Birthday Blooms

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery
Ink: Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose
Stamps: Botanical Blooms, Sincere Salutations
Other: Certainly Celery Brad
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

Stamped the image using the Botanical Blooms set in Old Olive, Certainly Celery and Regal Rose ink onto Whisper White card. Mounted onto Certainly Celery card stamped with a greeting from the Sincere Salutations set. Scored lines above and below the greeting. Stamped the Regal Rose card with the Canvas Background stamp before mounting the image onto it. Finished off with a little strip of the Regal Rose stamped with the canvas stamp also, and the end rounded using a 1/2" circle punch. Once all the layers were assembled, but before adding to the card base, I punched a hole and added the brad. Also pricked the decorative holes using the mat pack from the Stampin' Up! Crafter's Tool Kit.

Burgundy and Ivory Christmas Card

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Always Artichoke, Versamark
Stamps: Season of Joy
Other: Clear Embossing Powder, 1/4" Always Artichoke Grosgrain Ribbon
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

The trees were stamped on the card base using Always Artichoke ink - the two outer ones were stamped off on scrap paper first to lighten them. Scored lines on the Bravo Burgundy card before stamping the greeting and swirl with Versamark and embossing with clear powder. Wrapped a piece of ribbon between the two upper score lines before sticking the burgundy piece to the card base.

Snowman Card for ILWS SKC12

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie
Stamps: Cold Play, Season of Joy
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx. 4" x 6")
Other: Diamond Stickles

Method:

This card was made for the SKC12 sketch challenge on In Love With Stamping. I varied the sketch by turning it upside down, and moving the square off centre.

The card base is Not Quite Navy, stamped with the snowflake stamp from Cold Play. I used Not Quite Navy ink, but stamped it off on scrap paper twice before stamping on the base card. Then embossed two lines across the bottom of the card, and cut a strip of Real Red to fit in between. Used my Stamp-a-majig to position the wording, which is from Season of Joy, and stamped in Real Red.

The Cold Play set contains various different snowman parts, in different sizes, and you can build one in whatever way takes your fancy. I used my Stamp-a-majig, and post-it notes for masking, so that I could stamp mine all on one layer. Not Quite Navy for the body and head - stamped off four times first to considerably lighten the colour. Real Red for the hat and scarf. Chocolate Chip for his arms, face and buttons. And Pumpkin Pie for his nose. I stamped some snowflakes around him, and also used a piece of scrunched up paper towel to very lightly dab on some blue in the sky area. The image is matted onto Real Red before gluing onto the card base. I stamped another hat on scrap card, and cut out the bobble to stick over the edge of the square. Finished with Stickles on the snowman, his hat, the ground and snowflakes. You can probably see it a little better if you click to enlarge the image. But the weather is far too dull today to get any twinkle out of it!

Little Christmas Card

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Real Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Stamps: Season of Joy, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Card Size: 9.5cm x 9.5cm ( 3.75" x 3.75")
Other: Diamond Stickles

Method:

Well, so far I have made a grand total of 10 Christmas cards - all the same. Although, by my usual timetable, I'm still early! This is just a very simple one. Stamped the tree in Old Olive on Whisper White, and cut out. Mounted with foam pads onto a background stamped using Real Red on Whisper White, and matted onto an offset square of Certainly Celery. The card base is Real Red, stamped with one of the stamps from Itty Bitty Backgrounds - a US set borrowed from one of my downline who is from the US, now living in the UK. Finished off with some stickles on the tree and background to add a bit of twinkle, which of course you can't see in the photo.

Note Cards and Gift Box - Oh So Lovely Apricot and Moss

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Mellow Moss, Apricot Appeal, Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla Textured Card
Ink: Mellow Moss, Apricot Appeal
Stamps: Oh So Lovely, Sincere Salutations, Canvas background
Card Size: 9.5cm x 9.5cm (3.75" x 3.75")

Method:

The images were stamped on Very Vanilla using Mellow Moss ink. Coloured in using the matching Stampin' Write Markers. Used a 1/2" circle punch to shape the corners. For both designs of card the image is matted onto a square of Apricot Appeal, but on the card standing on the box, I first stamped the Apricot card with the background stamp from the Oh So Lovely stamp. The card on the windowsill has a background stamped with the Canvas background stamp using Mellow Moss onto Mellow Moss card. The card on the box has a background stamped with one of the flowers from the Oh So Lovely set, and a greeting from Sincere Salutations. Both cards have a Very Vanilla card base.

There are five of each design of card in the box, which I decorated to match. Instructions on making the box are here.

Thinking of You Trees

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, water colour paper for image
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Versamark, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Sincere Salutations, Canvas Background Stamp
Other: Cuttlebug Forest Branches folder, clear embossing powder

Method:

I inked up the tree stamp first with Versamark, and then with Chocolate Chip ink. Stamped onto water colour paper and then embossed with clear powder. I used an Aquabrush to paint the grass and sky using Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, and Not Quite Navy ink. As the embossing over the trees wasn't perfect, the brush picked up tiny amounts of the Chocolate Chip, and turned it to purplish hues mixed with the blue of the sky - quite accidental, but turned out fairly effective!

