WELCOME!

This blog is dedicated to stamping, tips, musings, and whatever I want to post. I want my cards to make you smile. You may copy, post, pin, anything you want. To me this is a sharing hobby.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Just a Little Something



I believe this might be an A Muse Penguin. The candy cane edge is done with a strip of Memory Box cardstock and I applied Stickles. I sure am loving these Nestabilities! All coloring was done with my Sakura pens that give a metallic sheen. The vellum came pre-printed.

Paper Bag Santa



This is another card done using the pre-made paper bag cards by Crafty Secrets (World Win Papers). Designer paper used on this card is from the DCVW Christmas Glitter stack. The little bag with the card in it came in a package from Craft Warehouse. The Santa is from Crafty Secrets. Sentiment source is unknown.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Twinkle Flakes



Got these Twinkle Flakes at Shopko and wanted to try them on a card. I have some more ideas for using them in upcoming days.

Frosty Snowman Source

For those wondering the brand of the Frosty stamp on my November 27 post (I have had 23 inquiries!!!) I located his brand. He is RS4616 Frosty and is made by Hampton Art Stamps. I believe I bought him on ebay last year or the year before.

Look What Came in My Mail!



Reader, Pearl, from Billings, MT sent this darling card. What a cute idea for a tree shaped card. Thanks, Pearl!

Nestabilities Collage Santa



I didn't actually get the stamp but a reader, Stampinmom, sent me these Santa images. I have been hoarding them and decided he would go perfect with my new Nestabilites. The dots are Liquid Pearls. If you click on him to enlarge you can see his Stardust Pen glasses and bright blue eyes (also Sakura pen).

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

WooHoo! Nestabilities Arrived Today!



Here is my first creation. I double embossed it with a large scallop rectangle and a large regular rectangle. I used my Cuttlebug. The pretties are from Jolee's and I got them for 10 cents a few years ago on a going out of business sale where I really stocked up.

OnyxXpressions Ornament



Didn't I tell you these are great images? I love them, but I still cannot get them to take regular ink to my satisfaction. After a few tries with this one, I used Versamark and embossed it in silver. Designer paper is Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey.

Do NOT Buy a Ribbon Ironing Tool

I am starting to see these online and in stores. You probably already have a curling iron and it works beautifully. Just heat and run through. If you don't have a curling iron, you can get a simple one for under $5 instead of paying $15 for the Ribbon Iron!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

What I Want in an Online Shopping Experience

I have been buying more and more online and less and less from stores. One reason is that we really don't have a stamping store in the area anymore. We do have a nice scrapbook store not far from work and I drop in there now and then. But the truth is, that no store is going to carry the variety I am after these days. Blog reading gives me very specific things that I want to use in my stamping and even going to Seattle is going to leave me with a shopping list that cannot be completely fulfilled.

I have purchased from about 15 online sources this last year and the best ones are linked at the left when you scroll down. No online store has everything that I am about to list in detail in one source or they probably could not make a profit, but some have quite a few of these features and they have me coming back over and over.

The following are little perks that have been offered at some of the online places I frequent. Some do one of these things and some do several. These are things that bring me back:

1-I love places that show how many of an item they have left. It helps me make a timely decision. If it is something I am quite sure I want and they only have 1 or 2 left, I will make up my mind quickly. If they have 50 of something, I can mull it over without pressure. Just knowing helps a lot.

2-I love places that tell you right up front that they don't have what you want and for how long it is backordered. Nothing irks me more than to pay and complete the order and then 3 or 4 days later I get an email telling me that they won't be shipping it for 8 weeks! Arghh! It is so much trouble to undo it, get a refund, make sure the refund really got refunded, etc. I would much rather know exactly what they have and that I will be getting my complete order within a few days rather than have to wait on it or get a partial order. Honestly, unless it is coming to them within a week I would just rather they don't even list it! The exception to that are hard to get items that you expect to waitlist on like Nestabilities or other things that are totally outselling expectations. I understand about "getting in line" or never getting the things.

3-I love those places that give you free shipping on light orders. I recently ordered a 6x6 pad of Figgy Pudding paper and the seller charged me NO shipping. It was not advertised, but when I asked she said that she did not charge shipping on orders that weighed less than 6 ounces. I was delighted.

