fresh & fun

I have to admit. I slipped back in summer laziness. I had a friend over on Friday and Saturday and Sunday I just read. No new shares.

Thank goodness Fay didn’t arrive here until Saturday. But besides gusty wind and rain we didn’t get hit hard. We are still expecting rain and thunderstorms until Wednesday, but nothing like the East and the South of Florida experienced. My thoughts and prayers are for everyone there.

I made this pouch a while ago while writing the tutorial for SCS.

I remember making this fold back in elementary school to use as a cup.

It’s a perfect little pouch to give away small goodies and show off the beauty of the double sided paper.

I used a 8 1/2″ square of  Bella Rose Designer Paper, the large flower from the Pretties Kit along with a button from the new Designer Button assortment.

Wednesday evening my new stamps should arrive. I can’t wait. Too bad our street is always one of the last ones on the UPS route! But at least the stamps are coming.

Don’t judge me about the size of the order. LOL. My September order will be just as big. I can’t help myself. I want it all!!! Here is what I ordered:

• All the new punches, including the punch kit
• Most new ribbon
• Flower, Filigree and circle Designer Brads
• Designer Paper: Parisian Summer, Urban Garden, Hawaii Papaya and Green Tea
• Snow Swirled
• Eastern Blooms
• Pocket Silhouettes
• Inspired by Nature
• Upsy Daisy
• Under the Stars
• Contempo Alphabet
• Only Ovals
• On your Birthday
• To You & Yours
• Best Wishes & More
• Party Hearty with wheel
• Flight of the Butterfly
• Bella’s Bloom

Next month I will preorder stamps from the Holiday mini catalog, more stamp sets and paper and the Big Shot! I can’t wait!

Today’s tutorial on SCS is another Oldie, but Goodie: Rolling Marble Background. I had to dig through my kids drawers to find some marbles to be able to write these instructions.

My card base is a 4 1/4″ x 7″ piece of Kiwi Kiss cardstock.

It was scored at 4 1/4″ and the short end was punched with the Scallop Edge Punch (definitely a must have from this new catalog).

The inside of the card was lined with a 4″ square of Baja Breeze cardstock.

I stamped the Butterfly from Happiness Always randomly over the cardstock and sponged the edges with Baja Breeze. Then I added paper piercing in the top right corner.

The card front was layered with a 2 3/8″ x 4″ piece of Chocolate Chip, followed by a 1/4″ smaller piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. The cardstock was first rolled with Kiwi Kiss inked marbles. Next I inked up the solid butterfly stamp with Kiwi Kiss and rolled the edges in Baja Breeze. I stamped the butterfly several times over the rolled background. Then I stamped the alpha butterfly  in second generation Baja Breeze.

I paper pierced the edges and added a double photo corner on the top left of the fold. Three silver brads top the corners off.

My latch is a 1 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock scored at 2 3/4″. I taped the smaller part of the strip to the right hand side of the card base. The longer part was layered with a 1 1/4″ x 2 1/2″ piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I had stamped it over and over with the leaf from Happiness Always in Baja Breeze.

The sentiment was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla, punched out with the large oval punch (I can’t wait to get the new ginormous one! I need new stuff!!! I want it now!!! LOL). The edges of the oval were sponged with Kiwi Kiss. After it was taped down on the buckle, I paper pierced a border around it with help of the Classy Brass Template Punches Plus.

I didn’t want to cut a slit to hold the Buckle card closed. I stamped another solid butterfly in Kiwi Kiss with Baja Breeze edges, topped it with the alpha butterfly in Chocolate Chip and cut it out. I added two silver brads in the butterfly body and adhered it partly over the buckle with dimensionals. 

I took one dimensional and tapped it several times onto my fingers to take some of the stickiness away. I placed the one sticky side of that dimensional under my butterfly wing.  The other, not so sticky side, holds my card together. It’s sticky enough to hold the card shut, but not sticky enough to make it hard to open the card.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles

We dropped Rick off at the airport yesterday morning. That was very sad. I spend the rest of the day playing with the kids to keep them from thinking about him being gone for another four month.

Today they all walked off to school. I can’t believe my oldest started his last year of Middle School and my baby entered 4th grade. That’s just plain crazy!

I made this card for the Joy Fold Tutorial on SCS a while back.

Hopefully I will be posting a new sample tomorrow for my Be Inspired Challenge.

I picked the BIC image several month ago and wouldn’t you know it….it has some of the new In Colors in there.

For this card I used my the new stamp set Dreams Du Jour along with the Bella Rose Designer Paper for the first time. The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock scored at 5 1/2″. The smaller flap is made from a  3 ” x 8″ piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock.

You can see step by step instructions for the card in the tutorial.

I used the new In Colors and the Aqua Painter to color the images. The designer paper for the centerflap was sponged, the edges were paper pierced and the little butterfly from Dreams du Jour was stamped on it.

I don’t have anything new to show you, but I can share a card I made for one of the tutorials I wrote during my blog break. I made this card for the Color Wash tutorial to show color wash Resist.

