Materials You'll Need
~Several Mix & Match Papers: Storm Light #01-001 cardstock (*Penny Black Inc.)
~Les Petites small card/envelope sets-I used wild cherry 90-002 and
chestnut creme 90-006 (*Penny Black Inc.)
~Specialty Embossed white paper: hearts white ep403 and scroll white ep401 (above)
~Valentine theme rubber stamps: T for transparent, Slapstick/ Cling
and Wood Mounted-specific stamp names and item #'s are listed with each
project photo below (*Penny Black Inc.)
~Premo! Sculpey polymer clay: White #5001, Ecru #5393, Alizarin
Crimson Hue #5383 (**Polyform)
~Translucent Liquid Sculpey-liquid clay aka "TLS" (**Polyform Products)
~Premo Sculpey 6 piece "Brights" glitter set (red is used)
~Sculpey Clay Conditioning Machine #CLAYMACH or Sculpey Acrylic Roller #AS8AR
~Black, Dark Brown and Rusty Brown dye ink pads for use on cardstock
~Black and Rust/Brick colored solvent ink or quick drying pigment
ink stamp pads for polymer clay
~Double-sided 3/4" wide clear tape (Scotch brand is strongest)
~2.25 x 8 Clear Resealable Cello Plastic Envelopes/Bags (I found them online
at www.littlepaperthings.etsy.com)
~#2 pencil and a separate pink eraser
~Candy to fill the kids' Valentine bags/bookmarks (ideas with project)
~Moist wet wipes, or paper towels and a fine mist spray bottle of water,
or a stamp cleaning pad in a snap closed case and rubber stamp cleaner
~Paper slicer or trimmer (with a ruler is best-or a separate
ruler and long pair of scissors)
~Small pointed sharp scissors
~X-Acto craft blade knife with a new sharp blade (No. 11 is standard)
~Black extra fine permanent marker
~Glue pen (not a stick, looks like a gel pen in size)
~Jewelry findings: For the dress necklace-One 3/8" antique bronze jump
ring; One 1/4" antique bronze jump ring, One 18" to 24" antique bronze
medium size necklace chain with clasp; For the Birdcage Necklace: Two silvertone 1/4" jump rings and one black
organza and cording 18" [tr-made necklace with clasp; One 1 1/4" gold pin back for
Rose pin; and one 1" silvertone pin back
for the heart bouquet pin.
~Three 3/4" extra strong round black magnet discs (butterfly and typewriter)
~Needle nose pliers to open and close jump rings
*To see all of the great rubber stamp designs and accessories, visit the
Rubber Stamping on Cardstock
Stamping on Pre-Made Les Petites Cards
1. Place opened Les Petites white card on a covered, but very flat work
surface. Apply black dye ink from a pad to the stamp. Practice
stamping on scrap paper if new to rubber stamping. Now stamp a "Sweetheart
Mimi" design #4296J (wood mounted stamp) in the center of the front of the
card. TIP: Press stamp with even, firm pressure, (do not rock
stamp) and lift slowly.
Note: You may color in your designs in many different ways. You can use
markers, watercolor paints, colored pencils or even pastel chalks. For
today's demo projects I have used colored pencils, which are great for
kids also! The best quality of pencils for paper use, by adults,
in my opinion are by Prisma.
2. When the ink is dry, color in the design with colored pencils. Use any
colors you like. For this sample I used light peach for her skin and
reddish brown for her hair. For her dress, tights, bow, shoes and the hearts
and bouquet cone, I used pink and magenta. Then, I used green on the
leaves. I tinted her cheeks with pink and a tiny bit of magenta.
3. I created a textured background by simply lightly coloring over a
piece of heart embossed white cardstock (white embossed paper ep403), then
cut off the edges making it smaller then the card, leaving 1/8" les petites
white card showing around it.
Note: When using a transparent or Slapstick/Cling stamp, secure them
to a clear acrylic stamping block that is just a little larger then then
stamp. Just press the smooth side of the unmounted design firmly in place,
centered. Stamp the design onto the card. Clean with wet wipes and dry. If
your acrylic stamping block is too big, your design may not stamp consistently
in areas, as the stamp will rock or be tilted when stamping.
Adding a Finishing Touch: There are so many ways to embellish your
cards if desired. You can glue on printed paper borders, rhinestones,
ribbon or anything fairly flat. Or you can simply add brads or eyelets
which gives a fun touch to the cards. If you like sparkle, fill in an area
or outline using a glue pen and sprinkle fine glitter over the lines
immediately. Work over a folded piece of cardstock so you can later tilt it
to put the excess glitter (tapped off) back into the jar easily. And don't
forget that there are many sentiment text rubber stamp designs available
in the sets or separately for the inside or front of your card!
Kids Valentines with Candy and a Bookmark
1. Cut and 8 1/2" x 11" into 2" wide strips with a paper slicer/trimmer.
Fold over a 2" area at one end of each strip.
2. Place strip so that the folded square area is at the bottom (nearest
you)and stamp a design or phrase that are fun for kids.
