NEW My Digital Studio Artwork - Robin's Picks

Tuesdays with Stampin' Up! are always exciting.
Wanna know why?

That's the day each week when NEW My Digital Studio Digital Downloads are released!

I'm always anxious to see the new artwork and ideas that are being released - and did you know that all the artwork is EXCLUSIVE to Stampin' Up!?
Yep, yep it is.

So, just for YOU, I'm going to begin sharing my "picks" each week. The digital artwork that I really just can't live without. So be sure and check back each Tuesday to see what's turning my creative crank.
Here are my picks for this week:

There are several more NEW releases this week as well - these were the ones that just jumped out at me.
It's easy to place an order, you can visit my Online Store at this link:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button in the top right corner to enter the store.
Find the My Digital Studio hotlink in the left column and you'll be in the digital shop.
Have fun clicking around to see all that My Digital Studio has to offer - it's not just for scrapbooks anymore!

If you don't already have and LOVE My Digital Studio you can download a FREE 30 Day Trial! It's a great way to check out all that this awesome program has to offer. I know you'll love it once you check it out. :)

Happy digi-day!
~~Robin

Watercolor Wonder Crayons - A Simple Technique

I don't know about you, but I'm needing a little touch of spring right now. 
It's been bitterly cold here and I'm just about tired of it....

So, in the spirit of Spring, I'm sharing this floral card I made with my Technique Geeks stampers a few months ago. 

We were focusing on Watercoloring for that class and this card was done with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons. The crayon was colored directly on the stamp, then spritzed with water to moisten the color. When it's stamped on the cardstock, it gives a soft watercolored look. 

Watercoloring is not my best technique by a long shot, but at least with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons, I can fake it pretty good! 
This card used the stamp set Fabulous Florets. The solid image stamps in this set lend themselves very well to this technique. I used a color palette of Regal Rose, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight with Whisper White as my neutral. 
As you can see the flower stems were stamped onto the Whisper White background and the two flowers were stamped on scraps then trimmed out with my Paper Snips. I mounted them on Stampin' Dimensionals to make them really pop off the card.
The greeting was stamped in Regal Rose ink.

To fancy the card up a bit, I layered my ribbon using the 1/8" Regal Rose Taffeta over the Whisper White Organza ribbon. I love the look this gives and layering your ribbon isn't difficult at all. When you tie the bow, just keep the two pieces layered together as you tie the same way you would for one strand. It may take some practice, but it's worth figuring it out. 
My bow is a separate piece from the wrap piece and is attached with Glue Dots.

On the inside of the card, I stamped another floral image from the stamp set with Regal Rose ink just to give it some interest. 

Here's a few of the products I used on this card:

#119804 Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Brights  $16.95

#123027 - Fabulous Florets  $17.95 (clear mount)

You can shop for these supplies in my Online Store - here's the link:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right to get started! 
Don't forget your FREE Sale-A-Bration products between now and March 22nd - for each $50 you spend, you get A FREE product! 

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest - stampwithrobin

And "Like" my Business page on Facebook - Trinity Design Studios -Paper Crafting and Fun!

Have a fantastic Thursday - Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

Sweet and Simple - Mini Cards and Box with Template!

Hello Stampers! 
Last night was my monthly Ladies Night Out event at my local Chick-Fil-A. 

I always create something fun and unique for the ladies that come out - but the secret is that it's a simple project too! This one was no exception and they loved it! 
I posted this photo on my Facebook page yesterday as a teaser - and judging from the response I got, everyone else did too. So, I've got a quick photo tutorial on how the box is put together with sizes and other pertinent information. 
Here you go:

 

The box itself is created out of a piece of cardstock measuring 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". A half sheet of cardstock. 

The designer paper in the back of the box - here I used the FREE Sycamore Street paper from Sale-A-Bration - is cut at 3" x 3 1/4"

The paper strip that wraps around the front of the box is cut at 3/4" x 5 1/2". 

The Island Indigo Satin Ribbon - also from the Sale-A-Bration FREE choices - is 20" long. 

I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere the designer paper to the cardstock box. The box itself is also assembled with the Liquid Glue. Best. Glue. Ever. #staysput

Here's a closer look at the four little mini cards:

I used the Sale-A-Bration FREE stamp set Patterned Occasions for the images. All but the cute elephant fit in the Extra Large Oval Punch, so I saved him for another project! :)
Each image was colored with Stampin' Write Markers, then stamped onto Whisper White Cardstock and punched out. I adhered each one to a folded 3" x 3" Mini Card with two Stampin' Dimensionals.
The color combination I used was: Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Pool Party and Summer Starfruit. 

