Fancy Sycamore Favor

 

Today I actually have a non-Valentine's project to share.  :-)  This is a project that we made at my downline meeting this past month.  I got the idea for this project from Heather Klump--a very talented stamper! 

 

It uses several of the Sale-A-Bration items (ie FREE with a $50 purchase): the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack, the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper, and the Madison Avenue stamp set.  Note:  these are the 3 items you receive for free (in addition to all the other awesome hostess benefits) when you host a workshop or place a $400 order during Sale-A-Bration.  Yay! 

 



It's quite easy to make this fun little favor box.  I ran Island Indigo through the Big Shot with the Fancy Favor die to create the bottom of the box.  That part is assembled as usual. 

For the top of the box I used a 4" by 12" piece of the Designer Paper (so you can get 3 tops per 1 sheet of DSP) and ran it through the Big Shot again, but lined up so that you don't cut out the part that would become the tabs to make the bottom of the box.  Then adhere along the edges to make a tube, pinch the top together, punch holes, and tie it closed.  Here I used some of the Satiny Pool Party ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration pack. 

For the tag, I stamped with Summer Starfruit onto the same color card stock and then cut out using the smallest flower in the Floral Frames Framelits set.  I cut out a second flower in Pool Party to layer behind.  The sentiment was stamped with the Essentials set and then cut out using the Bitty Banners Framelits.  The Oval that creates the base of the tag was cut out using the Ovals Collection Framelits found in the Spring Catalog. 

I also wanted to remind you that this is a great time to join the Stampin Up family!  If  purchase the starter kit during Sale-A-Bration, you get an extra 25% in Starter Kit products for FREE.  So that means:

You choose $156 of any current Stampin Up products and pay only $99 (plus tax)!  Awesome!  You don't even have to pay shipping, which saves another 10%.  :-) 

By purchasing the starter kit, that means you join the Stampin' Up! family of demonstrators (and my team). From when you purchase the kit until June 30th, 2013 you get all the demonstrator benefits. But that doesn't mean you have any obligation to host parties, purchase anything further, or solicit orders from anyone. You literally can take advantage of this offer and walk away. There is no penalty to drop. However, if you do have $300 in sales or purchases between now and June 30th, then you renew your benefits for another 3 months. 

Intrigued? So what are the benefits of being a demonstrator? 

 

A few of my favorites are:

--an additional 10% off your first order of $150 or more during your first 45 days (on top of your 'normal' 20% discount)

--access to the Stampin' Connection website that has thousands of project ideas, forums, videos, etc.

--Stampin' Success (a bi-monthly magazine) full of ideas and tips

--the ability to attend demo-only events (convention, leadership, regionals) 

 

And of course you can attend my downline meeting (every other month) and make cute projects like this one.  :-)  Or if you live far away, I send you the projects. 

 

If you are curious and have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask me! I have loved my journey with Stampin Up and look forward to sharing it with you. This really is such a great deal that there's really NOT a reason to miss out on it! :-)  Ready to go?  You can learn more and/or sign up HERE. 

 

Stamps:  Madison Avenue, Essentials

Ink:  Summer Starfruit, Island Indigo

Paper:  Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP

Accessories:   Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button pack, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Fancy Favor die, Ovals Collection Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Floral Frames Framelits, Big Shot

12 Days of Christmas--Day 1--Tree Frame

Well it's been fun but crazy past couple weeks!  I've had Stamp-A-Stack classes, a class at my church, a craft bazaar at my daughter's preschool, and my regular Stamper's Club--a whirlwind of stamping.  :-)  So that means I have been stamping a lot and have lots of projects to share with you!  Most of what I've been doing is Christmas-related, so I thought it would be fun to do a '12 Days of Christmas' series on my blog.  So for the next 12 days I'm going to schedule a post with a Christmas project.  Just in case any of you are last minute crafters and need ideas--or for those who like to plan ahead for next year! 

