Wednesday, September 30, 2015

A Birthday Blossoms Wedding Card

I received this card from Juliann, one of the talented ladies have the pleasure of seeing once a month!

This looks like such a fun and wonderful card.  The flower is from the "Birthday Blossoms" set.  There is a silver foil paper flower punched out and layered behind the stamped flower.

I do not know what set the words are from.

The decorative paper is from the Neutrals 12" x 12" paper pack.

There is another fun aspect to this card.  There is a gap between the top panel and the bottom one.  The bottom one is attached by the center word panel.  I don't know what this technique is called, but I do like it and I think it would be easy to do too!

This is such a pretty wedding card.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

A Sparkly Season Corner Flip Technique Christmas Card

Today I played with the Corner Flip Card technique again.  It's such a fun technique. It's quick, easy and adds some character to your cards.  You can find the directions for this technique here.  

I have not made a shaker card in a while and now I remember why.  I think they are kind of messy to make plus you have to be pretty precise when assembling them!!!  I managed to muddle through it and this is what I came up with.

I don't have this set, I had borrowed my sisters set and made a few extra images before she got her stamps and dies back.  I kind of wished I would have stamped more.  I may have to so some begging and groveling!!! LOL

The "Merry" is from the retire "Expressions" Thinlits.  Since I returned my sister's stuff, I didn't have the word "snow" or I would have used it on the bottom of this card.  And I didn't think I would need any words, so I didn't make any to have on hand.  I know, I just wasn't thinking!!! LOL

Even with the retired words, I do like how this card turned out!  Give this Corner Flip Card technique a try!!!  I think you will find lots of uses for it!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda


Monday, September 28, 2015

Corner Flip Into the Woods Decorative Paper Card

Today's card is from Terri's FABULOUS Technique Tuesday group.  I was invited to play along with the group. I am there to help set up and take down but lately Terri has been having me play along with the gals.  She is SO good to me.  

To make this fun card you need a piece of 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" piece of card stock.  Before you fold it in half you will want to use your 12" trimmer and place the left side of your card stock at the 3" mark, start the cutting blade at 4-7/8" and move up to 2-1/2" on the long side.  Turn your card stock 1/4 turn, counter clockwise, (this is the short side), place the left edge of your card stock at the 3" mark.  Start the cutting blade at the 5/8" mark and move down to the 3" mark.  

Fold your card in half.  Take the top right corner of the card and fold it towards the folded side.  Do this slowly, you want that center piece to flip and you want to line up the sides so they are square with the top and right side of the card.  Use your bone folder to crease the card.  Decorate as you wish. 

Here Terri had us decorate the card with the new "Into the Woods" decorative paper.  Many of the images on the paper are just far enough apart to punch them out with the 2-1/2" circle punch.  It was set in place with Dimensionals on top of a 2-3/4" x 2-3/4" Old Olive square. 

The inside of the card has a trimmed piece of Whisper White card stock.  You can see the border of the flipped piece much better with the white card stock in place.  

A strip of decorative paper was added across the bottom front and you can always add your sentiment there.  Mine is blank for now.  I'm not sure what occasion I want to use this for.  I just may keep it.  I like this card, it's such a fun and unique fold.  

Give it a try, there's LOTS of possibilities for it!  Plus it's SUPER easy!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda 


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Pop-up Technique Birthday Card

Today I'm going to share with you a card I received in the latest swap I participated in.  The technique used here is the Pop-up card technique.  It's a very fun technique.  It does have several pieces to it but it's SO worth it.  You can decorate the front and be done or you can use the back to write your sentiment.  It folds down to 5-1/2" x 4-1/4".  Terri taught this technique at the August Technique Tuesday night. 

This one has very little stamping on it.  The decorative paper gives this card it's color and "fun!"  

You can find the instructions for this technique here.  

They are fun to do because they are SO different than your average card.  Not that there is anything wrong with the average card, but it's fun to mix things up now and then and try something new and different, or perhaps just something different.  You need to step out of your box now and then.  I used this technique for the latest swap I attended.  I liked it, but I thought it took more time that I had cared to donate to making swap cards.  I am not sure I would make anymore in the near future. Unless a wonderful stamp set comes along that would do this technique justice!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda



Saturday, September 26, 2015

A Flower Patch and Another Thank You Card

No, it's not "another" thank you card as it stated in the title of this post.  That is the name of the set where the "thanks" came from. I have not made a thank you card in a while so the "another" doesn't quite fit!!! LOL  

I was in need of a thank you card so I thought I would play around with some colors, textures and accessories today.  I used Crumb Cake for the base of my card and for the top layer. Under that top layer is a piece of Whisper White card stock.  I used a piece of Wild Wasabi decorative paper.  I liked the design with all the words on it.  It seemed to blend well with the design and theme of my card.  I saw the word "thankful" in it somewhere. The polka dots might have worked but I thought it was a little too busy. I needed something like lines or strips.  The words are in lines, so I ran with it and it worked!

I used the punch that make the three different size ribbons.  My ribbon is 2" wide.  I taped it in place and then added a half a paper doily on top.  I used a half doily because that is what I fell out of the pack when I grabbed it.  I thought I would try to make it work.  I originally had the orientation of the card going landscape instead of portrait.  

