Playing with Papercrafting: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Card in a Box for As You See It Challenges

I've been seeing these Card in a Box projects all over Pinterest and SCS, so I really wanted to complete one, and it turns out that the As You See It Challenge #022 was a perfect one to use this technique on this week! This is not my original idea, and I followed excellent instructions, both video and text by Tina Weller. I believe she first got her idea from Monica Gale. So mine is really a CASE from Tina's with some stamp, colour and other small changes.

Here's the fun challenge elements this week:

And this is how I used all those elements (although I have a lot more than just 3 hearts.)

In this photo you can see the box formation on the bottom, but the following photo shows the top in better focus:

This was so much fun to make. It is a lot easier than it looks. It involves measuring, scoring, cutting, folding and adhering, but in very easy steps. Check out Tina's tutorial at the link I gave you for her instructions.
This box flattens and can be mailed in an envelope. If you have nothing protruding from the sides it will fit in a regular medium envelope, but if yours has protrusions, like mine you will need to make a custom envelope for it using the Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch Board.

My colour palette was Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White and Silver. The DSP panels are from the Designer Series Paper Stacks, a good way to get patterned paper in every Stampin' Up! colour.
I used the Sale-A-Bration stamp set You Are Lovely for the sentiment in the back and Flower Shop and Petite Petals for the flowers, and the coordinating punches to cut them out.
I used the Hearts Collection framelits to create all the hearts you see. The hollow ones were made by nesting the two smallest hearts and running it through the Big Shot.
The Bird Builder punch created the little silver leaves and the larger leaves (bird's wing).
It's hard to see, but there is a Whisper White Taffeta ribbon bow on the sentiment.

Why not give this week's As You See It Challenge a try? Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Sweet Sorbet Colours for Mojo Monday

The last Mojo Monday challenge of the month has traditionally been "Round or Square", but this time they've changed it up and the challenge is to make a Tall and Skinny card! Mine is 3 1/2" x 6" with a little bit of the circle extending over the side. I'm in love with the colours of the Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper, which is one of the free products you can select whenever you spend $60 from Stampin' Up during Sale-A-Bration! I used two pieces of the DSP in this birthday card. I'm planning on doing a simplified version (no whitewash technique) for my Birthday Stamper's Dozen Class on today.

Here's my take on the sketch:

The palette of the card is taken from the colours of the Sweet Sorbet DSP: Crisp Cantaloupe, Sahara Sand, Summer Starfruit, and Pool Party. Aren't they yummy??
I used the Whitewash Technique on the Secret Garden flowers on the main panel. I like how the Pool Party flower turned out but I'm not happy with the Crisp Cantaloupe one. It needs more blending I think.
The sentiment is from Label Love and it's stamped in Summer Starfruit and punched out using the Artisan Label Punch. I punched out another label from Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock, cut it in half and adhered it to both ends of the sentiment, for the matte effect.

That sweet twine in Crisp Cantaloupe is from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories pack. It also comes in Pool Party and Summer Starfruit.

Enjoy earning all those free products in the Sale-A-Bration catalogue! Call or email me today to order you some Stampin' Up products. Or click on the links below to take you directly to my On-Line Store where you can shop at your convenience from home and it will be delivered directly to you!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Open Sea Meets Hello Sailor for the Paper Players

Ahoy, matey! In search of inspiration for masculine birthday cards, I dug out The Open Sea stamp set and decided to pair it up with the new High Tide DSP and the Hello, Sailor stamp set from the Occasions Catalogue. Is it weird that I like nautical themes so much, even though I suffer from sea-sickness. I've never gone on a cruise and though I like the whole concept, I am reluctant to try it because of my motion sickness and all the nasty reports of epidemics, fires and sinking cruise ships lately. I'm sure it would be fine, but I'm just a nervous traveller!