 
The idea for this tree frame actually came from the Holiday Catalog--the gift bag on page 7.  I thought that was such a cute idea, although I figured if I went to that much work I wanted it to be framed, instead of on a bag that would probably be tossed.  :-)   I simplified a little and changed things up just a bit. 

These frames actually ended up being quite simple to make, and I made them with a group of ladies who have never stamped before--they were pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to put together. 

A couple notes of notes. . . When punching the 'wreath' and the star out of the middle of the scallop circle, start with the inside (smallest punch) first and then punch the outside (largest) second.  It is much easier to line up that way!  And, all of the Cherry Cobbler was sprayed with a mix of Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol. 

See you tomorrow for the 2nd Day of Christmas! 

Stamps:  More Merry Messages
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP
Accessories:  1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch and Merry Minis Punch Pack (both new in the Holiday Mini Catalog), 3/4" Circle punch, Circles #2 Origionals die (for the larger Early Espresso Circle), Big Shot, Naturals Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine, Certainly Celery button (discontinued), Cherry Cobbler ribbon (discontinued), glue dots, dimensionals, 8X10 frame

Stampin' Celebration #60

November 1st and another Stampin' Celebration challenge!  This is an exciting month since we are also welcoming a new member to the Design Team--Jenny Peterson!  Make sure to stop by her blog and welcome her.  :-)  My card for this month: 

I took my inspiration from the top right photo--wood cabin and colored leaves.  We also made this card at our October Stampers club meeting since it shows off some of the fun new product from the Holiday Catalog. 

I've been loving the new Core'dinations Cardstock and the fun look you can get.  I used the Early Espresso color and ran it through the Big Shot with the Woodgrain Embossing Folder.  I sanded a little bit along the wood grain to bring out the lighter color that is in the middle of the card stock giving it a really neat look.  If you'd like to read a little more about how I did the leaves, you can see this post here. 

We'd love to have you play along with us this month at Stampin' Celebration! You have until November 25th to link your creation (a card, 3D item, digital item, scrapbook layout, etc.) to the Stampin' Celebration blog and be in the running for the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month. We can't wait to see what Stampin' Celebration inspires you to create!

To see what the other DT members have created:

 

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

 

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude

Ink:  Early Espresso, and Old Olive and Cajun Craze for sponging

Paper:  Champagne Glimmer Paper, Early Espresso Core'dinations card stock, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, and Cajun Craze

Accessories:  Brushed Bronze Designer Buttons, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Bitty Banners framelits, Big Shot, Linen Thread, Stampin' Sanding Block, sponges

 

Quint-Essentially Made

This past weekend I hosted a Stamp-A-Stack class.  We made 8 different cards that all highlighted new product from the catalog, and this was one of the cards that we made.  After my first look through the catalog, one of the stamps sets at the very top of my wish list was the set Made for You.  It's only 3 sentiment stamps, but I'm always on the look out for cute words and this set definitely fit that criteria for me! 

To get the two words on different banners, I used a marker to highlight and stamp one word at a time.  I used the Bitty Banners framelits die to cut out the words and my Primrose Petals marker around the edges of the banners. 

The other stamp this card uses is the Quint-Essential Flower (single stamp).  This is a cool stamp because it is designed to coordinate with at least 5 different punches.  So for example, for this card the same flower image was stamped 3 times with different colors and then I used the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch (Primrose Petals layer), the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch (So Saffron layer), and then the 1" Circle punch (Baja Breeze layer).  You could keep going and also use the 3/4" and 1/2" circle punches to add more layers. 

Instead of more layers for the center of the flower I opted to use one of the new Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons tied with White Baker's Twine.  This card also uses the new Chevron Embossing Folder.

A view from the side:

Stamps:  Quint-Essential Flower, Made for You

Ink:  Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Primrose Petals marker

Paper:  Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Accessories:  Bitty Banners framelits die, Chevron Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, White Baker's Twine, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, 3/16" Corner punch, dimensionals

Sale-A-Bration Ending

I can't believe it has been almost 2 months since I last posted!  Where does the time go?  I guess part of it is having a curious crawling baby who gets into everything and keeps me on my toes.  :-) 

I've also been working on organizing my craft room with any spare time I can find. . . a scary and much needed project!  Although I'm not there yet, I am getting very close. 

