Simon Says Stamp Blog!

Shiny/ Springy/ Smiley

We are excited with our new line...DEAR LIZZY! It gets me in that happy spring mood before the season has officially arrived!

Dear Lizzy is spring-themed, but it’s so versatile you can use it for everyday projects. The concept is an outdoor tea party, inspired by nature and childhood play – you’ll notice designs of darling flowers, trees and bicycles throughout.

This is the first time American Crafts has teamed with another designer to create a line, and Elizabeth worked closely with us to ensure a balance between our trademark look/feel and the feminine, playful touch of the designer herself.

We love the WHOLE line but I'm taking a moment to focus on the flair for those of you who may not be familiar with it, or how to use it. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

...Add it to JOURNALS!

...Make STOCKINGS!

...Add it to SCRAPBOOK PAGES!!

...Make ORNAMENTS!!

...Make WINE TAGS!!

...Make FLIP FLOPS!!

...Make a CARD!!

Now this is one girl that knows how to ROCK her flair...!! :-)

Check out more Dear Lizzy HERE:

*American Crafts Dear Lizzy BLISS Chipboard Stickers 53033 Spring Price: $5.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy CHEERFUL CHERRY 12 x 12 Paper Pack of 5 Spring 35084 Price: $4.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy CHIRP DETAILS 78030 Embellishment Spring Price: $3.99 Add to Cart

*American Crafts Dear Lizzy ELEMENTS Assorted Brads 85504 Spring Price: $3.79 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy FLAIR SHINY 70058 Embellishment Spring Price: $3.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy FLAIR SMILEY 70059 Embellishment Spring Price: $3.99 Add to Cart

*American Crafts Dear Lizzy FLAIR SPRINGY 70060 Embellishment Spring Price: $3.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy GARDEN GALA 12 x 12 Fabric Paper Spring 35101 Price: $3.49 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy LIVELY Premium Ribbon 89288 Spring Price: $4.99 Add to Cart

*American Crafts Dear Lizzy PHRASE Stickers FANCY 42706 Price: $2.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy SPRING HOUSE Printed Chipboard Shapes 77235 Spring Price: $2.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy SUNNY SPOT 12 x 12 Paper Pack of 5 Spring 35081 Price: $4.99 Add to Cart

*American Crafts Dear Lizzy WARBLE Clear Stamps Spring Price: $9.99 Add to Cart	*American Crafts Dear Lizzy WHISTLE Clear Stamps Spring Price: $5.99 Add to Cart

***Blog Candy Alert! Join our following and tell me a NEW way to use flair (not mentioned in this blog ;)) and you will have the chance to win some FREE FLAIR! I will draw the winner a week from today (March 10, 2010).

Let the creative juices begin flowing....

Steph

Monday, March 1, 2010

Helpful Tips & How To's with Punches!

Happy Monday, everyone! We like to pass on cool tips and techniques that we learn and we came across this really awesome demo from Norma that she kindly allowed us to share with all of you! Thanks, Norma! I've seen punches used more and more in card making and scrapbooking, in sometimes such a subtle way that you may not even realize it's a punch! Please see a finished example of this technique above!

The punch Norma is using here is the Martha Stewart border punch Crown. Simon Says Stamp has LOTS of edge punches to chose from! Check out our selection HERE. Also check out great Martha Stewart accessories and other punches HERE.

Punch out your border along one edge of your paper.

Cut the paper about 3/8" below or enough room to glue it on to the back of your circle or oval.

With your small scissor, cut as shown below to about 1/16" from the edge of the paper. DO NOT cut all the way.

You should be able to bend/curve the paper now up and down like a snake.

Place about a 2" spread of the glue to the back of the circle/oval. We want to glue the border a bit at a time, as the glue dries fast.

Working with the front of the circle/oval facing you, start glueing the border to the back of the circle/oval, curving the slashed border following the circle/oval edge. Glue the first few sections.

The back should look like this.

Add more glue and glue the next few sections. Repeat this procedure until you end up at the spot where you started from.

Most likely the pattern won't match up perfectly when you come to the start-finish line as pictured below. This is where your embelishments, such as flowers, come in handy. On my card, I've hidden this spot under the sentiment.

This isn't a problem with a circle, but if you're working with an oval, it's best if you know ahead of time the placement of your embelishment, so you can make that spot your starting line.

Full picture of the back.

This is how the front looks like.

I started experimenting and here are just a couple more border punches that you can use. Both are Martha Stewart punches too. They are Doily Lace & Lace Heart