2009 August » fresh & fun

Vintage Bird

Challenge, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 35 Responses »

Aug 282009

Very Vintage was yesterday’s Way to Use it Challenge. I had no vintage supply at home, but thought a little distressing and sponging might get me the vintage look. The challenge worked well for today’s sketch (at least I think so).

I thought of the stamp set Friends 24-7 right away. I simply love that set. The damask image and the bird are some of my favorite Stampin’ Up! images. I stamped the Damask in second and third generation Brocade Blue ink on Shimmery White cardstock. Next I stamped the bird in Chocolate chip craft ink over the the damask and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I cut it out with Circle Nestabilitites and sponged the edges first in Creamy Caramel then with a hint of Chocolate chip ink. The circle was adhered to first a slightly bigger sponged Chocolate Chip circle, then on a scalloped and sponged (first with creamy caramel, then with chocolate chip) Kraft cardstock circle.

The card base is a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Kraft cardstock folded in half. It was sponged with Creamy Caramel and Chocolate chip ink. The next layer is a 3 15/16″ x 5 3/16″ piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock that was distressed and sponged. Why the weird measurements? Lately I like my first layer to be just a tad smaller then my regular 1/4″ smaller layer. It makes the card base show more and the second layer show a little less. The next layer is a 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Bella Bleu Designer Paper. It was also distressed with the cutter kit and sponged first with Creamy Caramel and then with Chocolate Chip ink.

The blue designer paper is also from the Bella Bleu pack. It was crumpled up, smoothed out, sanded, sponged and paper pierced. It measured 3″ x 3 3/4″ before I punched the bottom edge with the Eyelet Border punch. A 1 7/8″ x 4 3/4″ piece of sponged, distressed and paper piercedpiece of Kraft cardstock was taped underneath. I punched two holes next to each other (to make the opening bigger) in the middle of the left hand side of the Kraft strip with my Crop-a-dile, threaded May Arts Cream Satin ribbon through the opening and tied a bow. Then I taped these layers to the card base with dimensionals.

The sentiment is from Oval All. It was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Shimmery White cardstock and punched out with the large oval punch. Next the damask image was stamped over the left hand side in third generation Brocade blue. Again the edges were sponged first with Creamy Caramel, then with Chocolate Chip ink. It was layered on a sponged Chocolate Chip Scallop Oval Punch-out and adhered to the card base with dimensionals. To finish off the card front I added three pearls from the Pretties Kit to the left hand side with Crystal Effect.

As always, the inside of the card has components of the paper and stamps I used on the card front. The distressed and sponged Chocolate Chip layer measures 3 15/16″ x 5 3/16″, followed by a 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Shimmery White cardstock, that had been distressed and sponged as well. I stamped the bird in second generation Chocolate Chip Ink to the top right and added the damask stamp in third and fourth generation Brocade Blue over it. The left top corner was paper pierced.

The designer paper strip measures 1 1/4″ x 5″. It was sponged and distressedbefore it was adhered to a sponged strip of Kraft cardstock. The strip measured 1 3/4″ x 5″ before the bottom edge was punched with the Eyelet Border punch. After everything was adhered and photographed, I thought the strip could have been a bit thinner and it would have looked better. Oh well…too late.

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope you have time to play! Hugs and smiles

Weekend Sketch Challenge #95

weekend sketch challenge 13 Responses »

Aug 282009

Here is this week’s sketch.

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 WSC95 (NO SPACE INBETWEEN WSC AND 95) in the keyword section. That way we can look at all of them at once!

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

Cambria Turnbow

Charmaine Ikach

Jenn Balcer

Laurie Schmidlin (will post a little later today)

Lori Craig

MaryJo Albright (will post a little later today)

Sharon Harnist

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

SCS submissions

Almost Spooky

3-D items, Stampin' Up!, Video Tutorial 20 Responses »

Aug 272009

I haven’t stamped on a candle in quite a while. Since the tutorial was in the SCS newsletter in the Feedback section, I thought I would create a quick video for that fun and easy technique.

I stamped this gorgeous image from From the Crypt in Black Stazon on Tissue paper, cut around it and melted it into the candle. I repeated it two more times to cover the candle.

From far away it doesn’t even look like a Halloween image. I do like how it turned out.

Here is a video for the visual learner.