The cards were a cinch to make and so was the box! 
Here is a 4 step tutorial that will help you create it on your own:

Step 1: Take a piece of cardstock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and place it on the Simply Scored Scoring Tool with the 8 1/2" side at the top.
Using the scoring tool that comes with the Simply Scored, score once at 4 1/4" and again at 5 1/2". 

Step 2: Turn your cardstock 1/4 turn so the 5 1/2" side is at the top. Score at 1" and again at 4 1/2".

Step 3: Add your Simply Scored Diagonal Plate to the Simply Scored Scoring Tool. Place your cardstock back on the plate with the 5 1/2" side at the top. Score the top right corner diagonally at 4 1/2". (The Diagonal Plate is normally $11.95, but you can get it FREE now with Sale-A-Bration!)

Step 4: Flip the cardstock over to the opposite side so the unscored corner is on the right side. Score this corner diagonally at 4 1/2". 

Once all your score lines are done, use your Paper Snips to clip off the diagonal corners at the top. You will also want to snip the short score lines shown in Step 2 to create the box flaps. Just snip up to the center score lines, no further. 

Next, use your Bone Folder and fold each scored line, giving them a nice crease. You can stamp on the box at this point or use a punch to decorate the edge. However you choose to decorate it. 
I stamped the front of my box with the Distressed Dots background stamp to give a contrast to the designer paper that was used. 
I also punched a border across the front edge with the Scallop Edge Border Punch. 
Once that was done, I used the Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere the box together. 
 
Here's another look at the finished box:

See what I mean? Easy-peasy project! 

Here's a few of the products I used on my box:

#119882 - Scallop Edge Border Punch $16.95

#119859 - Extra Large Oval Punch $16.95

#122334 - Simply Scored Scoring Tool - $29.95

#125586 - Simply Scored Diagonal Plate $11.95 (or FREE with SAB benefit!)

#122815 - Distressed Dots $17.95

As always, you can purchase all these supplies and more in my Online Stampin' Store! Here's the Link:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to get started! 
Don't forget - you earn FREE products with each $50 you spend between now and March 22nd!

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest - STAMPWITHROBIN
And "Like" my business page on Facebook - Trinity Design Studios - Paper Crafting and Fun

So glad you stopped by today - I'll see you again soon with something else fun!

Happy Stampin'!
~Robin

25th Anniversary Blog Tour: February - Best of Birthdays

Welcome to my blog! 

If you are taking our RemARKable Blog Tour in order, you've just come from Anne Matasci's blog Maui Stamper. I know Anne's style and I'm sure she had some gorgeous artwork for you! I hope you'll continue to be inspired with ideas for the Best of Birthdays stamp set. 

I've got three projects for you using this great collection of Stampin' Up! images. 
Here's the first one: 

I took four of the images and stamped them in four different colors onto Whisper White cardstock - Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Baja Breeze and Summer Starfruit. I chose not to overlap them, so my background is more like the currently popular Subway Art than a collage. 
This layer was mounted on a folded piece of Primrose Petals cardstock. 
 

Next, I mounted a cut piece of Patio Party Designer Series Paper onto a piece of Midnight Muse cardstock. I wrapped a piece of Summer Starfruit stitched ribbon around the strips and added a bow with Mini Glue Dots. This was mounted to the card front. 

The focal point was stamped in Primrose Petals ink then punched out with the Large Oval Punch. I colored in the heart with the matching Stampin' Write Marker and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the icing with my 2 Way Glue Pen. That oval is mounted on to an oval piece of Patio Party Paper that's cut with the Ovals Collection Framelits. They both had more glitter added to the edges before I mounted them with Stampin' Dimensionals onto the card front. 

The inside was simply done with just the greeting stamped in Summer Starfruit and the little package in Midnight Muse. 
This is a great unisex card and would even be great for a teen! The colors and the images work so very well together. 

I enjoyed playing with the Patio Party Designer Series Paper so much that I decided to use it again on something even more fun than a birthday card - Cupcake Picks! 

These are so quick and easy to assemble - I chose not to use glitter so we didn't run the risk of getting it on the cupcakes. 
Oh yeah, we did eat them after the photo shoot - they were really delicious! Hey, every job has it's perks. :)

I chose two of the images and used the chalkboard technique with them for these picks. Stamping in Versamark and heat embossing with White embossing powder. I punched them out with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch and layered them on a circle I'd punched out of another sheet of the Patio Party Paper with my 1 3/4" Circle Punch. 

