FaveCrafts

1000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips

AllFreeChristmasCrafts Giveaway: Unity Stamp Itty Bittys

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At AllFreeChristmasCrafts, our editors are always look for products and crafts that will help our readers be creative during the holidays without spending all of their money. We’re excited to say that we’ve found a versatile series of products that are not only very handy when it comes to making your own Christmas crafts, but also original and very adorable. For quality and creativity, look no further than these Itty Bittys from Unity Stamp Co.

With an easy adhesive back and red rubber material, these stamps are without question going to last you for many holidays to come. You’ll be able to secure them to a stamp block easily, so you won’t have to worry about any future messes.

Unity Stamp Itty BittysWhat makes the Unity Stamp Itty Bittys so popular is that each series of stamps is designed by an artist. Nothing will give your Christmas crafts a homemade feel quite like the unique look of these stamps that include Christmas characters, traditional Christmas messages, and a few creative takes on classic images. These stamps also come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which means you’ll be able to create some striking patterns and images that are unlike anything your loved ones will have ever seen before.

 

There’s still plenty of time left before Christmas comes back around, so begin preparing for all of the homemade Christmas decorations, handmade Christmas cards, and everything else you plan to design yourself with the original designs used to make the Unity Stamp Itty Bittys. We’d love to help you get started, which is why we’re running a brand new giveaway with a prize of $70 worth of Unity Stamp Itty Bittys! There are only three days left to enter, so be sure to visit our page and submit your entry by March 26th!

How to Mask: Cardmaking and Scrapbooking

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Are you guys into card making or scrapbooking? My hunch is no–we seem to be more of a crochet and knitting group. Paper crafters, feel free to say hi in the comments, though! I wasn’t much of a card maker either until I started looking at some of the project ideas on FaveCrafts and seeing how easy they might be to replicate. I mean, anyone can cut out shapes (either with scissors, a paper punch, or a Cricut), and anyone can adhere embellishments to a piece of cardstock, especially with the help of glue dots. I soon learned that you can even make your own embellishments if you want to save money in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store.

Card making is one of those crafts that everyone has dabbled in at some point–we’ve all got to give cards to friends and family on their birthday, and a good number of us give cards on Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Mother’s Day, and other special occasions. We’ve got lots of cardmaking technique videos on our YouTube channel that could turn even the most novice paper crafter (i.e. me) into a real card making maven.

One of the techniques I learned from our very own YouTube channel is masking. Ever heard of it? Me neither! Masking means blocking off part of an image when using rubber stamps so that the blocked-off (or “masked”) portion does not get stamped. Clear as mud, right? This video by Latrice Murphy explains it a lot better! You can watch the whole thing to see how she makes that adorable bunting and cupcake card, or just watch through the first 3 minutes to learn the technique.

And if you don’t feel like watching a video, don’t have the capabilities of viewing one on your computer, or you’re reading FaveCrafts at work and don’t want the boss to find out (shhh, I won’t tell!), I’ll break it down for you:

How to Mask

  1. First stamp the image you want to mask onto a piece of scratch paper and cut it out. In the video, Latrice stamps a bunting stamp and cuts out each individual triangle.
  2. Then stamp the same image onto your card or scrapbook page. Latrice stamped the same image in the corner of her card using the bunting stamp.
  3. Take the cut out shapes (the “masks”) and adhere them to your card or scrapbook page, right on top of the stamped area. Removable or re-positionable adhesive works best for this step.
  4. Now that your image is masked, you can feel free to stamp over it. In the video, Latrice stamps her card with a cloud background so that the bunting looks like it’s in front of the clouds, like real bunting billowing in the breeze.
  5. When you’re done stamping, remove the masks and you’ll see the unstamped section beneath (in this case, the cloudless bunting shapes).

Doesn’t that sound easy? For all of you non-paper crafters–doesn’t this video make you want to give it a try? What’s the most involved card making technique you’ve ever used?

Meet and Make: Lisa Rojas

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Lisa Rojas

Today’s Meet and Make designer is Lisa Rojas. Lisa is an avid paper crafter and stamper, and the owner of Stampin’ Queen Creations. You can give the queen a call on her blog.

Ready to meet Lisa?

10 Fun Facts about Lisa Rojas:

  1. My all-time favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz- I have one whole room in my house that we call the Oz Room, decorated in everything from the movie.  And, my new miniature dachshund puppy is named Ruby, after the “Ruby Slippers”.
  2. My favorite TV show is Xena Warrior Princess. I have all the seasons on DVD and I watch them all the time.
  3. I’m a homebody! I would much rather stay in and watch a good movie than go out on the town.
  4. I’m a major gadget girl. I really enjoy my Kindle and new iPad. I love to figure out how new gadgets work!
  5. My favorite food is Italian. I just LOVE Chicken Fettuccini.
  6. My favorite vacation spot is at the beach. We go every year to our beach house to spend a month each summer. I get wonderful inspiration there. It helps my creativity.
  7. I name all of my cars. My current car is a Jeep and her name is Billie Jeep. I bought her around the time of Michael Jackson’s death and she’s named after his song Billie Jean.
  8. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series.
  9. My favorite craft technique is layering. I love to layer images and add layers to my cards and scrapbook pages with lots of embellishments.
  10. My favorite saying is by Joan Rivers. She said once, “I don’t exercise. If God wanted us to bend over, He’d put diamonds on the floor.”  And since I love diamonds and hate exercise, it’s a perfect saying!

