Jun 16, 2010 | 2-Step Stampin', Almost Artisan, Big Shot, Cards, Thank You |
I’m going to finish posting my Artisan Award projects. If you missed my earlier posts – this is an annual contest that Stampin’ Up! holds for its demonstrators. It is the biggy! Anyway this was the first year that I entered the contest – and while I had high hopes of winning – I was not chosen as one of the winners – they picked 10. To enter we had to create 5 cards, 3 scrapbook pages and 2 3D projects. I have been showing my projects over the past couple of weeks. If you want to go back and see what I already posted CLICK HERE.
Today I’m sharing my 5th card. This one is fun and really much easier to make than it looks. I have seen lots of versions of this card – called a Tri-Shutter card – all over the internet. I created this one earlier this year and shared it with my Stamper’s Club. I really loved it so I decided to use it as one of my entries since I hadn’t shared it online with anyone else yet. I made one minor change to my original before mailing it in.
The card is cut and scored so it has multiple panels that fold together to create a really cool card with lots of places to embellish and add little things here and there.
I used the Simply Said stamp set for this one. This is a two-step stampin’ set that has been around for several years and I think many people have forgotten it. The Designer Paper is the Tall Tales paper. My colors are Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron and Whisper White. 
I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit to die cut a variety of butterflies with my Big Shot. I also used the Big Shot to cut the large Scallop circle and for adding texture using Embossing folders on some of the panels.
The large butterfly on the front was cut twice – once in So Saffron and once in Chocolate Chip. The Chocolate Chip butterfly was cut in half and layered on the back of the So Saffron butterfly. The body and antenna are made from Linen Thread. The circle scissors was used to cut the inner circle. I used the distressing tool, sponging and the white gel pen as accents on the card.
The one thing I changed from my original card to the one I sent in to Stampin’ Up! was the addition of the center of the flower on the inner panel. I added some Tombow glue and added a swirl of linen thread to make the center of the flower. I really like how it turned out.
This is probably my favorite card out of the ones that I entered and of course the colors are some of my very favorite. I’m so glad they aren’t retiring!
I have two more projects to post – my last scrapbook and 3D projects – so I hope you will come back.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jun 14, 2010 | Cards, SU Buttons, SU Ribbon |
I have my new catalog and some of my sneak peek order and I finally played today. I wanted two cards for my Opportunity Night event. For the first one I decided to use the Stamping 411 sketch as the layout for my card. I used the new set Friends Never Fade along with the coordinating Designer Series paper Greenhouse Gala.
The card base is Pumpkin Pie and stamped with one of the flower images in the set. The Greenhouse Gala Designer Series paper is the lowest layer and I used the Scallop Trim Border (remember that one from Sale-A-Bration- it will be back in the new catalog!) to punch the top edge. There are some pretty papers in this pack – this piece has the colors Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzaz and Pumpkin Pie in the design.
I added a strip of Pear Pizzaz across the card and then a shorter strip of Chocolate Chip which has a piece of the new 1/8″ Tafetta ribbon in Daffodil Delight wrapped around it. The Friends image was stamped in Pumpkin Pie on Whisper White card stock and cut out then layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip. I added a Chocolate Chip designer button that has a piece of the Daffodil ribbon pulled through and tied in a knot. The ribbon is skinny enough to get it through the button holes!
I used the measurements from the Stamping 411 site for this sketch. Everyone that came to my Opportunity Night got to make one. Thanks for stopping by!
Jun 9, 2010 | Cards, Stamper's Club, Summer Mini 2010 |
This was a fun card that I created for my Stamper’s Club meeting last Friday. I wanted to use a retiring stamp set and some of the retiring colors and this was what I came up with –
I used the Level 1 Hostess set called Love Bug. The caterpillar is stamped with Black StazOn ink and colored with Stampin’ Write markers. I used Green Galore, Pixie Pink, and Summer Sun which are all retiring colors and also Tempting Turquoise which is staying.
Did you notice the background? Are you looking for the stamp that created that? Wondering what it might be….. It was another midnight discovery. I had the card together and decided the back ground was just to plain. Looking at the little caterpillar I noticed the open circles and thought I wonder if I have a stamp like that – I couldn’t think of one but I did have my Stampin’ Write markers sitting next to me. And guess what the cap of the marker is? An open round circle! Yep – I inked up the cap and used it to stamp my background! How is that for creative thinking? Or maybe just midnight madness…..
Another fun element on this card is that the new clear bitty buttons fit perfectly on those little circle! Here is a close up view – 
I used a mini glue dot to attach a few to give my caterpillar some dimension. There are two little brads on his antenna. This card idea started with a card from Heather Summers – i changed the colors, the background and the buttons and added the little popped up bug. I think she also had ribbon on hers and I left that off.
It turned out to be a fun happy summer looking card! I normally to make such bright things but the result sure is happy. Have a happy day!
Jun 7, 2010 | Almost Artisan, Big Shot, Bleaching, Cards |
And I’m continuing on with my projects that I created for the Stampin’ Up! Artisan Award Contest. This is another card that I made. I know it is the wrong season for this winter card but I love how this technique turned out. I originally used this on a scrapbook page and decided to create a card for the contest using the same technique.
This is my bleached snowman card. I love the snowmen in the Holiday Lineup stamp set. They are just so fun. I cut out a Top Note with the Big Shot from Close to Cocoa card stock. I stamped the snowmen with Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder. This makes what I call little “walls”. Then I used fresh bleach in an aquapainter (I have one that I only put bleach in). And put bleach on the places that I wanted to be lighter – the snow parts. The bleach on the Close to Cocoa gives a Very Vanilla shade rather than white so the rest of my decorations were in Very Vanilla. The “walls” help keep the bleach from seeping into sections that you don’t want bleached.