Tutorial on SCS - Fleur De Lis Ornament

3-D items, Borderabilities and Pendants, Product review/comparison, Scor-Pal, Video Tutorial 6 Responses »

Aug 262009

Today’s tutorial goes hand in hand with the Spellbinder Borderabilities and Pendant review. Becca Feeken created a gorgeous Ornament with Fleur De Lis Pendant dies and was kind enough to share it with us today. Unfortunately I don’t have those dies yet (I so have to order them!!!). So I created a different ornament out of the Kaleidoscope Pendant dies I do have.

I cut three Kaleidoscope Pendant shapes out of Brushed Silver cardstock. I didn’t like the way the die cuts looked when I folded them like Becca did with her Fleur De Lis, so I just folded mine mountain valley fold and taped three together to create my base. I cut three smaller pendants out of Whisper White cardstock and repeated the mountain/valley folding and taping with these die cuts. I placed the smaller version over the bigger one and secured them with a big Basic Gray Corduroy Button. The white satin ribbon is from May Arts.

I am sure I don’t have to tell you that I LOVE the Spellbinders new Borderabilities and Shapebilities Pendant dies. Check out what the rest of the team thought and their gorgeous creations.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles

P.S.: Here is a video on how to cut, emboss and stencil with Borderabilities.

Old Fashioned Christmas

Challenge, JustRite Stampers, Nestabilities, Special Fold Card, Tutorials 25 Responses »

Aug 252009

I am sorry I was so quiet over the weekend. Saturday I received the first Season of Eli Stone. I love that show and am sad it won’t come back this year. Austin and I watched the entire first season on Saturday. Sunday we had a cold front come in and with it came a nasty migraine. Yesterday was the first day of school for my smaller two and a BIG cleaning day for me.

I was excited to have all morning to play and checked out the Color challenge right after my (super fast) walk. Kraft, Chocolate and Real Red sounded like another Christmas Color combo to me, especially since I had just received JustRite’s Old Fashioned Christmas the day before.

I started by stamping the image in Black Memento Ink on Shimmery White cardstock. It was cut with Circle Nestabilities, Air Brushedwith W1 Copic Marker and then colored with Copic Markers (Browns: E43, E44, Yellows: Y18, Y26, Green: YG06, G07, Red: R22, R27, R29). Next it was layered on a slightly bigger Chocolate chip circle, then on a ruffled base made with Eyelet Shapeabilities. Check the bottom of this post if you are interested in how I created the ruffled base.

My card base is a 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Chocolate chip. I was scored and folded at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″ to create a Gate Fold Card. The Kraft cardstock measures 1 15/16″ x 4 1/16″ and the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper measures 1 3/4″ x 2 7/8″. The ribbon is from last years Holiday Mini catalog. I love that Satin ribbon.

The inside of the card matches the outside. I layered the Specialty paper on Kraft cardstock layers.

Here is a video for visual learners:

Check the next page if you want to see how I created the Ruffled base for my image.

Birthday Tin

3-D items, Challenge, Stampin' Up! 18 Responses »

Aug 222009

Yesterday’s Limited Supply Challenge was indeed challenging, but very cool . It was called Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man. The challenge was to create a card for a teen or man in your life. Masculine cards are always challenging. I decided to get a head-start on Austin’s birthday card.

At first I was thinking about creating a little Bind-it-All book with photos of him growing up (he will be 15 this November) with little anecdotes of him growing up or special memories that made me go all mushy. Well…somehow along the BIA book changed into an altered tin. Stampin’ Up! offered those tin last years to purchase and I still have quite a few.

I started by sanding a 3 3/4″ square of To the Nines Specialty Paper, then sponging it with Creamy Caramel. Next the Kind Thought Stencil was laid on top of the Designer Paper, and Chocolate Chip craft ink was sponged through it with a sponge dauber. The stenciled image was embossed with Glassy Glaze Enamel.

The background Sanded was stamped over everything in Chocolate Chip ink and the edges were sponged with the same ink. Then the edges were distressed with the Cutter Kit. It was layered on a 4″ square of Sahara Sand, the edges of which were distressed as well. The next layer is a sponged and distressed 4 1/4″ square of Chocolate Chip.

I traced the lid of the tin on a piece of Always Artichoke, cut it out, sponged it first with Always Artichoke, then sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip. On the lower half I added a 1 3/4″ wide sponged and distressed strip of Sahara Sand Cardstock. Then I added several Antique Brass Brads from the Vintage Brad collection. Three on top, five on the Sahara Sand strip and three more on the left hand side of my sentiment.

