Aug 13, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
When gingham cats get tangled in baker’s twine, they have to be on the front of an Anniversary card!
My Cat Punch found this Sweet Sugarplum and Sahara Sand gingham in the Succulent Gardens Designer Series Paper.
Notice, I’m not taking any responsibility for this.
They insisted on being tied together, and chose the sentiment, “happy together,” from an older stamp set. They said it could be punched with the Classic Label Punch, and I have to admit, they were right.
They were also particular about their background, wanting to sit in a heart made by the Sweetheart Embossing Folder. I was also instructed to place them on a Sahara Sand card base, layered with pretty words and, get this, Rich Razzleberry cardstock. Can you believe it!
Here are the ingredients they required:
I certainly hope the couple who receive this card appreciate their handiwork. Cats will be cats!
Aug 11, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
Oh boy! I saw the circle on CAS(E) this sketch challenge #234, and knew what I would do. I’d been wanting to learn how to make a rosette, especially after seeing them on p.32 of the new Holiday catalog. So, I watched a U-Tube video. How else does one learn things these days? I would finally put my Stampin’ Up! Simply Scored Scoring Tool to use.
I decided to use the Whole Lot Of Lovely Designer Series Paper. I love how it uses the soft colors with the contrast of black. Since this was my first rosette, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I went with a 1″ X 12″ strip of a floral pattern. With the hand held tool, I scored every 1/4″ inch, which didn’t take long once I got into a rhythm. Then, I folded it back and forth, like an accordion, and glued the two ends together, making a circle.
Now, this is the really fun part, but also hard to describe in words, so you may need to watch a video. You gather all the ends together and squish it down. I was ready with a small circle, which was made with the 1/2″ circle punch. I placed this under the middle hole of the rosette, and squirt in the glue to hold it together.
TIP: Use a Hot Glue Gun! I used Tombow, and it took a long time to dry.
While waiting for the glue to dry, I decided on a Pool Party card base, layered with Basic Black, and a brick embossed, Whisper White wall. Once my hands were free, I cut a strip of vine from Whole Lot of Lovely DSP, and leaves from Pear Pizazz using an Eclectic Layers die. My project was complete, except for the sentiment, and “lovely” from the Lovely Words die set seemed just right. I triple layered it, so it would be nice and sturdy atop my rosette.
If you are new to rosette making, I hope you have as much fun as I did! Demonstrators can order the Be Merry Kit from the Holiday catalog now, and everyone else on Sept 1. The kit makes twelve, four inch rosettes with lots of decorations for $19.00. What a deal! If you need help ordering, I’m here!
Aug 10, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
The cat is, once again, the subject of my project entered in two challenges. However, this cat remains nameless, while the fish is named Orphelia Why? My parents met at San Diego State in 1946, in an English class. They happened to be studying Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Orphelia was one of the two female characters. Fast forward through their falling in love, a short courtship, and marriage, to acquiring their first pet. Yep, they named her Orphelia. I was school age by the time Orphelia was flushed down the toilet, and I believe is history’s longest living goldfish. We marveled at her transparency. It doesn’t look like this Orphelia’s fate will be the same.
The lay-out was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #300. Round numbers like this are very special, and the chosen winner will receive all of the designer’s sample projects!
The other elements were inspired by Tic Tac Toe #010. I chose bottom row across: green, circles, water.
The Coffee Break Designer Series Paper had the circles of green I was looking for, as well as blue to tie in with the water. And, Early Espresso was perfect for my cat. The Jar of Love stamp set and Everyday Jars Framelits Dies provided Orphelia and her home. She enjoyed being brought to life in Tangerine Tango. To emphasize the green theme, all was adhered to a Garden Green card base.
For the sentiment, honestly, I was looking for something to fit within a small circle. I came across, “This is the day,” from the Tabs for Everything stamp set. It made me chuckle, and I hope you do too!
Aug 9, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
Welcome to the August 2017 Pals Blog Hop. Thank you so much for joining us today. This month we’re going to “Cut It Out”. Participants will feature projects with “cuts” from punches, dies, Framelits, Edgelits, or Thinlits.
Whether you’re just starting the hop, or have come from a previous Pal’s blog, you’ll find the line-up toward the end of my post to help you move along.
It was easy for me to comply with this month’s blog requirement of using things that cut. Give me those tools, and I’m a happy gal! I began by using the blade of my Stampin’ Trimmer to cut a piece of cardstock in half, 4 1/4″ X 11.” It had been a while since I made a Z-Fold card, and I was ready to create a scene with the Carols of Christmas Bundle.
