Nichol Spohr LLC

Scrapbook Stamping | August *SNEAK PEEK* @2Psinabucket

Just wanted to pop in quickly today and share a sneak peek of August's Scrapbook Stamping Class at Two Peas:

August's Guest Designers have created amazing examples that I can't wait for you to see!

How about some sneaks of their layouts?!!?

Jennifer McGuire:

Laura O'Donnell:

Teri Anderson:

Don't forget to check out the entire Scrapbook Stamping series for 2011 HERE. 

There's still time to upload your layout for July's Class Challenge. Upload your layout featuring a custom stamped background to the Two Peas gallery by 11:59 CST for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Two Peas store. For all the details, click HERE.

 

 

From Start to Finish | I've Got Personality

Happy Saturday!

I didn't mean to neglect my blog this past week. I am in the middle of 2 fairly big projects/classes and time just got away from me! I'll be sharing info on these upcoming classes soon!

Here is the From Start to Finish layout + video from Two Peas this week:

We all have those photos that don't particularly go with any one event or celebration but yet when you compile them they can tell a story all of their own. For this week's layout, I searched through all 12 months of 2010 for photos of my youngest son making silly faces or doing something crazy. I picked my 7 favorites for this layout detailing his "personality" at five. 

I am always a big advocate for creating your own accents, whether it be stamping, die cutting, etc. but sometimes pre-made stickers and embellishments say just what you want to say and they make creating a layout super quick and easy. I combined stickers from Bella Blvd and October Afternoon and "dressed them up" by layering stickers and adding brads either to the stickers or close to them to complete this simple page. 

HOW TO

 

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

To view this week's From Start to Finish layout at Two Peas, click HERE.

To view the entire From Start to Finish series at Two Peas, click HERE.

Summer Scrap Studio Purge | Lot #6 Wood Block Stamps *SOLD*

Here is a few more lots of items for sale through my blog this weekend.

Each lot will get it's own post to make it easier for me (and you!) to see who wants what.

*Please note* If you feel more comfortable emailing me privately that you want a certain lot I take that into account. Again, it's first come, first served.  

Once the lot is spoken for/paid for I am removing the post(s) from my blog. I don't want to leave these posts up for a couple of reasons: 1) In the past I have received numerous requests for sold lots of scrap goodies, sometimes months after the initial post and sale. 2) I don't want them cluttering up my blog. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused in past sales.

Here are the details:

Paypal payments ONLY.

Lots sold on a first come, first served basis. The first blog reader to post that they want the item(s) will get a Paypal Payment Request from me. Please make sure you let me know what email address to send the request to.

USA shipping ONLY. Sorry about this to all my International friends but I have found that it is really cost prohibitive for both me and you to ship these heavy boxes internationally.

All items sold "as is". Some sticker sheets may be missing some letters, stamps may have ink staining, rolls of ribbon may not be new, etc.

LOT #6 Wood Block Stamps

$35 (includes Priority Mail Shipping)

*Extra goodies included.*

Mfg. included: Impress Rubber Stamps, Hero Arts, Penny Black, Creating Keepsakes and more.

Summer Scrap Studio Purge | Lot #5 RIBBON *SOLD*

Over the next 2 days I will be offering several lots of items for sale through my blog.

Each lot will get it's own post to make it easier for me (and you!) to see who wants what.

Here are the details:

Paypal payments ONLY.

Lots sold on a first come, first served basis. The first blog reader to post that they want the item(s) will get a Paypal Payment Request from me. Please make sure you let me know what email address to send the request to.

USA shipping ONLY. Sorry about this to all my International friends but I have found that it is really cost prohibitive for both me and you to ship these heavy boxes internationally.

All items sold "as is". Some sticker sheets may be missing some letters, stamps may have ink staining, rolls of ribbon may not be new, etc.

LOT #5 RIBBONS

$35 (includes Priority Mail Shipping)

*Extra goodies included.*

So Sorry For Your Loss Card | July Studio AE Stamp Set #TTStamps

I love the tree stamp in July's Studio AE Stamp Set, Get Outside. I used it and the bird from this month's stamp set for this simple sympathy card. I paired the Studio AE Stamps with Ali's So Sorry Stamp Set.

The base of the card was embossed with a Stampin' Up embossing folder, before rounding the outer corners to soften the card's edges.

A die cut label (Lucky Limeade cardstock) using the SU Top Note die was trimmed and tucked under layered Papertrey Ink Half & Half die cut cardstock strips. I stamped the SU Pure Poppy cardstock with the PTI Half & Half stamp using SU Pure Poppy Ink. Then I stamped the tree and greeting with embossing ink and heat set white embossing powder to make the images stand out on the bright background.