The circles were mounted onto one of the little cupcake lines from the Pop-Up Posies Kit (again, I have yet to use that kit for making the flowers it was intended to make - the pieces are just fantastic on their own!). I used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere them together and then mounted it all to a Scallop Circle Punched out with my 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. I added an extra-long toothpick before attaching them together. 

They are so cute I hate to throw them away after using them in the cupcakes!

So, one last project today - and it's in a completely different direction creatively than my first two. Just showing how versatile this stamp set can be. 
One of the images is this brand new one - and it's very swirly and elegant to me. 

The card base is Whisper White and the layer is Midnight Muse cardstock. I used the new Swallowtail Background stamp and inked it in Versamark, embossing the image in Silver with a stunning result. I LOVE this! 
Before I mounted it to the card base, I spritzed it with some Frost White Shimmer Paint mixed with rubbing alcohol in my Stampin' Spritzer. It added just the right touch to complete the background. 

The greeting was stamped twice on Whisper White scrap. Once in Midnight Muse and punched out with the Large Oval Punch. The other was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in Silver. I used my Paper Snips to trim out the birthday banner from the center, then mounted it with Stampin' Dimensionals to the other one. 
This in turn was mounted on a piece of Brushed Silver cardstock cut out with the Ovals Framelits. I added two Basic Rhinestones to the sides of the silver piece then mounted the whole thing with dimensionals to the card front. 

Here's a look at the inside:

Very simply done with a greeting from Bring on the Cake and the sweet butterfly image from Bloomin' Marvelous (a Sale-A-Bration stamp set). I did stamp the butterfly in Midnight Muse, but I stamped off once and then twice to get the lighter images. 

Here's the entire stamp set, as you can see, I used all but one of the images this time. 

#132929 - Best of Birthdays $14.95

I hope you've enjoyed your stop here at my blog on the tour, you've still got lots of great ideas ahead of you so be sure to keep going! Just click on this icon to go to the next blog, you're headed for Andi Potler's blog next.

Have a wonderful Sunday and Happy Stampin'!
~~Robin

Cutest Couple Contest!

Happy Valentines Day - again!!  
I NEED your HELP! 

I've entered Mark and I into the "Cutest Couple Contest" for Prince William County - and we NEED your VOTE!! We could win a gift certificate for a One-Hour Hot Stone Therapy Couples Massage that's worth $320! 

Oh, how I would LOVE to win this for us - after Mark's health scare at the beginning of the month and all our crazy travel for skating, we could use a little couple time and relaxation. 
Will you HELP us?? 

Just go to the link here and VOTE for us! 
Please pass it on to your friends too - there's lots of cute couples trying to win, but it would be awesome if it were us. Thanks so much!  

Valentine's blessings to you all, 
~~Robin

Easy Heart Banner!

Happy Valentine's Day! 
Yes, today is time once again for all things "Love" and CHOCOLATE! 

I'm headed out to the gym for a bit so I can enjoy some of that chocolate! LOL!

Here's a fun banner project that I created with my downline team last month, today was the perfect day to share it with you. 

I used a variety of supplies on this cutie, the Hearts Framelits, More Amore Designer Paper, Scallop Circle Punch, Timeless Type Alphabet Big Shot Dies and several different Background Stamps. 

The "L" uses the Hello, Doily stamp in Primrose Petals ink:

I added a Vintage Button with a Large Pearl in the center.

The "O" uses the Netting stamp in Pool Party:

The letter is accented with a Primrose Petals Dahlia.

The "V" uses the Distressed Dots stamp in Real Red:

and I added one of the Pool Party flowers from the Pop-Up Posies Kit with some Red Glimmer Paper!

The "E" uses the French Script stamp in Crumb Cake:

I colored one of the Flower Trim flowers with Pool Party ink for this one.

The whole banner was strung on a yard of Primrose Petals Ribbon and tied off at the ends with Pool Party Bakers Twine. 

It's an easy-peasy project that gives a WOW look. I love it on my antique window in my family room - perfect for Valentine's Day. 

I hope you have a wonderful day and get to spend it with the ones you love MOST! 
~~Robin

RemARKable - Stamp of the Month Blog Tour: February - Collage Curios

Welcome to my blog! 
If you are taking our RemARKable Blog Tour in order, you've just come from Anne Matasci's blog Maui Stamper. Knowing Anne, she had some gorgeous artwork for you! I hope I'll continue to inspire you with ideas for the Collage Curios stamp set. 

