fresh & fun

..Yesterday’s Way to Use it Challenge was to make a project with Pockets. Ever since I got the Joy of Cardmaking magazine when it first came out, I was tempted to make their double pocket card. Well….you know how it goes. I never made it. Julia’s challenge yesterday gave me a swift kick in my bootie to change that. (….and I will write a tutorial for all the visual learner out there).

I started with the Old Olive piece and worked my way out. This is actually all one piece (5″ x 10 3/4″), scored in three 3 1/2″ wide panels. The middle and one out panel were cut down, the cardstock folded accordian style to make my double pockets. I sponged all the edges and used the ticket corner punch on the top corners.

I layered the top and bottom section with Dashing Designer paper. Sorry, I am stuck on that a little bit. You should see the Explosion box I made with that paper….but that has to wait a bit. I wrote another tutorial for Scor-Pal, and it will be featured there. Let’s just say I usually don’ t like Explosion boxes too much and I LOVE this one. Sorry…digressing…back to the card.

I distressed the edges of the designer paper with my cutter kit and stamped the swirl from Season of Joy on the right hand side of the bottom panel. I used the ticket corner punch on the top corners of the top panel.

I added a square frame from the Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware assortment to the right hand side of the bottom panel. I inked up Deck the Halls from the background stamp in black and stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock. I added the swirl in third generation Old Olive over it and punched it out with the 1″ circle punch. That was layered on a 1 1/4″ piece of paper pierced black cardstock and a 1 3/8″ sponged Old Olive circle.

The middle panel is lined with a 1″ x 3 1/4″ piece of Real Red Cardstock, that was stamped with the big background stamp from Season of Joy and sponged around the edges.

Next I stamped my Faux Stitching with the All in a Row Argyle stamp over the edges, taped the layers together on the bottom and side with sticky strip,  layered it on a 3 3/4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of black cardstock and added two Pewter brads in the top corners. I also added three Pewter brads on the left hand side over the middle and bottom section. They will help keep my folded cardstock to stay closed.

The card base is a 5 1/2″ x 8″ piece of Real Red cardstock folded in half, stamped with the background stamp from Season of Joy and edges sponged.

The larger tag measures 2 1/4″ x 3 1/2″, the smaller one 2 1/4″ x 2 5/8″.

  Both tags are sponged and stamped with Season of Joy stamps.

Both half part of a 1″ circle on the top that has been paper pierced around the curved edge.

You can’t see in the photo but the small black strip on the large tag is paper pierced as well.

The ribbon is Kraft Taffeta ribbon on the large tag and from the Theater Ribbon Originals on the smaller one. It was attached with pieces from the Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware pack.

I love Joy and Daisy’s online store Eclectic Paperie. You guys know that I buy a lot of my non-Stampin’ Up! supplies there. I was excited when they asked me if I would like to be their eP friend this week. Heck YEA!!!!

So to celebrate, I made my sample for this weekend’s sketch challenge with  Penny Black image Daisy had stamped and sent with my last order. I think this Hedgehog stamp is still so new, that it’s not listed in the store yet. You can find other Hedgehodge images here.

I colored the image with Prisma color pencils and blended it with Gamsol and blending stumps. Next I added Stardust Stickles over the top of the boot and the hat rim and waterfall stickles over the snow areas. The boot itself is covered with Crystal Effect, to make it shiny.

I distressed the edges and layered it on a black scallop circle.

The card base is a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Real Red cardstock folded in half.

The Whisper White layer measures 2 3/4″ x 5 1/4″. The edges were distressed with Stampin’ Up!’s cutter kit and the corner punched with the ticket corner punch. I added a small strip of black cardstock to the left hand side and distressed it’s edge as well.

The pattern paper measures 2 1/2″ x 5″  and is from My Mind’s Eye. I LOVE that paper company. I ticket corner punched the edges as well and added Faux Stitching with the Argyle stamp from All in a Row.

For the greeting, I stamped Very Merry from Short & Sweet in Basic Black on Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the small oval punch. I layered that on a sponged 1″ River Rock circle and a black punchout made with the Designer label punch.

I added a few vintage brads and double sided River Rock ribbon and was done.

Here is the sketch for this weekend’s challenge. This time the prize is a Studio G clear stamp set and a little bit of May Arts ribbon.

To participate in the challenge, make a card with this layout and upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery.

 If you upload your card on SCS, put WSC18  (NO SPACE INBETWEEN WSC AND 18)in the keyword section. That way we can look at all of them at once!

Post a link to your card to THIS blog entry as a comment. Please add your entry# to it.

I will determine the winner of the clear stamps with Random.org on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.

I tried out the sketch last Tuesday with SCS’s color challenge to see if I would like it. It makes simply and quick cards.

To see samples made with this sketch now, check out the blogs of

Charmaine Ikach

Jenn Balcer 

Lori Craig and

Sharon Harnist

Have fun creating! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

SCS submissions

I received this beautiful thank you from Dawn Easton. She won one of the previous Sketch challenges.

You know I love this card. I has All in a Row Faux Stitching and those cute little Stampendous bees, paired with Earth Elemtent Colors? What could be better (besides a dash of Chocolate chip, maybe? LOL)

Thank you Dawn!

You guys can check out more of Dawn and her husband’s amazing work on her blog Treasure Oiler Designz