GATEFOLD CHRISTMAS CARD

Here's another beginner card using only a few supplies.  After scoring the sides to make the folds, I stamped the holly from the SU "Christmas Blessings" set in green on the panels.  (If you have only black, you could color the leaves and berries.)

Next, I stamped the greeting in black on green cs and used a square scallop punch.  Any large punch would do, or you could just cut a square.  Since I had the brad and light green tab, I used it to hold the gate closed.  I could have cut a holly leaf and mounted it with a dimensional in the same place instead.  Inside is "Merry Christmas" stamped in black.

Materials used:  white cs, one scrap of green cs, double stick tape, scallop punch, red gem brad with green tab, green and black inks, and 3 stamps.

TIP:  Make sure you put tape on just the left side of the square so you don't seal the card shut!

CHRISTMAS TREE CARD

Here's the first card under the new label of "Beginner Basics."  (See previous post.)   The tree was stamped on a large scrap of white cs with India Ink Black.  Green, red and gold gelly roll glitterpens were used to highlight some of the swirls, ornaments and the star.  One small clear gem was added to the star center.

To start, I used white cs from Walmart as the base.  Using colored  cs on top saves money since you only need 1/4 of a sheet per card instead of the usual half.  Using the edge of the tree for a border, I stamped the edge of the green with Versamark and attached the panel with ds tape.

After coloring the tree and cutting down the white panel, I attached it to the card with SU dimensionals.

The materials used were:  white cs  and a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of green SU cs, two stamps (one for inside,) three Gelly Roll pens,  black india ink, Versamark, one gem, ds tape, and 5 dimensionals.

With a minimum of supplies, this card was easy to do without looking like a "beginner" card!

COMING SOON!

I've decided to start a new category just for beginners. I'll be posting cards using a minimum of materials.

If you've been a stamper for awhile, think back with me to our starting days. What supplies did you have? Remember the first time you saw gold embossing being demonstrated? Did your eyes pop like mine did? ...and didn't we all cut out images by hand before our CB days? Ten years ago when I started, ALL my supplies fit into a set of 3 plastic drawers from Kmart! Now, I have a "tower" full that I have to keep re-organizing (not that I'm complaining.)

One thing I miss is: the local stamp store. It's been replaced by the big chains further away with nobody to let you try things or show you new techniques as they evolve. However, now I make use of the internet for purchasing new stamp sets and supplies that are delivered right to my door--who would have thought... And now there's Utube demos and Splitcoast Stampers for ideas. WOW! What a world!

As I think of the new stamper, though, I realize that all the products and techniques we now take for granted must be overwhelming. So I came up with the idea of showing how to make beautiful cards with minimal supplies (or expense!). Look for something later today under Beginner Basics.

Meanwhile, leave a comment naming something in your stash you couldn't live without or the latest innovation you find most helpful. For me, it would be the clear stamps and acrylic mounts that enable you to see exactly where you're placing things, as well as how much less room they need for storage!

CHRISTMAS CHICKADEE

Now that summer is winding down, it's time to start adding to the Christmas cards for this year.  Since I send out 100, I like to get an early start.  This card is from last year's set from SU, "Beautiful Season."  It was very easy to make, starting with Crumb Cake cardstock and a woodgrain Versamark background.

After stamping the image and greeting, I colored the leaves with a green marker and the berries with a red Gelly Roll glitter pen.  I stamped the bird again on white, colored it with a gray marker, added a little "blush" on its tummy and mounted it over the one beneath with dimensionals.  Then I stamped the inside greeting and rounded the top right corner--done!

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER #13

Hexagons--what a great way to use up some scraps!





For the birthday greeting, I stamped it on a scrap of matching green cs and cut it larger than the opening.  To line it up with the word window, I  covered the back of it with SNAIL and held it in place behind the ivory panel as I pressed it onto the card base.  Then I removed the panel, added dimensionals and attached that to the card front over the greeting.
(I hope this makes sense.)

State Fair Results

Blue ribbons for the birthday, pergamano and Christmas card divisions, and a second place for the other Christmas card.  Since my cards were the only ones entered in the Professional category (because I teach, sell cards and have been published) it was really no contest.  In fact, there were only about 20 cards overall.

Sadly, this will be my last year to enter.

TOWER REDO COMPLETE!

Nothing like before and after photos to tell the story! As you can see by the first photo, I had very little clean work space. I wasted more time looking for things than I did for stamping. How frustrating is that!