Next I stamped 3 leaves and I cut them out with a scissor.  I drew in some veins using Wild Wasabi ink and a blender pen.  They faded a  lot, which is fine, I didn't want them to be real dark.

The larger flower piece was stamped using Tangelo Twist.  The top flower was stamped using Pumpkin Pie and the petals inside that flower were stamped using Tangerine Twist.  I set the flower in place on the card using Dimensionals.  And for the final touch, I added a Candy Dot in the middle of the flower for some contract and texture.

The words were stamped using Memento ink.  I was going to use some other words from that set and punch them out using the oval punch and added a Pumpkin Pie oval scallop but that took up a lot of the space on the bottom left and it covered the ribbon so it would look like just a piece of decorative paper instead of a trimmed piece.  Fortunately for me there were small words in that set and also fortunately for me, there was just enough space in that bottom corner for the word!!!  I must be livin' right today!!! LOL

This was a fun card to make and I like the colors.  Fallish looking but yet a bit of summer still hanging in there with the greens!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Friday, September 25, 2015

A For All Things Fall Card and Camouflage Technique

I was cleaning up my worktable (something I don't do often enough) and I ran across a card I had received in Augusts swap. The technique used here is the Camouflage Technique.  It's a very fun one to do but you do need to make sure you have some time to create with it.  The card stock is wet from rubbing alcohol and it does take time to dry.  Though you can speed it up with the heat tool, but that takes time too.  So if you are in a hurry to make a card, this is not the technique you are looking for!

But if you're looking for a fun technique or wanting to try something new, well then this is for you!!!  It is a very easy  technique to do, it just requires a little time.  You can find the instructions here.

This card was made by Nancy at Terri's Technique Tuesday group.  I LOVE the fun fall colors she used.  I don't have this "For All Things" stamp set.  It's a fun one but not in my library!  That's what is fun about swaps too, you get to see other sets up close and personal.  

Give this technique a try!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Thursday, September 24, 2015

A Flower Shop Pop-up Birthday Card

These pop-up cards are very fun cards to make, and they are not difficult either.  There are a lot of pieces to them but they are SO worth it.  This is the card that Terri had the gals make for her August Technique Tuesday class.  

To make this, you score a 4-1/4" x 11" piece of card stock at 1/2, 2, 4 and 5-1/2". Decorate the 5-1/2 x 4-1/4" section of the card base (front and back).  The front of this card has the Hardwood image on it  and the back has flowers and words (bottom photo).  

Add Sticky Strip to the 1/2" section - fold piece up (at 5-1/2" score line) with the 1/2" piece folded under, and adhere it to the front of the card.  Folding that piece helps you see where that 1/2" piece will be attached, plus it gets that piece exactly where it needs to be to be square.  

Score a 5-1/2" x 3" piece of card stock at 1/2" and 2".  Decorate the bottom panel as desired.  Add Sticky Strip to the front side of the 1/2" piece and to the bottom back side of the opposite panel.  Stick the bottom panel to the bottom of the card base and the 1/2" piece to the front of the card.  This will form your pop up. Now embellish the rest of the card as desired.

It is very simple and fun to do!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

A Happy Birthday, Everyone Butterfly Card

Sometimes I end up with think strips of decorative paper that I just can't throw away.  But how many can you really keep around too??  I had run across this scrap piece of "English Garden" decorative paper and was not going to move forward in my workroom until I was able to use it.  Actually, I only challenged myself with that because the "moving forward" part had to do with cleaning up the workroom!!! LOL

I layered the piece using Cherry Cobbler.  I thought it would make those three top flowers pop, and it did!.  Then I textured a piece of Whisper White with the sideways stripes.  I have not used that folder much at all and I do like it, just don't know why I don't use it more.

So I'm liking what I'm seeing and decided to move forward with the card.  I took a folded half sheet of Early Espresso for the base of my card.  Then I added a piece of Cherry Cobbler that was cut 1/8" smaller on two sides.  I trimmed the Whisper White piece by cutting off 1/4" on two sides.  Then I taped those layers together.  I added the English Garden piece and thought about it for a few minutes.

I LOVE the large "Happy Birthday" from the "Happy Birthday, Everyone" Hostess set so I thought I would try to work that into the card.  I wished I would have tried to work it onto the card before I taped the English Garden piece in place!!  But as it turned out, I do like how it is on the card. I set it in place using Dimensionals.

And of course, that large open space at the top right was screaming for a Cherry Cobbler butterfly using the Butterfly Thinlits.  And a few pearls down the middle was all it needed.  I also set the butterfly in place using Dimensionals.

I had fun making this card and it was basically pretty simple, quick and easy to do!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

An Embellished Ornaments Christmas Card

I finally returned the stamp sets and dies back to my sister.  It was fun playing with them.  Some of the sets I struggled with, others the ideas just flowed.  This was one of the sets I had troubles with.  This bulb in particular.  I had cut the bulb out using the dies. I used Cherry Cobbler for the back of the bulb and gold foil for the front.  I affixed the two pieces together and set it aside for a few days.  I had no idea where I was going with it.  Then I had my pearls out for some other project so I thought I would add some pearls to the bulb to dress it up.  I did that and ended up setting it aside for a few more days.  I was just totally lost.  I was once again playing with another project and had a scrap piece of the Mossy Meadow and it ended up behind the bulb. The piece you see on the card was the actual scrap piece.  I liked how it looked behind the bulb.  Though I am thinking it would have looked better using the Cherry Cobbler behind it instead of the Crumb Cake. Oh well, what's done is done!!!