Anyway, before Sale-A-Bration ends, I thought I would post a couple of my favorite cards that I've made in the last couple months.  Both of these were ones that we made at club in February and were inspired by other people.  The first one uses the Elementary Elegance stamp set and I got the idea from Shelli Gardner (CEO and co-founder of Stampin Up).  You can see her card HERE.  The only thing I changed was the center of the butterfly. 

Stamps:  Elementary Elegance (only available during SAB)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Luck Limeade, Elegant Eggplant marker
Paper:  Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP, Every Day Enchantment DSP (only available during SAB)
Accessories:  Curly Label Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Big Shot, Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon, Everyday Enchantment Brads (only available during SAB), Color Spritzer Tool, stapler

The second card uses the Fresh Vintage stamp set and was inspired by Debra Currier.  You can see her card HERE.  The only thing I changed up was that I used my new Labels Collection Framelits to cut out the main image (instead of a circle).   

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage (only available during SAB), Thank You Kindly

Ink: Soft Suede, and Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Pool Party markers

Paper:  Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Every Day Enchantment DSP (only available during SAB)

Accessories:  Framelits Labels Collection, Big Shot, Everyday Enchantment Brads (only available during SAB), pearls, cutter kit, sponge

So if you have still been meaning to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration, now is the time since it ends on Saturday the 31st.  With each $50 purchase you can choose an item from the Sale-A-Bration Catalog for FREE! 

Have a great day.  :-)   

Vintage Doilies

Normally I wouldn't consider myself a 'doily person', but I do love the Delicate Doilies set in the catalog.  I've had have fun playing with the set, and this is a vintage-ish card I came up with a while ago:  

This card uses the emboss-resist technique.  I stamped the doily image with Versamark ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.  Next I heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder and then sponged over the top with Soft Suede ink.  I sponged more in the middle (darker) and then faded out to the edges.  The embossed part 'resists' the ink and stays Very Vanilla in color.  A simple 'wow' technique!  

The middle of the doily has one of the Antique Brads.  On the larger Very Vanilla panel, I used my Color Spritzer Tool to add a little texture and then sponged and distressed the edges.  The ribbon is the Victoria Crochet Trim.  

For the tag, I used the Tiny Tags stamp set, Soft Suede ink and the Jewelry Tag punch.  I attached it to the ribbon using a bit of Linen Thread and one of the safety pins from the Vintage Trinkets embellishment set.  A close up of that:  

Thanks for stopping by!  

Stamps:  Delicate Doilies, Tiny Tags

Ink:  Soft Suede, Versamark

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Accessories:  Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Jewelry Tag Punch, Vintage Trinkets, Victoria Crochet Trim, Antique Brads, Linen Thread, Cutter Kit, Color Spritzer Tool (and Soft Suede marker) sponge, dimensionals
 

Vintage Stitches Fabric

Hi all! As you probably know, last year Stampin' Up introduced fabric into their line of products. Even though I don't really sew myself, I've really enjoyed having this line of products available!  

These are some 3X3 cards that I made up as thank yous for customer orders. I had fun using both the Springtime Vintage and the Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric.  I like how the fabric gives a soft feel to the card, and it was easy to incorporate since the colors in the fabric coordinate with the other Stampin Up prodcuts--card stock, ink, ribbon, etc.  

Here's a closer look at one of the cards:  

Hint:  After I frayed the edges of the fabric a bit, I used the Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets to adhere the fabric to the card stock.  Works great!  

To add the 'buttons' to the card, I used the Sweet Buttons Embosslit with my Big Shot.  The embosslit has 6 different buttons and can be found on page 36 of the Occasions Mini Catalog.  Unfortunately I don't think my pictures really show how cute these little buttons are!  I love this little embosslit, because it allows you to add buttons (in any color) without the added weight and dimension of  a real button--which is nice if you mail a lot of cards! 

