DIY Paper Creations

December Class Schedule

December is a busy month for all of us.  Filled with shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, parties and family gatherings.  Don't forget to take a couple of minutes to do something for yourself.  Studies have shown that people who are members of a club or have hobbies are 60% happier.  E-mails have been sent out via Sign Up Genius for the following events in December:

                               Monday, December 3 @ 5:00 - Cardiology Club

                               Sunday, December 9 @ 1:00 - Homespun Christmas

                               Monday, December 10 @ 6:30 - FREE gift tag class

                               Thursday, December 13 @ 3:30 - Cardiology Club

                               Thursday, December 20 @ 7:00 - Cardiology Club

                               Please e-mail me if you have any questions!

 

 

Jolly Christmas

This is the outside of the Pop-up Christmas Tree Card.  I kept it pretty simple because I wanted the focus to be on the inside of the card.

All we did was use Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write markers to color the Jolly Christmas stamp and stamp it onto a piece of Whisper White card stock.  Then we used the Festive Paper Piercing Pack to pierce the shape of an ornament and a line going up from the ornament - like it's hanging on the tree that is inside the card.  Added a snippet of Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon and a silver brad.  Adhered it to a strip of Cherry Cobbler card stock to create a belly band.

My clubs enjoyed making this card and I hope you do too!

Pop-up Christmas Tree

My Cardiology Clubs made this card at their meetings in November.  At first glance you might think this card is difficult or time consuming, but it's not.  

• Make a Baja Breeze A2 card Base
• Cut a 8 1/2 X 1/2 piece of Whisper White card stock and score at 4 1/4"
• Adhere the Whisper White piece to the bottom of the card using SNAIL
• Trim a piece of Early Espresso to 2 X 3/4 and score at every 1/2"
• Fold the two side pieces in and put Sticky Strip on them
• Adhere the Early Espresso piece above the "snow" by lining up the center score line with the center of the card
• Cut a piece of Always Artichoke to 8X7 and score on the 8" side every 1/2"
• Put Sticky Strip on both edges along the 7" side of the card stock
• Cut the Always Artichoke card stock into strips - 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" and 1 3/4"
• Accordin fold each strip
• Start with the widest strip and place it so that the inside edge of the accordion fold in even with the outside edge of the trunk of the tree - I work from left to right on this project.  Now adhere the other side making sure it's lined up with the outside edge of the tree trunk
• Continue going up the tree with next 3 strips - always lining them up with the edge of the tree trunk, but going up about 1/8" in between strips
• For the second to last strip you'll cut off one of the mountains from the accordion fold.  And instead of lining it up with the tree trunk you're going to go in towards the center of the card by about 1/4" of an inch
• For the last strip you'll cut off two mountains from the accordion fold and again place it about 1/4" towards the center of the card.

The Penquin was paper pieced and the star was cut of of Summer Starfruit three times; glued together and placed in the crease of the card above the Christmas Tree

In my next post, I'll show you what we did for the outside of the card!

Holiday Mail for Heroes

This year while you're making card to send out to friends and family, why not make a couple extra to brighten the day of some wounded veterans?  It's such a small gesture, but it has a tremendous impact on them.

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for having cards to the P.O. Box is Friday, December 7th.
Holiday cards received after this date cannot be guaranteed delivery.

Card Guidelines:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

 

• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
• If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

 

Christmas Note Card

It's difficult to believe that a year has past since I made this 3 X 3  note card.  Last year I made a couple dozen of them to tuck inside gift bags, but I never got around to posting it on my blog.  The Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set is fun to play with and gave me so many options for this card!  

Stamp sets:  Jolly Bingo Bits and Petite Pairs

Ink:  Jet Black StazON, Bashful Blue and Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker

Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Shimmery White and Early Espresso

Tools:  Big Shot with standard cutting plates, Multipurpose Platform, Snow Burst Embossing Folder, 1 3/4" Circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch

Bling:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Linen Thread and Bitty Buttons

Recycle, Repurpose and Enjoy!

This card is made with recycled Coca-Cola and Diet Coke cans that we will run through the Big Shot using Island Floral Bigz die.  Hint - wash out the cans and let them air dry first!