The Paper Players Challenge #180 is a very interesting one and one that fit nicely with my nautical theme:

This is my take on it:

I love the mix of blues and greys here. Soft Sky is the base, with some Smoky Slate DSP from High Tide. Pacific Point is the darker blue.
The images on the front panel are all from The Open Sea and Express Yourself for the sentiment. The ledger background is stamped in Smoky Slate (stamped off once) and the faint world map is inked up in Soft Sky, but hard to see in the photo. The ship and the sentiment are stamped in Pacific Point.
Notice the two types of ribbon used here. One is the new Striped Grosgrain ribbon in Pacific Point from the Occasions Catalogue and one is Stitched Grosgrain from the Annual Catalogue.

I made the tag using a 2" wide piece of Smoky Slate and punching it with the Scallop Tag Topper Punch. I added some images from Hello, Sailor to a smaller piece of Whisper White, sponged the edges (as I did, by the way, on the front panel) and added the ribbon pull.
I topped the whole thing off with some Pacific Point Candy Dots.
The front panel and it's Pacific Point matte are mounted with Dimensionals around the edge, keeping the side clear for the tag to fit into.

In other news, Stampin' Up! has reintroduced a new tool called the Texture Boutique.

It was introduced at one point last year and quickly sold out. It will find a permanent home in the new 2014/15 Annual Catalogue, but until then, there's a limited supply, so if you want one now, best order right away. You know how fast they disappear. It's a baby Big Shot, but it only embosses, it doesn't die cut. So you can use it only with the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.

Here's Brian Pilling from the Head Office to tell you all about it:

If you want the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine, just click on the link which will take you directly to my On-Line Store for shopping 24/7. You can also call or email me.

Don't forget that Sale-A-Bration has started and you can earn free stamp sets and other products from the Sale-A-Bration brochure for every $60 you spend, and for every Sale-A-Bration item you earn, you also earn 2 Papercraft Cat customer loyalty points to put towards a $50 gift certificate once you earn 20 points. So you win, win, win! in so many ways!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Birthday Card for a Little Tyke for Pals Paper Arts

I have a Birthday Stamper's Dozen coming up this week and I wanted to create a card that could be used for children of any age and gender. I used the Challenge #189 sketch from Pals Paper Arts to create it.

I turned to a package of DSP that I haven't used in a really long time, Birthday Basics! With it's bright colours and cute graphics, it is just right for the job of making a kid's birthday card.

The sentiment is from Bring On the Cake stamp set. The brilliant thing about this one is that you indicate the right age by colouring the appropriate number(s) and circling the proper ending. This way you can keep it on hand for any child (or even an adult who may like it!)
I added mattes for each panel with complimentary colours of cardstock, except for the main sentiment, which I matted with another piece from this same DSP set.
I finished it off with a Naturals Designer Button, threaded with some of the larger, coloured Baker's Twine that you get with the Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack, free with a $60 order during Sale-A-Bration.

And speaking of Sale-A-Bration, it starts TODAY! And it continues until March 31st. Take a look at the sweet products you can earn free with every $60 worth of products (before tax and shipping)!

Click on the Photo to download the Sale-A-Bration Brochure.

That's the first major reward that Sale-A-Bration brings with it, but there's even more:

Host a Stampin' Up! Party through me and if your sales are $400 (before tax and shipping) which is not hard to do during Sale-A-Bration, believe me, Stampin' Up! is adding an extra $40 worth of free product to Hostesses until Sale-A-Bration is over on Mar. 31st. Normally you would get $70 worth of product at that level for free, but during Sale-A-Bration the same party would earn you $110 worth of free amazing Stampin' Up! products! Call or email if you would like to book a party.
Join my Papercraft Cats team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators during Sale-A-Bration and instead of getting $155 worth of product, (free shipping as well) you will get $190 worth of products plus a free business package and 20% discounts on all your supplies. With your first order over $200, you will also get a one time 30% discount to help you build your supplies. As a Rising Star in 2013, I know how to get you started in a successful business, but I also welcome hobby demonstrators who just want the discounts with a few customers to help them make their minimums. Join me on your own terms and I will provide as much or as little support as you want! The Papercraft Cats are a fun group of people with stamping interests in common and we'd love to have you join us.

Now here are this week's Weekly Deals:

WEEKLY DEALS

We hope you enjoy this week's Weekly Deals!