And one more closer look:  

Thanks for stopping by!  Check back soon to see another project using fabric.  

Stamps:  Thank You Kindly, Sock Monkey (sentiments)

Ink:  Always Artichoke, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Always Artichoke, Not Quite Navy, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Whisper White

Accessories:  Springtime Vintage and Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Sweet Buttons Embosslit, Big Shot, dimensionals

Holiday Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to stop #6 on the Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop! This Blog Hop features 22 Stampin' Addicts members who are sharing their creativity with us. Each stop will feature products from the Holiday Mini Catalog that goes live September 1st!

If you are following the hop in order, you just came from Krystal's blog Krystal's Cards and More where she showcased gorgeous projects using the set Paisley Prints. I love that set (one I got at convention for free!) and Krystal did an awesome job showcasing the set. 

Today I am showing some ideas using the wheel that coordinates with Paisley Prints--it is called Paisley Party.   

The first project I have to show are these simple tags. These tags use the masking technique and came together in a matter of minutes.  I see myself using these not only for tags on presents, but also to add to plates of goodies or small gifts for neighbors, teachers, etc. And they are simple enough that I could easily mass produce them--even during the busy holiday season.  

A couple of hints:  I used my Ornament Punch to punch the image from a post-it note.  The I stuck the ornament shape to a 2 1/2" by 2 1/2" square of Whisper White card stock.  (The sticky of the post-it note keeps it in place.)  I inked my wheel and rolled it over the card stock.  I kept wheeling until I covered the entire paper.  I spritzed with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, and then took the coordinating marker and carefully traced around the ornament shaped sticky note.  Then, I peeled the stick note off.  

I layered the ornament/paisley layer onto a scallop square---which is actually another sneak peek from the Mini Catalog.  There is a new Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die that has two scallop squares on the same die (this is the larger of those two scallop squares).  

The next project I made was a card, and although it may be hard to see exactly how I used the wheel here, I promise I did.  :)  This card uses the faux shaving cream technique.  

I inked my solid heart stamp (from the set I {Heart} Hearts) with Blushing Bride ink and then I inked my wheel with Real Red.  I placed the wheel on the stamp and twisted.  I repeated several times.  This is one of those techniques that will produce unique results each time.  

The sentiment is from the set Fabulous Phrases, and the button is one of the Big Designer Buttons (Candy Cane collection)--also a new item from the Holiday Mini Catalog.   And how did I get those big gorgeous scallops?  From another new item--the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die.  :-) 

And last but not least, a 3-D project. This is a treat holder made using the Scallop Square Bigz Clear die.  I used the Paisley Party wheel around the edges of the Scallop Square and layered with a square of Cajun Craze.  The pumpkin is from the coordinating set Paisley Prints.  I decided to put cinnamon in this treat holder, but most of the time I would add some sort of candy or chocolate.  This is one of those perfect items when you need 'a little something'.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you've been inspired by these projects.
 
Next on the Blog Hop is Sara over at Lily's Ink Pad. She will be showcasing the stamp set Day of Gratitude.  Go check out her gorgeous creations, and then continue on in the Hop to see more projects showcasing items sets from the Holiday Mini catalog.  

Next Stop on the Blog Hop ----->

Two more. . .

Two more Last Chance cards for you today! This first card uses the set One of A Kind. It also uses one of my all time favorite color combinations: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, and Creamy Caramel. I will definitely miss Ruby Red and Creamy Caramel!

This card also uses the 1 " Double Stitched ribbon and the Antique Brass build-a-brads that are both being discontinued. We will still have build-a-brads in the new catalog, but they will only be available in the pewter finish.

Stamps: One of A Kind
Ink: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Antique Brass build-a-brad, Chocolate Chip 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/2" Circle Punch, dimensionals

Note: Items marked in red are being discontinued.


The idea for this next card came from Jen Sannes. I loved her layout, and I just changed it up with different designer paper (Thoroughly Modern DSP). This card also uses one of the Corduroy Buttons, all of which are retiring as well.

Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Celebrate Everything
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern DSP
Accessories: 1" Circle Punch, Star Punch, Hemp Twine, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, Cutter Kit, Rich Regals Brads

Note: Items marked in red are being discontinued.

Stampin' Celebration # 3

It's Thursday, which means another Stampin' Celebration Challenge! I just love the inspiration piece this week. Of course anything with purple is a sure win for me. :-) If you missed last week's challenge, you can see it HERE, along with the top 3 picks, HERE.

So, here is what I designed for this week:


The first thing I thought of when I saw this inspiration piece is the little flower that is part of the new Island Floral Bigz Die that is found in the Summer Mini Catalog. So, all of my projects today feature that same little flower. The colors I picked were Elegant Eggplant and So Saffron. And I seem to be stuck in 'clean and simple' mode lately, so I went with that theme.


To create the vase, I used the Wide Oval punch and trimmed off the two ends. Then I added a little bit of ric rac from the Orchard Ribbon Originals. The stem and leaf are actually the branch and wing from the Extra Large Two Step Bird Punch. :-) The flowers are of course from the Island Floral Die, and the button is from the Fresh Favoties II buttons.


For this card I used my Big Shot to cut out the Lattice die, and then mounted it on a 3x3 piece of paper. I trimmed the excess and then matted it with So Saffron. I wrapped hemp twine around that layer and added the flower. To create the center of the flower, I used the circle punch from the new Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack found in the Summer Mini and then added Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The So Saffron layer and the flower are up on dimensionals. The finished card size is 4" by 4".


I made the tag using my Medium Jewelry Tag Punch and the stamp set Tiny Tags. The flower, the 'frame', and the Elegant Eggplant layer are up on dimensionals. Finished card size is 4 1/4" by 4 1/4".


And last but not least, I have these cute little hair clips. I used the same Island Floral Die and ran it through my Big Shot with some felt. I was easily able to cut four layers of felt at once! To create the leaves, I just used two petals from a green flower. Some Whisper White grosgrain ribbon and a half-back pearl from the Pretties Kit finished them off nicely. Now my 2 year old daughter is not usually a fan of keeping anything in her hair, but I'm hoping that these clips may just be 'pretty' enough for her to want to keep that hair out of her face. :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Make sure that you head over to Stampin' Celebration to see what the other members of the Design Team have created using this same inspiration piece! And then play along with us--we'd love to see what you are inspired to create!

Stamps: Tiny Tags
Ink: Elegant Eggplant
Paper: So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Accessories: Lattice and Island Floral Die, Big Shot, Wide Oval Punch punch, Extra Large Two-step Bird Punch, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Fresh Favorites II buttons, Pretties Kit, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Orchard Ribbon Originals, Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, hemp twine, linen thread, dimensionals

With All My Heart

Today I have some more sample for you using the stamp set With All My Heart and the the Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch. These were some of the Make and Takes from Leadership this year. This first cards uses the color Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Bashful Blue.


This card uses the same colors, but adds Soft Suede too. I just love this bright color combo, and it's one that I would probably never put together by myself. This little milk carton is the new die that can be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Too cute!!

Stamps: With All My Heart; Dot, Dot, Dot; A to Z
Ink: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, Old Olive marker
Paper: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue DSP, Confetti White
Accessories: Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Ribbon, Clips Assortment, Scallop Square Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, dimensionals, Mini Milk Carton Die, Big Shot

Textured Birthday

Last week was my husband's birthday, and this is the card I made for him. Now I find male cards difficult to make in general, but for some reason making a card for my hubby is the hardest! Not really sure why. . . but this one did get the stamp of approval. . . . pun intended. :-)

Anyway, I used my texture plate from the Texture Plates Kit #4 to get the wood grain look. I started by inking the texture plate with Chocolate Chip ink. Then I carefully placed my 4 1/4" by 4 1/4" Close to Cocoa paper on the texture plate, placed a piece of typing paper over the top, and then ran it through the Big Shot.