The sentiment is from the set Favorite things. It was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Sahara Sand. It was stamped again on a piece of To The Nines Specialty paper that had been sanded and sponged just like the bigger square. I cut out Favorite things and layered it on the main sentiment layer. The sentiment was punched out with the 1 1/4″ circle punch and layered on a sponged Chocolate Chip Curly Label Punch-out. The sentiment layer as well as the main layers were attached to the tin front with dimensionals. The tin front was adhered to the tin with Scor-Tape. Last I added Crystal Effect over the sentiment and set it aside to dry.

For the insides of the tin, I cut two more pieces of To The Nines Specialty Paper and treated them the same way as I did the square in the front. The only difference is that I used Chocolate Chip Classic ink to sponge the stencil. I used Snail Adhesive to tape the paper to the inside of the tin after paper piercing the edges. On the left hand side I stamped the sentiment from Upsy Daisy ink Chocolate Ink.

Then I created a little index card with Favorite Things stamp set. The index card stamp was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Sahara Sand cardstock. It was cut out, distressed and layered on a sponged Chocolate Chip layer. The arrow of the index card was stamped again in Chocolate Chip on Always Artichoke, cut out and layered on the index card. Last I stamped the gorgeous stamp from Friends 24-7 on the lower right hand side in Sahara Sand. I thought it would fit well with the Kind Thought Stencil.

I am planning to create one for each family member (minus Austin) and let everyone write down some of the things we love about Austin the most. I think I will add a few pictures (him as a baby, toddler, kindergarten….and so on) into the tin as well. I can’t believe my little chubby baby will be fifteen soon and is 6′ 2″. Crazy!

Have a wonderful Saturday. Hugs and smiles

Fuzzy Lattice Snowflake

Challenge, Stampin' Up! 27 Responses »

Aug 212009

I made this card for yesterday’s Way To Use it challenge “Let’s get warm and fuzzy” and for today’s sketch challenge. I broke out my Sparkly Stuff and my Big Shot Lattice Die. I hadn’t played with either yet.

I started by created two Lattice die cuts out of Whisper White cardstock. I adhered them together with Two Way Glue. Then I added Two Way Glue all over and rubbed White Sparkly Stuff over the glue. I added a black Jumbo Grommet in it’s center and topped that with a Filigree and Ice Circle Rhinestone brad.

The Bashful Blue Pattern Designer Paper is a 3 3/8″ square. The edges were punched with the ticket corner punch, it was layered on a 1/4″ bigger piece of Whisper White cardstock and the edges were paper pierced. The black layer is cut with the Scallop Square Big Shot die. I placed it so that only two edges received scallops.

The next layer is a 4 1/4″ x 4 1/2″ piece of Merry Moments Designer Paper it was layered on a slightly bigger piece of basic black cardstock. The designer paper was paper pierced and sanded.

The sentiment is from Four the Holidays from the Holiday Mini catalog. It was stamped in Black Stazon on Whisper White cardstock. I added snowflake images from the Holiday Mini catalog Serene Snowflakes in second generation Bashful Blue. The edges were rounded with the 1 1/4″ circle punch. It was layered on a slightly bigger piece of Basic Black cardstock, the bottom edge of which had been punched with the Eyelet Border punch.

I punched a hole underneath where the sentiment would be adhered and tied White Satin Ribbon through it. The sentiment was taped over it with dimensionals. Last everything was adhered to a 5″ square card base out of Bashful Blue.

I had played with Bashful Blue Lattice cutouts as well and still had them on the table. So I taped one in the center of the backside of the card front. I cut another white one and adhered the cutout pieces of that Lattice inside the blue one.

For the card inside I layered a 4 1/2″ square of Whisper White cardstock on a 1/4″ piece of the Basic Black cardstock. The Merry Moments designer paper strip measures 1 1/4″ x 4 1/2″. It was layered on a slightly bigger strip of Basic Black that had been punched with the Eyelet Border Punch. The top edge of the designer paper was paper pierced and the entire piece was sanded.

To add a little something something I punched out a Bashful Blue and a Basic Black snowflake with Jumbo Snowflake punch. I layered them on top of each other, created a black circle with the Window word punch and topped it off with a Clear Circle Rhinestone brad.

I hope you have time to play and enjoy the sketch! I would love to see your take on it. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs and smiles

Weekend Sketch Challenge #94

Stampin' Up! 11 Responses »

Aug 212009

Here is this week’s sketch:

To participate in the challenge, make a card with this layout and upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery. Then either add a comment underneath this post, or add your link into the Mr. Linky box underneath.
If you upload your card on SCS, put WSC94 (NO SPACE INBETWEEN WSC AND 94) in the keyword section. That way we can look at all of them at once!

