Easel card

This week's workshop wow challenge is an easel card. Beate has a great tutorial on SCS. I made a fun discovery: the easel card is just a Z fold card with an extra piece adhered to the front! So it's just a step up from the card I made last week. Then you add something to the inside of the card to make the card stand up. In this case, I used a punched-out image lifted up by dimensionals.
I used a few new things on this card: satin ribbon, shimmer paint, SAB stamps, and Exteme Elements. The shimmer paint and Extreme Elements aren't new to SU, but they are new to me! I used the shimmer paint in 2 ways--I inked a stamp with it, and I painted it over the butterflies.

Here are the 2 pieces to the card. On the left is the card base with the front flap folded back on itself. On the right is what will be the card front. You line up the top edge of the card front with the top edge of the flap (where the sticky strip is).

Here's a side view of the card so you can see how it went together and how it stands up.

Supplies (all SU):
Stamps: Dreams du Jour, Extreme Elements, Vintage Labels
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: champagne shimmer paint, scallop square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, curly label punch, Basic Gray satin ribbon

Happy stamping!

Crimped Diamonds

Last week's workshop wow challenge was crimped diamonds from Tami's blog. To create this, you find the center of each side of the cardstock, score and fold each side back then run it through the crimper. I'll admit it was a little tricky; I had to hold the back corner in my lips while working the crimper with both hands. The result is definitely worth the effort! To create the center piece, cut a smaller piece of cardstock, mark the center of each side and cut instead of scoring.
Tami has a video on her blog. If you'd like to see photos instead, let me know and I'll try to do a photo tutorial. I hope you try this one!
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Dreams du Jour; Paper: confetti white, Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss; Ink: VersaMark; Accessories: crimper, black EP, heat tool, clips assortment, mellow moss taffeta ribbon, stampin' pastels, blender pen
Happy stamping!

Tri-shutter card with reinker splash

I made this card for a friend's daughter for her confirmation. It uses 2 really cool techniques: the tri-shutter card and reinker splash. I'll include the basic directions for both, but for details on the tri-shutter card, check out this thread on SCS. Patty Bennett has a great video for reinker splash too (she calls it watercolor rose).
This is the tri-shutter card open and standing.

Here it is laid down so you can see all of the panels better. The circle on the front as well as all of the butterflies were made using reinker splash.

Here's how the card looks closed. To make the tri-shutter card, start with a 5 1/2 X 12 piece of cardstock. Score it at 2", 4", 8" and 10". Turn it 90 degrees then measure in 1 1/2" from each side and cut from the first score line to the last score line.

For the reinker splash technique, you need to start with shimmery white cardstock. From what I've read, no other cardstock works nearly as well. Stamp your image with versamark or craft ink and emboss it with white EP. (As you can see on the right, I tried it with Not Quite Navy craft ink and clear EP, but the colors didn't pop as much. I think it would work with an image with more open area.) Spray the cardstock liberally with water; you want pools of water. Then pick up some reinker with an aquapainter and touch it inside the image. It will fill in one of the pools of water inside the embossing. You can go back and add more color or even add a different color to part of the same area. Just experiment. Then you need to let it dry. This can take 30 minutes or longer. (The above photo is when it was still wet.)
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Dreams du Jour, God's Way; Paper: Kiwi Kiss textured, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, shimmery white, Urban Garden DSP; Ink: Basic Gray, VersaMark, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze; Accessories: Pretties Kit, Flower Fusion Too, circle scissors, cutter kit, Styled Silver HPH, white EP, sponge, ticket corner punch
Happy stamping!

1-2-3 challenge card

Here's the card I created for this week's workshop wow demo challenge. I gave them a 1-2-3 challenge. They had to use 1 stamp set and 1 sentiment, 2 different techniques, and 3 In Colors and/or 3 accessories.
My stamp set is Dreams du Jour with a sentiment from Sincere Salutations. My techniques are baby wipe and dazzling diamond dust. My 3 In Colors are Baja Breeze, Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red, and my 3 accessories are ribbon (Baja Breeze and Pacific Point), a button (Button Bouquet), and a corduroy brad. I also used the ticket corner punch.
Happy stamping!