	Wisteria Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad Item # 126985 Regular Price: $7.25 Discounted Price: $7.13 ?? (Doesn't seem right. Should be $5.44)
	Daffodil Delight 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon Item # 125583 Regular Price: $9.50 Discounted Price: $7.13 25% off
	Labels Collection Framelits Die Item # 125598 Regular Price: $32.95 Discounted Price: $24.71 25% off
	Flower Garden Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Item # 123113 Regular Price: $9.95 Discounted Price: $7.46 25% off
	Pool Party Classic Pad Item #126982 Regular Price: $7.25 Discounted Price: $5.44 25% off
	Pear Pizzazz 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Item # 132567 Regular Price: $12.50 Discounted Price: $9.38 25% off
	Winter Wonders Kit Item # 132567 Regular Price: $10.95 Discounted Price: $6.57 40% off

To order any of the following supplies used to make this card, click on the links and they will take you directly to the product in my On-Line Stampin' Up! Store, where you can shop 24/7!

*Available free with any $60 or more order during Sale-A-Bration

Monday, January 27, 2014

Umbrella Duo

This week the Dynamic Duos Challenge #87 is a Black Tie Challenge: Basic Black and Melon Mambo with a Dessert Option of Umbrellas.

I haven't had an umbrella stamp since last year at this time, but I didn't let that stop me. I figured out how to use my punches to create not one but two umbrellas:

As I started to put it together, thinking of the shelter umbrellas provide against storms, and the umbrella duo, You & Me, I remembered a hit song by the Hollies, back when I was a teen. I have it on my IPod still. It's called Bus Stop, a song about how a boy and girl sharing an umbrella fell in love. As I was looking for it on YouTube, I came across so many good tunes done by the Hollies, and I realized their songs were a big part of my teen and young adult life. Isn't it amazing how a single chord can bring back the entire lyrics of a song to your mind even if you haven't thought of it in years?

Anyway, to create the umbrellas I punched out a circle with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch from each of the Basic Black and Melon Mambo cardstock pieces. I cut both in half with my Stampin' Trimmer, then used the 1/2" Circle Punch to create the little "bites" along the bottom edge of each. So far, so good. Then I needed a handle. I knew that a hooked handle wasn't going to happen, so I looked for something that would just make a good straight one. I found the perfect thing - the wand from the Dress Up Stamp set!

The punch art umbrella would cover up the star on the wand, except for a little nubbin of the top point, which created the knob on the top of the umbrella.
I used the sentiment from the Perfect Pennants stamp set and the card seemed to be saying, "You & Me together weathering the storms of life!" I needed some raindrops and again had no punch that would do the trick so I punched some Silver Glimmer Paper with the Word Window punch for two rounded ends, then hand-snipped the top of the raindrops, one from each end of the Word Window.

The card was still a bit "Meh!", but when I got out the Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set and added some grunge to the card, it livened it right up. Can you believe that the Melon Mambo splotches are stamped off once or twice? Wow! That's an intense colour!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Feel free to leave a comment. It's so much fun getting to know other fellow stampers!

To order any of the following supplies used to make this card, click on the links and they will take you directly to the product in my On-Line Stampin' Up! Store, where you can shop 24/7!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Party Decor with Stampin' Up!

Do you have something to celebrate? Stampin' Up! has the perfect solution for your party decor. I was getting ready for my Sale-A-Bration Kick-Off Event and looking for ideas for decorating. I didn't have far to look, because right there in the Occasions Catalogue on pages 12 and 13, is the cutest, most festive party ensemble ever! Everything you need to dress your house for your event! Because I'm planning to do this banner as a Product Based Class, I wanted to complete it and have it on display for my Kick-Off party, and it was just the right touch for decorating as well.

Here's what you get with the Celebration Basics Kit. It is done in Crumb Cake for a neutral base on which you can add colours that you like. You get 15 Pennants, die-cut letters to spell celebrate, chunky Baker's Twine to string it on, (I was really appreciative of the fact the the end of the twine are taped so they pass through the banner holes more easily), 10 printed goodie bags and 1 sheet of adhesive bag closures, 20 perforated name tags and ten round printed tags!