The background is stamped with the snowflake from Tree of Friendship using Very Vanilla Craft ink. I also pulled the edges of the card across the ink pad to add some color there.
The card itself is not a traditional card opening. Instead the two end fold up to the center and the Top Note with the snowmen hangs over the front. The picture on the left shows you what the card looks like when it is opened. The inside panel was also decorated.
I added some Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper, a punched Very Vanilla Snowflake, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, and a Chocolate Chip corduroy button all tied together with some Linen Thread.
My pictures are a little bit dark but I think you can see it all.
I think so far I’ve shown 6 of my 10 projects. I hope you’ll be back to see the rest.
These snowman look so cool on a hot day – we have bright sun today and a perfectly blue sky – not a single cloud was out this morning when I walked. And Kyle walked with me – we went all the way around our big neighborhood loop. I had forgotten how big those hills are. I think we walked about 45 minutes. Then I took Ryan to tennis camp. I have a workshop tonight at Kimberly’s house – going to pack up for that now – it should be fun! And yesterdays Simply Adorned class was great. I can’t remember if I have shared those ideas with you or not – I’ll have to do that this week too if I haven’t already done that.
Thanks for stopping by today – have a great day!
Jun 5, 2010 | Cards, Create with Connie & Mary, Decor Elements, Smooch Spritz techniques, Stamper's Club, Summer Mini 2010 |
Hey everyone it’s Saturday and no I don’t have another challenge card for Create with Connie & Mary. The summer session of posting new projects and challenges has ended. But if you are looking for some GREAT ideas on how to use your summer mini stuff, you can still subscribe for $24.95 and have access to ALL the GREAT ideas that were shared.
And guess what Connie & Mary are continuing to do weekly challenges that are open to everyone! They will be posting on Thursdays – and the first one was this week. I hope you’ll visit the Create with Connie & Mary blog and try to play along. I will when I can fit it in.
So on to my card for today. Last night was my Stamper’s Club meeting – we normally make three projects – 2 cards and a 3D. This was one of the cards we made – it looks so much harder than it is. The card was designed by my friend and upline Wendy and uses several products from the Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini catalog.
It has a masculine look to but also looks elegant and vintage at the same time. So i think you could use for a variety of things – Father’s Day, Anniversary, etc.
The card base is Basic Black – which is a little hard to see in the photo because it kind of disappears into the background.
Then you need two Whisper White pieces – one for the front and one for the inside so you have a place to write. So here is a fun technique that you can do with the Smooch Spritz . Use a plastic project folder like you use for a school report – spritz inside the folder – Silver Foil – you could also add the gold if you want. Close up the folder and smoosh the spritz around a bit. Open it up and lay the two pieces of white card stock back to back inside the folder. Close it again and smoosh the spritz on to the card stock. Take the card stock out and you have the marbleized looking pieces. Each person will get a different looking piece.
Then add the Decor Elements stencil to the front – the stencil is called Mostly Vintage and it is in the Summer Mini. Use a Stamping Sponge and Jet Black StazOn ink and add the stencil to the front of the card. Remember to pounce the sponge and don’t rub or you will bend the little pieces of the stencil.
To finish add one of the little vintage tags that are in the Summer Mini. I hope you like it.
Jun 4, 2010 | Big Shot, Cards, family, Graduation |
I don’t think I ever shared the Mother’s Day card that I made for my mom and Greg’s mom. I thought I would take a break from my Artisan entries and do that today.
This is not my idea. I don’t know who originally created the pansy idea but I followed the directions from Dawn.
I used the Shimmery White card stock. Punch out with the Butterfly Punch – who would have thought it was the butterfly punch! You need two butterfly punch outs for each flower.
Spritz with water and then use an AquaPainter and the classic ink refills to add the color. I used Rich Razzleberry on the outsides and Summer Sun in the centers. I curled them with a skewer, added lines with a marker and put the silver brads in the center.
I wondered if I should have turned them over and added color to the back of the flowers too since you can see the back side when it curls – but I didn’t think about it at the time – only now that I’m looking at the pictures.
The Rich Razzleberry layer is embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and the Big Shot. The leaves are the Little Leaves sizzlit die for the Big Shot. I think the layout from this card also came from somewhere else but it has been a while since I first made it so I don’t remember exactly.
I thought I would also share a quick proud mom moment – these are pictures from Graduation last weekend.
We sat up in the balcony at the church – which is huge – so I wasn’t expecting to get a good picture of him on the stage – but this one as he is coming down the steps turned out pretty well. The other one is outside afterwards – it was about 10 at night when they finished and raining outside – luckily they have a large covered area at the church where everyone gathered. The kids tried to throw their caps but they really couldn’t do that under the cover. Oh well…
Have a great day – I have Stamper’s Club tonight – I’m looking forward to seeing my stampers again!
The card is cut and scored so it has multiple panels that fold together to create a really cool card with lots of places to embellish and add little things here and there.
The large butterfly on the front was cut twice – once in So Saffron and once in Chocolate Chip. The Chocolate Chip butterfly was cut in half and layered on the back of the So Saffron butterfly. The body and antenna are made from Linen Thread. The circle scissors was used to cut the inner circle. I used the distressing tool, sponging and the white gel pen as accents on the card.
The one thing I changed from my original card to the one I sent in to Stampin’ Up! was the addition of the center of the flower on the inner panel. I added some Tombow glue and added a swirl of linen thread to make the center of the flower. I really like how it turned out.