Here’s Lisa’s Project:

Materials:

  • Fredrix Archival Watercolor Canvas 9” x 12”
  • Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint- Mellow Yellow
  • Loew-Cornell 1” Wash paint brush
  • Paper Adventures Tan Striped paper
  • White, Tan, Brown and Rust card stock
  • Manila tag 4 3/4” W x 2 ½”H
  • My Mind’s Eye paper frame
  • K & Company 3D stickers
  • Ranger Distress inkpads- Old Paper, Vintage Photo & Tea Dye
  • Fresco Chalk Finish inkpad- Vesuvian Ash
  • Black permanent inkpad
  • Magic Mesh- tan
  • Eye Monocle and gold chain
  • Westrim Crafts Scrabble Letters, Metal Letters and Metal Key
  • Walnut Hollow Clock works
  • 4 Bronze eyelets and 1 mini gold brad
  • Gold hinges
  • Assorted fibers
  • Straw ribbon
  • Computer font- Adler
  • Family Treasures Slotted Paper Punch
  • Eyelet setter & Hole punch ¼”
  • Xyron Machine 510 with Permanent Adhesive
  • Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry Paper Glue
  • Beacon Adhesives Glass, Metal & More Glue
  • Rubber Stamps-
  • Watch Face #H 960 by Stamp It!
  • Nostalgic Pocket Watch #A2528D by Rubber Stampede
  • Sybil #P2-923 by Acey Duecy
  • Large Picture Frame # R 158 by Close to My Heart

Instructions:

  1. Using a 1” wash paint brush, paint both canvases with Mellow Yellow acrylic paint. Randomly stamp small and large watches on both canvases using Ranger Distress inkpads. Stamp “Sybil” once using Fresco Chalk Finish inkpad. See picture for placementDesigner Tip: To make stamping on canvas easier, place a book under the canvas before you begin stamping. This will give you a firmer base to stamp on.
  2. Using the picture as a guide, tear tan striped paper and adhere to the canvas with Zip Dry glue.Designer Tip: Because the paper is thinner than card stock, I backed the paper with a tan card stock after I tore the edges. This will help with the paper buckling in high humidity areas. Use a brayer to spread the glue and work quickly.
  3. Print wording out on computer using white card stock. Cut all card stock as follows; for “In Memory of” white card stock- 3”W x ½”H  Tan card stock- 3 ¼”W x ¾”H  Rust card stock- 3 ½”W x 1”H. For the Name, White card stock- 4 ¼”W x 1 ¾”H  Tan card stock-4 ½”W x 2”H  Rust card stock-    4 ¾”W x 2 ¼”H. For “Only Time…” White card stock 3 ½”W x 1 ½”H Rust card stock-4”W x 2”H Manila Tag- 4 ¾”W x 2 ½”H.
  4. Sponge ink onto word images on using a sponge and the Ranger Distress inkpads. Layer all word images and adhere together with Zip Dry glue. Use picture for placement if needed. For the manila     tag, punch holes around four edges with slotted punch. Slid word image into slots. Punch hole and add fibers.
  5. For large picture frame, cut stock as follows; Rust card stock-2 ¾’W x 3 7/8”H   Tan card stock-3 ¼”W x 5”H. Layer card stocks together with picture and large picture frame. Adhere with Zip Dry glue. Lay picture frame down on canvas. Punch holes in four corners of frame. Adhere bronze eyelets with eyelet setter following directions from manufacturer.
  6. Cut straw ribbon into three pieces, one 10”, one 3 ½” and one 2”. Run ribbon through Xyron machine. Adhere ribbon to canvas. Adhere “My Hero” on ribbon with Glass, Metal & More glue. To finish left side of canvas, adhere word images and 3D stickers with Zip Dry glue. Add fibers to key and adhere to canvas with Glass, Metal & More glue. Use picture for placement if needed.
  7. To finish right side of canvas, punch small hole in upper right hand corner for clock works. Assemble clock works following manufacturer directions. Sponge clock face with tea dye inkpad. Adhere to canvas.
  8. Lay Magic Mesh onto canvas, press firmly. NOTE: Magic Mesh is self adhesive. No need for further glues. Punch small hole in manila tag to attach monocle and chain. Lay tag on mesh and adhere with Zip Dry glue. Attach monocle to canvas with miniature gold brad.
  9. For small picture frame, stamp with black inkpad on brown card stock. Cut out center for picture. Cut Rust card stock- 2 ¼”W x 3 ¼”H and Tan card stock 3 ¼”W x 3 ¾”H. Layer and adhere to picture frame with Zip Dry glue. Lay on canvas and adhere with glue. Adhere metal letters to canvas with Glass, Metal and More glue. Adhere ribbon and 3D stickers to canvas. Use picture for placement if needed.

Ask Maria “Cleaning Rubber Stamps”

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I know it’s crazy but I like my rubber stamps to look clean and new. Is there any way to get the rubber stamps really clean?

If you are using dye or pigment inks, you should be able to clean your rubber stamps back to the fun pink color of a new stamp. However, if you use permanent inks, you must clean the stamp immediately after use with a solvent cleaner designed to clean off permanent ink. Often we get so involved with what we are creating that we don’t clean off the permanent ink as quickly as we should. The permanent ink will stain the rubber but will not damage or effect the crispness of the stamp’s image. I use the scrubby pads available and have one for dye/pigment inks where I just use soap and water and one for when I’m using the permanent inks. There are solvents on the market that do a fair job of cleaning off old ink from rubber stamps and this link will show you what is available.

Maria Nerius is the craft expert and in-house designer at FaveCrafts.com. She enjoys researching and answering art and craft questions, feel free to send her a note through customer service. She is also the editor of Creative Income, a FaveCrafts.com newsletter available through subscriptions.

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