Today's card is one I made for a swap at my Downline meeting. The swap theme was a sketch swap from Mojo Monday's last sketch MOJO500. I haven't done a fall card yet with the Blended Seasons stamp set, so I decided to take a stab at that. I had to break out my Stampin' Blends again because I love them so much! Also, I put a lot of texture into the card. Maybe too much? I realized later I forgot to put the sentiments on! Oops!
This is another version I did of the card when designing it. On this one, I embossed the leaves with Grapefruit Grove Embossing Powder and then colored it with the Stampin' Blend Markers. I also ran the card in the other direction before settling on a landscape version of the sketch.
FALLING LEAVES CARD SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets –Blended Seasons (W #149019 $53.00, C
#149016$39.00) ~ save 10% on bundle with Stitched Seasons Framelits
Card Stock –
Early Espresso 4-¼” x 11” Card
Base, 3-¾" x 5-¼”
Grapefruit Grove 3-⅞” x 5-⅛”
Whisper White 3-⅞” x 5-⅛” (inside)
Gold Foil Scraps
Wood Textures DSP 3-¼” x 4-¼”, 1" x 5"
Ink – Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark (for alternative version) Stampin' Blend Markers: Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive Pumpkin Pie
Alternate version: Grapefruit Grove from In Color Stampin' Emboss Powders (#146955, $25.00)
Tools – Big Shot, Layered Leaves 3D Dynamic Embossing Folder (#143704, $9.00), Subtle 3D Dynamic Embossing Folder (#143706, $10.00), Stitched Seasons Framelits (#149013,
$33.00) ~ save 10% on bundle with Blended Seasons stamp set
LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program! This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards. Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!
Today I had a Stampin' 101 scheduled with a new stamper and had only preplanned one card. I thought I had another CAS card I was going to use, but at the last minute I realized all the cards I was thinking of had retired products in them. YIKES! I had very little time to design it, so I grabbed today's Mojo Monday sketch and went to work.
I have been going through a rough time medically for the last few months with severe tendonitis (been in an air cast boot for over two months), a chronic stomach disorder and now uterine cancer. I need a little SUNSHINE in my life right now! So, I decided to use the Floral District Designer Series Paper with it's happy, summery colors and the "Live in the Sunshine" sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness stamp set. I hope you enjoy this simple card!
LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program! This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards. Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!
Today is my 30th Wedding Anniversary, so I made this simple card for hubby. It uses a sketch from Splitcoaststamper's Creative Crew Color Focus Challenge. This is a new color combination for me, but I thought it worked well. I also added elements from an old Mojo Monday sketch that coordinates with it as well. Well Worn DSP is one of my go-to papers for masculine cards. And for this card, I chose to use the brand new Send Me Soaring Stamp Set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. It is such a cute stamp set and I thought the sentiment was perfect for how I feel about my husband, Michael! Check out the picture near the end of the post for other sentiments included with the set.
Since I was trying to keep it closer to the CAS side, I did not watercolor the sky as I usually do. It kind of bothers me a bit now, but I'm trying to do more projects that are easy to duplicate. The kites are stamped and cut out and then popped out on Stampin' Dimensionals although you can't really see that in the picture. Hope you enjoy my little card!
HUBBY SENDS ME SOARING SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – Send Me Soaring (W#125440 $23.95, C#125442 $18.95)
Card Stock – Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Well Worn DSP
Ink – Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, River Rock Classic & Markers
Punches – Large Tag (#119876, $15.95), Extra Large Tag (#119866, $16.95)
Tools – Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder (#119976, $7.95), Paper Piercer, Stampin' Sponges, Crop-a-Dile, Color Spritzer
LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program! This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business. Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!
STAMPIN' REWARDS - Anytime you place a product order with me of $150 or more, you earn your choice of FREE Stampin' Up! products including hostess stamp sets. Check out my Stampin' Rewards page for full information on these two programs.
Time for to get the Mojo pumping again! For this Mother's Day card, I used a couple of my favorite Big Shot dies (Two Tags and Flower Folds) as well as two of our colors retiring at end of June (Apricot Appeal and Cameo Coral). I managed to use only one stamp set and the great thing about this stamp set is that it also has a Happy Birthday stamp, so the center of the flower could easily be swapped out to make this a Birthday card for Mom instead. Plus there are four lovely sentiments to choose from for the inside of your card. This set is from the Occasions Mini Catalog and available through April 30 only!
I used the Bride Specialty Paper again for my background paper and brayered the right side with Cameo Coral (went a little overboard so it came out kind of dark) and the left side with Apricot Appeal. Then on the left side, I also sponged on Cameo Coral and Regal Rose. It is difficult to see the color variations in this picture (ancient camera strikes again!), but it gives it a pretty tie-dyed effect. You can see it a little better if you click the picture to make it bigger. To get the petals of the flowers to curl up (difficult to see in the picture), I rolled the petals between a pencil and my finger similar to the way you make curling ribbon curl with scissors. It gives the card a very 3D look. Enjoy!
