You folks all remember Janelle Stollfus! She’s been one of our BlogStars for the last three months. Well, we’re really excited and happy to welcome Janelle to our regular Design Team! Trudee Sauer is leaving us for other obligations, and we’re sad to see her go. She’s created some of our very favorite samples, having been with us from the beginning of our Design Team.

But we’re happy to be able to secure Janelle’s services to replace Trudee. Janelle lives in Idaho with her family and is lucky enough to be a stay at home mom. She’s also a  poetic soul, and I was immediately taken with her description of her house as full of “creative puddles”. I wish I could convince myself that the imminent avalanches I call crafting are delicious little rain puddles of artistry. You’ll find Janelle on her blog at Rain Puddles Design.

She’s making her permanent DT debut today and her BlogStars farewell with this fantastic card featuring May Arts ribbon. She’s also using CRR137 Cling Garden Background, CRP143 Cling Carte Postale, FRG10C Shaved Ice, DP020 Detail Clear Embossing Enamel, and 2 oz Spray Bottle from Stampendous. Complete supplies and instructions are below the card. Remember to comment to enter to win a package of May Arts ribbon and Stampendous products!

Garden Background by Janelle Stollfus

<span Dimensions: 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches

Stampendous Supplies:
Garden Background
Carte Postale
Shaved Ice
Detail Clear Embossing Enamel
Spray/Splatter bottle

Other Supplies:
Kraft cardstock, 10 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches and scored in half
Cream cardstock, full sheet.
Brown ink pad
Paper chalks/pastels
Woven Burlap ribbon, 12 inches (May Arts)
Texture plate
Heat gun
Liquid glue (like Beacon’s Zip Dry)

Prepare a splatter bottle with a mixture of instant coffee granules and water for distressing.

1. Coffee spray one half (5 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches) of the kraft cardstock and run through a cutting and embossing machine with a texture plate. Quick dry using a heat gun. Add more spray to distress and heat dry. Set aside.

2. Stamp three impressions of the Garden background in brown ink on cream cardstock and emboss with Detail Clear Embossing Enamel. Trim each one to a 3 x 4 1/2 inch rectangle.

3. Color one of the rectangles with color chalks. Spritz with coffee spray and heat dry.

5. On the back side of each rectangle, stamp Carte Postale in brown ink. Spritz the two unchalked rectangles on the postale side and heat dry.

6. Sponge distress all three rectangles, one color chalk side and two postale sides, around the edges using brown ink. Glue together in a tilted cascade, but still small enough to fit on the card base.

7. Knot the ends of the ribbon and place on the front of the postale collage for measuring length then cut to size before gluing to back of collage.

7. Glue that collage onto your card base and add liquid glue around the edges of the colored rectangle and sprinkle with Shaved Ice. Tap off excess and let dry.

Stampendous and May Arts indeed make a fantastic team, and our blog week continues with some exciting samples made by our in-house Sample Artist Debi Hammons and our Art Director Lisa Hindsley. Remember to check out our Design Team members with samples as well. Their links are all in the left sidebar!

DaVinci Horse by Debi Hammons

This fantastic and kind of masculine card by Debi Hammons features our new images V253 DaVinci Horse and R138 Calligraphy Sampler. Debi stamped both in Vintage Sepia VersaFine ink on Kraft cardstock and added touches of white colored pencil to make both images pop. A little brown chalk on the horse and a wrapping with MayArts Twisted Burlap complete the look.

By the Sea by Lisa Hindsley

Lisa Hindsley’s terrific scrapbook page featuring our friends the Jochums uses our new W068 By the Sea image together with our L252 Spiral Shell and our Aged Ivory and Aged Black Embossing Enamels. Lisa also used a little brown chalk and touches of white colored pencil to make the stamped images pop. This simple coloring technique works so well when  you’re pressed for time. She added some May Arts Black Mesh tied off with the same Twisted Burlap to complete that salty sea look.

Be sure to comment this week to win May Arts/Stampendous blog packages. And visit the May Arts Blog for more chances to win! They’re featuring a fantastic sample by our BlogStar Jennifer Ingle (Jingle) today!

“This is a fun little altered clothespin that you can use to hold mail, give a gift card in a fun way, or even hold your favorite photos!  You can also create these to hang on the wall to display photos, layouts, cards, or prints!”  —Jennifer J Ingle

"Altered Clothespin" by Jennifer J Ingle

Supplies:
Stampendous Cling Distressed Type
Stampendous Vintage Typewriter Perfectly Clear Stamp Set
May Arts Burlap String
Creative Imaginations Bare Elements Clothespin
Tombow™ Multi-Liquid
Foam Tape
Patterned Paper
Card stock

Instructions:
1.  Stamp Distressed Type onto patterned paper.
2.  Coat front of clothespin with liquid glue and adhere back of stamped paper to clothespin.
3.  Trim paper around clothespin.
4.  Stamp the typewriter on card stock and cut out.
5.  Adhere the typewriter and “hello” sentiment to the front of the clothespin with foam tape.
6.  Wrap burlap string around the clothespin several times (through the spring) and tie in a bow to finish.

For your chance to win a terrific prize combination of Stampendous stamps and May Arts Ribbon, be sure to comment on our blog and/or our Facebook page this week. Then hop on over to May Arts Blog and Facebook page leave a comment there. Each company will pick three random winners this week from the comments.

We’ve got a couple of lovely examples for you today! Looking ahead to spring holidays, Pam Hornschu and Jennifer Dove have created beautiful cards for Mom and Dad (or any girly and masculine occasions!).

Pam Hornschu’s beautiful Plume Portrait card uses a lush, wide pink grosgrain from May Arts. Combining Stampendous’ Plume Portrait stamp with the fantastic Garden Background stamp and her expert coloring, Wow! You can find complete supplies and instructions for this project here.

Jennifer Dove has embraced the masculine with our new Steamboat Ride stamp. Just one of our great new Steampunk inspired images, this vintage steamboat also combines with our Steamboat Map and other fantastic images in the January catalog. Jennifer has used our Shabby White Embossing Powder to sprinkle on top. May Arts terrific sheer ribbon adds the perfect finishing touch.

“Hello, Stampendous! fans!  I’ve created a very fun project for you today with the Jumbo Romantic Border stamp!  I LOVE this stamp! It is so dramatic and has such beautiful details.  I decided to accentuate those details by pressing the stamp into Creative Paperclay® modeling medium to create this little trinket box.  I love how the image worked so perfectly for the size and shape of the box and it is really an easy little thing to make, too!  I hope you try one!”  —Jennifer J Ingle

"PaperClay Stamped Tin" by Jennifer J Ingle

What a great idea Jennifer! This is beautiful. Save those Altoids tins and make you’re own Trinket Tin!

Just look at the detail!

Supplies:
Stampendous! Cling Jumbo Romantic Border
Pigment pastes in copper and red
Creative Paperclay®
Mint tin
Paper flowers

Instructions:
Cover tin lid with a layer of Creative Paperclay® and press the stamp into it.  GENTLY remove the stamp from the wet clay.  (You could probably let it dry with the stamp in there, but it will take longer to dry, so I always take mine out first.)
Allow the clay to dry (this will take 1-2 days).
Once the clay has dried, rub with pigments in copper and a deep red tone.  Press the copper pigments into the nooks and crannies while letting the red sit on top.
Wrap the edges of the tin with black twill.
Tie sheer ribbon around paper flowers and adhere to the lid of your tin.

Here is a list of the Stampendous team members playing along today, to share even more texture inspiration:

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you get a chance to play along with us – happy stamping!

From Taylor’s blog: Kimmy is the lucky recipient of the Chiffon Prize pack

From Kristine’s blog: Katina is the lucky recipient of the Powder Blue prize pack!

From Wendy P’s blog: Barb from Paper Therapy Ponderings is the lucky winner of the Rose prize pack!

From Stephanie’s blog: Tenia Nelson is the lucky recipient of the Sage prize pack!

From the Stampendous Impressions blog: Pauline Halloran is the lucky recipient of the Taupe prize pack!

Congratulations, ladies!  Be sure to send us an email at submissions@stampendous.com with your address (please include which prize pack you won) so we can get your goodies right out to you!

"Thank You" card by Stephanie Lee

Stampendous Supplies:
Cling Jumbo Thank You Stamp
Vintage Multi-Crystal Glitter Mix from Treasures Glitter Kit

Other supplies:
Patterned Paper (My Mind’s Eye)
Tag
Doily
Bazzill Paper Flower
Offray Stylish Accents Sheer Petal Rose
Dashes, Dots and Checks Ribbon
Ranger Distressed Ink – Victorian Velvet
Adhesive

Instructions:

1.     Stamp Cling Jumbo Thank You flower on to tag and cover entire image with adhesive followed by glitter. Stitch edges of tag for a finished trim.

2.     Stitch 4.25” x 5.5” patterned paper around the edge for a finished trim.

3.     Assemble card front by adhering doily, completed tag, ribbon and flowers in that order.

4.     Attached to card base.

“I don’t remember what she was laughing about and I wish I had written it down. But this picture makes me smile all the time. The moral of this story – write it down!”  – Stephanie Lee

See this image in SNR Volume #5, Issue #2

Stampendous Supplies:

Cling Jumbo Dahlia

Cling Jumbo Romantic Border

Other supplies:

Green cardstock (for leaf punch)

Variety of patterned paper (Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye)

Deco Art Liquid Pearls

Alphabet letters for title

Pebbles Velvet Flower stickers

Kaiser Craft Wooden Accent Frame

Distressed Ink (Pumice Stone)

Spellbinder scallop die

Martha Stewart Leaf punch

Dinner Plate

Adhesive

Instructions:

1.              Stamp Cling Jumbo Dahlia and Cling Jumbo Romantic Border on layout background. (assemble your photos on layout without adhering them to mark positions of stamp)

2.     Adhere strips of patterned paper and leaf border onto background as a mat for photos.

3.     Diecut a circle scallop and used as a mat for part of your title; tuck under photos.

4.     Lightly pencil semi-circles onto layout and dot with liquid pearls to create dimension *Tip – there are lots of circle maker in the marker you could  use with a pencil instead of a cutter but since I didn’t own any, I used a dinner plate as template instead*

5.     Finish the layout with floral stickers and wooden accent framing the rest of the titles.

Our Blog Star Janelle Stollfus created this beautiful Hair Bling Clip. How creative is our design team?

"Hair Bling" by Janelle Stollfus

Here’s Janelle and her handy dandy directions with step outs!

“Our amazing Design Coordinator, Laura Mann Weed, has been sweetly suggesting to step outside of our card making arena and try something off-paper. So I did… kind of, but still with paper.
This is a quick project and the options again are endless with the Fran-tage Essentials. This hair bling would look equally fantastic with the Aged Embossing Enamel line. I’m thinking Aged Black for the next one!”  – Janelle

SUPPLIES:
Stampendous Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter
Stampendous Chunky Clear Embossing Enamel

OTHER SUPPLIES:
metallic paper flower shape dies in various sizes (Nestabilities Bloom dies used)
metal hair pin or barrette
metal gluepiercing tool and mat
heavy duty scissors
heat resistant craft mat
wool felt scrap
large brad

Here’s How:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Closest to the edge of the table but still on the craft mat, pour a small amount of Chunky Clear Impressions Embossing Enamel. A few inches away pour out some Frantage Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter.

Carefully slide the craft mat off the table until the heat gun can be to heat from underneath the mat. Direct the heat gun and away from the table AND the hand that is holding the mat.

*** Please, please hear me when I say, think through this step before you start. I don’t want any emails telling me that you have burned your table, chair, hand or anything else during this step. I made quick checks along the way to make sure nothing was getting hot.***

Direct the heat towards the embossing enamel and as it starts to melt it will shrink to a puddle. Once the enamel is melted, grab the flower and dip and twist the edges around in it. Now quickly put those edges into the glass glitter. This step needs to be quick while the enamel is still soft.

Repeat as often as needed to apply the pliable enamel and glitter.

Enjoy your new hair accessory!