This particular set has lots of smaller images which are great for layering, collaging, creating accents or even to use on their own for a clean and simple look. 
All three of my projects today use the set for accents and collaging, two of my favorite things to do, so let's get started, ok?

Here's my first project:

This card has a contemporary, clean feel to me. I used a color combo of Whisper White, Early Espresso and Summer Starfruit. The Sweet Floral background stamp was inked in Summer Starfruit and stamped on the middle Whisper White layer and that image alone really says contemporary to me with this design. 
I layered a strip of Champagne Glimmer Paper under the focal image for a unique contrast.

Here's a closer look at the focal images:

I think it's so cool that the Collage Curios stamp set has a mini Eiffel Tower in it - perfect for pairing with the Artistic Etchings stamp set! So, that's what I did. I stamped the large Eiffel Tower from Artistic Etchings in Versamark on Whisper White, then heat embossed it with a mixture of Early Espresso and Pewter powders. That gives it a cool rustic metallic finish - kind of hard to see in the photos. I stamped the mini Eiffel on a scrap and heat embossed it the same way then trimmed it out with my Paper Snips. 
The little label it's mounted on is two more of the images from Collage Curios - the word circle and the tag rim. I stamped the words first on a white scrap in Summer Starfruit, then stamped over it with the tag rim in Versamark. it was heat embossed to match the Eiffel Towers. After punching it out with my 1" Circle Punch, I mounted it on the focal layer as a sweet accent. 
The finishing touch was the double satin bow that I made with the Summer Starfruit Stitched Ribbon. 

My next card actually started with a scrap piece from my Serendipity pile. That's a pile of extra pieces that either didn't work as I'd intended them or were otherwise just too pretty to simply toss. They get saved for project starters and fresh ideas. 

The paper pieced background layer was the Serendipity piece here. I'd had a lot of skinny strips of Fan Fair Designer Paper left over from a project, so I used them to create this paper mosaic background. They are just glued down to a cardstock base with Tombow then I trimmed the edges with Paper Snips. 
That layer is on a piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock which is  mounted to a Crumb Cake card base.

 

There's a lot going on in the focal point so I'll start from the top. 

I stamped the word circle from Collage Curios with Crumb Cake ink on Crumb Cake cardstock. It's overstamped with the little hot air balloon image in Riding Hood Red. I thought it was so cool how that went perfectly with the Fan Fair paper I'd used on the background. Again - great co-ordination! Such a versatile stamp set!

Anyway, I punched that out with my 1" Circle Punch, then sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink. (I'll just tell ya now - everything on this project and the next one is sponged with Crumb Cake ink - that'll save me some typing! )

I added a Large Pearl that I'd colored with the Gold Marker and dried with the Heat Tool. The whole layer is mounted on a 1 1/4" circle from that punch in Island Indigo. 

The next layer is a small cupcake liner piece from the Pop-Up Posies Kit in the Spring Mini. I've yet to use that kit for what it's intended and I've gone through 3 of them! LOL! Here, I trimmed in between each ridge with my Paper Snips then after sponging it, I flicked my Gold Marker over some of the fringe. Just a little something different. That piece is adhered to a 2 1/2" Circle punched from Riding Hood Red cardstock. 

The label is kinda neat. It's stamped in Island Indigo on Crumb Cake cardstock then trimmed out with my Paper Snips, then crumpled like crazy. I smoothed it out and just adhered it between the layers on the focal point. 

Do you recognize the stamp? Ha! 

It's Vintage Verses from the Sale-A-Bration FREE offerings, but I ordered it in French! Perfect for making vintagey and antiqued artwork. Plus, I can give it to Emma's French teacher when I'm done with it!

 

Ok, so now lets talk about the ribbon and the bow. 
I used a piece of the Natural Trim Ribbon from the Spring Mini. With my Ribbon Scissors, I carefully cut off one edge of the ribbon and set it aside. Several of the pieces of woven threads were removed to create the fringe then I hand pleated it across a piece of Sticky Strip on the card front. 
Don't make that face - it's really easy! 

I used the edge that I'd trimmed off to make a tiny bow and adhered it to the label with a Glue Dot. A little gold colored pearl was adhered the the bow center and I put a short row of gold colored pearls right below the fringe ribbon. 
This card was really a LOT of fun for me to make and I LOVE it! I hope you do too, but if you don't then I guess I get to keep it, right? :)

Ok, final project. 
I was having so much fun pairing the Fan Fair Paper with some of these elements, I thought I'd make something whimsical. 
It's a little gift pouch - can you guess what it's made out of??
No? Well, you know what they say, one person's trash is another one's treasure. 
It's a toilet paper cardboard tube! 
Yep, I used Multi-Purpose Glue to glue one end together flat then I took a piece of 6" x 4" Fan Fair paper and glued it around the tube. 