4-Free shipping on orders over $10 keeps me coming back over and over to All That Scraps. If I want a bit of paper or a small clear set of stamps, I don't have to wait until I get an order of $30-40 or more before I get the free shipping. I order there frequently. It also allows me to try small amounts of things and if I like them I can place another order in a few days.

5-No sales tax is wonderful. I understand the companies have no control over that, but I sure do count it as a savings when I don't have to pay sales tax because of their location.

6-I am a totally impatient person and want it yesterday. I love companies that ship within one business day. Often that is worth paying more in my opinion.

7-Regular coupons are a hit with me. When I found out that I get a monthly 40% off coupon on one item from Cut@Home, you can bet that is the place where I will be building my Nestabilities collection from. Add to the fact that she was willing to combine shipping on two orders--one placed at the end of the month and the other 2 days later at the beginning of another month--and I was one happy camper.

8-Fast shipping. I don't mind paying priority on a larger order so I can get it quickly IF they are going to ship out of their warehouse fast. I HATE paying for priority when it takes them 10 days to even get it packaged to ship.

9-I am a sucker for the little goodies they add to packages. smARTworks threw in several extra stamps with my last order and a couple of them went really well with the images I purchased. Other places have given ribbon, glitter pens, or even products that they simply wanted me to try hoping that I would order more.

10-I have been the benficiary of appreciative companies. In 3 cases in the last 2 months, manufacturers saw me using their products on my blog and sent me gifts of more product as a thank you! Talk about hooking me for sure and I am delighted to use their products over and over and show those products on my blog. I try to make sure it pays off for them. It is a great way to thank a customer!

11-I expect reasonably fast response to emails. The companies I do repeated business with will answer my questions in a timely manner. All That Scraps, Marcie at Cut@Home, Green Grass Stamps, Verve Visual, Ellen Hutson, Cornish Heritage, and smARTworks are all outstanding in this area.

12-Other nice extras are companies that package things well. Addicted to Rubber Stamps does this. Paper Trey Inks has the classiest packaging I have seen and I reuse every bit of her tissue paper, plastic boxes, and even the paper on the bands. I love the companies that include the labels for the CD spine and the stickers that go with the sets that you can attach to the CD case. I also like the companies that have unmounted rubber and put the cling right on it for you as Cornish Heritage does.

13-I GREATLY appreciate companies who email me the day my order ships and if they add a tracking number, all the better. But just knowing to expect it soon and that it has actually shipped, goes a long way toward helping me be patient and happy.

14-I am not actually all that hard to please,and I am really very EASY to delight. Some of these companies do it and do it well.
Quality of product is a given that I totally expect, but these little extras help me remember to come back and remember to encourage others to use their products.

OnyxXpressions Christmas Bird



This is one of 2 Onyx Xpressions stamps I purchased. I do not care for the black rubber in that it is very slick, quite hard, and does not take ink well--nor can you easily see if your stamp is inked well or if you have cleaned it. I stamped with this over a dozen times and was still not completely satisfied with the impression it left. It just would not take ink as well as either clear or red rubber no matter what I did. I do LOVE the image itself though. After I stamped and colored it, I Versamarked it and covered it in Stardust EP and heated. I have another black rubber stamp from this same company and am having the same issues with it.

Snowman Transparency Card



I used white Stazon to apply the swirls (SU Roller) to the transparency that goes over the top of the snowman. I colored the snowman with Tombow markers.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Holly Bird



Again, I have no idea where the stamps are from, but I sure had fun doing this one. It is colored with Tombow markers.

Let Heaven and Nature Sing



I am trying to make some old stamps new again and get them out and use them. I have lots of neglected Christmas stamps and have decided that for next year, my cards will be one of a kind. This year's cards are all the same. I love making Christmas cards so am going to just add to the box of the singles all year long. I have no idea the source of these stamps.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Sparkling Gold Tree



All embossing is done with my favorite sparkling gold EP by Judikins called Egyptian Gold. The glitter is built right in. I don't know the stamp brands.

Lizzie Anne Poinsettia



I used the flower to make the poinsettia and highlighted with a Stardust clear pen. The sentiment came from a packet of $1 clear stamps from JoAnn. The paper is from a DCVW Glitter Matt Stack.