I've used these stamps/set designs for the kids Valentines: Hedgehog
with chocolate covered sunflower seeds (Piece of My Heart 30-042 and
Music Background 2025M); Dog and cat in paper airplane with pastel
candy hearts messages (Love is in the Air 30-144); Two flying bees with
Good n Plenty candy (Loads of love 30-146); Kitty with roses and chocolate
kisses (Piece of My Heart 30-042) and Scroll background 1766M). My video
sample also showed a Good n Plenty candy valentine/bookmark
with owl (Guess Hoo 40-188).
3. Turn white cardstock strip upside down, with the square at the top (makes
your first design upsides down!)and stamp a longer design for the bookmark.
4. Color in the designs with colored pencils. Fill cellophane bags about
1/2 full with candy. Fold over the top adhesive taped edge of the bag to
secure, then fold once more, the same length as the first fold. Use super
strong tacky tape (red lining on roll) to secure the cello bag folded top to
the underside of the stamped square only, NOT to the bookmark area. I add a
dotted line on the fold crease so kids will know to cut that part
off and save for a bookmark. Refer to the photo above step 2.
"The Lace Dress" Card Instructions
1. The lace dress on a music background card uses a technique called
"masking". Simple stamp the dress on a piece of scrap paper and cut
it out close to the outline. Use some removable tape to secure it to the
center of the card (step A below).
2. Stamp the music background over the dress (Step B) then
remove the dress carefully from card.
3. Now stamp the dress within the blank shape with a black ink pad on off
white clay (6 parts white + 1 part Ecru) and cut around the dress bodice
and skirt only, using an X-Acto knife. Bake as directed and cool. Place a
drop of super glue on a large antique bronze jump ring and press on the back
of dress top center. add a pad of thin off white lcay over the bottom area of
ring and bake again, face down, for 10 minutes on a piece of cardstock (or
the dress will form unwanted shiny spots.
4. To finish add an antique bronze jump ring (slightly smaller) to the dress
find and thread an antique bronze necklace chain into the
jump ring to hang the pendant/
These three sample cards (not listed below in Basic Instructions) used the
following stamps: A clay butterfly magnet on a collage
look card (butterfly symphony 30-148); Clay rose pin on a rose background
with text (Bed of Roses 40-190 and Each Other 4262E); A postcard (Lace
Delight 30-115 and postcard 1369L.
Stamping on Polymer Clay
1. Condition about 1/2 cube of White (#5001) Premo clay, depending on how
many jewelry pieces or magnets you will make, to soften it to a workable
consistency. A Clay Conditioning Machine comes in handy for this. Just
pass it through the rollers about 10 times, folding it in half each time and
placing the fold into the rollers. Or, roll the clay, twist it and
squeeze it in your hands till pliable.
2. Roll enough clay for one piece, into a smooth ball, flatten it to a thin
pancake thickness and roll it through at the thickest Clay Machine
setting. Or, roll to about 1/8" thick with a Sculpey Acrylic Roller tool.
3. Secure your clay sheet well to your baking tile. Ink up the stamp
well and press into the clay just as if you were stamping on paper.
Lift the stamp slowly.
4. Cut out just the area you will use for a pin, pendant or magnet using
a sharp new blade on an X-Acto craft knife, on the outside edge of the
black design lines. For this design the Mimi;s hand is on the bouquet. You
can camouflage it by adding short permanent extra fine lines over that
edge, drawing them close together. I also shaded (added short lines)
just above cone on the right side of the heart.
5. Form a small, slightly flattened teardrop shape prop. Spritz it with water
and place heart bouquet over it, so it will bake in a curved shape to
accommodate the pinback.
6. Once the clay has cooled, follow step 2 of "Stamping on Pre-Made Les
Petites Cards" to color the clay pin. If you like sparkle, fill in the
red cone with a glue pen and sprinkle fine glitter over the lines
immediately. Work over a folded piece of cardstock so you can later tilt
it to put the excess glitter (tapped off) back into the jar easily.
Refer to second photo in step 5 above.
7. Add a glaze that is compatible with polymer clay to seal in the glitter
and create a satin shine. When dry secure a pinback with the clasp a the top
end, near the top edge of the center curved back of the bouquet, vertically,
using E-6000 adhesive. Allow to dry (cure) for several hours propped up on
it's sides to keep it level while drying.
1. For the Birdcage pendant: Mix together 1/32 cube of Alizarin Crimson with
1/4 cube White Premo clay. Stamp cage with a solvent ink black ink pad.
Cut off the bird area at the top as shown and cut out the heart using
an X-Acto blade knife. Secure the heart to the top center of cage adding
a drop of TLS in-between the pieces.
2. Add a large, thin silver jump ring to the back of the heart area and
bake as directed on the package. Add a small thin pad of the same light
pink clay over the bottom part of the jump ring on the backside. Re-bake,
ink side up, another 10 minutes. Ad a second jump ring to the ring on the
cage using pliers to open and close. Thread loose pendant ring through a
pre-made black organza cord necklace. Secure necklace pendant to card
with double-sided removable clear tape.