Stamp set:  You're a Gem (retired)

Paper:  Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn

Tools:  Big Shot, Standard Cutting Pads, Island Floral Bigz die, Spritzer, Corner Rounding Punch, SNAIL and Glue Dots

Bling:  Ribbon (from the retired Mistletoe set), Jumbo Silver Brad (retired), Ribbon Slide (from retired Silver HodgePodge set)

 

Exciting News!!

Announcing a FREE Simply Sent app for your iPhone or iPad.  It's new from Stampin' Up! and it's only available at iTunes or the App Store!  It's a simple and fun way to send cards from your mobile device to family and friends...or post to Facebook!

I expect more embellishments and templates to be available in the near future.

Isn't this a great way to share some family news, send someone a little note of encouragement or that last minute birthday card?  Love it!!

Naughty & Nice Gift Card Holder

Isn't this cute!  If you're at all like me, you're always looking for something to put gift cards in when you gift them.  This little guy goes together very quickly.  Maybe I'll do a video to show just how quickly?  I'm thinking about it!

Stamp set:  Tags 'til Christmas

Ink:  Cherry Cobbler

Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Silver Glimmer Paper

Tools:  Big Shot with standard cutting plates, Multipurpose Platform, Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder, Two Tags Bigz Die, Extra-Large Tag punch, 1" Square punch, Curly Label punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Sticky Strip, SNAIL Adhesive

Bling:  Basic Rhinestones (colored with a black Sharpie), Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

Cast your Spell!

And shake your Booty!!  I love this stamp set, all of the images are so fun!  This is a simple card that goes together in minutes.

 

*  Run the Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot using the Spider Web Embossing Folder

*  Use the Scallop Edge Border Punch to trim the edge on both Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie card stock

*  Stamp the image using Jet Black StazOn and color in using Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers.  (I used some Crystal Effects to add some shine to the band at the ankle of the boot)

*  Use SNAIL and Dimensionals to adhere everything together

*  Tie a bow using a snipet of Old Olive 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon and adhere it to the card with a Glue Dot

Abracadabra...you made a card!

 

Stamp sets:  Bootiful Occasions ( Clear mount 126597, wood mount 126595)

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn and Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers

Card Stock:  Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White and Brights Designer Series Paper Stack

Tools:  Big Shot with standard cutting plates, Multipurpose Platform, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Crystal Effects, SNAIL, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Blings:  1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon - Old Olive

Winter Memories

This is one of the cards from my Christmas card Stamp-a-Stack.  The moment I saw the vintage ice skates and slede in the Winter Memories set I knew I had to own that set.  

 

* I ran Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot using the Northern Flurry Embossing Folder

*  Using 1 1/2 tablespoons of Isopropyl Alcohol and 12 drops of Frost White Shimmer Paint mixed together in a Stampin' Spritzer, I sprayed the embossed image to make it shimmer like fresh fallen snow.  Let it air dry for a minute or two.

*  I mounted both the skates and the sentiment on the same clear block and stamped the image using Jet Black StazOn.  Then I watercolored the holly leaves, berries, blades, heel and scuff marks with Stampin' Up! Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a Blender Pen.

*  Add some Basic Rhinestones for Bling and a Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon bow and the card is done!

Stamps Sets:  Winter Memories (clear mount 1279737 wood mount 127934)

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn and Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Basic Gray and Crumb Cake

Paper:  Baja Breeze, Night of Navy and Whisper White

Tools:  Big Shot with standard cutting plates and Multipurpose Platform, Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Blender Pen, Stampin' Spritzer, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Isopropyl Alcohol, SNAIL

Bling:  Basic Rhinestones and Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon

 

 

Spooktacular Printer's Tray Project

The Spooktacular Printers Tray Project Kit is now available for purchase – the kit includes the Printers Tray and all items needed to complete the project EXCEPT the Toxic Treats stamp set. The cost for the kit is $32.45 plus tax and shipping. If there's enough interest, I'll put together a Sunday afternoon class for us to work on our kits together.

Sweet Summer Smooches

Have you ever forgotten that you own a stamp set? I got the Bright Blossoms set at the Manager's Reception during the Leadership Conference in January. With my dad passing away and everything involved in being the Executrix of his will, my goodies were forgotten! Until the other day when I saw a bag that said Stampin' Up! in really BIG letters tucked into a corner of our guest room. Life gets messy sometimes, thank goodness for stampin'!