Christmas Cardinal on Floral



I made this card in October thinking I might use it for a Christmas card when my Nestabilities came. I used a Coluzzle for this one and it was a lot of work. As it turns out the Nestabilities were backordered so I just held onto this and decided to go a different route.The background is SU Floral and the bird is also an SU stamp.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Christmas Cardinal



All stamps are from the retired SU set. I purchased this set on ebay after it retired and have really enjoyed it. I have made several cards with it recently which I will be posting soon.

Paint Print Candles



All stamps used are pieces from the SU Paint Prints set.

If you like the Winter Babe cards

I just saw that Eclectic Paperie has this set, Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas set on sale for $5 off!! They are great to deal with. Click the title of this post and it will take you there!

Christmas Candles



I did this card last year using a gold outline sticker I got at Craft Warehouse and then colored it in.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Vintage Winter Babe in Red



This card is made with the same stamp set as the card I posted this morning.

Crafty Secrets Winter Babe



This is from the Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas set. This stamp was the stamp in the set that pushed me over the edge and made me have to have this set. I bought the background at Impress several years ago but cannot remember which company makes it. I stamped it in white on blue. I used silver stickles around the circle and Liquid Pearls for the pears on the dots. I really had so much fun making this card. The ribbon is from JoAnn from their Christmas sale ribbon.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Card from Heather



This card is from my friend Heather. I love it!!

10 Club Thanksgiving Card



All materials are SU. The white effect was done with the pad direct to the paper.

Happy Thanksgiving Criss Cross



Images are SU Autumn Harvest. Not sure about sentiment.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Hearts Come Home for Christmas



BoHo heart by MFT. Stitching is Technique Tuesday.

Figgy Skating Penguins



This card was too much fun to make! I used Basic Grey Figgy paper, the seal is a $1 stamp from JoAnn, I don't know the source of the penguins, and the stitching is from my Hanging by a Thread Technique Tuesday set. I used the Stardust pen on the blades of the skates.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Answering Questions

Q-Who makes the piercing template you used for the snowflake?

A-It is made by American Traditional. You can go to their site at www.AmericanTraditional.com. I don't think I bought it there. I googled it and found an online retail place awhile back. I don't know where I got it but I do know it took the company so many weeks to get it to me that I had about given up.

Q-How did you do your oval opening on the Sparkling Tree card?

A-I used my Coluzzle. Love that thing! Took awhile to get the hang of it though.

Q-What is a 10 club?

A-It is a Stampin' Up club that our demo does monthly at her house for 10 months. You get to make about 4 things with her supplies and then you place a $15 order each month. You get to be hostess one of the months and get all the goodies that go with that. It is a great way to keep supplies stocked, lots of fun, and I have been in a 10 club for about 8 or 9 years I think.

Q-Where did you get the ornaments for the snow globe?

A-I got a box of 12 at Craft Warehouse for $3.33.

Q-Have you heard from Specialty Bottle about your tins?

A-Yes, I should have them all the first week of Dec. according to the email I got today.

Q-Have you gotten your Nestabilities yet?

A-Marcie has them in and they will be shipped soon. Hopefully any day!

Q-Why is your Basic Grey Figgy paper a different scale from mine?

A-The 6x6 pads are small scale and the scrapbook papers are large. I wasted about 10 bucks on scrapbook paper I bought on line thinking it was the same. No worries though as I can use it to cover paint cans and other things.

Mix & Mingle Tags



All stamps by SU. Another 10 club card.

SU Retired Stamps Sets For Sale

My sister is going to be listing stamp sets over the next few days. She has some very rare ones, and is currently working on putting her Christmas stamps up. Her ebay name is: jadi73 So, check it out for some good deals!

Sparkling Trees



We did this at 10 club. All materials are SU.

Pierced Snowflake



I used a piercing stencil to make this. Lots of work! I used Stickles to make it sparkle. The edges of the circle are stamped with a tiny snowflake from a Paper Trey Borders set. You may need to click on the card to enlarge it to see the actual piercing.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Thank You Jennifer!!



There are some very nice people in this world and Jennifer Meyer is one of them. I have her Sweet Treats blog on my Google Reader and LOVE her work. About a week ago, I commented on her wonderful cards and she e-mailed me and told me to choose one and she would send it to me!! These cards just are so delightful. She added 4 squares of the Deja View Flurries and Frost cardstock that made up the background of these cards--I was just drooling over it-- and to top it off she included a little bag of snowflakes that she used on the cards. This is a picture of the card she sent. Check out her blog by clicking the title of this post or by going to it via my blog link on the left.

