My New Favourite Stamp

I was hoping and praying that we might see the Medallion background stamp in one of the Australian Stampin Up Catalogues.  I have loved this stamp since seeing it in the USA Stampin Up Catalogue.   There are so many different techniques I want to try with this stamp….just a warning…….you’ll be seeing more of this stamp.

I decided to start out simple and just emboss the image in silver embossing powder onto some of the Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I chose these colours as it’s basically the way I am feeling today…..not very colourful.  I’m getting the flu and didn’t want to be making to many decisions about colour.  Monochromatic cards are good for days like this.

You might notice that there is no greeting on the card…did I forget?  No, I’ve decided that I will stamp the greeting once I have an occasion to use it, that way I can personalise it the way I want.  I will probably either use white or black embossing powder for whatever sentiment I do end up using.

Since I cut the image in half, I still had another half so I just put another co-coordinating card together.  I have used the jumbo eyelts in pewter on both cards, but on the first card, I have added a clear rhinestone brad to the middle and on the second one I have used a half pearl from the pretties kit.

ENJOY 

Supplies:

Ink: Basic Black, Versmark

Cardstock: Going Gray, Whisper White, Basic Black

Stamp Set: Medallion Background

Other: Urban Oasis DSP, Corner Rounder, Eyelet Border Punch, Silver Embossing Powder, Jumbo Eyelets, Brad, Pearl

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A Busy Month, A Tutorial And A Great Deal

This is a long post, but bear with me, It ends with something good!

The next month is a busy one for Stampin Up. Make sure to put these dates in your diary, better still, opt to follow my blog (link is on the right hand column) and you will be notified when there are new updates.

• Sale-A-Bration ends TODAY. I will be accepting orders until 9pm AEDST.
• The retirement list is released TOMORROW. Make sure you check my blog for the full list. Items on the retirement list are available only while stocks last, so make sure you get your order in early. I will be able to update you daily on the quantity available from Stampin Up
• MARCH 31st is the last day to order from the 2008-2009 catalogue and summer mini catalogue
• The new 2009-2010 catalogue will be released on APRIL 1ST, 2009. Email me for your copy

Now I did say earlier in the week that I would do a tutorial for the Crop-A-Dile, so here it is! let me give you a tour first:

This is what we are talking about – The Crop-A-Dile, other wise know as ‘The Weapon’ from the gals at my last workshop lol. Its a hole punch and eyelet setter. It can punch through chipboard, tin, and multiple layers of paper with ease.These a some of the eyelets available from Stampin Up. On the Left we have the Jumbo Pewter eyelets, and on the right we have the Basic eyelets that co-ordinate with some of the Stampin Up colours. They come in the plastic containers you see, which is really handy. More eyelets can be found on page 145 of the 2008-2009 catalogue

*NOTE: March 1st 2009 , the small eyelets are on the retirement list, and have sold out, Sorry
First thing to know is that there is a top and a bottom, and so you don’t get confused, Its written on both sides of the crop-a-dile. ‘Base’ is the bottom and the top has a little symbol and an arrow facing down. The crop-a-dile can silently set many sized eyelets, and that’s where the black squares come into play. Its a little hard to tell, but each side of the black squares have either a number or letter.

On both sides (the picture only shows the bottom one being rotated) the black squares can be pulled and rotated until you find the one you need.

Be sure to keep the instructions of the back until you become familiar with which ones you use. It tells you which letter and number combination to use for setting different sized eyelets.

On the side of the crop-a-dile, you will find one side which reads 1/8th of an inch, and the other is 3/16th of an inch. This decides the side of the hole you will punch. 1/8th is smaller, while the 3/16 is the larger of the two. You will also find a sliding gauge, which can be changed to suit how far in on the paper you want to punch your hole. This is great if you need the eyelets to line up straight. Just twist the round knob and slide it up or down to suits your needs.

So that’s the basic in’s and out’s of the crop-a-dile, now how do you use it?

First thing you need to do, is punch a hole for the eyelet to fit through. For the smaller eyelets that Stampin Up sell, you will need to use the 1/8 inch side. Just slide your paper in the space and squeeze the handles, and presto, you have a hole!

Once you have your hole, put the eyelet in.

To set this eyelet, I am using the combination of ‘C’ on the top, which has a little ‘pointy stick’, and ‘3’ for the base which is for small eyelets. Position the crop-a-dile over the eyelet

and SQUEEZE

and would you believe that is it?! No need for hammers or other noisy setters. This does it all for you, silently and with relatively little force

If you would like to order this ‘Weapon’, I am offering a special for the month of March.

~10%off the price of the Crop-A-Dile when you purchase it from me during the month of March~

Click HERE to email me with your order

And if you don’t want to use it as an eyelet setter, it works great as a wrist strengthener lol!

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