Once I had that strip done the rest was easy.  I had a scrap of the large dots from the "Merry Moments" 6" x 6" stack.  I have used that stack more than I've ever used any of them that I've purchased!!! It's about time!!! LOL  

The words are from the "Petite Pairs" set and I used Old Olive on the scalloped oval.  I added some texture to the background and viola!, it was done!  Finally!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Monday, September 21, 2015

A Sparkly Season Halloween Candy Bar Holder Weekend Project

Today I thought I would work on an easy Halloween project.  I have not shared a project with you in a while and it's about time!!! This is a fun candy bar holder.  It holds the 1.55 oz. Hershey bar. It forms a nice pocket for the candy bar to slip into and the top folds over.  Slide on the belly band and it's ready to go!  I LOVE making these holders. 

These are very easy to make.  The bottom photo shows how the base of the holder looks before it's folded and assembled.  You can find the complete instructions for this fun holder at Score Pal. This is a direct link so you won't have to be searching all over their site for the instructions.  (I hate that!!!).

First I cut my card stock and then scored it as the instructions stated.  Then I found the decorative papers that I wanted to use and began covering my holder.  Since I didn't order any Halloween papers, I had to make do with what I had. Fortunately I have the large 12" x 12" pads of decorative paper.  The holder is Mossy Meadow and the decorative paper is Old Olive.  I did have Mossy Meadow but I thought it got lost on the background so I went with the Old Olive.  Once I add my decorative papers, I then fold and glue (yes, glue) my holder together.  You can tape it but the tape doesn't seem to hold up as well as gluing does. It doesn't take that long for the glue to set up either, especially if you use a bone folder to press it down.

To make an easy belly band, I just take a strip of card stock and wrap it around the holder.  Then I remove it and use my bone folder to make those fold lines crisp.  I also glue the belly band together.  Then I slide it on the holder and here I added the pumpkin.  

The pumpkin was made using Pumpkin Pie decorative paper on two layers of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  The circles are 2-1/4".  I also glued them together and set something heavy on them to keep them flat while they dried.  I did stamp the pumpkin before it was cut out.  I set it in place on the belly band using Dimensionals.  See, I told you it was easy!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda


Sunday, September 20, 2015

A Festive Fireplace Christmas Card

I found a fun "Festive Fireplace" card on Pinterest made by Nicole Watt.  You can view here card here.  I did make several changes to it but there are a few things I did copy, like the words on the side and the wreath at the top.  And of course the fireplace!!!  I changed the background, mostly because I didn't have the decorative paper that she used.  I used some from the "Merry Moments" 6" x 6" paper stack.  I'm actually using a lot of paper from that stack. I wonder if I will use it up!!! LOL  No way!!

Okay, let's talk about my card.  I had to fussy cut out the fireplace and mantel. I did copy the color of the mantel and the color of the words.  I used Crumb Cake ink, that is what the color looked like to me on Nicole's card.  Once I cut out the fireplace, I cut out the center of the fireplace as well.  Then I used Dimensionals and stuck a piece of Basic Black to the back of it.  But before I did that I colored it in with markers and a blender pen.  There are LOTS of layers with Dimensionals on this card!  Next I colored the logs and flames.  I set them in place on top of the black piece.  I set the mantel in place with Dimensionals.  Next I colored the stockings and set them in place on the mantel with a half of a Dimensional.  There's not a lot of room behind them.  I don't know if you can see it, but I wrote names on the stockings.  This is a card for our son and his wife and kids. He never reads my blog so he won't see the card!  

I stamped the wreath using Garden Green card stock. That was the color it looked like on Nicole's card. Then I used the Dazzling Details Cherry Cobbler on the berries on the wreath to give it some color.  I think Nicole had just colored hers in with a marker.  I wanted to add some sparkle to it.  I may add a little sparkle to the flames too. I think the card could use a bit more "shine" to it.  I added a bow to the top of my wreath. I don't believe Nicole added that.
This card was a lot of work and a lot of time was put into it.  Plus a lot of love.  I like the concept of the fireplace stamp and dies but I don't think I will make anymore cards using it.  It's my sister's set and I will be returning it to her tomorrow so I thought I should make at least one card using it.  I did and I'm done!!!  It's a fun set but it requires a lot of time to make a decent card using it.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Saturday, September 19, 2015

A Traveler Masculine Card and Camouflage Technique

Okay, Christmas Week is over.  It started out rough.  I had a very tough time using that "Embellished Ornaments" set. But I was able to finish out the week using the fun "Sparkly Season" set.

This card was one from our Tuesday Technique night swap and it was made by Tanya.  Technique night is coming up and I need to get my card made for it.  

I like how Tanya used blues for the camo instead of the usual greens and browns like most of us did!!!  It's another great masculine card.  If you'd like to know how to do this technique, just click here.  