Paper Bag Snowman



This is another card made on a Crafty Creations (World Win) Paper Bag Card. The snowman is from Rubber Soul. The ghost snowflake is from Heidi Swapp and I covered it with Stickles. The edge is Cuttlebugged using the technique where you put the ink in the folder and add white cardstock and run through. Sentiment is by CHF.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

10 Club Snowman



All stamps by SU.

Christmas Nugget Tin



All stamps from Paper Trey.

Faux Snowglobe



You have probably been seeing these on various blogs. I just had to try it. This is a clear ornament with a removable top. It is 3.5" in diameter. I cut a 3.5" circle out of a transparency with my Coluzzle (don't use a punch as it can jam your punch). I then stamped on it with Palette Noir and colored it with Sharpies. I added snowflakes with Stazon white around the edges. Then remove the stopper to the ornament and roll up your circle and slip in. Using a tweezers get it centered and then pour in irridescent snowflakes on BOTH sides of the transparency. Replace the stopper. The base was made with an empty individual serving fruit can and I used red liner tape to attach the paper. Sorry I could not get a clearer picture, but the reflection of the bulb was still a problem a dozen photos later. I designed this globe to go with the nugget tin in the next photo (if blogger will quit acting up and let me load it).

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Snow Scene



I think the penguin and sled are A Muse, but not sure. I don't know the source of the house. Background paper is DCVW Christmas Glitter Stack. Stickle for sparkle, of course!

Which is inked?



This goes with the previous post. The one on the right is inked with Palette Noir.

Onyx Expressions Review

I got my 2 Onyx Expressions Christmas stamps today. I have a mixed review and will show some cards later this week. I pre-ordered these November releases on October 22, they shipped Nov. 10 and arrived today Nov. 17. I got 15% off for pre-ordering. The site says that the black rubber takes ink well and you can see where you have inked. Not my experience. I thoroughly inked and reinked because even under good light on on a slant I could not for the life of me tell if it was inked on the jet black rubber. I stamped and got a light gray impression. I knew I had to have put enough Palette Noir permanent black ink on it so I knew it was the rubber. This rubber feels harder to the touch than red rubber and was very slick although I could not see if it was beading up or not on the rubber. I gave the stamp a good rub down with a pink eraser and got a much better although still not satisfactory image. I tried pigment ink and then got a nice result. After re-erasing several times and inking and stamping and scrubbing at it, I finally got a pretty good result. I think I will probably be black embossing the bird one because it just isn't black enough for me at this point.

Will I buy again? Probably, because I do love their images. I will not order if I am in a hurry as many places get my stamps to me within 2-3 days of release. I will buy them knowing they are going to take a good work over to get them up to shape. Additionally, you cannot begin to tell if you have cleaned your stamp or not before storing them and you will probably spend a lot of time inking in order to be sure of a decent image. I tried a couple of colored dye inks and they were virtually invisible on the stamp.

Watch for a bird card and an ornament card later this week. I DO love the images, I just wish they were clear or red rubber.

Ornament from Circle Tin



If my Specialty Bottle (see link at left) order arrives in time, I will be making these ornaments with my students. I got a Cropadile and am not using it much at all, but it is good for punching tin to put the ribbons on these. The snowman is again, you guessed it--the Stampabilities snowman with a red scalloped circle behind. I added a few flakes of irridescent snow I got at Walmart for 99 cents for a huge bag of the stuff.

I am now ordering all my tins from Specialty Bottle as they are about 1/3 of the cost at Paper Trey and they are the same thing. Additionally, they are located in Seattle so the shipping is reasonable.

To Sheryl

Click the "To Sheryl" in the subject line of this post and it should take you to http://store.scrapbook.com/tetustandac.html#top which will show you the complete set of the Technique Tuesday Hanging by a Thread set.

Paper Pieced Santa



Main images and sentiment by Paper Trey. Border is by Technique Tuesday from the Hanging by a Thread set, which is one of my all-time favorite sets.

NOTE: I have some very, very observant readers. You are right, the green piece is Cuttlebugged, but not with a folder. I ran it through with one of my son's LEGO base plates!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Answering Questions

Q-Which ATG gun do you have?