To achieve this dramatic improvement, I followed my own advice of three piles: one to give away, one to throw away and one to put away (the hardest of all!) The throw-away pile went into a few plastic garbage bags, the give-away pile is in the hallway to bring downstairs and actually give to fellow stampers and, for the rest of the story, I did a marathon rearranging of everything left. In fact, it took all week.

First, the overstuffed closet. Notice that now you can actually see the floor! There are no longer any obstacles to reaching things. The white cubicle holds odd items that have nothing to do directly with stamping but are out of the way. On top is a stack of stamping books and magazines I will go through later today with the same 3 piles in mind. The 5 containers are clearly labeled, 2 with Christmas stamps, 1 for Halloween and Easter/Spring and the bottom 2 for travel memorabilia. I still have 1 more empty one to use later, probably for Mothers Class items. To the right is a metal duct (looks gray here) that I placed all my magnets on from the fridge, which also looks neater now, too. Can you tell I was on a roll???

Meanwhile, back at the table, I moved my Cuttlebug station over to a more accessible spot next to my desk blotter. It used to sit on top of the file drawers which now fits underneath the table. The top drawer holds all my embossing folders and dies. The second drawer is for specialty 12 x 12 paper and the bottom drawer...well that's another whole story.

The biggest change is how I store my cardstock. A few years ago I bought a huge paper rack for $25 from a craft store that went out of business. I set it up in the closet, arranged my cs in color families on 36 slots and kept it behind closed doors away from the sunlight. Unfortunately, I had a hard time seeing the variety of shades in such a dark area. That rack is now in the hallway to be given away and the cs is in file folders in the bottom drawer under the CB. It's still protected from fading sunlight, but now I can see what I have. In fact, I discovered whole unopened packs of delicious SU cardstock that had been hidden. I won't need to buy any more cs for years!

Several of the items that were taking up space on the table have been moved to the second cubicle that I took out of the closet. It now holds a basket of Stickles; a basket of distress inks, pads and sponges; and a box of embellishments--all easily reached from my chair. Notice the absence of clutter on the floor!

Finally, a view of my table and desk from the door. It took hours of sorting, purging and rearranging to get things back under control; but it was all worth it!

STATE FAIR BLUES

...RIBBONS, that is! Three blue and one red--more details later...

FROM THE SU HOLIDAY CATALOG

The Holiday Frame embossing folder on P. 7 is soooo versatile.  Here it is with another butterfly (imagine that!) and an appropriate Bible verse.

Using a scrap of double-sided dsp, I die cut the solid butterfly, cut it in half and overlapped one over the other for a side view.  For the black overlay, I brushed some Galaxy Gloss on it and set it aside to dry.

Then I used the embossing folder on the front of a white card and brushed a Versamark Dazzle ink pad over the raised portions for a little glimmer.  I then stamped the verse on some dsp and rounded the corners plus the lower right corner of the card.  To assure that it wouldn't come loose during mailing, I attached it to the card with two large glue dots.  The gold bow was added with a smaller glue dot.

Once the butterfly was dry, I assembled it and attached it with a dimensional. It is positioned to cover the tiny Christmas tree underneath, making the oval useable for any season!

BUTTERFLIES GALORE!

 In case you haven't noticed, I just love butterflies; both on cards and IRL!

The blue card started out as a card that I received from Dawn, a Silver Stamper friend.  It was so pretty, I decided to make use of the front by removing a flower image in the center and attaching it to the blue cs as a background.  Already scalloped, embossed and embellished  with the two smaller butterflies, I added the large butterfly and the scalloped greeting.

Using a piece of scrap blue dsp, I die cut the solid butterfly and sponged some Wild Honey Distress Ink in the center and edges.  Then I die cut another piece of shiny black dsp for the overlay.

The second card was trimmed with a wavy edger and sponged around the edges with Distress Ink.  I added a piece of striped dsp from my scrap drawer on the inside for contrast.  The golden poppy was stamped and die cut, then mounted with dimensionals.  The greeting (a little crooked, unfortunately) was stamped in black.

For the side view butterfly, I used the SU "Beautiful Wings" embosslit, cut the wings in half, flipped one over on top of the other and taped them together with the bottom one extending out past the top one.  The black was punched with a Martha Stewart punch, cut in half and glued on top.  The body and antennae were added from another die cut shown in the previous card and glued in place.  To coordinate the wings to the scalloped edging, I added dots along the edge with a brown marker.

I resisted the temptation to re-stamp the greeting and mount it over the crooked one.  Here's a quote from the Carol Duvall Show which I have posted on my bulletin board:  "All things are literally better, lovelier and more beloved for the imperfections that reflect the human effort that went into their making."   Well said!

READY FOR THE STATE FAIR

Here is just one of the 4 cards I plan to submit to the New Jersey State Fair this year.

Though fairly easy,  there were were many steps to the making of this card.  First I chose a double-sided dsp and matching cardstock.  Using a Martha Stewart edger, I punched the scalloped edges on the card base and top layer of dsp.  I then added another strip of dsp underneath the top layer and rounded the right side corners.  Before attaching the top layer, I added the ribbon and taped it to the back; then I placed the birthday greeting on top with dimensionals.

For the butterfly, I used two dies from Memory Box (Vivienne and Darla butterflies.)  For the solid, I chose a coordinating dsp from the same pad by My Mind's Eye.  For the black, I used a scrap of Martha Stewart Neutrals with a shiny black pattern.  I colored the body with a black Spica pen for a little bit of sparkle and used a tiny black gem for the head.

These butterfly dies are definitely my favorite!

SPONGED BACKGROUND

This card sort of "evolved" as I went along, not knowing how it would turn out.  It all started with a piece of white cs* with a butterfly already punched out, so I decided to try using my new sponge applicators for the Tim Holtz wooden handle I already had.  Using Distress Inks, I started with Tea Dye on the right, then Wild Honey and finally, Broken China, swirling as I went.  The sponge applicators seem to work more smoothly than the thinner cotton ones.

Next, I taped a piece of scrap dsp behind the opening (not seen here) and mounted the vellum butterfly over it.  I then sponged over a circle template in the lower right corner with Wild Honey and stamped in black over it.

After stamping the fern (SU!) in green, I added a small piece of black swirls from a 12x12 piece I purchased at Michael's.  Then I attached the vellum butterfly over the opening, added the black dots and mounted the piece onto a barely banana card with dimensionals.

*Though I love SU colored cs, I almost always use white cardstock purchased from Walmart in packages of 150.  It seems to be just fine, and is especially good for any type of overlay (and a LOT cheaper!)

HOPE Gate Card

This is a gatefold card I just finished making for someone who is seriously ill in the hospital.  I wanted the Bible verse to be the focal point, so I kept it simple.  The black swirls are cut out from a 12x12 sheet I found at Michael's the other day, and the butterfly is from the SU Beautiful Wings embosslit.


After stamping the verse from Jeremiah (one of my favorites!) I outlined the word Hope with a turquoise marker and sponged the edges of the Nestabilities label with a matching color.

The inside left panel is decorated with the remaining butterflies over a coordinating piece of dsp from my scrap drawer.  The rest of the inside is left blank for a few words of encouragement in my own handwriting.

On the subject of handwriting, it really is a lost art.  I think the age of texting and emailing has taken over.  For those who do take the time to write personal notes, however, it seems to be truly appreciated by the recipients.  Maybe we could bring it back!


 NOTE:  This thought came to mind as I read the verse:  He endured far worse than we could ever experience in order to give us a future far greater than we could ever imagine.

STAMP SHOW REVIEW

I haven't been back to the tower since the stamp show, so this is the first opportunity I've had to report on how the show was.

PROS:  There were lots of interesting booths to explore, show sale items and demos.  The very first booth we came to had packets of self-stick gems for a dollar each and 6x6 pads by My Mind's Eye for only $3 each!  I also picked up a gray marker for shading at another booth.

 Most of my purchases zeroed in on various supplies, except for the peg stamps I bought at the Stamps by Judith booth.  One was a plastic box to store sponge daubers, another was a bottle of glaze similar to Crystal Lacquer but with a brush applicator.  Another booth had a special on emb. powders.  I also bought some Gelatos after seeing a demo on how to use them--can't wait to play with them!  Crafters Workshop had a plastic template with 3 mini designs:  circles, stars and hexagons.

CONS:  The show floor was much smaller than the Allentown show, so it tended to be more crowded.  There were also areas inside where the air conditioning didn't cool well in the 90+ heat.  It was also a very long walk in from the parking lot in that heat!

All in all, it was worth attending.  However, Jackie and I left early due to tiring out and sensory overload!

OFF TO THE STAMP SHOW!

Jackie and I are going to the Scrapbook Expo in Somerset, NJ, this morning. Check back later for details on what we found there!

CASEing the Ipad #5

I've had this stamp set a long time, but never really put it to good use--that is until I saw this card Melissa posted on her blog HERE (6/23/12 post.)