I had a great time playing with this technique.  I want to give it a try with Real Red, Garden Green and try gold embossing.  I want it to have a Christmas look.  Yup, I'm still thinking Christmas, even after a whole week of it!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda
 

Friday, September 18, 2015

A Sparkly Season Christmas Card

Here is my favorite card so far.  I wish this one didn't take so long to make or I would use it for our Christmas cards this year.  It takes long because of the circles involved.  To make that top panel I had to attach the "Merry Moments" decorative paper to a piece of Whisper White card stock.  I needed the base of this piece to be solid.  The decorative paper doesn't have enough weight to it as the card stock does.  Once I did that then I punched a 1-3/4" circle in the piece.  Next I cut a 1-7/8" Cherry Cobbler circle.  Then I cut out the 1-3/4" circle from the center of that, leaving me a sliver of a circle/ring.  For the Mossy Meadow ring I cut a 2-3/8" circle and then used the 1-3/4" circle punch for the center of that.  So now I have my two rings.  I glued the Cherry Cobbler ring on top of the Mossy Meadow ring.  Then I glued those rings on top of the circle I punched in the Merry Meadows decorative paper piece.  

I stamped the snowman on a piece of Whisper White card stock and colored it in with Real Red and Old Olive markers.  Oh and the Pumpkin Pie marker for the nose.  I added some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds and set it aside to dry.

The "Let it" came from the "Sparkly Season" set.  It is from the "Let it Snow" words.  I used a 3/4" circle punch and used only the "Let it".  I punched out a 1" circle of Mossy Meadow and layered it behind the "Let it".  

I took a scrap piece of the "Merry Moments" decorative paper and taped it to the bottom of the large colored polka dotted piece.  I took a piece of ribbon and taped the edges to the backside of the card using Scotch tape.  

I cut a piece of Crumb Cake card stock 4" x 5-1/4" and taped it to the Cherry Cobbler card base.  

I die cut the word "snow" using the "Seasonal Frames" Thinlits set.  I added some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds to it too. I didn't completely cover it, I just wanted it on the high and low parts of the word.  I set it aside to dry.  And I waited and waited.  I think the Crystal Effects needs to dry a long time before you can handle the card, so I left it overnight and finished putting it together this morning.

The snowman was all set up so I added some Dimensionals behind the circle and lined up the snowman and pressed the Dimensionals into it.  I added a Dimensional behind the "Let it" and set that in place.  I tied a bow and used a half a pop up glue dot and set it on the bow and added the bow to the right side of the ribbon. 

Then I added Dimensionals all over the back of the focal panel and set it in place on top of the Crumb Cake piece.  And there you have it.  There's lots of steps and waiting in making this fun card.  I like it very much and wished I could have used it for our Christmas card this year but it just takes too much time to do.  But I am going to enter it in a contest later this month.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Thursday, September 17, 2015

A Sparkly Season Petite Pairs Christmas Card

Okay, I packaged up the "Embellished Ornaments" set and am ready to return that one to my sister.  Unless someone on the net comes up with one I just HAVE to make. 

I LOVE Nutcrackers!!!  I think they are fascinating and fun. It's a nutcracker and a toy in one!!! LOL  We have a few of them we set out at Christmas time.  Though this year at Michael's I did see some Halloween ones.  I did not purchase any.  I don't decorate the inside of the house much for Halloween.  Anyway, I Googled "nutcrackers" so I could see the fun colors.  I found some fun colors that I thought would work with the "Merry Moments" decorative paper.  All but the Pacific Point marker works well. And there's nothing I can do about it, what's done is done!!! Just pretend  it works, okay?  LOL

To make this card I used a folded half sheet of Mossy Meadow card stock.  Then I added two decorative papers from the "Merry Moments" decorative paper packs.  I cut them 4" x 5-1/4" and then I cut them from tip to tip and taped two pieces onto the top of the card stock.

Next I colored in the Nutcracker and all the other images.  I punched out them using a 2" circle punch.  The layer behind it is a 2-3/8" piece of Mossy Meadow.  This piece was set in place using Dimensionals.  The words are from the "Petite Pairs" set an were punched out with the 1-1/4" circle punch.  Then I punched a Mossy Meadow scalloped circle and layered behind the words.  I set that piece in place using Dimensionals as well.

I did have fun making this card.  And I like how cheery it is!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

An Embellishes Ornaments and Gorgeous Grunge Christmas Card

Okay, after doing some serious surfing, I found a card I REALLY liked using the "Embellished Ornaments" set.  

The original card was made by Nicole Watt and can be seen here

To make my version of Nicole's fabulous card, I began with a folded half sheet of Crumb Cake.  I set it aside.  Then I took a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped the bulb on it using Pacific Point and then I rolled the edges using Night of Navy.  Once I was done with that I used the die and cut the bulb out.  I cut the bulb cap out of some gold foil paper and attached it to the bulb. I set that aside to work on the focal panel.  But before I did that I marked the center where the bulb will be so I could stamp the leaves on so they would show.

I stamped the leaves using Mossy Meadow.  I colored in the berries using the Real Red marker.  Then I colored in the leaves using the Pear Pizzazz marker.  I took the Old Olive marker and added a line or two on each leaf to give it some dimension.  Once I was done with that I took a sponge and added a little Old Olive color to each cluster of leaves.  Then I took the "Gorgeous Grunge" dots to the background using some Crumb Cake ink that I had stamped off once.  I wanted super light dots.  Then I sponged the edges using Crumb Cake.  I taped it to the base of the card.  

