CLOSED MONDAY in anticipation of IRENE

A note from Lydia this morning:

Like everyone else, we have been watching our new best friend ‘Irene’. 
  
Based on what information there is available at this time, we have decided that 
Your Maine Stamper will be closed on Monday, 29 August. 
  
Hopefully, we will all be able to avoid any major damage from Irene. 
  
We will also be closed September 3-5, Labor Day weekend. 

Crafters Yard Sale Thanks!

Thank You to everyone who shopped at our Crafters Yard Sale on Saturday!  There were lots of laughs, great lemonade and homemade cookies from some neighborhood kids (and their parents), and it didn't rain!  What could be better!!!  There was a lot of trading going on among the 12 vendors as well.  And the store was busy, especially with shoppers who'd never been in before as well as our "regulars".  What a fun day!!!

News from Your Maine Stamper week of 8/15-20

ANNUAL CRAFTERS YARD SALE  

SATURDAY AUGUST 20  9 AM TO NOON

at YOUR MAINE STAMPER

This is our BIG EVENT for the month of August.  We have 12 vendors in the yard all bringing crafting supplies to sell.  Really good deals on stamps, papers, tools, etc.  Sales inside the shop too!!!

Please note our early starting time on Saturday--9AM!  Come early and bring cash or checks for the yard sale outside.  All of the vendors are local crafters looking to sell items they no longer use or wish to keep.  There's tons of really cool stuff up for grabs!  

This week's tutorial:  Using Memory Box Dies

My class on Monday the 15th at Your Maine Stamper will feature a number of the new dies from Memory Box.  We'll be using the Cuttlebug to create our own die cuts using these beautiful steel dies.  

98123 Catalina Border
98115  Spring Border
98146 Snowflake Border/Frostyville Border
98164 Wrought Iron Fence

Each Cuttlebug seems to be calibrated a bit differently.  I found on mine that the best "sandwich" starts with an A plate, then a C plate on top of that, the die raised side up next, the paper to be cut face down on the die, and a B plate on top of that.  If you don't use the A plate--and you may not be able to if your machine balks at the height of your sandwich, you will need to add some extra cardstock layers to shim the C-die-paper-B sandwich in order to get a deep enough cut in the paper so that the image pops out easily.

These are some of the card kits that people in class will complete using these dies before cutting their own:

Even though these die cuts look detailed and delicate, they cut out beautifully on cardstock and are quite durable.

And here are two cards I made using the Snowflake Border/Frostyville Border re-imagined as flowers!

There are also dies that coordinate with stamps and there's a whole different set of techniques for using those which I will write about in a future post.  

There are a number of websites that feature instructions and videos for working with the Memory Box dies.  Just Google "Memory Box dies how-to".










HOPE TO SEE YOU ON SATURDAY the 20th
AT THE ANNUAL CRAFTERS YARD SALE!!!

Update: Stamps from Judith arrived this afternoon!!! (Thursday the 11th)

ANNUAL CRAFTERS YARD SALE  

SATURDAY AUGUST 20  9 AM TO NOON

at YOUR MAINE STAMPER

This is our BIG EVENT for the month of August.  We have 12 vendors in the yard all bringing crafting supplies to sell.  Really good deals on stamps, papers, tools, etc.  Sales inside the shop too!!!

NEW STAMPS AND DIES ARRIVING SOON!

     Memory Box special orders from Holiday 2011

     Stamps by Judith ARRIVED THURSDAY AFTERNOON--IF YOU SPECIAL ORDERED,  YOUR STAMPS SHOULD BE HERE AS WELL AS LOTS OF OTHER STAMPS THAT LYDIA ORDERED FOR THE SHOP!  GREAT SELECTION OF PEG STAMPS AND OTHERS YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!  (be sure to read the p.s. I added today at the end of this post)

NEW IN THE SHOP

     Halloween papers from Graphic 45 featuring The Wizard of Oz

     more Halloween papers, stamps, and embellishments

     the Stamp-of-the-Month is here @40% off--a spooky scene from DRS Designs

     Refills for the Glue Glider Pro

     large extra sticky Glue Dots for attaching embellishments

     Pebbles Cream Chalk Inks--Basics, Earthtones, Pastels, and NEW Metallics

     Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Sizzix die--use this in your Cuttlebug and you won't need a C plate

     LaBlanche book (several copies in) with great ideas for using their stamps

     

Going...going...not yet gone

     Little Yellow Bicycle. Bo Bunny, and other summer-themed goodies for your summer cards and scrapbooking--check out the front table by the window for yummy papers and embellishments in bright primary colors!

This week's tutorial:  

     This fall card features two of the newest memory Box stamps:  G1781 Index Card and G1795 Autumn Leaf Collage.  This is a quick and easy card!

Stamp G1781 Index Card on white or cream cardstock in Vintage Sepia ink.

Stamp G1795 Autumn Leaf Collage on top of the Index Card Image in the same color ink.