There are only a few subtle changes:  the Sizzix folder, the shadow I placed under the tree, the darker strips on the top and bottom.  I also inked the edges of the oval with the same Peeled Paint Distress ink I used on the leaves of the tree. 

For the button, I used a scrap of tan paper, stamped  woodgrain on it and punched it out with my new Epiphany Crafts button maker.

Thanks, Melissa, for the inspiration!


(The stampset used is "Thoughts and Prayers" by StampinUp.)

Triplets

Ever try to find a card for triplets at your card store?  One of my friends tried, to no avail; so she asked me to make one.  Here's what I came up with.

Since I don't have many baby stamps in my stash, I used these diaper pins and "welcome baby" from the Short and Sweet set.  I stamped them in the openings, used markers to color the pins and added crystal lacquer.  Then I used a silver pen over the metal parts.

Without a "triplets" stamp, I improvised by stamping the greeting three times, twice in blue and once in pink, for the two boys and one girl that were born.

Inside I stamped "Count your blessings, name them one by one."  I used the tiny daisy flower from my peg stamp collection on the front and also on the inside.

After adding three strands of embroidery floss and attaching to the card base with dimensionals,  I added some pearls and tiny silver embellishments.


(For a closer look at the shine and embellishments, click on the photo.)

THREE OF A KIND--Poinsettia

The easiest version of this card was to stamp in Versamark and use gold embossing for the flower and plain black ink for the greeting.  The clean and simple look was enhanced by mounting the image on red cs, adding just three tiny gold gems and rounding the one corner.

Next I tried inking the stamp with red and green markers, cutting it out with an oval Nestabilities die and coloring the flowers with chalk.  I used Versamark on the light green cs as a background and stamped the greeting in black over it.  To finish, I sponged green ink on the edges of the oval, added an embroidery floss bow and mounted it to the card with dimensionals.

For the third card, I tried using markers again but left the flower plain.  Instead of sponging, I ran the oval through the CB to add an embossed edge.  For finishing, I used  gold twine for the bow and mounted the oval to the dark red background piece with dimensionals.  After creating the background with Versamark and stamping the greeting in black, I attached the Poinsettia to the kraft card with ds tape..

BACKGROUNDS AND BUTTERFLIES

 Today's workshop was on a variety of backgrounds and butterflies.  This first one featured the SU Filigre background stamp which we inked up with Versamark with the stamp face up on the table, placing the green cs over it and rubbing gently.  After sponging the edges with Versamark, we taped it to the white card base.

Next, the butterfly was made by stamping, punching and sponging the blossom from the SU Mixed Bunch set.  Then we cut away the top and bottom petals to form the butterfly, added 3 black gems and black wire antennae and mounted it to a punched black sparkle scalloped circle with dimensionals.

The greeting was stamped on a pre-cut label and embellished with green gems.


For the Rich Razzleberry card, we first ran the white cs through the Cuttlebug and attached it with double-stick tape.  We stamped the flower in black, colored the leaves green and stamped the coordinating floral stamp with a matching color ink.  Then we taped it on black cs and mounted it to the front of the card with dimensionals.  The butterflies were die cut with a SU Sizzlet die and mounted with glue dots, with the largest one inside.  This was the quickest card today.

Although pictured last here, this card was actually the first we did today.  It took a lot longer to do than I thought it would--over an hour!  There were a lot of steps for this one:  spritzing with spray inks on the white panels, then rounding the corners and attaching the jute around it before mounting it to the card.  The butterfly was stamped with Versamark and embossed with black ep.  The Bible verse was stamped in black, taped to the black cs and embellished with more jute tied in a bow.  Placement on the card was done, after alining it with the jute beneath and using dimensionals to secure it to the card.  The butterfly was then cut out, its body colored with a black marker and attached with dimensionals.

In spite of all the work it took to complete the cards, they all came out great!

Christmas Blessings

Since this stamp is so delicate, it's a real challenge to present it in a way that keeps it simple but not dull.

For this card, I used gold embossing for the image and shaded the poinsettia with one ordinary red Crayola colored pencil. I colored each petal lightly, then darkened just the inner parts of the leaves to give it depth.

For added interest, I cut 1/2" off the side of the green cs and attached a strip of red that was punched with a Fiskars edge punch.  Then I wrapped the white cs with red metallic cord and mounted it on red cs with dimensionals and attached it to the card with ds tape.  Three tiny red gems were added for the final touch.