Next I accessorized with Hemp Twine and a Very Vanilla Jumbo Brad. The Happy Birthday is from a now retired set called More Thoughts--I used it because it is the most masculine Happy Birthday stamp I own. :-) I used my cutter kit to distress the edges of the Very Vanilla layer and then popped it up on dimensionals.

Note: If you don't have the Big Shot, you could also make a very similar card by using the Woodgrain Background stamp.

Stamps: More Thoughts
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Texture Plates Kit #4, Big Shot, Corner Rounder punch, Hemp Twine, 5/16" Very Vanilla Jumbo Brad, cutter kit, dimensionals

Monkey Birthday

Just popping in today with a Birthday card! This cute monkey is from the set Sock Monkey, and the sentiment is from the set On Your Birthday.

The black lines for the monkey and his hat are embossed to give the card an extra little 'bling'. I think I've mentioned this before, but a little trick I learned a while ago, is to use Black Craft ink and then emboss with clear embossing powder (EP)--MUCH easier to use than black EP! Stray specks of clear EP just don't show as much as stray specks of black EP.

Next I used my Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker, and a blender pen and Close to Cocoa ink pad to color the monkey. I sponged around the Very Vanilla card stock and embossed the "Happy Birthday" with Real Red Craft ink and Clear EP. The monkey is up on dimensionals.

Note: I used the same basic layout for this card that I used HERE for this wedding card. Shows how just changing the colors and the focal element can make you feel like you have a completely different card!

Finished card size is 5" by 5".

Stamps: Sock Monkey, On Your Birthday
Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink, Close to Cocoa, Real Red Craft Ink, Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker
Paper: Kraft, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Real Red brads, Blender Pen, Clear EP, embossing buddy, heat tool, sponge, dimensionals

Two Challenges, Two Cards

Yesterday over on Splitcoaststampers there was a Clean and Simple (CAS) sketch challenge and a Technique Lovers (TLC) challenge. Both caught my eye so I went to work! I had so much fun that I ended up making two cards--both fill the requirements for both challenges.

The TLC challenge was to make a five layer button. Basically you use paper layered on top of each other with Crystal Effects on top to make a button. How simple! You can make the 'button' in any color or shape. See the post HERE for more detailed instructions.

To make the 'buttons' on the card above, I punched out 12 flowers with my Boho Blossoms punch. (I did 4 layer buttons instead of 5.) I adhered the flowers together and then used my paper-piercing tool to poke the holes. I topped it all with a coat of Crystal Effects--being careful to not fill the holes. While I let that dry, I worked on the rest of the card. The sentiment comes from the set All Holidays. The stamp actually says "My dear kind & wonderful friend" so I used my Rich Razzleberry marker on the "wonderful friend" part since that was all I wanted. Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: All Holidays

Ink: Rich Razzleberry marker

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Accessories: 1/2'" Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, paper-piercing tool, Crystal Effects, Linen Thread, glue dots, dimensionals

The second card I made uses the set Pumpkin Patch from the Mini Catalog. Instead of using linen thread to tie through the button (like I usually do!) I used my Tabletop Cutter to cut a very thin strip of Old Olive card stock. I carefully pulled it through the button, tied it once and then curled it a bit. I wanted it to look like those curly things on the top of the pumpkin. Anyone know if there is a name for those things?? Anyway, once I had the card together, I added Crystal Effects to the pumpkins too--with the button so nice and shiny, the pumpkins looked a little bare. :-) Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: Pumpkin Patch

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: paper-piercing tool, 1/2" circle punch, Crystal Effects, 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, glue dots, dimensionals

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Hello again! This is a shaker card I've had in my files for awhile. . . . I wanted to wait to post it until I could make a tutorial, but here it is tutorial-less. If that can even qualify as a made up word. :-) Hopefully I'll get a tutorial up soon. Anyway, here it is!

The set I used is called Nursery Necessities. This set is part of the Growing Up promotion that ends in a few days (Aug 31). See HERE for details. If this stamp set (or any other from the Growing Up section of the catalog) is on your wish list, now is the time to purchase it!