A-I have the red 714 and love the thing. I cannot say enough good about it.

Q-What do you think of your new Onyx Expressions stamps?

A-They were supposedly shipped last Saturday, but I still do not have them. They should have come faster than that I would think.

Q-Did you do any damage yesterday at Paper Trey?

A-No, I have enough letters and borders already and am just not that into monograms right now. I also have so many flower sets that I am trying to buy only the must haves. Instead I may consider the Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas and I did buy some of the Green Grass stamps that are on sale. Ordered them this morning. I keep a wish list and after the PaperTrey release, if I don't spend my monthly budget there I get something on my list. I am also liking that new MFT snowman Dec. release.

Q-Are you getting lots of Christmas samples ready for us?

A-I love Christmas stamping and will be doing more this weekend. I kind of slowed off this week. VERY emotionally hard week at work and from 10 years experience I know that going into the holidays when working in a juvenile jail, a very rough month is ahead. I set my own teaching calendar and am starting my break a week early this year just for that reason. By mid-December last year, my doctor told me I was on the verge of clinical exhaustion. Believe me, I do not want to go there again this year. Anyway, my Christmas therapy, um I mean stamping, should pick up quite nicely since I only have a 3 day work week next week. Using glitter makes me happy so I will be getting happy a lot this week.

Q-What is your favorite designer paper?

A-I love it all, but right now I just cannot get enough of the 6 x 6 Basic Grey Figgy Pudding.

Spring SU Preview Mini!

I don't know how to link it as I got it in email, but if you would like to leave your email in the comments section, I would be happy to forward the download in an email to you.

Believe Santa



This card was inspired by MomtoMany (Melanie K), but I changed the colors just a bit and the layout is somewhat different. All stamps are Paper Trey.

A Rant on Copyrighting Cards

While blurfing this morning (that is how I wake up and face the world), I came across a very well written piece on copying cards of other stampers. I completely agree and wanted to share Stamping Diva's insights with my own readers. Click on the title of this post and it should take you right there.

And--don't you just LOVE her blog header?!!

Green Grass Stamps

I just discovered a new UM company and they have their Christmas set on sale. I really liked it and so I ordered it. Will let you know what I think when they arrive. I linked them at the side and I think (if it did it right) that if you click on the title of this post you can go see what they have. They had a a very tempting Flourishes set too, but I controlled myself and only did the Christmas stamps because, if you saw my stamp room, you would know I don't have enough Christmas stamps! HA!!!!!!!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Sparkling Snowman



Are you getting tired of this little guy? This Stampabilities snowman is just too much fun. I watercolored him, covered with Versamark and embossed with Stardust EP. Background paper is from JoAnn. Twill strip is from a LSS and then I stamped it with the sentiment in Paletter Noir. Sentiment is CHF.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My Favorite Things BoHo Blossom



I really love this set!

Memory Box Ornaments



I love Memory Box clear stamps. The first, third, and last ornament are done with them. The second ornament is a Paper Salon circle frame with an unknown snowflake in the middle. The branches are made with the small fern punch I got at Impress. I added Stickles here and there. Behind the white piece along each edge, I drew a silver Sharpie line. Didn't like it so I went over it with Stickles and love the effect.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Thankful for Blessings



Main images are from the All I Have Seen SU set. Not sure where I got the sentiment.

Poinsettia



Simple, quick card done with SU stamps. Ribbon from JoAnn. The vanilla layers is not glued down. It is simply attached with the ribbon.

Monday, November 12, 2007

If you love A Muse style stamps---

I went to JoAnn tonight and found dozens of packets of new $1 clear Christmas stamps. Really, really cute Christmas and winter and snowmen. I bought 5 packets and 2 $1 wooden stamps that were all wonderful buys. Will be making cards soon, but wanted to let my readers know that these stamps are just in and are wonderful!! I have not been a fan of the $1 packets of clear stamps but these remind me soooo much of the A Muse stamps that I love.

Answering Questions

Q-How much cardstock do you keep on hand?

A-I have nightmares of running out of colors. When I get down to about 2/3 of a package I order backup. I always keep at least one ream of Georgia Pacific white and a couple packages of PaperTrey white on hand. I buy all my red from Paper Zone and keep 2 backup packages of that this time of year with Christmas followed by Valentines. Also, remember that I teach and want to be able to do projects with the kids so I keep it on hand for that reason too.

Q-What do you clean your stamps with?

A-I clean all my rubber AND my clear stamps with Ultra Clean. While I am stamping I use baby wipes, but to do the final clean up a bit of Ultra Clean spritzed on my paint pad is wonderful.

Q-What is your most recent "big" purchase?

A-I got a Cropadile this weekend and cannot figure out what to do with it other than it is handy to punch metal. I have a set of Nestabilities on back order and am hoping to see them in 2-3 weeks.

Q-I notice you are going vintage more. Is this a recent thing?

A-I like vintage but am really choosy about stamps. Finding smArtworks (see link at left) was right up my alley. Crafty Secrets is wonderful too. I like vintage but avoid collagy types of things as I cannot get them to balance.

Q-I have to know what brand that adorable snowman looking into the sky is!

A-I went back and edited my post to add the information. I have had over a dozen requests to find the information. I had unmounted but loved the block so much I saved it and found it in my stamping closet. He is Stampabilities.

Q-When are you going to do some more of those paper bag cards?

A-I completed 2 yesterday and will post them in the next week or so.

Q-What is your biggest temptation in the stamping store?

A-Right now it is paper. I cannot get enough of the Basic Grey Figgy Pudding (their best line yet, IMO) and I also love the DCVW Glitter Christmas stack. I cannot get enough glitter!

Believe Card



This card is made with the Believe set by Paper Trey. I colored it with Tombow markers. The left "door" is designer paper. The right door is vanilla cardstock stamped with words from the Paper Trey set in colors matching the designer paper. Ribbon from JoAnn. Santa is attached to the edge of the left door.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

SU Card



All products are SU. We made this at last 10 club.

Unmounteds Newly Labeled!



The job took about 1/4 the amount of time I expected. I put new labels on my cases. I use the Chicago font in 14 point and typed them onto sheets of sticky computer paper by Avery that I got a shop

No, my black wooden word on the left does NOT say EXLAX! It says RELAX but several people have emailed wondering why I have Ex-Lax on a sign! Too funny!

Peddler's Pack Christmas for Sale



This is a new never used stamp. If you might be interested in buying it, email me at rubyslippers@neofast.net and we'll talk!

Favorite Snowman



I would have to say, out of all my snowmen, this guy is my favorite. I have been making cards right and left with him and I always love working with this stamp. I stamped the transparency with various colors of Palette Hybrid inks. I colored the snowman with watercolor crayons, let it dry, covered with Versamark and then embossed with Stardust EP. I took the picture outside and no matter how I positioned it, the breeze blew up one side of the transparency.

NOTE: He is from Stampabilities and is called Marshmallow Snowman and is part of a series. I made an ornament and 2 more cards with him today, that will be posted in coming days.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

A Wintery Hello



All stamps from CHF. Colored with watercolor crayons. The Cuttlebugged background was swiped with Versamark on the high places and then clear embossed. Stickles used for snow. I used the word window punch but shorted it by inserting the sentiment from the back.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Build A Flower Card



All stamps are clear stamps by Autumn Leaves. I love this set so much. Out of all the "petal" sets out there, this is my pick. The stitching around the edges was done with my Hanging By a Thread clear set from Technique Tuesday.

Stamping on Mailing Labels



This is an old technique I learned years ago where you stamp on a sheet of mailing labels and then transfer them to cardstock. I believe I chalked these. I have no idea what brand stamps these are. I added some Twinkling H2O's to the leaves to make them shimmer. Using my Judikins Color Dusters, I lightly dusted blue all around for the sky. Color dusters are about a dollar each and a great investment. I do not wash them. I have one for each basic color and now and then I wipe them over a baby wipe to take off some of the build up. Washing them ruins them.

TIP: After you stamp the labels, while they are still on the original waxed sheet, take a piece of sticky repositionable paper of some sort (I use removable clear book cover that comes in a roll at Walmart at back to school time) and lay the sticky side face down on the labels. Then carefully turn it over and detach the original waxed carrier leaving the labels in perfect position on the sticky sheet. Then flip the sticky sheet and position on your cardstock and press the labels firmly to the cardstock. You get absolutely perfectly positioned labels!

THANK YOU to reader, Cindy H who says the birds are PSX and the sentiment is Co-Motion.