APPEAL-ing MOTHER'S DAY CARD SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – Messages for Mom (W #117016 $25.95, C #118580 $18.95)
Mojo Monday got a little delayed this week. I started the card on Monday, but ended up with a virus (severe dizziness) for a couple of days, so I just got to finish it today. I wanted to use the Fifth Avenue Floral Set since it is one of the 20% off sets in April. I decided to make the flower 3-dimensional to add a little punch to a pretty monochromatic card - directions are at the end of the post. I would have liked to use the smallest Clear Rhinestone Brads, but I didn't have any more of that size and the other sizes didn't look right, so silver it is.
I had some ruffled border strips left from a technique class I had a couple of months ago. I finally decided to put them to use. You can find the tutorial for the ruffled border pieces here: Diamond Crimp Valentine
This is a close-up side view of the flower so that you can see the different layers:
SWEET PEA FIFTH AVENUE 3D FLORAL SUPPLIES:
Stamp Set – Fifth Avenue Floral (#113734, $19.96 - 20% off in April ONLY!)
Card stock – Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Whisper White, Sweet Pea DSP Stack
Ink – Basic Brown, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron Classic, Versamark
Ribbon – Rose Red 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain (#111846, $8.95), Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin (#117289, $8.95)
Working my springtime mojo with today's Mojo Monday sketch! With the official beginning of Spring this weekend and warm temperatures here, I wanted to make this card very "Springy". Also, this sketch gives me a chance to make a card to fit our 3-1/2" x 6-3/4" Open End Envelopes which I always seem to forget about! I really like this size though as it is fun and a nice change change. The finished card is 3-1/4" x 6-1/2".
I decided to challenge myself to use only one stamp set for this card - a very difficult thing for me. I'm always wanting to mix and match! ;) But this set is a cutie and is a Sale-A-Bration exclusive which means you can choose this set for FREE with any $50 purchase - available through March 31 only!
SPRINGTIME BIRTHDAY WISHES SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – Happy Moments (C #119125 W #118664 - FREE with $50 purchase - available through March 31 only)
Card stock – Whisper White, Orchid Oppulence, Barely Banana, Shades of Spring DSP
Back in December, I started on this old Mojo Monday sketch, determined to do a masculine card. With the craziness of the holidays and getting out Christmas cards, I never got to finish it. It got tossed in my to-do drawer and I never saw it again until today. Of course, when I discovered it, I had to start working on it immediately.
I always have more difficulty with masuline cards. I gravitate towards the feminine and floral realm, so I took it as a personal challenge to finish this today. Since the sketch is long past, I went ahead and took a little more liberty with it than I normally do. I actually made a couple of versions. This one was Jenni's favorite. I'm still not sure and am still redoing! :o)
GOIN' ROUND IN CIRCLES BIRTHDAY SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – Birthday Bliss (#115442, $15.95 or FREE with $50 purchase )
Punches – 1 ¾” Circle (#112004, $15.95), 1⅜” Circle (#104401, $15.95), 1” Circle (#104401, $15.95), ¾” Circle (#107217, $10.95), 1/2” Circle (#104390, $5.95), Large Star (#110710, $15.95)
After a jam-packed weekend, I decided to take it easy today and take my inspiration from this week's Mojo Monday sketch. This sketch is a very Clean and Simple one, so I decided to go with a pretty monochromatic pink Birthday card for a very "pink" lady! I decided to use a Ruffled Border Flower that I have had sitting on my desk since my Ruffled Punch Border Technique Class as it matched the sketch and color scheme perfectly. You can see my directions for this flower here: Ruffled Rose Valentine. Enjoy!
PINK ROSE BIRTHDAY CARD SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – On Your Birthday (#111664, $33.95)
Card stock – Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty DSP
Ink – Melon Mambo Marker, White Signo Gel Pen
Ribbon – Melon Mambo 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain (#115611)
Punches – Eyelet Border (#113692, $15.95), Scallop Oval (#114889, $15.95), Large Oval (#107305, $15.95), Modern Label (#116630, $15.95)
Accessories – Pretty in Pink Corduroy Buttons (#117268, $9.95)
Tools – Big Shot, Magnetic Movers & Shapers Punch Windows (#115953)
Well, the third time is the charm! After weather-related delays, I was finally able to hold my New Punch Class today that was originally scheduled in January. Originally I had designed a Valentine card for the final project, but had to switch since it is now the end of February. I decide to use this week's Mojo Monday sketch and make it an Easter card.
My FREE tutorials follow the card recipe. I started out coming up with my own beginning squares for my tutorial with much frustration. After figuring out a few, Gretchen Barron came out with hers, so I was able to use a few of hers to fill in with mine. The Pinking Hearts tutorial has all my own measurements as I did my tutorial before Gretchen posted hers - some are different than Gretchen's, but I find that these are the ones that work well for me.