I took a strip of the ruler paper from Fan Fair and punched a Scallop Border along one side and adhered it around the bottom. It's layered up with a piece of the Lace Tape from the Spring Mini catalog. 
There was a  tiny strip of the Fan Fair paper left from punching the border, so I glued it around the top edge of the tube to finish it up. 
The doily is just a half piece that's been crumpled and sponged then glued to the inside back of the tube. You can see it better in the next photo.

So for my focal image here, I stamped the same French label stamp in Island Indigo on Crumb Cake then used my Labels Framelits to cut it out. 
Next I stamped a mini Eiffel Tower in Riding Hood Red over top of the label. 
The bow is a piece of Crumb Cake Seam Binding that I wet down and then crumpled up, drying it with the heat tool. It's tied in a double bow and adhered to the label with a Glue Dot or two. 

Going back to my trusty word circle stamp, I stamped it in Crumb Cake on Crumb Cake, then stamped the little butterfly in Island Indigo on top. After punching it out with my 1" Circle Punch, I edged it with Riding Hood Red before adding a little piece of doily that had torn off the one I made for behind the label. 
Didn't want to just toss it out! 
The doily was easy to color, I just rolled Riding Hood Red ink over it with my Brayer then dried it with the Heat Tool. I just crumpled it up with my fingers and glued it to the back of the label before I mounted it on the tube with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's a quick look at the back side:

I really think the beauty of the Collage Curios stamp set lies in it's super versatile coordination with so many of our other products! It was SO easy to create my projects because of all the different things I had to work with that just fit it like a hand in a glove. 

Here's a picture of the whole stamp set so you can see what the images are: 

It's a great selection of images and if I can make one recommendation to you - when you add this to your collection, be sure to purchase it in Wood Mount. Two reasons - first, the images are small and much easier to work with when they are permanently mounted on a wood block. Second, they are all about the same size, so it's much easier for them to have their own block that to try sharing one or two acrylic blocks between the 9 images. 
That's my rule for all stamp sets like this one and it works out great!

So, thanks for stopping by today - your next stop is my friend Maria Pane at Stamp and Scrap with RiRi. 
Enjoy her great projects! 

Happy Stampin', 
~~Robin

Oh, Hello! - An Easy Vintage Feel Card

Happy Saturday stampers! 
To all my friends in the Northeast - I sure hope you are snug and warm and dry during this storm. I've seen some wild pictures of all that snow you're getting - so stay safe, ok? 

Maybe this little springtime card will help chase away the blustery weather you're getting. 

This is one of the cards I designed for my classes this month and it uses a ton of Spring Mini Catalog product on it. The color combo is Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade. 
The card front may 'appear' to be multiple pieces of paper, but it's actually some cool patchwork print paper from the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper Pack - I LOVE this!

Here's a close up of the focal point:

I used the new Ovals Framelits to cut two ovals. The first was out of Very Vanilla cardstock and I just stamped the rose image from the Oh, Hello stamp set in So Saffron ink to make a little background. 
The next layer is Vellum cardstock. I stamped the chevron oval image in Calypso Coral then dried it with my Heat Tool on the Low setting (the new one does this!). Then I cut it out with a smaller oval framelit. It's attached with a little SNAIL to the Vanilla piece but only behind where the greeting layer is located. That way the adhesive doesn't show. 

I stamped the greeting with Lucky Limeade and punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch. It's mounted on the ovals with two Stampin' Dimensionals. I added a Calypso Coral Button to the greeting with a Glue Dot after I tied it up with some Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine. The button is from the Sale-A-Bration FREE Ribbon and Button Package.

This is truly one of those 10 minute cards that we ALL need to make from time to time. I'm so glad to have great paper and color coordination to make it so easy to do. 

Here's a couple of the products I used to make this card:

#129381 - Ovals Collection Framelits  $26.95

#129311 - Tea for Two Designer Paper  $10.95

#130733 - Oh Hello Stamp Set (clear) $18.95

 As always, you can find these products and more in my Online Stampin' Store - here is the link:
Robin's Online Stampin' Store
Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to enter the store and shop. 

Have a great Saturday everyone! Be sure to stop back by my blog tomorrow for the RemARKables Stamp of the Month Blog Tour. We are featuring the Collage Curios stamp set from the Spring Mini catalog. I've got three different projects for you and I can't wait to show them to you! 

See you tomorrow! 
~~Robin