Saturday Challenge # 17--Glitter

For this week's challenge, use glitter. Remember, no more hoarding! I already used glitter this week in my glitter window card. I haven't made another card yet, but I'm hoping to stamp with my mom tonight. She's arriving today for a week's visit, so I have the whole week off. I should get lots of projects done for you!
When your project is done, use ISC17 for your SCS upload. Be sure to link back here to your gallery or blog!
Happy stamping!

Glitter window tutorial

Here is a tutorial for the glitter window. This glitter window is different than the ones I've seen before. Usually, a glitter window has an image behind it, and the glitter window is covered with Dazzling Diamonds.

This glitter window technique was demonstrated at the Milwaukee Regional by Laura Barto. I made my window using the Coluzzle, but Laura used punches to make hers. For example, you can take a 3X3 square and punch the rounded tab punch twice to punch out a circle.

After you have your window, cover it with clear packing tape. It's OK to use more than one piece of tape to cover a large window because you won't see the seam when you're done.
Turn the window over so the sticky side faces up.
Put a shape in the center of the window. Make sure the edges are stuck securely to the packing tape. (Here, I've already adhered the window to the other layers of the card.)
Pour glitter over the entire window. Pour off the excess. Use your finger to press the glitter into the packing tape and wipe off any stray glitter.
Happy stamping!

Two challenges, three cards

This week's demonstratable card challenge was a little complicated. I'll try to explain it.
1. Choose 2 colors (plus one neutral).
2. Make 3 cards from one sheet of cardstock (one color).
3. Cut mats from the other color.
4. Use only one embellishment and one tool on each card. The embellishments and tools have to be different for each card.
5. Use only one stamp set (can add a sentiment set if needed).
I think that's it!
I decided to use Julie Buhler's color challenge for this week: Perfect Plum and Always Artichoke. I chose Confetti White for my neutral.
I ended up with 2 cards that are 3 1/2 X 4 1/4 and one card that is 4 X 4 1/4 because I wanted to use the whole sheet of cardstock and that was just how it worked out.
The first card I made was the card on the lower right. I cut a piece of Confetti White the same size as the block for the large swirl and matted it on Perfect Plum. I stamped the swirl in Always Artichoke. I stamped the flower in Perfect Plum, cut it out and attached it with an artichoke brad. I stamped the sentiment in Perfect Plum craft ink in the lower left corner of the Artichoke mat and heat set it. I mounted the focal image off center because I liked how it fit in with where the sentiment was stamped.
The second card I made was the glitter window card. I'll post a tutorial for it tomorrow.
For the third card, I stamped the small swirl in bleach on the Artichoke mat. I stamped "Kind" in Artichoke ink and punched it out with the small oval punch. (I love that the frames in the new hardware kit fit the punches!) I attached the oval frame to the Artichoke mat with silver brads. I hope the frame and brads count as one embellishment; otherwise, I didn't fulfill the challenge requirements! Anyway, I stamped 3 butterflies in Perfect Plum but ended up only using 2 because I didn't want the card to get too crowded. I stamped the small swirl in Artichoke and attached the butterflies with dimensionals cut in half. I bent the butterflies slightly in the middle before adhering them to give them a little more dimension.
Supplies (all SU except packing tape): Stamps: Priceless; Paper: Confetti White, Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum; Ink: Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum classic and craft, bleach; Accessories: Fine cosmo glitter, coluzzle, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, small oval punch, Rich Regals brads, clear packing tape
Come back tomorrow for the glitter window tutorial.
Happy stamping!

Embossed dots tutorial

This is how we were shown to make the embossed dots at Regional. I had never thought to use the template from the Crafter's Tool kit! What a great idea!
The CropADile should be set on A-1. That's the setting for jumbo eyelets, and I found it made the best dots. (The A and the 1 are on the black cubes, and the A & the 1 should be facing to the inside of the CAD or you can think of it as facing each other if that helps.)
Tip of the Day: There is actually a little picture of an eyelet on the CAD so you know which way to put the eyelet so that it sets properly! In this photo, the left side of the CAD has the picture of the eyelet, and the right side says "BASE". (This is on the metal next to the black cube.)