I taped some pieces of find metallic cord to the card.  I made sure that it formed loops.  Then I used Dimensionals and set the bulb in place over the loops.  

And for a finishing touch, I added some rhinestones.  Two larger clear ones were added between the "flowers" on the bulb and three red ones were added to the center of the "flowers" on the bulb.  I colored those red rhinestones using a red Sharpe.  And that was it.  It's not as pretty as Nicole's card but I like it better than the other two cards I had made earlier this week.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Embellished Ornaments Christmas Card

Okay, SO the tenacious side of me that just doesn't like to give up made me use the "Embellished Ornaments" set again.

First I cut out the Cherry Cobbler lacy ornament. Then I cut out a gold foil solid piece.  Then I cut out a small Garden Green piece.  I glued all three of those pieces together and set them aside to dry while I decided on a layout.

I found a piece of scrap white and thought if I layered it with some Garden Green card stock.  In doing that it made me realize that the base of my card will have to be Garden Green.  I added a piece of decorative paper from the "Merry Moments" paper stack.  I'm kind of fond of those large colored polka dots!!!  And I had a scrap piece of the red dotted decorative paper so I trimmed up the ends and layered it on top of a strip of Garden Green.  Before I affixed it to the large polka dotted paper, I tied a piece of ribbon to it.  

Next I proceeded to embellish the bulb with pearls.  LOTS of pearls.  And then I set it in place using Dimensionals.

I'm still not thrilled with the set.  I'm off to surf the net for more inspiration.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Monday, September 14, 2015

An Embellished Ornaments Christmas Card

I think this "Embellished Ornaments" set is a tough one to play with.  I thought I would make the bulb using Cherry Cobbler.  I wanted something that would be striking against the white textured background.  

I embellished the ornament with a gold center piece.  It's a tiny die that comes with the set.  I added 3 green rhinestones to the center.  I had colored them with a green Sharpe.  

The decorative paper is from a scrap that I had from some other company.  I don't remember with, it was in a pack of scraps.  But I know there's some fun Stampin' Up! papers that would look very nice at the bottom.

The words are from the "Petite Pairs" set and were set in place using Dimensionals.  

I really didn't have a lot of fun making this card. I felt so lost with it.  Ideas did not flow and lead to other cards.  I will have to search the net for some inspiration and try again!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sunday, September 13, 2015

A Peaceful Pines Petite Pairs Christmas Card

Here's a simple Christmas card to make.

I used a folded half sheet of Whisper White card stock.  Then I added a 5" x 3-3/4" piece of Real Red card stock. On top of that is a piece of Textured Whisper White that measures 4-3/4" x  3-1/2".  The  Real Red panel on top measures 2-5/8" x 2-5/8" and the Whisper White piece on top of that measures 2-1/2" x 2-1/2".
The tree was stamped using Mossy Meadow and cut out with the tree die  The star was cut out with the tiny star die that comes with the die set.  Daffodil Delight was used on that.  The bulbs were stamped using Pumpkin Pie, Real red, Tempting Turquoise, and Daffodil Delight.  The stamp set has the three bulbs on one stamp. I stamped them in each color and cut out each one with the die. So I ended up with 12 bulbs.  Extra ones to use on future projects.
The words were stamped with the Petite Pairs set using Tempting Turquoise ink.  I added a ribbon around the top panel before attaching it to the textured panel and then that panel was set in place with Dimensionals. The tree was added using Dimensionals too.  I didn't add a base to the tree.  I liked it with the simple look.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Saturday, September 12, 2015

A Sparkly Season and Peaceful Pines Christmas Card

I may have to make this "Christmas" week!  I have several Christmas cards in mind and I only have a few days to make them and then I have to give my sister back her stamp and die sets, she left me with 5 sets!!! It was nice of her to leave them with me. SO I have made a few cards for her.  This is not one of them!!!! LOL 

I LOVE snowman so I thought I would play with that image first. I was going to use the globe but I wanted to be different!  I used the die and cut out the oval.  I stamped the snowman on Whisper White card stock and sponged in the sky using Soft Sky ink. Then I took the snowflake image from the  "Perpetual Birthday Calendar" set and stamped it using Soft Sky ink too.  It doesn't show up as well here as it does in real life.  

I stamped the tree from "Peaceful Pines".  The star and  the tree base came with the set.  I added some crystal effects to the tree, star, tree base and the snowman.  If you click on the image you can see the glitter. 

I colored in the snowman with markers.  The piece of card stock the snowman is stamped on was set in place behind the oval using Dimensionals.  The tree was also set in place using Dimensionals.  Demensionals were also used on the decorative paper piece was set in place on top of a folded half sheet of Mossy Meadow card stock.

The "Let it Snow" is from the "Sparkly Season" set.  Oh and the decorative paper is from the "Merry Moments" 6" x 6" paper stack.  I LOVE those stacks!! I think that covers everything.  

This was a fun card to make.  Though I must say, I do not like waiting for the Crystal Effects to dry!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Friday, September 11, 2015

A Gorgeous Grunge Serene Silhouettes Birthday Card

I was looking at some cards that I had pinned because I liked the layouts or the entire card itself and I ran across this one.  It was made by Becky at Scrappin' and Stampin' in GJ.    I don't know what the GJ means.  Also, I searched the blog for a little while trying to find the card to give you a direct link but I had no luck and I ran out of time.  There's some nice card samples on the site so it is well worth your time.  

