WHAT shall I carve with Stampin' Up!'s NEW "Undefined" Stamp Carving Kit?? Well...outside my stamp office window is one of my favorite plants - the Caladium or Elephant Ears. So I plucked a baby leaf and went to work!
First, I drew my leaf onto paper with a REGULAR OLDE PENCIL. (I have NO drawing skills - Zilch!) I flipped over the design and placed the pencil side down onto the carving rubber and simply rubbed the paper to transfer the image.
Using the two rubber carving tools from the kit, I carved away the rubber to leave the outline. It was very easy to carve - I was pleasantly surprised!
After carving, I mounted the rubber onto the foam and printed the wooden block. Lastly, I mounted the rubber/foam onto the wooden block. DONE! Darn easy! Now to play!!
Here is my finished card!! I'm pretty proud of my first carving!! What shall I carve next?? Do you need an unusual image?? Carve it!! Have an unsual name? Carve it!! Need an unusual gift?? Send it!! This kit comes in a nice gift box! TRY IT!!
Did you guess? I hope it's our easiest move ever because we are just moving next door! We are buying our neighbor's home with a pool! WOO HOO! We love our current home and the house next door is almost the same but with a caged pool. We are excited!! Our home is for sale by owner - spread the word!
In case you are wondering, this move does not effect any stamping events. I plan to keep blogging, but in case I miss a day, please understand. Stamp on!!
Dean and I headed out for a couple days of exploring Florida! We crossed the Everglades on the OLD Rt. 41, called Tamiami Trail connecting Tampa on the West coast to Miami on the East. Destination: the Florida Keys - 1700 islands! We visited my brother and sister-in-law, Jeff & Nancy. They are owners of Marathon Bio-Diesel. They turn used cooking oils from restaurants into eco-friendly diesel fuel. Next we headed to Key West.
We stayed in the charming Westwinds Inn near Duval Street in Key West. Lots of vegetation made it's property quiet and secluded for an evening swim in the warm pool.
A short walk took us to the FAMOUS, "crazy" Duval Street. This is Sloppy Joe's Bar, famous as a Ernest Hemingway haunt! This is the off season which means HOT & HUMID, fewer tourists & lower prices.
We strolled the Sunset Boardwalk and watched a CRAZY French sidewalk performer and his Cat Act. He had about 8 adopted stray cats he had trained to perform tricks like jumping thru this flaming hoop. Impressive!!!
The next day we toured the famous Ernest Hemingway House and Museum built in 1849-51. Hemingway, a Nobel Prize-winning author, purchased the house in 1931 for $8,000 in back taxes from the city of Key West. One VERY unique feature of Hemingway's Home is the 9' tall basement!!
Basements are unheard of in Florida b/c of low elevation and a high water table. The builder
of this home found a location 16' above sea level and built a very
substantial home of limestone excavated from it's own basement! Charming
home and gardens!!
This is the room in which Hemingway wrote. See his old typewriter on the table? He generally arose at 5:30 am to write all morning , then fished all afternoon. Hemingway loved cats. A sea Captain gave him a white, six-toed cat,
named Snowball. Extra toed cats are "polydactyl." They were thought to be "good luck." There are 40+
cats on the property, all descendants of his original six-toed Snowball!
Here is a cat on the fishing display. Though this cat does not have 6 toes, he carries the genetics for polydactylism.
Here is Hemmingway's bed with a real napping kitty. It was a cat-lover's paradise for me!
Here is a tabby in the courtyard. Most cats were friendly and tolerant of a pet. Those that weren't had their hiding places away from the tourists.
I went into the bookstore/gift shop and there was a napping cat on the bottom shelf!
This silky black cat had had enough pets for a while so she escaped to the roof! All cats are well cared for and receive veterinary care.
The Key West Lighthouse is across the street. It's said that the Lighthouse "guided" Hemingway home after long nights at Sloppy Joe's Bar!! I highly recommend the 30 minute guided tour and stroll of the gounds.
We headed home. Had a nice lunch at Sunset Bar & Grill over looking Seven Mile Bridge at Longboat Key. LOVE the uniqueness and beauty of the Keys! I'd NEVER want to be there during a hurricane, though!!! Thanks for stopping by to share my travels!
The Six-Sided Sampler BUNDLE has endless possibilities! On this "thanks much" card, I cut the sentiment smaller to show off the design under it. I made a Creped Filter Paper flower for texture and interest!
And here is the finished card with coordinating envelope!
Check out these Cute & Quick holiday cards sent to me by Demonstrator friend, Peggy Taylor of Illinois! The center panels are "repositionable" Washi Tape by Stampin' Up!
I thank Tanya Bell, Demonstrator from Queensland, for this clever idea! I found it easiest to mark a center DOT, then build the shapes around it. The colors I chose are Coastal Cabana and Wisteria Wonder - they make me happy!
This Razzleberry card features rich purples on Silver Foil Paper #132178. The Christmas Collectibles BUNDLE creates quick ornaments - just stamp & punch!
Washi Tape is repositionable, decorative tape to embellish many things including cardstock. It's a very fast layer!! For shine, I cut the "LOVE" with the Stampin' Up! Expressions Thinlits Dies #132171 using the Gold Foil Sheets #132622.
This is a quick, simple card STEPPED UP by a coordinating Envelope Punch Board creation! A very SWEET presentation for a special person!
For the butterfly I used Stampin' Up!'s NEW Coaster Board #129392. It's heavier than cardstock and takes the ink very well. I used a Bone Folder to curl the wings. Try it!
Swapping helps EXPAND my creative brain because everyone has a different style! Thank goodness we aren't all the same.
I made these cards for a recent demonstrator swap with my group. I used the "starburst" technique to feature the exquisite Designer Series Paper in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog!
Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper #132341
Check out this darling Halloween Treat Box created by Linda Niemeyer, demo-ed at my meeting in Illinois in June. Linda can work magic with paper!
Linda and her BIG SHOT are an amazing pair!
Linda used the Pop n' Cuts Card Base and Big Shot to make this box. See how the Pop n' Cuts Die has created little corner slits as the closure for the box? CLEVER!!
If you are in my area, be sure to sign up for my Sept. 20th Flip-Flop Cards Class! These card are FABULOUS!!
Here is a peek inside of this FRESH Crisp Cantaloupe creation! The coordinating envelope was quickly created with the brand NEW Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch Board! Wouldn't you love to receive this in your mailbox?
I adore the NEW Stampin' Up Circle Card Thinlits Dies #133480! They are fast & fun!!
This style of card has several names: Swing Card, Flip Card, Flip-Flop Card. I used the brand new Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch Board to create a quick, coordinating envelope!
Stampin' Up!'s Envelope Punch Board #133774. This was THE item that I was most thrilled about at convention this summer!! It's compact - love that! It lists 66 measurements on the front - love that!! It has it's own 2 punches - love that!! It's perfect!! And so is the price of $19.95!
I love 3" X 6" cards and they require NO extra postage. I made this autumn note to send "speedy recovery" wishes to Shelli Gardner, Stampin' Up!'s CEO. Last week she was in a serious horseback riding accident and broke her wrist, pelvis, and collarbone. I'm feeling great empathy for her. Anyway, the new Envelope Punch Board made a perfectly sized coordinating envelope for my special message!
Look at the possibilities! The wait is over! ORDER it now!
If you'd like to join my Demonstrator Family, just let me know! I have 17 years of experience to guide you at the Business Builder Level or the Discount Purchaser level! My email is: [email protected]