This is how we were shown to make the embossed dots at Regional. I had never thought to use the template from the Crafter's Tool kit! What a great idea!
Line up the template with your cardstock as in the above photo.

I found it easiest to have the little knob on the CAD on top because I could place that into the hole on the template. Then just squeeze. If the dot isn't embossed enough, just squeeze again. Note: If you squeeze too hard, you may tear the cardstock.
Here is the finished row of dots. You can see that the first dot is more embossed because I squeezed hard twice on that one. If you want to have them all around the edge, the template makes it easy to line them all up. Your hand will be really tired though!

Last 2 Regionals Projects

I finally got my last 2 Regionals projects done. They are both scrapbook pages, so I had to wait until I had my pictures. Two of the pictures were taken by my upline, Sandi.
This is a 6X6 page just as it was designed by SU. I thought the saying was just perfect for the photo of Rhonda and me stamping together! We used the Live Your Dream set with Afternoon Tea DSP.

This is a 6X6 page that I adapted from the original 12 X 12 page that SU designed. (You can see the original page in the photo below. To give you an idea of the scale, the Real Red flower, So Saffron photo mat, Soft Sky circle and Wild Wasabi square are all the same on both pages.)

This page uses the So Much stamp set that we got at Regionals. The two circle stamps make an awesome background!

Here is how I cut the photo down to fit onto the Soft Sky circle. I stamped the circle stamp onto the back of the photo and used it as a cutting guide. By holding the photo up to the light, I could see the photo so I'd know where to cut.
This is the cute little frame that Rhonda gave me at Christmas. Now I have the 2 Regionals pages back-to-back and on display in my craft room!

Tomorrow, I'll post a tutorial showing how to make the embossed dots that you see on the Wild Wasabi cardstock on my 2nd 6X6 page.

Happy stamping!

Saturday Challenge # 16--Chipboard

This week's challenge is to use chipboard. Don't forget that this is the last week of SU's chipboard special: Purchase $35 of product and then get 25% off ALL chipboard! I made this card for this week's workshop wow demo challenge, which was to use chipboard. (Thanks for the idea, Patty!) Luckily, Beate's weekend sketch challenge had a nice big circle on it, so it was perfect!
First, I covered the chipboard circle with Bali Breeze paper. Then I covered the flower petals with So Saffron craft ink and embossed with Irridescent Ice for some sparkle. I wanted to use some nice big ribbon for the piece behind the flower, and I found this Regal Rose ribbon in my stash. I went to the color combo site here to find the 4th color. I had lots of options but chose Soft Sky. Since the ribbon is bulky and I added the hardware, I used dimensionals under the Soft Sky paper. Before I stuck it down, I added all the hardware. I used the mat from the Crafters Tool Kit to line up the brads. I adhered the Soft Sky to a layer of So Saffron mounted onto an Old Olive card.
This card is definitely different for me. I think it kind of looks like a Beate card. (Well, if I'd used Chocolate Chip, it would DEFINITELY look like a Beate card. LOL) What do you think?
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Be Happy; Paper: So Saffron, Old Olive, Soft Sky Prints DSP, Bali Breeze DSP; Ink: Regal Rose, So Saffron craft; Accessories: Irridescent Ice EP, On Board Blossoms & Basics, Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals, Styled Silver hodgepodge hardware, crafters tool kit
If you play along, use keyword ISC16 and post a link here.
Happy stamping!

How to make leaves with a circle punch

First, punch out a circle. I'm using the 1 3/8" circle punch here.
Put your punched out circle back into the circle punch. This is as far as I can go.
Here's what you get. A leaf and a moon.
My friend and customer Debbie (Hi Deb!) was frugal and discovered you can put the moon back in and get another leaf.
Note: I am not the creator of this. It was demonstrated at the Milwaukee Regional by Karah Crosby. If my notes are right, she works for Stampin' Up.
Happy stamping and punching!