My card is extremely similar.  I did not have the same decorative papers so I used what I had.  I did not have the words image so I used the lines image from the "Gorgeous Grunge" set. 

The butterfly image is from the "Serene Silhouettes" set.  And the words are from the "Wetlands" set.

I used Melon Mambo for my colors.  Mostly because it was the only color in ribbon that I had that was current. 

The circle in the large Whisper White card stock piece were punched using the 1-3/8" circle punch. After I punched the two of them out I added some Melon Mambo dots.  

The butterfly image was punched using a 1-3/4" circle punch.  For the top circle, I stamped the lines image on card stock and then cut it out into a 2" x 2" square and set it in place on the back using Dimensionals. The dotted circle is a piece of decorative paper cut 2" x 2" and set in place using Dimensionals.

Next the ribbon was added.  I cut a piece of ribbon and taped the ends to the back of the card stock.  Then I cut another piece and made a bow.  I set the bow in place using a glue dot.  The butterfly piece was set in place using Dimensionals.  Then Dimensionals were place on the back of the Whisper White piece and set in place on top of a folded half sheet of Melon Mambo card stock.

This was a pretty simple card to make!  I like it!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda  
  

Thursday, September 10, 2015

A Guy Greetings Birthday Card for Grandpa Monochromatic

While looking through a bunch of images I had previously stamped, I ran across this hats one from the "Guy Greetings" set. It's kind of fun when you have some images stamped ahead of time.  When you run across them, an idea on what to do with it comes to mind and off you go!!  On my Whisper White piece of card stock I found the hats with the "Happy Birthday" stamped under it.  Also on that piece of card stock was "Grandpa".  So, why not whip up a Grandpa birthday card???

I used the Framelits circles and cut out the hats piece and the layer behind it was one size larger.  

I used some fun decorative paper from the Neutrals pack and added a triangle piece to it.  The triangle piece was a scrap piece that I had trimmed up to use for whatever came along.  I did have to cut the left side so it measured 4" to fit the 4" bottom part of the decorative paper.  The height of this piece didn't matter, I would have used it at whatever size it was, which is what I did!!!.  I never throw scraps away, I most often can find a use for them.

I set the words and the circles in place using Dimensionals.  It doesn't show up on here because it's so "black and white", but trust me, there are Dimensionals under there!!!

This was a super quick and easy card to make.  And even quicker when you have stuff already stamped.  As though stamping takes a lot of time, right?  LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

A For Your Country Masculine Card Using the Camouflage Technique

Today I have for you another card I received in the technique swap.  This technique is the Camouflage Technique.  It's very easy to do, it just takes a little time.  A tip if you are going to try this technique.  Do the technique first and then work on the rest of the card.  The card stock needs to dry before you use it.  And I suppose you could always use your heat tool to dry it quicker too.
The technique can be found here.  

I do not know who made this card.  Not everyone puts their names on the inside.  So if you know who it is, please let me know so I can give them credit.  (Edited 9-24-15: Juliann Knudsen made this card. Thank you Juliann for letting me know so I can give you the proper credit on your fabulous card!)

I like how well the "Expressions Natural Elements" wooden "Thanks" goes so well with the colors. I also like how these words have the burn marks on the edges from being created. I think that is why I like it so much.  Everything just seems to blend.  

The star in the center is a piece of Early Espresso card stock.  It was set in place on top of a brad.  And then Linen was wound up and stuck on the oval using a glue dot.  The star appears to have a glue dot under it too.

The base of this card is Sahara Sand.  On top of that is a piece of trimmed Early Espresso.  The boots were stamped on Very Vanilla and then cut out with the oval Thinlits.  It's a very nice card and I LOVE how the camouflage turned out.


This is a great technique for a guy with a fall birthday too!


Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Monday, September 07, 2015

Tunnel Card Technique Birthday Card

Today's technique comes to you from Terri's Technique Tuesday group.  This was a super fun technique to do.  I was able to play along and had a great time!!  

To do this technique you will use two 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" sheets of card stock.  The "window" piece is scored at 2-1/8", 4-1/4" and 6-3/8".  Next you will need to use a Thinlit for the window piece.  The 3" x 4" oval was used on this card .  The oval was centered over the center fold of the inside piece.  Before folding the outer piece, stamp your words or image.  Color it if necessary and then you can fold the card in half.  Tape only hte left and right panel of the window piece to the base piece.  Now you can decorate the front as you wish.

This is a very simple technique.  I LOVE the card that Terri came up with.  We embossed the butterflies on the inside piece.  It was folded in half and then embossed through both thicknesses.  As for the front, that piece was cut 4" x 5-1/4" and embossed almost all the way to the top.  A ribbon was tied on and then the butterfly with rhinestones on it was set in place with a piece of Dimensional. Did you notice the butterfly on the inside?  We had to be careful where we put it so it wouldn't stick out the right side of the card when the card was closed.  

Wouldn't this make a lovely wedding card? 