I scored this Thick Whisper White cardstock at 2 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. Next, I cut a 1 1/4″ X 11″ strip, scored it the same, and ran it through the Big Shot using the Ruffled embossing folder to make it look like snow drifts. Time to select the background, so I chose a piece of patterned Tranquil Tide from the Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper. Don’t the dots look like falling snow? I cut two pieces, 2 1/2″ X 4″, and one piece 5 1/4″ X 4″ and adhered those to the card base.
Now for more cutting! I used the corner thinlits from the Card Front Builder Thinlits dies to cut decorations in two corners. I saved the six cut-outs, which I later placed on dimensionals and made them part of the scene. They were just too cute to toss! I used the two tree thinlits from the same set to cut trees from Tranquil Tide cardstock. And, my favorite die of the set, the deer, was used after stamping him three times in Chocolate Chip ink on Thick Whisper White cardstock. Dimensionals were used to enhance the 3D effect.
TIP: The trickiest part of the Z-fold is fastening the band. Apply glue to the front of the card where the band will go, and to the back of the end fold of the band, then close the card while fastening to make sure it attaches evenly.
Not to be outdone by the dies was the Pretty Label Punch. I discovered that the sentiment I wanted to use from the Christmas Pines stamp set fit perfectly within this punch. It looked a little plain until I dusted the edges with a Sponge Dauber of Tranquil Tide ink. Can you guess the final touch? Yep, that hard to miss little, red, enamel star.
No matter what season we are in, “May the simple joys of the season be yours.”
Please take a minute to mark your calendar for our next hop on September 13, 2017. Now hop along using the Blog Hop Line-up below. Thank you so much for hopping with the Stampin’ Pretty Pals today. Don’t forget to leave us a comment. We’d love to hear what you have to say about our creative “Cuts”.
Aug 8, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
What do you do when UPS delivers a box from Stampin’ Up? You tear it open as fast as you can, and make a card! That’s what I did anyway. And the first thing I reached for was our new Cat Punch. With the colors of the Fab Friday Challenge #118 in mind, my cat became a Melon Mambo Calico Cat.
I was also anxious to use the Quilt Top Textured embossing folder, and rolled it through the Big Shot with Whisper White cardstock. I decided to layer that on a Flirty Flamingo card base, and Lemon Lime Twist would be for the sentiment and plants. Aren’t the plants adorable? They are in the Pick a Pumpkin Bundle, and they come with dies to cut them out.
There’s also a fabulous plant die without a stamp that I didn’t use, but don’t overlook it. Jack-o-lanterns are my favorite part of Halloween, so this set was at the top of my list. My husband carves a pumpkin every year, without fail.
Since the embossed quilt had circles, I decided to use the Stitched Shapes Circles for the cat, and the sentiment. I stamped the plants and sentiment (“have a Magical Birthday” from the Magical Mermaid stamp set) in Lemon Lime Twist, and die cut the plants.
Three Glitter Enamel Dots were the final touch for my whimsical card. Thank you, Fab Friday, for the inspiration with these colors.
I love to read your comments! Let me know if there is a color or pattern you would like to see for my cat on future cards. Or, if you’d like to make your own cats, I can help you order.
Aug 7, 2017 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
I’ve been itching to use this flower from the Best Thoughts stamp set. It was new to me, because it was a recent gift, and today was the day! I’m also going to use a technique that I haven’t attempted.
I began by selecting the colors for the flower, Powder Pink, Blushing Bride, Sweet Sugarplum, and the leaves/stem would be Pear Pizazz. Then, I got out my supplies for the untried technique (don’t laugh, I realize this is an old stand-by for many).
I first stamped the flower in Versamark on Watercolor Paper that was cut to 3 3/4″ X 5″. Next, I heat embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. This left a cool outline of shimmer, although difficult to see unless angled to catch the light just right.
With my Aqua Painter in hand, I dipped the brush in ink from the Pear Pizazz ink pad and painted the stem and leaves. Then, I started at the top of the flower with Powder Pink, and blended the three colors. I was careful not to go outside the lines at first, but learned that this method is very forgiving. The embossed lines create such a border, it is difficult to make a mistake!
I decided to layer my art piece On Pear Pizazz with a card base of Tip Top Taupe. “Love,” a Sunshine Wishes Die was cut from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper to go with the sparkle from the clear embossing powder. You can see the shine in this photo.
It just so happens to fit the theme of this week’s Global Design Project, Wedding/Anniversary. Depending on the inside sentiment, I like it for either occasion.
And, it’s perfect for a challenge in Australia I just discovered, Happy Little Stampers. CAS stands for clean and simple. Because it’s a flower with one focal point, and lots of white space, I think it qualifies.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love challenges, and learning something new every day. I’m looking forward to using this technique again.