Layered ribbons, Divine Twine and buttons complete the card.

I finished off the inside of the card with another stamped and embossed greeting.

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

PAPERTREY INK Supplies:

• Half & Half Stamp Set & Matching Die

CHRISTMAS IN JULY @www.kerribradford.blogspot.com

Kerri Bradford is having a Christmas in July sale on her blog HERE. 20% off everything through Sunday. 

Plus even more goodness! Check it: Kerri is doing a giveaway on her new Facebook page HERE. 

SUMMER SCRAP STUDIO PURGE

I have been purging closets and my studio the last couple of weeks. I will be selling a few lots of scrap goodies here on my blog over the weekend. Things like paper, embellishments, ribbon and a few stamps that are in need of new loving homes. I'm not sure when exactly I will get the posts up but I'm aiming for mid-morning tomorrow.

You & Me = Us | May Studio AE Card @TTStamps

Today I thought I would show how the monthly Studio AE Stamp Sets aren't just for layouts, but for cards as well. I combined the May Studio AE Stamp Set, Real Life, with Ali's Love Always Wins Stamp Set to create this card for my husband. We celebrated fifteen years of marriage yesterday. :)

Card How To:

1. Trim 8.5 x 11" sheet of Papertrey Ink Rustic Cream Cardstock to 4.25 x 11" and score in half with Scoring Board.
2. Starting from the bottom and working up, repeatedly stamp the phrase "love you. love you. love you." using Staimpin' Up Sahara Sand Ink. Leave approximately the same width all the way around the front of the card. This will leave you with a lovely text background that reinforces the theme of the card. This would also be an excellent technique to try on a scrapbook layout.
3. Stamp the phrase on a 1.5 x 4.25" sheet of PTI Rustic Cream Cardstock, making sure to ink only the first and last phrase with SU Sahara Sand before stamping. Clean ink off with a baby wipe and ink up only the middle phrase with SU Real Red Ink. Stamp remaining part of phrase.
4. Stamp "YOU", "ME" and "US" from the May Studio AE Stamp Set, Real Life, using SU Real Red Ink. I stamped "YOU" first, then "US" and worked in from there. I used the "&" and "=" from a Studio Calico Stamp Set inked with SU Sahara Sand.
5. Distress the edges of the greeting, adhere ribbon lace underneath and attach to card front as shown.
6. Punch hearts from cardstock and layer as shown. Adhere to card, applying some with foam adhesive for dimension. Add Doodlebug Jewels and ribbon to finish.

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

I love how the card is extremely text based and how I can make my Studio AE stamps go even further than layouts by incorporating them into one-of-a-kind cards. Be sure to check back tomorrow for ideas on using the July Studio AE Stamp Set, Get Outside, for card making.

From Start to Finish | This Day

I have been wanting to try out the new Digital Die Cuts by Hero Arts that perfectly coordinate with several of their physical stamps for awhile now. I absolutely love the idea of having die cuts that are already perfectly sized for stamping. No resizing the images to fit the stamps and absolutely no hand cutting around intricately stamped images. What could be better? 

For this week's layout I converted my photos to black and white (the colors in the original photos were a bit funky) before placing them in this photo collage template by Kerri Bradford (linked below).

I die cut the Hero Arts Dancing With Flowers design from Neenah Smooth White Cardstock. This is the white cardstock I use for pretty much everything. It's a nice thick (but not too thick) weight, it's perfect for getting nice smooth stamped results and perfect for copic coloring. 

I stamped the coordinating Hero Arts image using Stampin' Up Basic Gray Ink.

For my title, I used some new stamps from Hampton Art. I love the versatility of these stamps. Great fonts and perfect for scrapbook page titles and journaling. I stamped the title in SU Basic Gray and the sub-title in SU Regal Rose.

To complete the custom journaling page, I stamped the Hero Arts Flourish in SU Sahara Sand, computer printed my journaling and added punched hearts adorned with buttons/brads and finished the design with MME Stickers.

Adding additional punched shapes and a sticker over the photo collage ties the entire design together as well as creates a more cohesive complete looking design.

HOW TO:

 

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

Some of my favorite Hero Arts Die Cuts/Stamp combinations:

To view this week's From Start to Finish layout at Two Peas in a Bucket, click HERE.

To view the entire 2011 From Start to Finish series at Two Peas in a Bucket, click HERE.

Baby Shower Thank You Cards

One of my favorite things to do for the mom-to-be when hosting a baby shower is to supply her with ready-made thank you cards. This afternoon my mom, aunt and a friend of my sister-in-law and I are having a baby shower for my sister (my brother's wife). I am so excited to be an aunt again here in a couple of weeks!

I shared THESE invites that I created for her shower and I wanted to create similar thank you's to give to her today at the shower. I ended up using a little bit brighter ink colors for these than I did on the invitations, simply because I thought the colors stood out better on the background. I simplified these a lot to make the process quick and easy. There are absolutely no layers. Everything is stamped directly on the card base.

Thank You Gift Cards How To:

1. I cut the PTI Rustic Cream Cardstock in half lengthwise and score each card in half.
2. I stamped the PTI Sweet Baby animals along the bottom edge of the card (card opens on the right) using Stampin' Up Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait Inks.
3. I stamped the small solid heart from the Sweet Baby Stamp Set in a contrasting color on each animal for even more color.
4. I stamped the "Thank You" greeting using a PTI Inside & Out Thank You stamp and SU Regal Rose Ink.
5. I stamped just the first line of the "inside" greeting from the same stamp set using SU Basic Gray Ink.
6. I packaged the cards in clear gift boxes and added bright coordinating Hero Arts envelopes before wrapping them all up with pretty ribbons.

I die cut and stamped a coordinating tag to finish off the gift.

I rarely create such simplistic cards because I always think that layering adds more depth to the card but I have to admit I am really, really happy with these. I think colorful ink and a balanced design help with that. I studied some pre-made cards at the store to see what it was that drew me to those particular cards and tried to implement those same techniques on these cards. 

Papertrey Ink SUPPLIES:

• Rustic Cream Cardstock
• Sweet Baby Stamp Set
• Inside & Out Thank You Stamp Set
• Tag Sale #4 Die (for gift tag)
• Fillable Frames #9 (for gift tag)
• Clearly Creative Boxes (for packaging)

Stampin' Up Ink Colors:

• Regal Rose, Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait

Other Supplies (click on photos for links):

One tip that I've found when hosting/giving gift cards for a shower: Send the envelopes around and have the guests fill in their address. Makes it super easy for the mom/bride-to-be to fill out the thank you, slip it in in then envelope and mail. 

Studio AE Stamp Sets IN STOCK @2Psinabucket

Two Peas has the May, June and July Studio AE Stamp Sets by Ali Edwards in stock right now. If you aren't a member of the Studio AE Monthly Stamp Club and prefer to purchase your stamp sets individually, then you are in luck! All three of these stamp sets are some of my favorites and have been used by me a lot. My favorite thing about Ali's stamps is the versatility, that unlike stickers or rub-ons they can be used over and over and over in a multitude of ways!

MAY, JUNE & JULY STUDIO AE STAMPS @2PEAS

Here the projects I've created with these stamp sets:

May 2011 Studio AE "Real Life"

*original post can be found HERE*

June 2011 Studio AE "The Observant Traveler"

*original post can be found HERE*

*original post can be found HERE*

*original post can be found HERE*

July 2011 Studio AE "Get Outside"

*original post can be found HERE*

this layout also showcases the February & May Sets

*original post can be found HERE*

Awhile back I posted about some of my other favorite Ali Edwards stamps. I probably need to add a couple of sets to that list but these are some of the sets I consistently use over and over. You can find that post HERE.

What are your favorite stamps that can be used over and over?

From Start to Finish | The Call of the Wild

Happy Wednesday! 

I have been rediscovering the joy of 4x6 photos lately. Although I very much enjoy resizing and creating photo collages for my layouts, there is something satisfying about using those standard sized prints. I had initially thought I would include some green into my layout and I tried, repeatedly, but it just wasn't "doing it" for me. Once I removed the green and just concentrated on the yellow/cream/black combo with a hint of red I was much happier.

I combined stamps from the February ("I want to remember"), May ("You" & "Life is an adventure") and July ("the call of the wild", "growing" & "playing") Studio AE Stamp Sets. I love how easy it is to combine stamps from different sets. 

I really love how Ali's stamps help me to make my journaling a bigger part of my layout. They get me to thinking about how I can make my journaling more interesting and how to tell a better story. And as an extra bonus they look good! ;)

I  used stamps from Hero Arts Joy Ride Stamp Set to create a custom sticker accent on an October Afternoon label sticker.

Lots of buttons, brads and a touch of ribbon finishes the page. The metal frame and label punch are from Stampin' Up.

HOW TO:

  

SUPPLIES (click photos for links):

Stampin' Up Products:

• Real Red, Crushed Curry & Crumb Cake Classic Inks
• Metal Book Plate & Matching Punch
• Brads

To view today's layout & video at Two Peas in a Bucket, click HERE.

To view the entire From Start to Finish series at 2Peas, click HERE.