I love the sunny colors of this card. And that sentiment! Why didn't I use that before now?

Do it Yourself Tip:

• Working with layered ribbon can be tricky. I used a couple of glue dots to hold the two pieces of ribbon together.
• This ribbon is really bulky with two layers, so it's easier to wrap the ribbon around the front of the card and SNAIL the ends to the back of the card. Then use smaller pieces of the ribbon to tie a knot in the front.
• I stamped the entire sentiment in Island Indigo and then used a Blender Pen to remove the ink from just the heart and colored it with a Real Red Stampin' Write marker.
• Love that Daffodil Delight Flower brad! The best way to get it to lay flat on the card stock and not have the "legs" show through the Whisper White layer was to layer the Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White layers together and put the brad through all three layers.

Stamp sets: Bright Blossoms and Perfect Words

Ink: Island Indigo Classic Ink and Island Indigo, Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write markers

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Whisper White and Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper

Tools: Blender Pen, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, SNAIL and Dimensionals

Bling: Daffodil Delight ribbon, Island Indigo Ruffled ribbon, Daffodil Delight Flower brad and small pearl.

Love note for my sweetie

It's been a little stressful around our house since the first of the year. My dad passed away while I was at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference in January - he had lived with us for the last seven years. At the same time that my dad passed away we were having an addition put onto our house and as anyone who has ever lived through a renovation will tell you, it's not always fun! And the renovation is stilling going on with painting the entire inside of our home and doing a complete make-over of my dad's former bedroom and bathroom. With all that has happened, I thought it would be nice to remind my hubby that I cherish our relationship. I saw the idea for this card in a magazine a month or so ago and filed it away in the old memory bank for future use. When Richard wasn't looking, I slipped this little card into his flight bag before he left for his most recent trip. I wanted him to find it after the first leg of his trip! Word search puzzles are quick and easy to make using websites found on the Internet. The tricky part was getting the words "Life" and "Together" to intersect the way I wanted them to. In the end, I copied the puzzle into Word and typed those couple of letters into where I wanted them.

Stamp sets: None

Ink: Real Red Stampin' Write marker

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black and Twitterpated Designer Series Paper

Tools: Spriral Punch (retired), Small Heart Punch, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Simply Scored with Diagonial Plate, Crop-A-Dile

Bling: Mini Brads, Trinket Hearts charm, Eyelet (retired) and Black Gingham ribbon (retired)

Thinking of You!

Isn't that little Lady Bug crawling across the bottom just too stinkin' cute? I have to be honest, I bought the Furry Folk stamp set just for that Lady Bug! Not exactly the most economical way to go about things, but it was love at first sight and I just couldn't help myself.

This card is super easy and fun to make. I made a template for the border by cutting a piece of that card board that comes with our Designer Series Paper to the size that I wanted it to be, rounded the corners and used the 1" Square punch to punch out the space for the sentiment. Then I just traced around the template with a Stampin' Write marker, stamped the flower stem and the sentiment. The flowers were made using the Floral Fusion sizzlit, a little bit of water to rough them up a bit and a couple of Daffodil Delight brads.

Stamp sets: For All You Do, Trendy Trees and Furry Folk

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Always Artichoke and Riding Hood Red Stampin' Write markers

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Big Shot with standard cutting plates, Multipurpose Platform, Floral Fusion Sizzlit, misting bottle filled with water, Corner Rounding punch, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack and Stamp-a-ma-jig

Bling: Daffodil Delight Brads

Moonlight Dream

In February, I taught Basic Brayering to my club members and they loved it! One of the cards that they made was the "Dream" card that is feataured in this post. When I brayer a card, I don't use a lot of ribbon or other embellishments that will clutter up the card - I want the brayered image to be the focal point. The same is true for any stamped sentiment. Which is why I knew I had to have the stamp set "Loving Thoughts" which is in the Occasions Mini - the perfect finishing touch for a brayered card.

Basic Brayering

• When inking up your brayer don't roll it back & forth across the ink pad - your brayer won't get "inked" up evenly. Roll the brayer in one direction across the ink pad 4-5 times.
• Don't go directly onto the card stock with your brayer. Place your card stock on a CLEAN piece of Grid Paper or a large piece of scrap paper, then start with your brayer about 1/16" off of the card stock and roll up the length of the card stock , then roll back down without lifting or stopping the brayer. For the third roll go onto the card stock, rolling all the way off the top of the card stock and then rolling back down off the bottom of the card stock. Keep rolling and working your way down the card stock. Reink your brayer and repeat this rolling technique until you achieve the desired color.
• Always start with the lightest color first and then add darker colors. For my "Dream" card, I used Baja Breeze to brayer from the top to almost the middle and from the bottom to almost the middle. Then, I brayered Not Quite Navy over just the very top and bottom of the card stock, making sure that I didn't cover all of the Baja Breeze area.
• I left some of the card white to create the illusion of moonlight.
• Use Post-it-Notes as a mask for horizons, mountains, pathways, rivers, lakes and the moon (or sun). On the "Dream" card, I used a 1 3/8" Circle Punch to punch out a mask for the moon and placed it on the card stock before I began brayering. To create the horizon I sponged Not Quite Navy long the straight edge of a Post-it-Note. For mountains, pathways, rivers and lakes you will tear the Post-it-Note into the desired shape and use either the brayer or a sponge to apply a darker color. Moving and reshaping the mask as necessary.
• To clean my brayer I use baby wipes - the cheaper the better! The more expensive wipes have additives on them that you don't need on your brayer.
• To avoid flat spots on my brayer I hang it on a hook when it's not in use - making sure that nothing is touching the roller.

 

Do it Yourself Basics

Stamp sets: Just Believe and Loving Thoughts

Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive and Basic Black

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze and Not Quite Navy

Tools: Post-it-Notes, Brayer, Sponges, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Piercing Tool and Mat Pack

Bling: Linen Thread

 

I hope you enjoyed my post today and that you'll give brayering a try!

My Pals Swap Card

While going to convention was fun, I have to admit that what I enjoyed most about the Stampin' Up! convention was spending time with my fellow Stampin' Pretty Pals.  Not only are they super talented, but they know how to have fun to!  We rocked the house during awards night...it was so excitng and inspiring to see Mary Fish get the recognition and awards that she so richly deserves.  That was Thursday night...Friday evening was the Pals dinner and card swap.  Did you really think that we'd get together and not share just a little card making?  Not this group!  We're even trying to figure out when and where to have a Pals only retreat.  Which is pretty interesting when you factor in all of the Stampin' Up! events that we need to schedule around - like Convention, Leadership, Regionals, Founders Circle and the Fiji trip.  Yes, I said Fiji!  Isn't that a cool trip to earn?  All expenses paid trip for two to Fiji.  Just saying the word is fun...Fiji.  Anyway, here's the card that I made to share with my Pals.  It's a very easy card to make, but has a bit of WOW added to it by brayering Soft Suede onto one side of the Stripes Embossing Folder.  And, isn't that Cherry Cobbler Scallped Dots Ribbon just too darn cute?  I love the stuff!

Some DIY Basics:

• Brayer Soft Suede onto one side of any of the Embossing Folders - I used the new Stripes Embossing Folder and then I ran it through the Big Shot with a piece of Crumb Cake tucked inside.
• The new Language of Friendship stamp set and the Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch were made for each other - instant friendship.
• I colored one of the Stampin' Up! Basic Rhinestones using a Black Sharpie to create an eye for the bird.

Happy Stamping!

 

 

Baja Breeze Bird

It's so nice to see the sun out today!  Everything is in bloom and the birds are singing.  The beautiful Spring weather reminded me of this card that we made at the Kings Drumline 50/50 charity stamp-a-stack event.  Everyone made three each of five different designs.  The focus was on birthday cards, but I had additional sentiments set out at the tables for people to use.  I had a couple of people who put two birds on the card and turned it into an anniversary card - what a cute idea!

To get the pattern on the bird, we first stamped Baja Breeze card stock with Baja Breeze Classic Ink using the For All You Do stamp set.  Than we just popped out the bird using the Two-Step Bird Punch.