Trim the image and adhere to brown cardstock just a bit larger than the Index Card.

Layer this onto a piece of paper from the Nightfall 6X6 collection.

Stamp Happy Fall on a scrap of plain cardstock, adhere to a pice of brown to frame it, and pop-dot it on.

Add a little color to the leaves using a variety of colored pencils in shades of brown.

Happy stamping!

p.s.  I'm getting excited about the yard sale next weekend.  I made up $1 bags today from my stash of papers, chipboard, stickers, embellishments and more!  And I've got about a hundred stamps at $1 each or less.  Connie's been bagging up stuff from months and Diane's 300 or so stamps arrived via UPS so there are going to be lots of things to choose from!  I can't wait to see what everyone else is bringing to sell!  I always find really good deals!  Anybody got a Zutter Bind-It-All to sell???

     

AUGUST @ YOUR MAINE STAMPER

ANNUAL CRAFTERS YARD SALE  

SATURDAY AUGUST 20  9 AM TO NOON

at YOUR MAINE STAMPER

This is our BIG EVENT for the month of August.  We have 12 vendors in the yard all bringing crafting supplies to sell.  Really good deals on stamps, papers, tools, etc.  Sales inside the shop too!!!

NEW STAMPS AND DIES ARRIVING SOON!

     Memory Box special orders from Holiday 2011

     Stamps by Judith

NEW IN THE SHOP

     Halloween papers from Graphic 45 featuring The Wizard of Oz

     more Halloween papers, stamps, and embellishments

     the Stamp-of-the-Month is here @40% off--a spooky scene from DRS Designs

     Refills for the Glue Glider Pro

     large extra sticky Glue Dots for attaching embellishments

     Pebbles Cream Chalk Inks--Basics, Earthtones, Pastels, and NEW Metallics

     Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Sizzix die--use this in your Cuttlebug and you won't need a C plate

     LaBlanche book (several copies in) with great ideas for using their stamps

     

Going...going...not yet gone

     Little Yellow Bicycle. Bo Bunny, and other summer-themed goodies for your summer cards and scrapbooking--check out the front table by the window for yummy papers and embellishments in bright primary colors!

This week's tutorial:  

     This fall card features two of the newest memory Box stamps:  G1781 Index Card and G1795 Autumn Leaf Collage.  This is a quick and easy card!

Stamp G1781 Index Card on white or cream cardstock in Vintage Sepia ink.

Stamp G1795 Autumn Leaf Collage on top of the Index Card Image in the same color ink.

Trim the image and adhere to brown cardstock just a bit larger than the Index Card.

Layer this onto a piece of paper from the Nightfall 6X6 collection.

Stamp Happy Fall on a scrap of plain cardstock, adhere to a pice of brown to frame it, and pop-dot it on.

Add a little color to the leaves using a variety of colored pencils in shades of brown.

Happy stamping!

     

Celebrate Summer at Your Maine Stamper...It's AUGUST!!!

ANNUAL CRAFTERS YARD SALE  

SATURDAY AUGUST 20  9 AM TO NOON

at YOUR MAINE STAMPER

This is our BIG EVENT for the month of August.  We have 12 vendors in the yard all bringing crafting supplies to sell.  Really good deals on stamps, papers, tools, etc.  Sales inside the shop too!!!

Here's this week's tutorial:  A Chipboard Home Decor Piece

I had a large white chipboard letter A that I used for this project.  I've seen lots of white chipboard shapes at the craft stores that would work for this technique, too.  Or you could cut out your own letter from a cereal box or scrap thin cardboard.

Begin by tracing the outline of your chipboard shape onto a piece of 12X12 paper.  I used the Fennel paper from last summer's Memory Box Jubilee collection.  Cut out the paper shape and adhere it to the chipboard piece.  I used a double-sided tape runner.  You may find that you will need to trim things up with an Exacto knife or sand the edges of the papered shape.

Stamp some images that you like that compliment the paper you've chosen.  I used Archival Jet Black ink and these Memory Box stamps:  D1325 Leafy Shoot, G1718 Orchid Branch Print, A1743 Spiral Flower, and C1714 Cocoa Bean Butterfly.  I stamped each image on Jubilee paper scraps from the 6X6 collection and added touches of pink and green chalks to highlight the flowers.  Once I cut them out I attached them to the papered shape, putting some on flat and using pop-dots on some for more dimension.  I also added daffodil yellow pearls to the Leafy Shoot Spiral Flower images and Frost pale blue ones to the orchids.  A row of black pearls emphasize the body of the Cocoa Bean Butterfly.

That's it!  I didn't do anything to the back.  I have mine propped on a shelf above my desk.  You might even make a collection of embellished letters to spell out FAMILY or FRIENDS.  Or glam up a shape for a specific holiday and use it in your decorations.  I'm sure you'll think of even more ways to adapt this idea for your own projects!

--Anne