THIS BUNNY HAS MOJO! SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets – Chocolate Bunny (#116980, $7.95)
Card stock – Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, Shades of Spring DSP
Punches – Scallop Edge (#112091, $15.95), Scallop Trim Border (#118402, FREE with $50 purchase), Scallop Trim Corner (#118870, $9.95)
Accessories – Stampin' Dimensionals
SCALLOP TRIM PUNCHES TUTORIAL
The Scallop Trim punches are a fabulous new addition to our punch line! Using this guide, you will be able to make wonderful squares and rectangles. There are 7 sizes included in this tutorial as those would be the sizes for using on cards. Of course, you can cut larger pieces for scrapbooking, framed art and other projects using these same principals.
There are a few differences in working with these punches versus our older corner and border punches. They will take some practice to become proficient, but you can do it!
On the corner punches, it is important to realize that there is not a corner guide where you push the paper all the way in to a V-guide that goes beyond visible area. Holding the Scallop Trim Punch upside down, you will instead line up the corner of your cardstock with the visible corner of the punch. Do not go beyond the visible corner.
CUTTING GUIDE for SQUARES:
4 ¾" = Square with 10 scallops on each side
4 ¼" = Square with 9 scallops on each side
3 13/16" = Square with 8 scallops along each side. (Great size to practice with as it fits perfectly into the guide printed on the Scallop Trim Border Punch)
3 ¼" = Square with 7 scallops along each side.
2 ⅞" = Square with 6 scallops on each side
2 ⅜" = Square with 5 scallops on each side
1 15/16" = Square with 4 scallops on each side. Uses only the corner punch.
DIRECTIONS:
The first and smallest square begins with a square of cardstock that is 1 15/16" square. For this square, you only need the corner punch. Because of this, after the first corner is punched, you will need to line up the next corner with the previous corner. This is a neat square when finished as you can add a 1 ⅜" and 1 ¼" square punch for layering.
For all the rest of the scallop squares and rectangles, you will need to use both the Border and the Corner Punches.
“ALL AROUND” PUNCH DIRECTIONS:
1. First, punch all four corners, as described above. Be sure to stop your cardstock right at the edge of the cutting blade or the border punch will not line up and your piece will be lop-sided!
2. For the next three sizes 2 ⅜", 2 ⅞" and 3 ¼": it is easier to turn the border punch upside down, so that you can line-up your scallops properly. Once the four corners are punched, turn the border upside down and line up the scallops with the punched corners. Repeat for each of the four sides until your square is complete.
3. With the 3 13/16” square only, once the four corners have been punched, both corners of the square will line up perfectly with the printed guide of the Scallop Trim Border punch to punch the sides! Lay the punch on the table, line the square up with the guide and punch down, using the ball of your hand!
4. With larger squares, after punching the four corners, you will need to make two punches for each of the four sides. Line up one corner with the guide and punch. Then slide your square down and line up the opposite corner with the guide and punch again. If you experience difficulty with this method, try punching with your punch upside down and matching up the scallops as with the smaller squares.
Prefer rectangles? No problem! Use any combination of two dimensions given above to arrive at the perfect rectangle. For example, use 3 13/16" x 4 ¾" to get an 8 scallop by 10 scallop rectangle. Any combination will work, as long as you use the measurements given above.
Once you're practiced these techniques, you will be amazed at how quickly you can punch out squares and rectangles!
PINKING HEARTS PUNCHES TUTORIAL
Please read my Scallop Trim Punches Tutorial above first, as it gives information that is the similar for the Pinking Hearts Punches.
Tips to Keep in Mind:
I find them more difficult to work with than the Scallop Trim Punches and harder to get to come out perfectly. Practice, practice, practice is the KEY to making this punch work for you!
Line up the points of the Pinking edge rather than the hearts or you will drive yourself crazy.
Accurate measuring is very important. The pinking points are very small and you need to be both accurate and consistent in your measurements. Try adjusting your beginning measurements by 1/16” at a time to find the best one for you if mine are not working for you.
CUTTING GUIDE for SQUARES:
2 13/16"
3 3/16"
3 5/8"
4"
4 5/16"
4 3/4"
If you wish to make rectangles, simply combine two of the measurements.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Holding the Corner Punch upside down, punch the corners first. Be sure to stop your cardstock right at the edge of the cutting blade or the border punch will not line up and your piece will be lop-sided!
2. Using the guide on the top of the Border Punch line up the pinking points perfectly to cut the sides. If you have difficulty getting them to come out correctly, try using the punch upside down so you can see from the bottom how the paper and metal line up. You may find it better one way or the other for you and you may switch back and forth depending on which size square you are working on.
I put my templates in the one of the 6” x 6” page protectors in the back of my Technique Album that my Technique Thursday class is working on. It is great to have them handy for deciding which one will work best on your project.
Here is a video from Stampin' Up for another perspective on these fabulous punches!
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The content of this blog is my sole responsibility as an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator and the use of, and content of the classes, services, or products offered on this blog are not endorsed by Stampin' Up!