Gift Pouch

Here is a gift pouch that we made at my workshop Monday night. It's made from a kraft envelope. You seal it and cut off one end to make it a 4 3/8" square. Then you decorate the outside and put a cello bag inside to hold your gift. I decorated this one with the Die-Cut Blooms from the Occasions Mini. The rub-on is from the A Perfect Day set also from the Mini. These rub-ons coordinate with Tart & Tangy, the Die-Cut Blooms, 5-petal flower punch and the scallop circle punch. The leaves were made using the 1 3/8" circle punch. I'll post pictures later on how to do that. It's so easy and cool!
Happy stamping!

Three versions of a gift card holder

The top card in the photo is a card that we made at Regional. It's made from a 4 X 12 piece of cardstock. You score it at 4" and 8" then make a diagonal score on the center panel from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. This forms a diagonal pocket inside the card that is perfect for holding a gift card.
Since the special this month is for chipboard, I created 2 other versions of the same card using chipboard for the focal image. The four-leaf clover is formed from 4 hearts. The heart and the star are both from the On Board Simon Upper set, and the rub-on that's on the star is from the Anchored rub-ons.
The white circles are a stamp from So Much, the set we got at Regional. Stamp it with white StazOn, use the paper piercer, and you've got faux-stitched circles!
Happy stamping!

Saturday Challenge # 15--the color purple

This week's challenge is to use the color purple. The card I posted earlier in the week is my sample. This card is the one my mom sent me for Mother's Day. I love that she used Priceless; it's one of my favorite sets! Her purple is the retired Vintage Violet.
Use keyword ISC15 if you post to the SCS gallery. Be sure to put a link here if you play along!
Happy stamping!

I made a card just for fun!

Remember the ribbon weaving tutorial I posted here? Well, I finally made a card with it! This week's demonstratable card challenge was weaving, and Caville (the hostess) said I could use ribbon weaving. I chose last week's color combo challenge: Lovely Lilac (!), Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. For the background, I inked up my Daisy Dash jumbo wheel for the very first time. (I love the smell of new rubber in the morning! LOL) I used the wheel guide to make sure it would be perfectly straight. I used the A Perfect Day rub-ons from the Occasions Mini for the flower and on the taffeta ribbon. (This rub-on fit perfectly in the five-petal flower punch. There's one for the scallop circle punch too!) I added a rhinestone brad and adhered it with a Stampin' Dimensional. Next I used my favorite new trick: I used the horizontal slot punch to punch a slot for the ribbon to go through. I added the rub-ons to the ribbon; just like with the woven piece, I had to rub REALLY hard to get them to stick, but it worked. Then I added the little celery knot. (I had already planned to put that knot on there, but I'm using it to cover a little rub-on boo-boo!)

Stamps: Daisy Dash jumbo wheel
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Lovely Lilac
Ink: Lovely Lilac
Accessories: A Perfect Day rub-ons, wheel guide, Ice Circles rhinestone brads, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Certainly Celery narrow grosgrain ribbon, horizontal slot punch, Love & Happiness rub-ons (retired), five petal flower punch

Happy stamping!

RAK from GWTW Junkie

One of my fellow SCSers is GWTW Junkie. How can I not admire someone with such exquisite taste in literature?? I was so excited to find out that she was going to the Milwaukee Regional so I could meet/stalk her. I took a Scarlett O'Hara button along with me and showed it to her when I met her. She wanted to buy it, but of course, I gave it to her. So she sent me a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) to thank me. I just love this card! The colors are perfect for spring, and the layout is great too.
Happy stamping!

Prom!

Daniel went to prom last night with his friend Riley. She was in the group he went to Europe with last summer.

Here they are looking at photos from their European trip. It was fun to listen to them sharing stories. Our cat, Birkie, loved Riley and kept crawling under her dress! (It was a great place for him to hide.)