Stamp sets:  For All You Do, Create A Cupcake

Ink:  Baja Breeze and Jet Black StazOn

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze and Old Olive

Tools:  Two-Step Bird Punch, Corner Rounding Punch, Word Window Punch, SNAIL and Dimensionals

Bling:  Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding and Small Pearl (Basic Pearl Pack)

Okay, now I'm going to go play in my gardens - this day is just too nice to spend indoors!

It's the little things!

I know I've been away from my blog for quite awhile; I've been trying to get some balance back in my life.  It took me nearly a year, but I'm to the point that I'm ready to get back into blogging with all of you again! 

The first card that I want to share is this adorable baby card that we made at my February Stamp-a-Stack (each person made 3 of them).  We used the Baby Tees jumbo wheel to create the image  and then snipped out the "tee" with the duckies.  Stampin' Write Markers were used to color the "tee" and to color in the three little duckies that are on the inside of the card.

Stamp sets:  Short & Sweet, A Slice of Life, Baby Bundle, You're a Gem and Baby Tees Jumbo Wheel

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn; Stampin' Write markers - Basic Black, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake

Paper:  So Saffron, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Build-A-Bear Workshop Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper

Tools:  Jumbo Wheel Handle, Wheel Guide, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Crop-a-dile, 1/8" Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, SNAIL Dimensionals, Clear Blocks "A" and "C"

Bling:  Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Vintage Safety Pin and Silver Eyelet

It feels wonderful to be back!

PPA55 – May all your wishes come true!

Every time I use this color combination I’m reminded of our wonderful vacations to the island of Jamaica and our Caribbean cruise.  In addition to the beautiful color challenge this week, the Pals Paper Arts design team also has some yummy blog candy for you to win!  Remember, it’s “no problem mon” if you don’t have the exact colors that the PPA Design Team used, just use whatever supplies that you have that are similar!  No worries…

Do it yourself tip!

• I really can’t imagine card making without having my paper punches or my Big Shot.  It wasn’t that long ago that I looked at cards that other people made and wondered how they got the corners so perfectly round or how in the world did they ever cut out those cute flowers.  Seeing all the punches in the Stampin’ Up! catalog was a major light bulb moment for me…and a time saver too!  If you haven’t already, invest in a couple of them and see what a difference they can make!

Click here to order Stampin’ Up! product online 24/7!

Stamp sets:  Heard from the Heart (wood mount 111644, clear mount 120006)

Paper:  Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight card stock

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn

Gear:  Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976), Floral Fusion Sizzlit Die (115969), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (119275), 3/16” Corner Small Punch (119871), Paper Piercing Tool (116631), Mat Pack (105826)

Bling:  Daffodil Delight 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon (119766), Brights Brads (11974)

 

PPA54 – One for the guys

When it comes to making masculine cards you can include me in the ranks of those who struggle!  Since I started doing challenges and now as a Pals Paper Arts Design Team member I have learned a few tips that take some of the stress out of making cards for the guys in my life.  In no particular order here’s what I’ve learned; most men don’t “do” bows, keep the bling and the gingerbread to a minimum, go for straight lines and use materials that men can relate to.   Speaking materials that guys can relate to, while at my local hardware store I found this lightweight aluminum flashing stuff which I admit that I have no idea what it’s real purpose in life is.  But, I bought some thinking that it might work in my Big Shot for some project in the future.  That future is today!

 

Do it yourself tips!

• Have you tried the new Stampin’ Up! Distressing Essentials kit yet?  The files are awesome for distressing the edges on paper!

• Did you know that you can punch out the Modern Label to any length that you need?  All you do is cut the paper to the correct width and then thread the ends through the punch one end at a time to get the little bump outs on the ends.

Click here to order Stampin’ Up! product online 24/7!

Stamp sets:  Totally Tool (113236)

Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray and Basic Black card stock

Ink:  Basic Black Classic Ink Pad and Basic Gray Watercolor Wonder Crayon

Gear:  Big Shot (113439), Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates (114512), Standard Texturz Impressions Pad (114614), Standard Texturz Silicone Rubber (114615), Cogs Extra-Large Double Punch (118873), Modern Label Extra-Large Punch (119849), Distressing Essentials (118762)

Bling:  Basic Black 5/8” Satin Ribbon (117285), 5/16” Silver Jumbo Brads (112534)