You guys know how much I love stamps and using them on my projects, and that I have a slight stamp addiction, so having said that, a girl can never have too many stamps and there is always that need for the next project! 

 So I was thrilled to finally try my hand at cutting my won stamps on the Silhouette – and it worked like a dream. The stamps are not bad at all – they will never last a lifetime like the proper manufactured stamps we buy made from red rubber or acrylic but they work beautifully. The only thing that sets them apart is that the stamp material is not that thick, although it is very strong. This is only a problem when you start inking the stamp, but even then, when done the right way is not really an issue at all.

step 1 - You will need some stamp material, your special stamp cutting matt and your Silhouette machine.

 step 2 - Remove the white protective sheet from the cutting matt. You will notice the cutting matt is full of small holes. This is so that the stamp material [rubber sheet] can breathe – when you adhere the stamp material to the cutting matt you need to press it down to remove all the air bubbles from the sheet and the holes in the cutting matt helps with this process. If there is any air bubbles while cutting the stamp material may scrunch up and cause a misformed shape being cut.

 step 4 - Set your cutting blade to the #9 setting for cutting the stamp material.

 step 5 - Change the rollers on the machine so that they will fit onto the stamp cutting matt. Then load the cutting matt into the machine.

 step 6 - Open your Silhouette software. Open the design page settings and select “stamp” mat from the cutting matt box.

 step 7 - Change the paper to fit onto the cutting mat – which is also the size of the full sheet of stamp material 7.5×6”. TIP: I chose to use the entire sheet of stamp material rather then cut it to size to just cut one stamp. I filled the entire sheet with a range of stamps and cut them all at once – the left-overs I will use in another way.

 step 8 - Pick the design you want to cut for your first stamp. I used this gorgeous flower silhouette, but knew that the detail may be too much for the thin stamp material, so I edited it a bit. TIP: remember when cutting stamps, you rather want a bold solid design than a thin detailed image.

 step 9 - Pick your eraser tool from the menu on the left.

 step 10 - Erase the parts that you do not want to cut from the original design. I then copied the image so that I would cut two stamps of the same flower.

 step 11 - I also added some more designs to my stamp material that I wanted to cut.

 step 12 - Send the file to the machine and cut. Remove the cutting matt from the machine and carefully peel off the stamp sheet. You will notice that some areas you need to full at the stamp a bit release the design – be careful but not overly careful. The stamp material is quite strong and will tear with just the right amount of pressure.

 step 13 - Remove the stamp and adhere them to an acrylic block. You are now ready to stamp your images.

 step 14 - Because your stamp material is brand new, you will notice that it seems that the ink does not take to the stamp, this will correct itself by adding ink and stamping for a couple of times before you get perfect image. Using the right type of ink for this is essential.

step 15 - Stamp the image and sprinkle with embossing powder. Heat set until the powder turns shiny with a heat gun.

 I recommend using Versafine ink pads for basic stamping, Versamark for embossing your images and Versamagic for colourful stamped images. I tried all of these inks and they work perfectly on the Silhouette Stamp Material.

 Products Used

You know when you look at a piece of paper and just know it will be perfect for something really special? Well the other day I was asked to make some samples for a wedding favour box – something different that could be used for a small gift, confetti or a little chocolate and this is what I came up with. These little folded pockets can be used for anything and with the Lady Pattern Paper they are perfect for a classic wedding.

Beautiful, elegant and soft.

Step 1 - For this size pocket/favour box I cut my patterned paper down to measure 9x9inches. I used a selection of the Antique White Lady Pattern Paper. The bigger the paper size, the bigger your pocket will be. 

As i read Heidi Swapp's blog post today, tears were rolling down my face. It hit home!
as memory keepers we have a responsibility to tell the stories - the good, the bad the ugly. I have had my fair share of the not so pretty stories in life, have had more brushes  with death than i care to experience in one lifetime and i am sure there will be many more. for a long time, just like the Swapp family now, i have had a passion for those struggling with life in general and people affected by suicide. it's a silent struggle - a struggle people don't know about and very few will ever understand. they think they do, but in fact we never will truly understand it. I am so thankful that Heidi and her family have peace and hope in Jesus Christ their Savior...the Prince of Peace. people think they know, but in the end only GOD knows. One thing i klnow to be true is....we are all fighting our own battle...

in closing these wise words....Cory is not gone, he has just gone AHEAD!

 i am truly blessed and honoured to be able to do this! God is faithful!

 I did some sorting cleaning and decorating and making stuff! But not without a new toy I got from Chiswick! I got an electric staple gun! and I LOVE IT! So what did I make? Well I finally got to make something I wanted to tackle a long time ago – a little organizing project for my pretty necklaces amongst other things.

So I bought some amazing fabric and found an old canvas frame lurking around. So the entire project cost me only the fabric.

But I am freeking in love with this staple gun - man - it really is the simple things in life that make me happy - simply because they make crafting and home decor so much easier!

Check out my sxs tutorial over on the Chiswick blog...and pop one of these beauties in your shopping trolley - you will love it as much as I do!
Until later this week! Create something beautiful!

 I am always a bit apprehensive when I want to add loads of techniques to a project like a layout using texture paste and other art mediums – why you may ask? Well then wet stuff meets dry paper things happen – weird things happen to be honest! So much to my relief when I first tried stenciling with creative medium onto Lady Pattern Paper papers I was so chuffed that the weirdness wasn’t all that bad, sure it did its usual buckle but significantly less than some other patterned paper out there and dried perfectly. Another awesome reason why we love this lady!

For this layout I used the intense teal range of papers. I used them on my background as well as altered a strip to create some glitter elements for my layout – here’s how I created the layout and elements: 

Step 1 -I used my creative medium texture paste through a Prima stencil directly on top of my papers and then left it to dry really well before finishing my layout.  

step 2 - To create my glitter strips, I used the intense teal gingham sheet with the stripes on the back. Cut the paper strip to measures 3cm wide. Adhere strips of 16mm wide double sided tape to the white stripes on the paper strip. 

step 5 - Cut the strips into thin strips – this is your choice. I just used my scissors and cut the thin slithers of paper freehand. Then adhere the strips to your layout using a glue pen to create corners around your photos and elements.

This is a really fun way of adding some sparkle to your patterned papers, changing the look and feel, and getting the most out of your Basic Essentials range of papers. By using different techniques and products together with your Lady Pattern Paper Basic Essentials you can stretch them so much further! 

 I love how the gold, teal and mint striped paper works so well with all the different colours and elements on my layout! Adding that sparkle to my project – just what a girl needs!

 #LadyPatternPaper #TheWholesaler #Scrapcouture #ImagineCrafts #Tsukineko