Stylin' Stampin' Squad September Blog Hop: Favorite Tools

 Thank you so much for joining us for the September Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad Blog Hop! This month we are focusing on the tools of the stampin’ trade. Specifically, each of our favorite stamping tools. It’s amazing the kinds of tools that have been created to help us along in our paper-crafting addictions. This month’s blog hop will showcase many of the Stampin’ Up! tools that are now available to us in the 2013-2014 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Holiday Catalog and even a couple of products that are so new they aren’t in either catalog. We hope you enjoy seeing how we use the old and new tools and are inspired to come up with some great projects of your own.

You should have just left stop number 11 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop – Bree R. of Craft-somnia.  If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

My favorite SU tool is by far the Big Shot and when they released the new Thinlet card dies earlier this summer I knew I was in heaven!  I instantly decided I was going to use these for our family Christmas card and I've already finished making 70 of them. Shortly after the dies were released Patty Bennett, a fellow demonstrator came up with a great way to use the die to make an extended card (see Patty's card and tutorial HERE).   There are two different Thinlet card dies, the circle and label cards.  In addition to the card cut out, each set as several other thinlet pieces, including sayings, arrows, banners, etc.

 

For my first card I used Patty's technique and the Circle Thinlet card die to make this cute birthday card.  The cardbase is Melon Mambo and I added a piece of designer series paper from the Quatrafancy Speciality DSP package to the right side, along with strips of Silver Glimmer paper on both panels.  I also added a stripe of Island Indigo cardstock that was embossed with the Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder.  The greeting is from the Make a Wish stamp set and was punched out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I also added a cute little cupcake using the Create a Cupcake stamp set and coordinating Cupcake punch.

When you open up the card there's a cute birthday cake from the Bring on the Cake stamp set and I used the Photopolymer stamp set to stamp the recipients name on the card.  The birthday greeting is also from the Bring on the Cake stamp set.  I have to say these cards are a lot of fun and it gets really addictive to keep adding little elements to is, love it!

The second card I have for you uses the Label Thinlet card die and is a really simple Christmas Card.  After cutting out the card with the die I embossed the right side with the Snowflake Embossing folder.  I added a strip of Winter Frost Specialty DSP to the left side.  The greeting is from the Joy to the World stamp set and the thinlet card die set includes the framelit to cut out the insert for the flip piece.

 I kept it really simple on the inside and just stamped a snowflake on the inside flip piece with the Festive Flurry stamp set and added a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.  This shows how the second card looks but you can really keep them as simple or as detailed as you want.

I hope you enjoyed my projects for this months hop and you've fallen in love with the Thinlet card dies as much as I have.  They're so much fun, you'll want to use them for every card.

Make sure to continue on to the hop, Jennifer is next and you won't want to miss what she's created.

Enjoy!

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Craft Smashup
2. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
3. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
4. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
5. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
6. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
7. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
8. Justin K. of JK Cards
9. Heidi B of Stuck on Stampin'
10. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper
11. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
12. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
13. Jennifer C. of Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
14. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
15. Kristina M. of Mama's Sanity