I started by stamping the trees from Lovely as a Tree in Black Craft ink on Watercolor Paper and embossed it with black embossing powder.

Next I stamped a small circle from Sweet Shapes in VersaMark over the trees and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I used a white crayon and scribbled a few lines (clouds) in front of it.

The color was was done on top with Elegant Envy, on the bottom with Always Artichoke. I added Handsome Hunter as grass and tree shade.

The watercolor paper was layered first on a 1/4″ bigger piece of Basic Black, then on a 1/4″ bigger piece of Elegant Eggplant cardstock. The card base is a 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of Basic Black cardstock folded in half, topped with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of now retired Always Artichoke Prints Designer Paper. Paper piercing was added to the top left and bottom right corner.

Three 1/4″ black circles were placed on the top right and a small rhinestone brad was added in the center of circle. The sentiment is from Many Happy Returns. It is stamped in black on Shimmery White cardstock, punched out with the small oval punch and framed with Hardware from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware collection.

I had a comment on my card yesterday asking how to round only one edge of the sentiment strip or how to make it a longer strip. I know most of you already know this little trick, but it’s easier shown then explained.

Step one:
Stamp your sentiment on the bottom edge of your cardstock piece.

Step Two:
Cut your cardstock into a 3/8″ strip.

Hint: You can cut the strip first and then stamp. I just find it easier to stamp first and then cut. This way your sentiment will always be in the center of the strip.

Step Three:
Slide your cardstock strip through your window word punch like shown.

Step four:
Punch your strip. It will only round the one edge that was inserted into the punch.

Alternate Punches:
Try it with any circle or oval punch. The key tag punch and even the round tab punch will work as well. Or course there are always corner rounder punches that do the same.

I know this is not a super exciting tutorial, but it’s one that needed to be in the resource section of SCS. So here is the card I made with for the paper piecing tutorial.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Purely Pomegranate cardstock folded in half. The edges of the card front were sponged.

The black layer measures 3 3/4″ square. The 3 1/2″ square of Whisper White dry embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing folder. On the bottom I added a 1 1/4″ x 3 1/2″ piece of Bali Breeze Designer paper. All the corners were punched with the ticket corner punch. 5/8″ wide Olive grosgrain ribbon was tied around those layers.

I stamped the bird from Fun & Fast Notes in Black Stazon once on textured Soft Sky cardstock and three more times on different patterns of Bali Breeze Designer paper. I cut out the bird on the cardstock with an oval Nestabilities template, sponged the upper edges with Soft Sky, the lower ones with Old Olive and layered the oval on a slightly bigger sponged scallop Purely Pomegranate oval. I cut pieces of the Bali Breeze paper images out and taped them to my Soft Sky image. Last I paper pierced a border to the Soft Sky layer. The image was attached to the card with dimensionals.

I stamped the sentiment from the bird image on Whisper White cardstock, cut it down to 3/8″ strip and rounded the left hand side with my Window Word Punch. I taped it to the lower right hand side and added 1/4″ black circle with a small blue rhinestone brad in it’s center to the right.

Today’s tutorial on SCS is the reason yesterday’s card looked the way it did. It’s about the Grid technique.

I made three samples for this technique, all a bit different. I will show two today, one tomorrow.

This is the card I made for the main tutorial.

The card base is a 5″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Old Olive cardstock folded in half and stamped first with the Flannel Plaid background, then with the outlined fern leaves from Wonderful You. The edges of the card front were sponged with Old Olive.

For the main panel, I scored diagonal lines in 1/2″ interval both ways on a 3 3/8″ Whisper White square. Next I inked up my Canvas background with Creamy Caramel ink, layed it down on it’s wooden side, placed my cardstock on top of it and just pressed the cardstock down unevenly by walking my fingers over it. Then I sponged the edges first in Creamy Caramel, then in More Mustard and last a little bit with Chocolate chip.

I stamped the outline leaves from Wonderful You in Chocolate Chip, the solid leaves second generation (stamped off once) in Old Olive. The square was layered on a scalloped Chocolate Chip square, that was cut out with Square Nestabilities, a paper pierced border was added  and it was attached to the card front with dimensionals.

The sentiment from Wonderful You was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White, punched out with the large oval punch, sponged, paper pierced and attached to the right side of the main panel with a Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware book plate over it. The hardware was tied in with three addtional Aged Copper Brads over 1/4″ chocolate chip circle on the lower right hand side.

To show the difference it makes on what side you stamped on, I repeated the center piece, but this time, stamped on the side with the score lines facing up to create this card.

Here the card base is a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of Chocolate chip cardstock, followed by a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Old Olive Prints Designer paper.

I added paper piercing to the bottom of the Designer Paper, distressed the paper with my sanding block and sponged More Mustard over it.

5/8″ wide Chocolate ribbon was tied around the bottom with three Aged Copper brads placed through it.

The sentiment is also from Wonderful you and was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White cardstock. It was punched out with the small oval punch and a small Aged copper book plate was added over it.