There, now you have it!  Make yourself a Tunnel Card

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda



Sunday, September 06, 2015

The Wilderness Awaits Masculine Card and Camouflage Technique

I have another masculine card to share with you.  This card is from the last swap I attended.  The theme of this swap is to make a card using one of the two techniques taught the previous month. The previous month was the Camouflage Technique.  That was the technique I also used for my swap card.  

This card was made by Mary.  She's a wonderful stamper and I she was the one who demonstrated how to do this technique!  And she's a really nice person too!

For this card she used Crumb Cake for the base of the card.  A strip of soft suede textured with the Hardwood embossing folder was added.  It measures 2" x 5 1/4".  The Camouflage piece measures 3-1/2" x 4". 


The Very Vanilla piece 3" x 3-1/4" and was stamped using Chocolate chip ink.  Or it could be Soft Suede, it's difficult to tell.  The corner was torn and the edges were lightly sponged.  

I LOVE the gold button she added in the area of the torn corner.  This is such a great masculine card!! Thank you Mary for such a fun swap card!!!

Oh, before I forget.  Instructions for this technique can be found here.  

And Thank You for stopping by today,
Wanda

Saturday, September 05, 2015

A Guy Greeting Masculine Birthday Card and Faux Pinwheel Technique

The color didn't turn out very well on this card.  The Marina Mist looks right but the Basic Gray kind of looks like Chocolate Chip. Though I think that color would work well too!

I used the Pinwheel Technique on this card.  You can find the instructions for it here.  The size squares I used here are 1-3/8" for the decorative paper and 1-5/8" for the Marina Mist.  Now as you can see, the words on the decorative paper are turned a bit on my card.  Well, that's because I didn't think about how the pinwheel was going to fit on the base of the card before I began making the squares.  I just wanted to make sure I had the pinwheel large enough to put the car in the center.  Turning the pinwheel did make it fit on the card though.  I probably should have used the strip decorative paper instead of the words and then it wouldn't have mattered how it was turned.  I still like how it turned out, even with the words being turned.  

The "Happy Birthday" was from the "Crazy about You" set.

This was a pretty easy card to make. It took a few minutes to assemble the pinwheel but other than that it went together really fast.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Halloween Scene Candle Up-cycle Weekend Craft Project

Yesterday my friend Peggy came over and we played with spray paint and jars.  She had found this fun Halloween scene to put on jars and thought we could make them!

I had gotten this wonderful candle jar from my previous job.  I brought it home to recycle it and I had set it in the foyer closet and forgot it.  I'm glad I did.  When I went in there to get the cans of paint out I found this and thought I would upcycle it instead of recycle it!!!  Sometimes it does pay to be forgetful!!! LOL

SO, the first thing I did was removed the metal handle from the ring of the jar.  Then I needed to get the remaining wax out of the jar. A pretty simple task.  I just used a knife and pushed it into the wax and broke it up into pieces.  Then I was able to just shake the chunks out of the jar.  

Next I took some Dawn dish soap and cleaned out the inside.  I found a sponge with a little soft scrubby on the other side was extremely helpful!  

Then I filled the jar with water and set it in a bowl of water to soak off the label on the side and bottom.

Once that was done I dried the jar I wiped it down with rubbing alcohol and made a point to NOT touch the outside.  I didn't want any fingerprints on it.  I wanted it clean so the paint would stick. Once that was done and I made sure the alcohol had evaporated, I sprayed the jar with Krylon.  This color was a purple plum and then I had a can of blue metallic Rustoleum and I sprayed a little of it all over the jar to give it some sparkle and I added a lot more to the bottom to give it some dimension.  

Then the fun began!!!  We went to Adventures in a Box and downloaded the Halloween scene.  I used the witch for my jar.  There's a whole city scene.  You can do it all or in parts.  I also did a small jar with the car on the moon too.  It's not as nice as this is.  The jar was small so I didn't have room for a city at the bottom.  Go there and check out the designs.  Oh and there are also Christmas ones you can do too.  We opted not to do Christmas because we didn't like the idea of having glass outside in the winter.  Anyway, back to the jar. Once the image was downloaded and adjusted to the size needed it was printed out on copier paper and cut out by hand.  UGH!!  That took a little while but it is SO worth it.  Plus you can use the image over and over.  The original instructions have you putting the image inside the jar and tracing that way.  I found it too difficult, that is why we cut the image out.  I'm sure it would save a lot of time putting the image inside the jar and tracing that way.  You will have to experiment with yours and see which you prefer.  The paint on the bottom part of my jar is a little thicker than needed so I couldn't see the image anyway.  Plus cutting it out and taping it on the jar with removable tape was easier for me to do.  Like I groaned a few sentences back, I didn't like all the cutting, but it really was worth it.  I used an x-acto knife to cut out the windows. I did it while it was still on the jar.  Then I took the tip of the knife and scraped away the paint to make the windows look more like a window.   I did cut the witch out separately.  She was flying too high in the sky for my jar. So once I got her cut out I could place her anywhere I wanted in the sky.  I did not cut the broom handle or her thumb out. I cut them off.  I later drew them in with the marker.  The broom handle was done using a ruler to get it straight.  I didn't trust myself doing it freehand.  Anyway, it is done and I like how it turned out!