Matted the image onto Chocolate Chip, and then mounted onto Creamy Caramel embossed on one side with the Forest Branches folder, and stamped with a greeting from Sincere Salutations in Chocolate Chip ink. Card base of Chocolate Chip stamped with the Canvas Background stamp in Chocolate Chip ink.

Pocket Silhouettes Note Card Bag

Click on the image to download a pdf with step by step instructions on how to make the box.

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Mellow Moss
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes
Other: 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Method:

This is a little bag that holds a set of 6 note cards and envelopes. The design of the cards is the same as the decoration on the front of the bag.
I cut and embossed a square of Whisper White with a Nestability die, then masked off the outer embossed edges with post it notes. The image was stamped with two of the stamps from the Pocket Silhouettes set. The first stamp inked with Mellow Moss, and then stamped off once onto scrap paper before stamping on the card. Then inked up the flower stamp using Mellow Moss and Rose Red markers and stamped over the top of the first image. Matted onto a Rose Red scalloped square cut with a Nestability die. The background white square was embossed on one edge with a Cuttlebug Forest Branches folder.
The bag was made from one piece of Rose Red A4 card, folded and glued. No cutting involved! Held closed at the top with the ribbon.

Poinsettia Card

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Holiday Treasures Designer Paper
Ink: Old Olive
Stamps: Season of Joy, Seasonal Wishes
Other:5/8" grosgrain ribbon old olive, gold sequins

Method:

I used the Stampin' Up! 5 Petal flower punch to punch out two red and one green shape for each poinsettia flower. Then I snipped between the petals towards the centre a little, before putting vein markings on both red and green pieces using a DEET tool in the same way that the leaves were made in this tutorial. Layered the pieces with a spot of pva, and stuck three cupped sequins in the centre of each flower.

The background to the flowers was stamped using the flourish stamp from Season of Joy, and the greeting from Seasonal Wishes. Mounted onto Chocolate Chip, with a strip of Holiday Treasures designer paper across the bottom. Fixed on the ribbon before mounting all onto an Old Olive card base. The card is a C6 size.

Simple Gift Box

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Stiffener Sheet from Designer Paper Pack
Ink: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes

Method:

I made this box to hold 6" x 6" designer papers to give as a gift. After cutting all the designer paper from my recent paper share, I had all the stiffener cards from the packs, so I used two of those to make the box. It's just a very simple box measuring about 3/4" high and holds exactly one share of the paper.

To decorate the box I cut a band of Perfect Plum card from the length of an A4 sheet, and about 6cm wide. It doesn't wrap all the way around the box, but goes far enough underneath the oval scallops for the edges to be covered up. The scallops were cut and embossed using Nestabilities in my Cuttlebug.

For the image, I stamped the dotted stem stamp from Pocket Silhouettes in Mellow Moss three times - each time I made a first stamping on scrap paper to get a lighter impression. Then I inked up the little flower stamp using Perfect Plum and Mellow Moss markers and stamped that over the background stamping. I repeated the image four times, putting the stamp at different heights and angles each time. I placed a post it note across the bottom of the oval to mask off where I didn't want any stamping.

The band is not fixed to the box, but slips off to enable stroking of all the lovely papers inside, and on again to keep the box closed - and the papers safe!

Three Little Kittens

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa Whisper White
Ink: Black, Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie markers
Other: Google Eyes, Stampin' Pastels

Method:

I made this card for my Nephew's fourth birthday today. He likes cats, and their cat had kittens a few weeks ago - two ginger and one dark brown - all stripy. My five year old spotted that they are those kittens, so hoping he will too!

The card base is Bashful Blue, and I cut a couple of Old Olive strips for the grass - trimming the top edges with deckle edge scissors. The tree trunks were freehand cut from Chocolate Chip, and stuck behind the grass layer. I punched Scalloped circles from Old Olive to make the tree tops, and 1/4" Ruby Red circles for the apples. The bird is made using a 3/4" circle and little strips created using the Round Tab Punch. Legs drawn with black marker.

The cats are made using 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1", 1/2" circles, and the Five Petal Flower punch. The edges of the pieces were shaded a little using the chalks, and stripes and facial features drawn in with markers. Google Eyes to finish.

Pretty Pink Bloom

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Tea and Crumpets designer paper, water colour paper for image
Ink: Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke
Stamps: Bloomin' With Beauty, Sincere Salutations
Other: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon, pewter brads

Method:

This is the free project that my stamper's ten group made this month. For the people who were not near enough to come to the meeting, I sent all the elements of the project for them to assemble at home (including the stamped image for them to colour). It consists of a card, pouch box and matching envelope.

I love this flower from the Bloomin' With Beauty set - so easy to colour it in and make it look good! I 3d'd the image on the box and card - 'just because' - but really, it doesn't need it as the image is so beautifully drawn it looks quite 3 dimensional already.

Scallop Punch Flower Tutorial

Well, it's been so long since I promised this tutorial, you've probably given up hope! Sorry to keep you waiting so long. My original post with the cardboard cake is here to remind you.

So without further ado - here is how to make the flowers on the cake:



You will need the Scallop Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, scissors, pva, molding mat, large ball embossing tool, straight tweezers, pencil, double sided designer paper. I have used Stampin' Up! Designer Prints paper in Rose Red. Click on the tab above for tool substitutes for the embossing tool and molding mat.


Punch out three scalloped circles and two half inch circles to make one flower.


Cut each of the three scalloped circles in half, and then into quarters.

Take one of the quarters and place it in the tweezers as shown. Have the side of the paper uppermost that you want to show the most on the flower. Rest the tweezers on your index finger as in the picture, and steady the tweezers between your thumb and other fingers.


Click on this picture to see better. What you need to do is to roll the tweezers to the left so that the right side of the paper folds up and over to the left. Keep up the pressure with the tweezers against your index finger. Not too hard, but firm enough so that the tweezers take the paper with them.


Keep rolling in the same direction with the tweezers so that the paper continues to wrap around them . . . . .


. . . . . . and ends up completely curled around the tweezers like this.


This is how I actually hold the paper and tweezers whilst doing the wrapping in the previous two pictures - but I moved my thumb away for the photo so you could see more clearly what was happening. Don't squeeze too tightly, just enough pressure to smooth the paper closely round the tweezers, but not actually put definite creases in it. And don't try and put your thumb over the top until you have completed the part shown in the triple photo - otherwise it won't wrap properly to begin with. Once you have finished rolling, hold it like this for a few seconds for the warmth from your fingers to help the paper hold its shape.


Slip the finished roll off the end of the tweezers. Do all 12 quarter pieces like this.


Make a dot with your pencil in the middle of the 1/2" circles as a guide.



Take one of the rolled pieces and hold it so that the pointed end is towards the right, and the rounded top to the left.



Grasp the point with your thumb and finger and as you do so it will open itself up a little. At the same time unroll the top of the petal a bit with the other hand.



It should look a little like this. Where I am grasping it with my thumb and finger I have bent the tip so that it is at a 45' - ish angle from the rest of the petal.



Place a little spot of glue on the back of the tip as shown.



Glue the petal onto the circle so that the tip is roughly half way between the dot and the edge of the circle. Glue the second petal opposite.



Stick two more petals on one side evenly spaced between the first two. Then the same on the second side. Six petals make up one layer of the flower.



Make the second layer in the same way as the first. Make sure that the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step. The paper won't shape successfully if it's wet.



Using your large ball embossing tool and molding mat, and a little pressure, emboss in a circle around the base of the petals - move inwards in a spiral to the centre. This will make the petals pop up.



On one of the layers, when you get in to the middle after your spiral, hold the embossing tool vertically and press down fairly firmly to make the petals cup up around the tool.




Here you can see one layer is more cupped than the other. Put a spot of glue in the more open (bottom) layer.



Pick up the top layer and gently squeeze it to close up the petals more. Whilst holding them closed like this, place this top layer inside the bottom layer. Make sure that it is reasonably well centred.

I find that using the embossing tool to apply pressure in the middle to firmly stick the two layers together works better than trying to get my finger in there - less likely to disturb the petals. Remove the tool, and adjust the petals until you are happy with the effect.

On the cake, I then stuck each flower on another scalloped circle punched from green card. In the middle of the cake I stuck three flowers together on a larger green card circle cut using a Nestability scalloped circle.

Pottery Garden

This is another card we made at the craft class with Jane last Friday. It uses half of a 12" x 12" pink scalloped circle. They have them at the Glitter Pot, but I can't find where they've stashed them on the website - although I do know exactly where they are in the shop!

The edges of the front, and inside were rubbed with Tim Holtz distress ink, and then stamped with the leaf stamp from the Pottery Garden Rubber Tapestry Stamp set. This set comes with a block stamp of a row of pots which was inked up with a brown marker, and then stamped directly on the card base. A second set of pots were stamped onto a scrap of card and the individual pots cut out, then shaped using an embossing ball tool on a molding mat. I marked the positions of these 3d'd pots on the card before stamping the plants using the other stamps from the set. The pots were stuck in place with silicone glue. Finished with a dragonfly from another Rubber Stamp Tapestry set - this one has just dragonflies in it - and an unknown greeting stamp (please pretend not to notice that I didn't stamp it straight - was a clear stamp as well, so not sure what my excuse is - too busy nattering probably!) Oh yes, before gluing the 3d pots on, I washed on a little bit of brown and green to make some ground.

We decorated the inside of the card to match the front - this time I paid attention when stamping the greeting!