Saturday Challenge # 13--Eyelets

This week's challenge is to use eyelets. I have to confess I haven't used eyelets much, but the Cropadile has made it SO easy! Even these jumbo eyelets set easily, and the CAD punches holes in this tin like butter! I'm definitely not hoarding here as I used 12 jumbo eyelets, yes 12! (It's for my mom, and she's worth it, right?) I found this adorable little tin at Target in the dollar spot and thought it would be perfect to cover with paper. I think it's supposed to be a planter, but my thumb is definitely not green unless that's the color I'm using to stamp! (Sorry for the crooked photo.) Since my mom LOVES Soft Sky, I used the Soft Sky Prints DSP and Soft Sky double-stitched grograin ribbon.
Here's what I did. (Please don't ask me for measurements because I didn't write them down. I really should have since I may do another one. If I do, I'll write down the measurements and post them, OK?) I measured the top edge of the long side and the height of the tin. (I left a little border of the metal showing so I wouldn't have to worry about the edges of the paper butting up against each other.) I cut a rectangle that size. I held the paper up against the tin and marked on each side of the bottom edge where I wanted the paper to end and then cut from those marks up to the top corners using my paper trimmer. I cut the same piece for the other side of the tin and then repeated the steps for the two short ends. I adhered the paper to the tin using Matte Mod Podge. I painted it onto the tin and also over the paper to make sure it was secure.

I figured out how many eyelets I wanted on each side. I measured the top edge of the tin and divided that number by the number of eyelets plus one. (That's because 2 eyelets divide it into 3 equal sections.) I used a pencil to mark off where the eyelets would go then punched all of the holes with the CAD. Since I used the jumbo eyelets, I punched again a couple of times to enlarge the hole slightly so the eyelet would fit.
Weaving the ribbon was really just trial and error. I couldn't get it to fit exactly how I wanted it; I'm guessing it is because I had even numbers of holes on each side. Anyway, I used mini glue dots to adhere the ribbon in the corners so that it would look right on the outside.

After you've uploaded your eyelet creations (using keyword ISC13 on SCS), post the link here so I can check it out!

Happy stamping!

One more Regional project

Here's another project from the Milwaukee Regional last month. I like it because it's different! The base is 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 Kraft with the Pomegranate piece attached to the back and half of it folding to the front. The two main circles were cut out with the Coluzzle. I have to confess I haven't been a big Coluzzle fan because it doesn't make a complete circle; there are two places you have to snip with scissors. Tip of the day: (Courtesy of my sideline Lori) After you've cut your circle, turn the Coluzzle template slightly. Then you can use the template to cut where the two uncut areas are. Thanks, Lori! I'm looking forward to using the Coluzzle now to try out your tip.
We used the corner rounder punch to make the scallop border.
I have one more project from Regional, but I can't show you until after my workshops this month because I want it to be a surprise for my groups.
Happy stamping!

Rub-ons on Ribbon

Here is the rub-on on the ribbon. Maybe I should have used the black. It stands out more in IRL. When I first started rubbing, it didn't stick. I had to rub really hard and then it finally started adhering. I pulled up just a little of the paper at a time to make sure I didn't break the rub-on. The rub-ons definitely work great on the polytwill ribbon; I have done that a few times already. Here is a card that Emily made where she did the rub-ons on the wide grosgrain ribbon. Give it a try and let me know how it works!

Ribbon weaving tutorial

Here is a ribbon-weaving tutorial for those of you who can't access Kristina Werner's awesome video. This ribbon is retired. It is from the Pretty Ribbon Originals in last year's Spring Mini. I used Pretty in Pink cardstock. You will need 8 pieces of ribbon--4 for each direction. Measure the width of your ribbon and multiply by 4 then add about an inch to figure out the length you need. Since this ribbon has a decorative edge, I laid the ribbon on my cutter to figure out the size of cardstock I need. In this case, it is 2 1/4" square.
I put adhesive on all four sides of the square right at the edge then laid the square on top of the ribbon. A great tip I picked up from Kristina's video is to adhere the top and bottom pieces of ribbon first and then center the middle two pieces.
Here you can see where I've stuck down the pieces of ribbon and added a mini glue dot in each corner where the ribbon pieces will overlap. I pull the ribbon pretty tight because you will have a little flexibility in the cardstock when weaving.
Now start weaving. You can either adhere each piece as you go or weave all 4 and then adhere them all at the end. Again, I did the top and bottom pieces first then filled in the two middle pieces.
Here is the finished piece. I haven't used it on a project yet. Since this ribbon is smoother, I might try some rub-ons.

Happy stamping!