One more note here.  You do not want to use a Sharpe marker.  You want an India ink marker.  You want a waterproof marker.  You want a black marker.  I used a Faber-Castell artist pen 2.0mm  It has a nice tip to do detail but yet wide enough to color in the large areas.  I used my 50% off coupon from Michaels.  I'm sure most craft stores carry this type of marker.  

I just need to add a candle (probably a battery operated one) and I'm all set!!!  I have a shepherd's hook and I'll probably hang it from there on Halloween!!!  This was a fun project.  Though I don't see myself making anymore of them.  Mostly because I don't have any use for more!!!

Check here for more "Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries". There's 7 great ideas there.  Have fun!

Thank you SO much for stopping by to see my crafting stuff!!!
Wanda  

Friday, September 04, 2015

A Guy Greetings and Crazy about You Masculine Birthday Card

I had ran across an extra car I had stamped and I thought I would put it to use today.  So since the ink was Early Espresso I used Early Espresso card stock and layered the car.  I wasn't sure where I was going to go with the rest of the card, so I set it aside to think about it.  As I was putting my Neutrals decorative paper pack away, I thought I'd see what designs would work for a masculine card.  Well, these are the ones I came up with and I liked it.  I couldn't decide on just one so I went with three!!!  

I cut these little strips 1-1/8" x 3-1/8".  I set them in place on the top part of a 3-3/4" x 5-1/8" piece of Whisper White card stock. The Early Espresso layer is cut an 1/8" larger all around each side of the Whisper White piece.  And the base of the card is a folded half sheet of Whisper White.

I added a ribbon.  It's retired, but you get the idea and you can use some current ribbon or a strip of Early Espresso card stock.

The car panel is cut 1-1/2" x 2-3/8".  And the Early Espresso layer behind it is cut 1/8" larger on all sides. That panel was set in place using Dimensionals. 

The words are from the "Crazy about You" set.  I put them on my clear block and lined them up they way you see them in the photo.  I was thinking about doing the words on one line but I decided to just go with them on two lines!  Something more bold would probably look better there.  Anyway, it is what it is and I like how it turned out!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Thursday, September 03, 2015

A Gorgeous Grunge and Butterfly Thinlits Card and a Stamp Technique

Today's card comes to you via Terri's wonderful Stamp a Stack. This card is an extremely versatile card.  I didn't stamp any words on my card because I wasn't sure what occasion I was going to use it for.  It could be a wedding, birthday, sympathy, get well, or a thinking of you card.  


There's a fun little technique hiding behind the butterfly.  Look closer and you can see the darker shadowy looking butterfly.   It was made using the butterfly die.  You take some sticky Fun Foam and cut out two butterflies and then stick them together. You have to make sure you line them up exactly or the image won't stamp as nicely as you'd like.  What I did was after I got my butterflies stuck together, I exposed the tape from the back of the bottom butterfly and I stuck it to a piece of clear vinyl.  Now when I want to use the "stamp", I just take the whole piece and it will cling to my acrylic block.  Super slick, huh???

This card was super simple to make.  Just stamp some fun images from the Gorgeous Grunge set using Smoky Slate.  Then Stamp the butterfly.  Next a butterfly was cut using the Framelit and Pink Pirouette card stock.  The butterfly was taped in place and 3 sizes of crystal rhinestones were added.  One large, one medium, and five small ones.  Such a wonderful touch to the card!  Terri is so creative and I LOVE all the cards she has for her Stamp a Stacks.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

A For the New Two Wedding Card

The other day I made green snowflakes and now I'm making green wedding cards!!!  What's with all the green?  And it's not one of my favorite colors to use either!!!  LOL But I do like this card. I was forced to use greens because of the pretty decorative paper!!

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Mossy Meadow. The large layer is Old Olive with some images from the set stamped using Old Olive ink. 

The decorative paper came from the "English Garden" decorative paper pack.  I layered it using Mossy Meadow card stock.

The words are from the "For the New Two" set and stamped using Mossy Meadow ink.  The flowers around the edge of the circle are stamped in Old Olive.  The circle was made using the 2-1/2" Framelit and the Mossy Meadow behind it was cut using the next larger circle Framelit.  I set that piece in place using Dimensionals.

This was a super quick card to make.  And it's very green!

Thank you so much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

A Traveler and World Map Circle Thinlits Card

I don't use my Circle Card Thinlits cutter very often.  I forget I have it until I run across a card that has used it.  I found this card (or something like it!!! LOL) made by Mary at Mary's Craft Room.  I thought it was such a great masculine card and I would get to use the Circle Card Thinlits! You can see her card here.  I changed the greeting but other than that it's a very close copy!!! 

This was a very easy card to make.  I first stamped the "World Map" and set it aside.  Then I took a piece of scrap paper and cut out the card.  I did this so I would know the placement of the map.  I wanted to cut both at the same time so I would get the inside round part right.  I trimmed the top, right side, and the bottom.  I lined up the map on the Early Espresso card stock and then I cut the pieces out.  

The camera and the train were stamped using Early Espresso ink.  The train was punched out using a 2-1/2" circle punch.  The camera was fussy cut.  The scallop was punched out and the words were done on my computer and punched out using the 1-3/8" circle punch.

It was a pretty quick card to make!  And it's a wonderful masculine card.  On the inside (behind the train), I punched out a 2-1/2" Very Vanilla Circle so something could be written on the card to the person receiving it!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda