Amazing, but it is the last day to order from the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog… click here to view it online for a limited time.  And remember, I am offering these 6×6 books below (one free for each $75 online order) FULLY FINISHED with all accessories for one more week (click here full details).

If you are reading this via email, you will have to view the article on the web to see the video.  Below are the books shown and you can download the instructions under each photo:

CLICK HERE to Download the photo instructions
for the Gently Falling Book

CLICK HERE to Download the photo instructions
for the Christmas Lodge Book

Enjoy the video on the construction of the book, be sure if you like the sets that you order them today… in case they are not picked up in the new catalog (coming out in July 2012)–this might be your last chance!  If you like the designer papers, remember they have never carried over into the next catalog in the past, so stock up!  As for accessories, click here for the flyer on which accessories will continue to be available.

This ‘stair step’ card made with the Christmas Lodge set is simple and pretty–and a major WOW in the 3D Christmas card department.

If you are reading this via email, you won’t be able to see the fabulous video that I created to show you how it was made.  BUT you can download the photo step-by-step instructions for this card (below).  If you are reading this via email, you can view the video in the article online here.

NEW– for a limited time, you can get the kit of supplies (pre-cut cardstock and embellishments) for this AND three other projects FREE for your $75 online order (Americans only, sorry!).  In fact there are a few different projects to choose from. Read all about this offer and get the project sets and required accessories HERE.

I just simply love this new set of outline/inline stamps ‘Gently Falling’ from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog.

In fact, I actually got my act together and created a video (if you are reading this via Feedburner mail, you can’t see the video).

You’ll see that my hand is bandaged… I got the idea to give my cat a flea-bath. Seemed like a good idea at the time.  I have stitches, antibiotics and a tetanus shot for my efforts. Anyone want an orange tabby cat? Spayed and all her shots.

But I digress.

The card is Very Vanilla on Crumb Cake.  The ink is Crumb Cake and the leaf is Wild Wasabi and Pumpkin Pie done with the ‘rolling’ technique.  This is an old technique that’s been around forever, however it is easier ‘seen than said,’ if you get what I mean.

I want to credit Erika Clark for the inspiration for this card!

This is the first of two samples of a ‘faux horizon’ using sponge daubers and dye inks on ‘glossy’ cardstock.

With this sample, I have included a short video clip on how to do this simple, yet effective technique.

The set used here is ‘Scenic Season’ #115354, Sponge daubers and Barely Banana, Blush Blossom and Bashful Blue inks and glossy cardstock.

You can’t tell from the photo but the horizon line was done with glitter.  Enjoy the video, and feel free to leave feedback!

In the video, I not only show this easy folding method to an excellent gift bag/purse, but also the watercolor techniques that I used to color this awesome ‘Victorian’ Santa.

Supplies used in the project:

• 115326   Good Cheer stamp set (set of 3)  $22.95
• 115672   Merry Moments Designer Paper   $9.95
• 101650  Very Vanilla Cardstock  (40 sheets)  $7.50
• 102514  Creamy Caramel Cardstock (24 sheets)  $7.95
• 106696  Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons  (12 colors) $19.95
• 103954  Aquapainters (set of 2)  $16.95
• 112533  Jumbo Brads 5/8 in. Neutrals  (8 ea. of 4) colors, $6.95
• 109053  Bravo Burgundy 5/8 in grosgrain ribbon (15 yds)  $7.95
• 111343  Chunky Sprinkles glitter (iridescent) set of 4 colors  $15.95

ENJOY!

Receive this via email and can’t see the video? Click here to view it.

As promised, my video on the Special FX background (aka, ‘Direct to Paper’ technique) using Stampin’ Up! Crafter’s inks, Pearl Ex powders and Stampin’ Up!’s Iridescent Ice embossing powder (#101930).

To recap what’s on the video in terms of supplies:

The card is using the Good Cheer set (#115326), the pine trees are from the new holiday set ‘Scenic Season’ and Winter Post (both on pg.35 in Stampin’ Up!’s new idea book & catalog).

The Stampin’ Up! crafter’s inks used are Whisper White, Always Artichoke, More Mustard and So Saffron.  I stamped the focal image in Black StazOn on Very Vanilla paper and colored in gently with the Stampin’ Up! Earth Elements Watercolor Crayons and an Aquapainter.

I used Gold Encore pad sponged on to antique the edges.  I used iridescent rhinestones (2 sizes for effect) and Stampin’ Up!’s Chunky Sprinkles glitter which adds maximum iridescent sparkle!

A few years back, I posted samples using this ‘direct to paper’ technique here.  The posts leads to step by step instruction of this background technique… you can see it here.

You can buy an awesome set of Pearl Ex pigment powders from Dharma Trading online HERE (this is exactly the first set I ever purchased).  They are also my favorite source for fabrics for stamping and painting on.

Hope you enjoyed the video… I am such a spaz… I have bruises on my arms, they aren’t dirty, LOL… I just walk into things.  [This is the problem with me being so OC about these videos... if I waited for perfect, you'd never see them!]

Can’t view the video? CLICK HERE to view it on my site (it won’t go through via email).

I’m having fun with the Bigz XL Die ‘Pop Up Look Here’ die for the Sizzix Big Shot… so much so that I wanted to share a short video clip on putting it together (for those of us who won’t read the directions that came with it!).  It is very difficult for me to publish a video.  Besides from the obvious (being a video challenged individual), I am terribly ‘Type A’ person (READ: it must be perfect) before I will publish it.  I need to let go of that (I’m working on it!).

Check out my ‘Video Channel’ AmyTV for all my videos!  Be kind in your feedback!

The card was made with Melon Mambo (pink) and Crushed Curry (yellow) and the Razzleberry Lemonade designer series papers.  The sets are the new ‘On a Pedestal’ set (#113814, set of 7) and the (dormant) Big Birthday Candle.

Immediately below are two small shots of the cards and under that a cool slideshow of the card at several angles (click here if you can’t see the slideshow).

I hope you enjoy this… I had a LOT of fun.  I am designing a Christmas pop up card for a ‘Christmas In July’ workshop I am doing on Saturday evening for one of my FAVORITE customers.  Okay, don’t you need a ‘Christmas’ themed in-home workshop?  Contact me if you are in the So. Chester Co. PA/northeast MD/DE area!

So… how did you like it?!

 CLICK HERE to view my Flowerpot Accordion Card video (if you are receiving this via email, the video doesn’t come through).

Just in time for Mother’s Day!  This is my Mother’s Day card to my awesomely wonderful mother-in-law… don’t tell her!   Sets: A Rose is a Rose, Bella Toile backgound stamp;  Accessories: Creamy Caramel c/s, Vanilla c/s, Close to Cocoa ink, Riding Hood Red ink, Pink Pirhouette ink, Kiwi Kiss ink, Baja Breeze ink.

To the left, I have included the flowerpot template as well as the ‘map’ for stamping the roses for the inside of the card below as explained in the video (and in case you are crazy like me and wish to make the same exact card). 

Below are thumbnails you can click on for larger images of the flowerpot ‘accordion’ card from different angles.  This card isn’t as hard as it looks!

Enjoy this video… it seemed monotone to me, but I got up at 4am to tape so that the house would be quiet.  My voice sounds strange because I was trying to film and not wake anyone up! 

So, am I getting better at video?  I’ve created an ‘AmyTV‘ page (which will pull all my videos together in one place).  Enjoy!

I believe that I have officially entered the video age!

(Click on thumbnails for bigger detail)

This technique is an ‘oldie’ called Polished Stone that I have seen less and less these days, so I dusted it off and shared it at my ‘Technique Freak’ club in January.

Polished stone is a technique that is better ‘shown than described’ so I present to you my first ever video (actually made back in January) that is being published after a lot of tears, blood (and ooops, maybe some mild swearing).

Details on materials:  91% Rubbing Alcohol, dye re-inkers, glossy cardstock, gold embossing powder, Versamark pad, Always stamp set (#113620), and the background stamp is Gratituitous Graffiti (#111636).

I used an inexpensive webcam on a tripod and after some minor editing (the drawback of a cheap recorder is that you need to convert the video format to one that is compatible with online services… fortunately I found a terrific FREE converter).  I  uploaded it to OneTrueMedia.com which by the way if you have no editing software, you can do some editing there as well… such as flip it (I video’d it upside down) and you can also watermark it (so if it is shared, it has your watermark in it).  For more information on what OneTrueMedia.com ask my (or any) 14 year old… my Sarah was a huge help, all her friends use it.  I’m so happy that she was in the room when I was doing this… she was very into the process (I can only hope that her and her dingy friends don’t have some videos out there somewhere…).  For networking reasons, I also uploaded to YouTube, but for $25 a year, I got a cool ‘TV’ looking player with OneTrueMedia.com (I’m such a geek!).

By the way, I’ve since moved on to a hard drive video camcorder, Sony Vegas Studio software as well as Adobe Premier Elements and after that huge investment have not had time to go back and use any of it.  Actually, that’s not true, I reshot the video and edited it and didn’t see any different (ouch!), so you are seeing my ‘cheap’ rendition I did first. I will blog this journey and share my video trials with you… what you’ll need and what you don’t, shortly!

I have been an inconsistent blogger lately, I had surgery last week and my website work schedule just gave me no time off to enjoy the pain killers.  (I have a bottle of Oxycotin just calling to me that I am going to flush today).  I have had hearing loss in my left ear for years due to an undetected cholesteatoma in my inner ear that eroded bone and nerve.   This is my second rebuild (next time, I’m going all-body rebuild).  So now equipped with the finest titanium inner ear parts, I hope to hear better (when all stuffing comes out–and if I don’t itch out brain matter).  I don’t think I am imagining that I already hear better even with layers of packing (probably all the way back to my brain, LOL!

If I don’t hear better, perhaps I’ll pick up XFM radio or better cell phone reception at least… so be kind, how did I do?