did not see each other's card before they were finished.  And look how we not only used the same stamp set, but the same stamp.  I love that her card has an 80's feel with neon colors!  If you want to read about how she got some of the letters colored on top of the white embossed saying then, click over to her blog post, HERE. 

I also love that she used one of my favorite background stamps, Graduated Dots!  SO MUCH FUN doing a challenges with my team.  Stay tuned for another challenge with my team next Monday where Barbara and I pick up with our Mystery Makery challenge after a month off.  Gonna be some country fun in that post! 

Below are all the supplies I used to make my card: 

  

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog, sharing my love of paper crafting is what brings me joy.  I hope you take some time to do something today that brings you joy. 

Smoothie Swap

Hey there stamping friends.  Today I am sharing another one of the swaps I made for my trip to Fun Stampers Journey convention.  This swap is for the Manager's reception.  An exclusive event FSJ throws for all the coaches who are Managers and above.  So, why not do a swap!? The theme for this swap was rainbow. 

I made a rainbow background on my Gel Press, just as I did for this Fruit Loops card.

To make the smoothie the same as the background I simply die cut the cup from the middle of the print.  And that spot is covered up with the black and white panel, so no one need ever know.  But you of course. The cup, lid and straw are part of the Coffee First die set, such fun dies! 

I also made a little matching tag and coordinating envelope.  

I can not wait to see what the other managers make for this swap!  I will be sharing them with you soon.  

Let me know if you have any questions about these creations.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Smoothie Swap

Hey there stamping friends.  Today I am sharing another one of the swaps I made for my trip to Fun Stampers Journey convention.  This swap is for the Manager's reception.  An exclusive event FSJ throws for all the coaches who are Managers and above.  So, why not do a swap!? The theme for this swap was rainbow. 

I made a rainbow background on my Gel Press, just as I did for this Fruit Loops card.

To make the smoothie the same as the background I simply die cut the cup from the middle of the print.  And that spot is covered up with the black and white panel, so no one need ever know.  But you of course. The cup, lid and straw are part of the Coffee First die set, such fun dies! 

I also made a little matching tag and coordinating envelope.  

I can not wait to see what the other managers make for this swap!  I will be sharing them with you soon.  

Let me know if you have any questions about these creations.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Small Things Swap

Well, today is the day, I am off to Fun Stampers Journey Convention. Phoenix in June, sounds pleasant, right!  It won't matter what the temperature soars to, we will be having so much fun that it won't matter! One of the fun things we do at convention is SWAP!  Everyone from my team that is attending convention decided to do a swap together.  There was not theme, we just needed to use current product to make our cards.  I thought you'd like to see the card I made for this swap. 

For the Monarch butterfly in the center of the card I started by making my own background paper on my Gel Press with acrylic paint.  Once that was dry I stamped my butterfly on that background and cut it out.  I cut off the legs and the antenna.  And I glued this on top of a butterfly stamped on the white circle, giving the butterfly back it's extremities. 

All the stamped images on this card are from a cute stamp set called Small Things, you can view it HERE. 

When I get home from convention I will share with you the swaps I got in return!  If you'd like to follow along with my convention adventures be sure to follow on my facebook page. 

Thank you for stopping by, I will be back soon with another of my convention swaps, also made with the Gel Press. 

Flat Card Carrier Bag

Don't you love it when you can use something more than one way?  I love it when I can use a die to make different things, other than just the intended shape. When I first saw the Card Carrier Bag die, I knew I wanted to try and make this gusseted bag into a flat bag. If you have not seen the Card Carrier Bag before, check out this one.  I have done just that, check it out. 

This flat bag started out with a couple Gel Press Prints. 

If you would like to learn how to use the Gel Press, check out my virtual Gel Press 101 class.

I dressed up my flat Card Carrier Bag with the Magical Unicorn stamp set, it really is the cutest unicorn stamp set! 

I colored her mane with Journey Color Burst Pencils, covered that with Journey Glaze and while the glaze was wet sprinkled on some Sparkle Cuts.  The horn and the hooves were colors with a Gold Gel Pen. 

The bag is accented with Rainbow Drops, which has to be one of the coolest accessories I've owned.  There are SO many in the container I am not afraid to use them, I don't have to hoard them, I can create with them and make super cute things!!! 

I thought you'd like to see how to make the Card Carrier Bag into a flat bag, so I have a video for you below. Make sure you click over to YouTube, so you can subscribe to my channel. 

 

 

Here is a list of all supplies I used to make the projects, click on an image to shop for it in my online store: 

 

 

Thank you for taking time to stop and visit my blog.