You can also order the Celebration Basics Invitations which gives you 10 invites and envelopes to match. You just fill in the details.

The Add On Kits add a splash of colour in your choice of either Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry or Calypso Coral and Crisp Cantaloupe. They come with a stitched banner, Design Paper, Stickers and a Spritzer for you to fill with reinker and rubbing alcohol to create some pom-pom like streamers.

Here's what I did with the Bermuda Bay Add On Kit and the Celebration Basics: (You can see my other cat, Beetle's eyes glowing in the background there!)

I added a couple of my own touches on the empty banner pieces:

I used some Bermuda Bay Polka Dotted DSP from the Kaleidoscope collection and some Crushed Curry Design paper from Eastern Elegance and made two rosettes using the Designer Rosette Bigz L die. I also stamped some images from Starburst Sayings in Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry on the empty banners.

I really love that stitched garland! It's so cute. At Leadership, they had a little table all set up with this stuff and they made a duplicate stitched garland, only with much bigger circles and used it as a table runner. Such a clever idea!

I'll bet after seeing these kits you're feeling like you'd like to host a party, just so you can use them! How about hosting a Stampin' Up! Party? During Sale-A-Bration, Jan. 28 to Mar. 31, party hostesses will get $40 more dollars in Hostess Rewards if the party sales (before tax and shipping) are $400 or more. That's not hard to do either for an enthusiastic hostess!

If you would like to put this kit together, I will be having a class to do this Wednesday, March 19. I'll remind you when we get closer to the class.

Back tomorrow, with a Black Tie Challenge from Dynamic Duos.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Burlap and Blooms Wreath

Stampin' Up! is starting to come out with the cutest kits! I really enjoy working with them, because the designing is done. It's sometimes nice not to have to think too much and to simply put something together that's all there for you. Yesterday, I put together the Burlap And Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit, because I wanted to showcase it at my Sale-A-Bration Kick-Off, and it was an enjoyable part of my afternoon. It didn't take long, everything was included, and I didn't even feel the need to innovate. Here's how it turned out:

I was really pleased with the result. There are four different kinds of flowers that adorn that burlap-wrapped wreath form. The most fun to make were the fringe flowers. You can make those yourself if you order yourself some of the new Fringe Scissors in the Occasions Catalogue. I'll show you how in another blog post.

Everything is pre-printed, so you just pop them out and work with them. I used a glue gun for a lot of the assembling and mounting but the fringe flowers come with their own powerful adhesive as well. The buttons, brads and even the linen thread for the buttons was all included.

Would you like to spend an enjoyable couple of hours, putting one of these kits together, in the company of others and with me to guide the process? If so, you may be interested in this class:

Wednesday, February 19 -Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath kit
Class Fee: $29 includes the kit plus some Daffodil Delight cardstock for lettering if desired and glue sticks for hot glue gun.
Register and prepay by Monday, Feb. 10. The price is the cost of the kit, plus tax and shipping as well as a small extra for the glue and cardstock. I will be sending out invites soon, so save the date! You're not going to want to miss this one!

Stop by tomorrow when I will share another kit that I put together for my Sale-A-Bration event.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Springtime Hello with As You See It Challenges 021

Okay, that's it! I'm officially tired of winter! I need a Springtime Hello in the worst way! I feel guilty complaining since our BC winter has been particularly mild, unlike the rest of North America. But I am tired of grey and wet and mushy! I want sunshine and colours back! Who's with me?

In a few days it will be Groundhog Day and then we'll get to see how much more winter we have to endure. Right! I always go with the opposite of what Punxsutawney Phil or Wiarton Willy indicate, or just resign myself to six more weeks of it. But my card making doesn't have to reflect the weather. So I took our next As You See It Challenge #021 to a Happy Place full of colour and flowers and buzzing bees!

Here's my salute to Spring:

The Challenge is a very simple one this time around but balanced and beautiful, so it's not hard for our creations to look good! I went with some of the colours in the Sweet Sorbet DSP on the back panel: Basic Black, Crisp Cantaloupe and Summer Starfruit, with a little Pool Party thrown in. I used Crumb Cake rather than Sahara Sand for a little warmer look.
The stamp set I used, as you may have gathered, is called Springtime Hello and it's found in the Occasions catalogue. I love the miniature flowers and bee!
I inked up the flowers in Crisp Cantaloupe and the stems in Summer Starfruit using the Stampin' Write Markers. The bee was inked using markers as well, Summer Starfruit and Basic Black. Don't forget the heavy breathing on the stamp before you use it, to remoisten any ink that has dried while you were applying the rest. It really works. We call it "huffing" on the stamp.

The frame for the main panel is created from the Peekaboo Frames Bigz L die. I just lined up the end of the horizontal cuts on my Stampin' Trimmer and cut where the score line would be to take out the middle "door". I replaced it with a slightly larger piece of Whisper White cardstock on which I stamped my image.
The other stamp set used was Gorgeous Grunge (again) to create the spritzed look in Crumb Cake (stamped off once).

The sentiment is stamped on a Crumb Cake flag and a Pool Party Candy Dot embellishes each end.

Hope this little breath of spring helped to cheer you over the winter blues! Why don't you take a little creative moment and play along with us at As You See It Challenges this week?

To purchase the following products, used in today's sample just click on the product which will take you directly to my On-Line Store, available 24/7.

*Available to earn with a $60 order during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration starting Jan. 28, 2014.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

MOJO Monday Shaker Card

I haven't done a Mojo Monday sketch for ages, but when I went in search of inspiration for a masculine valentine card, I figured the Mojo Monday Challenge #329 would be perfect for it. I went to work and what I ended up with is a card that I think would do for either genders - a gender neutral Valentine card. I'll let you be the judge.

First, here is the Mojo Monday sketch:

And this is my take on the sketch:

I've been seeing a lot of "Shaker Cards" on Pinterest lately and I've had Stampin' Up!'s Shaker Frames for ages without using them, so I thought I would add some Valentine confetti to a shaker frame, as you can see in the photo.
It was also my first time using the Hardwood Background stamp. It's definitely a keeper. The image contributes to the masculine characteristics of my card. Here it is stamped in Crumb Cake ink on Very Vanilla cardstock.
The small piece of DSP you see here is from the Kaleidoscope DSP collection, again a masculine component of the card.

The familiar 1 1/4" Burlap ribbon used here was first seen in our Holiday Catalogue and has been continued in the Occasions Catalogue. I'm so happy because I love the look and texture of burlap. (Uh...but only on cards. I wouldn't want to have to wear burlap underwear!! Let's be perfectly clear about that!) On top of it, you see a new ribbon from the Occasions cattie. It's Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon. It has the same optical illusion found in the larger chevron ribbons, but that disappears when you interrupt the length of ribbon with an object such as the shaker frame.
I used the Circle Collection Framelit Dies to create the Shaker Frame. I cut the 2 3/4" circle, which is the fifth largest die, from Strawberry Slush cardstock. I cut two of the next smallest circles (2 3/8") and adhered one to the Strawberry Slush circle and punched out the center of the other with the 1 3/4" Circle punch. I used that one to place on top of the Shaker frame to hide the foam from the frame.
I used the 1 7/8" circle framelit die to cut out a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, which I stamped in Strawberry Slush with the Hearts a Flutter image, and a piece of Window Sheet. These formed the front and the back of the Shaker Frame. Before adding the window sheet on the front, I filled the frame with confetti, punched using the Small Heart punch and the even smaller heart from the Owl Builder punch.

The love sentiment is one of the Expressions Thinlit dies and it cut the word out so easily, I didn't even need to use wax paper between the die and the cardstock. The Strawberry Slush colour is the one part that makes the card more gender neutral but it is a shade that most guys would like and feel comfortable with, I think.

So, lots involved in that card. Hope you got it all straight. Leave me a comment if you have any questions. I'm thinking I will need to do a video on Shaker Frames soon.

To purchase the following products, used in today's sample just click on the product which will take you directly to my On-Line Store, available 24/7.

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