Finished card size is 4 3/4" by 4 3/4". Now for a close up of the card:

Stamps: Nursery Necessities

Ink: Whisper White craft ink, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, and Close to Cocoa markers

Paper: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Window Sheet

Accessories: Clear Micro Beads, Bashful Blue brads, Circle Scissors Plus, dimensionals

Top Note Bag Tutorial

As promised--a tutorial for the Top Note Bag! You can see the original bag that won Stampin Up's July Art Contest (Flutter by Butterfly) HERE. I had quite a bit of fun making another bag. :-)

Begin by cutting 8 Top Note Dies. (I used Kraft paper here.) These will become the front and back panels of the bag. Next you will need to cut 4 partial Top Note Dies that become the sides of the bag. To do this, Take a sticky note and place it directly on the Die to mark your place. I placed mine approximately 1 1/2" away from the side tip/edge of the Top Note. The exact measurement isn't important as much as the consistency. If you would like a wider bag, just place the sticky note further away from the edge.

Line up your folded card stock with the edge of the sticky note. I used a piece of (approx) 3 1/2" by 4" Kraft paper (scored down the middle). Run the Top Note Die through the Big Shot to make the first side piece. Repeat 3 more times making sure to the keep the sticky note in the same place so that all of your side pieces are the same width.

So after you've cut 8 full Top Notes and 4 partial Top Notes, stamp or embellish as desired. Here I ran the Top Notes through the Big Shot again with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate, sponged with Soft Suede Ink, and used my Soft Suede marker around the edges to finish the stitching on the Top Note.

Next score along the edges of the Top Notes. Again the exact measurement is not as important as the consistency of the scoring measurements. I lined up the 'valley' of the Top Notes with the black border of my scorer and then scored.

Score along all four sides of 4 of the full Top Note dies, and 2 of the partial Top Note Dies. On the other 4 full Top Note dies, score along both short edges and only 1 of the long edges. On the other two partial Top Note dies, score along both of the long sides and only 1 of the short sides.

Cut out the little 'square' sections wherever there is an intersection of scored lines. (4 per bottom Top Note and 2 per top Top Note.)

Adhere the Top Notes together as shown in the pictures below using a strong adhesive. I used Tombow Mono Multi (remember a little goes a long way).

Now you have the main part of the bag together! To make the bottom of the bag, place it on a piece of card stock (here I used Soft Suede) and trace along the bottom. You'll have to push down lightly with one hand and trace with the other. Another note, I didn't force the bag to a perfectly rectangular shape, I let it bow out a bit on either side to give it a more natural shape.

Cut out your pattern and adhere to the bottom of the bag. Trim if necessary.

Depending on what you want to use the bag for, you may want to add supports to the bottom and/or sides of the bag. If the bag is just to look pretty :-) you may not need any supports. Here I used 4--2" by 1" pieces of paper scored down the middle for supports. After you've added as many supports as desired, prepare your handles. Here I used approximately 11" of Twill Tape (3/4") with 1/2" Soft Suede Polka-Dot Grosgrain ribbon adhered (with Sticky Strip) on top.

Adhere your handles. If you are going to use brads, grommets, etc add those now. After you adhere the handles, start adding the inside of the bag.

Each bag may be a little different (depending on how you scored), but for the insides of this bag I used two 8" by 5 3/4" pieces of Soft Suede card stock and two pieces of 2 1/4" by 5 3/4" card stock. To make the bottom piece, I turned the bag upside down and traced the pattern. I cut that out and then trimmed down as necessary until it fit in the bottom of the bag.

Now embellish as desired! Here I used the Circle Scallop Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Antique Brass Build-A-Brad, and Antique Brass brads.

Finished!

Stamps: Trendy Trees (for dots on Build-A-Brad)

Ink: Soft Suede ink and marker

Paper: Kraft, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Scallop Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Antique Brass Build-A-Brad, Antique Brass brads, sponge, dimensionals