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

Cambria Turnbow

Charmaine Ikach

Laurie Schmidlin

Lori Craig

MaryJo Albright

Sharon Harnist

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

SCS submissions

Tutorial on SCS - Wiper Card

Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, Tutorials, Unity Stamps, Video Tutorial 18 Responses »

Aug 192009

Today’s tutorial on SCS for the Wiper Card. It was shown a few years back at a Stampin’ Up! event it became pretty popular right after.

My card base is created out of two pieces of 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ pieces of Chocolate Chip cardstock. Next are layers of Whisper White cardstock, followed by Thoroughly Modern and Pumpkin Pie Print Designer Papers.

The sentiment is from Unity’s Quotes Bundle Pack and was stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. Over it I stamped a butterfly image from Unity’s Kit of the Month Club from February 2009 in second generation Pumpkin Pie. I cut the image with Rectangle Nestabilities, layered it on a slightly bigger Chocolate chip Nestabilities cut out a Pumpkin Pie Scallop Rectangle, also cut with Nestabilities. I added Dazzling Diamond Glitter with the Quickie Glue Pen.

For the wiper Image I inked up the butterfly in Pumpkin Pie ink. Before stamping it on Whisper White cardstock, I stamped the Easter egg image from the same set in Real Red on top of the Butterfly stamp. It was cut out and Dazzling Diamond Glitter was added with the Quickie Glue Pen. then I added Crystal Effect over the entire butterfly. After it dried completely, I mounted it on a 1 1/4″ white circle with dimensionals under it’s wings and Scor-Tape on the body center.

Here is a video tutorial for the visual learner:

Christmas Recessed Window

Borderabilities and Pendants, JustRite Stampers, Nestabilities, Scor-Pal 14 Responses »

Aug 182009

Today my mailman brought the new JustRite “A Merry Little Christmas Set“. I had to use it right away. The colors for today’s color challenge on Splitcoaststampers was Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa. I thought I could make that work for a Christmas card.

Ever since I shot the video for the Recessed Window tutorial, I was itching to try it as a Photo Christmas card. I didn’t have a good professionally printed tutorial, so I decided to just printed one out from my computer. It’s not really a good print, but I thought it would work until I get one printed out from a store.

The card base is a 5 1/4″ x 10 3/4″ piece of Taken with Teal cardstock scored at 5 1/4″ and 5 1/2″. My window frame consists of a 5″ square of Very Vanilla and a 4 13/16″ square of Close to Cocoa Prints Designer Paper.

The photo was cut out with Square Nestabilitiesand layered on a slightly bigger Very Vanilla Scallop Square, cut with Nestabilities as well.

The medallion was created by stamping the sentiment from A Merry Little Christmas set in Close to Cocoa on Very Vanilla cardstock. It was punched out with the 1 1/4″ circle punch and layered on a 1 3/8″ Taken with Teal Circle Punch-out. the bottom layer was cut, embossed and stencilled with the Kaleidoscope Pendant Shapeabilities. Last I added cream pearls from the Pretties Kit and covered the Vanilla sentiment layer in Crystal Effect.

On the inside I covered the back or the recessed window first with the same size Very Vanilla cardstock scallop square that I used on the front. Then I added a Close to Cocoa cardstock piece that had been cut with the Kaleidoscope Pendant die. The edges were sponged and more pearls from the Pretties Kit were added. The sentiment is another stamp from the Christmas Stamp Ensemble. It had been stamped in Close to Cocoa, cut out with Classic Circle Nestabilities and layered on the next size up Circle cutout in Taken with Teal.

(I think before I sent it away, I will create another frame like the one on the card front to add around the center piece here.)

The first layer is a 5″ square of Close to Cocoa cardstock followed by a 4 13/16″ square of Very Vanilla cardstock. The top right corner was paper pierced. On the lower part I added a 1 1/4″ x 5″ piece of Close to Cocoa Print Designer Paper. The image is another stamp from A Merry Little Christmas set. It was stamped in Basic Brown ink and colored with Copic Markers. It was cut with a 1 1/4″ circle punch, then layered on a 1 3/8″ Close to Cocoa Circle. The last layer is a Taken with Teal piece of cardstock that had been cut with Kaleidoscope Pendant Shapeabilities from Spellbinders. I added Crystal Effects over the bow and the flames in the image.