Today’s tutorial on Splitcoast is another oldie, but goodie: Gate Fold Card. I used a stamp from the stamp set Butterfly Beauty from Unity Stamp Company.

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I promise to use Stampin’ Up! stamps again on my next card.

I have been a bit sidetracked since those Unity stamps are on my stamp table in a little wicker basket. They will go in big SU clear cases, as soon as I receive them. They are already ordered.

I am sorry to say that I forgot to write down which Copics I used.

The Wasabi panels were stamped with the Tea Time Pattern background in Chocolate Chip and the edges were sponged.

The main image was stamped in Brown Palette Ink on an  Shimmery White oval cut with Oval Nestablities and layered on a Chocolate Scalloped oval that was created the same way.

Now…how I got those Unity Stamps early.

Nope, I am not on their design team. I am not on any design team. With being a single mother until the end of the year, working for SCS and the upkeep of this blog, I just can’t commit to something like that. Besides, I am first and formost still a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator who LOVES Stampin’ Up! products (I just don’t like the long summer lull of no new stamps!!!).

Splitcoast is introducing a new feature with today’s newsletter: Product Review.
Once a month a team of six stampers will review a product and tell you what they think about it. Our first product to review: Unity Stamp Companies great new Mounting system.

That’s how I got handles and some stamps before they are available! To check out the whole review team and what we thought about the product, click on product review. 

Today’s tutorial on SCS is the trifold Pocket card I made last month for Limited Supply challenge.

I had gotten a cute card idea from Ricks aunt, who is a fellow stamper.

I thought it would make a great tutorial. I love the soft look of the rounded corners.

Actually, today will be two tutorials on SCS. This one as well as one for making scallops with the corner rounder. I know it’s been out forever, but it’s nice to have in the resource section of SCS as well. I see the resource page as kind of a library. We need to stock the basics as well as the cool new techniques.

For this card I used the following supplies:

Stamps: Always
Ink: Chocolate chip, Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi Cardstock, Tea Time Designer Paper
Acc: Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon, corner rounder, paper piercing tools, 1″, 1 1/4″, 1 3/8″ and scallop circle punches, Crop-a-dile, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelet, Scor-Pal Tape (same as Sticky Strip, but without the static cling red liner)

I get a lot of questions about these and figured I answer them in a blog post.

First of, what are they and where do I get them?

Nestabilities are die templates.

You can cut and emboss your cardstock with them. But it’s not only for cardstock. You can also use them on Fabric, Foam, Vellum, Chipboard and Magnet sheets.

They are made by Spellbinders and come with five staggered sizes in each package.

I bought mine at Ellen Hutson’s store. She developed the templates with Spellbinders.

How do I like them and how do I store my templates?

I love my Nestabilities.  I had Marvy Punches for scalloped ovals, circles and squares before, but I sold them as soon as I got these templates. They are easy to use, give me perfect results every time and they don’t take much room to store.

I store them in a CD traveling case.

I cut myself 4″ squares out of black cardstock and taped magnetic strips (bought at Walmart on a roll) in an X.

It makes it really easy to take the templates off an stick them back on. I saw other “Nestie” user use magnetic sheets in CD cases or DVD cases, one for each set. I didn’t have magnetic sheets and went this way. Works like a charm.

Here is how I store my cuttlebug, my cuttlebug embossing folder and my Nestabilities.

 They are all on my bookshelf right next to my stamping table.

I picked up the little basket last week at the Target Dollar Spot.

Cutting Shapes with Nestabilities and Cuttlebug

I can only tell you how to cut with the templates and the Cuttlebug. I don’t have another die cut machine. I picked the Cuttlebug because it folds up and is easy to store. I am running out of storage space in my room.  If you have a different die cut machine, check this post on Ellen’s blog.

Add first plate A, then Plate C on your cuttlebug. Place Nestabilities template on top of both plates. The site with the cutting line will face up. I staggered the plates so you could see the letters. Usually they are right on top of each other.

Add your cardstock over your template and place your B Plate on top of that. 

Your template will cut into your plate a little bit. That’s completely normal.

Run your “Sandwich Stack” through your Cuttlebug by turning the handle of the machine. Take off access cardstock.

If you don’t want to emboss your cardstock with inner scallops, you can pop your cardstock out of the template. Otherwise keep paper in the die.

Embossing with Nestabilities

Stack a B Plate over your A Plate.

Now add 2 sheets of cardstock to raise the die a bit or (like me) use two thin coasters.

Place your cut cardstock along with the template on top of the cardstock or coaster.

Place a Tan Embossing Mat and another B Plate on top of your sandwich and run through your Cuttlebug.

This step will give you a gorgeous embossed edge on your cut out.

Which ones should you buy first?

Well, I am not really the right person to ask this, since I bought the “I want it all” pack from Ellen last year. LOL

But if I had to buy one at a time, I would probably start with the squares or rectangles. If push comes to shuff, you can always add scallops to circles and ovals with your corner rounder. It’s a lot harder to get them right on squares and rectangles.