Shadow embossed butterflies

I made this card for this week's Workshop Wow challenge. We are in our last week of summer re-runs, and this week's re-run is shadow embossing. I wish you could see this card in person; it's hard to see the shadow part of it in the photo.
Here's what I did: I started by stamping the focal image in Close to Cocoa craft ink. Then I masked it off and stamped the butterflies all over the card in VersaMark. I embossed all of the images at once using clear EP. So the butterflies look like shadows, get it? The reason I masked the focal image is because I wanted to color it in, and I didn't want the butterfly images to get in the way of that. I used Ruby Red and Mellow Moss ink and a blender pen to color. I stamped the butterfly with Close to Cocoa craft ink on a scrap, embossed it with clear EP, colored it and attached it to the knot of the ribbon with Mono Multi.
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Dreams du Jour; Paper: Pink Pirouette; Ink: Versamark, Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa craft; Accessories: scallop border punch, Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon, clear EP, blender pen
You will find a link over to the right for the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I will warn you, though, that it's a PDF instead of the usual online catalog. That's because SU will be offering online ordering in the near future.
Happy stamping!

A white challenge

If you have ever seen JulieHRR's work on her blog or at SCS, you know that she is all about a simple white card. So that was her Dare to Get Dirty challenge this week. White cards are SO not my style, but I decided to give it a try.
I started with a 4 1/4" square shimmery white card and used the scallop border punch on the side. Then I stamped my image in Basic Gray and colored it with the new In Color Inks and a blender pen. I stamped and colored the butterfly on a scrap, cut it out and adhered it. A simple ribbon finished off the card. I was pretty pleased with it; what do you think? Here is what Julie herself had to say: "I love that you added the delicate butterfly and your color selection is such a PRETTY one! Nicely done, girl!" Whoohoo!!
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Dreams du Jour; Paper: Shimmery white; Ink: Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point; Accessories: scallop border punch, blender pen, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon

More new stuff

Here is the card I made for this week's Workshop Wow demo challenge. The challenge was to use our newest stamp set. I used the Blurred Vision Watercolor technique on the main image. You stamp the image and then watercolor over it; the ink you stamped with colors in the image, and the lines get a little blurred. This image is from Fresh Cuts and is stamped with Kiwi Kiss. I stamped the butterflies from Dreams Du Jour in Basic Brown and watercolored them with Baja Breeze and Tangerine Tango. (Tip of the day: Let one color dry before you apply the other color so they don't run together.) I cut out the butterflies then dotted on 2 way glue and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds. I used a little Mono Multi to adhere them to the main image.
I also stamped the butterflies onto the cardbase with VersaMark.
For the ribbon, I ran some vanilla taffeta over the Tangerine Tango pad, using a sponge dauber on top to press it in. I heat set the ribbon, which crinkled it up a little; it is a cool look! Believe it or not, the Old Olive twill goes perfectly with the Kiwi Kiss!
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Fresh Cuts, Dreams Du Jour; Paper: Confetti White, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango; Ink: VersaMark, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango; Accessories: cutter kit, aquapainter, Dazzling Diamonds, 2 way glue, vanilla taffeta ribbon, Old Olive polytwill ribbon
Happy stamping!

First Sneak Peek Card

I'm a little embarrassed to say that I was so tired last night that I fell asleep on the couch before I mounted a single stamp! But I got my new stuff mounted this morning, and I did make my In Color spots last night.
I played around with the scallop border punch this afternoon. I was trying to make scallop edged squares like Mary Jo Albright did, but I had a lot of trouble getting it to work and finally gave up. I do plan on making the ric rac though. That looks really cool!
I started with a 6" square piece of Baja Breeze scored at 3" to make a 3" X 6" card. I used the scallop border punch on the bottom. There is a grid on the punch, so it is really easy to center your scallops on the card!
I love the butterfly in the new set Dreams Du Jour! I punched out 3 1 1/4" squares and stamped the butterfly in Basic Brown. I colored it in using Riding Hood Red and Baja Breeze and a blender pen. I roughed up the edges with my cutter kit and adhered them to 1 1/2" squares that also have roughed up edges.
For a finishing touch, I added a piece of Chocolate Chip polytwill ribbon. I wrapped it all the way around the card and cut the end into a V. (I saw this on Nichole Heady's blog and loved the look!) I added a Riding Hood Red button from the new Button Bouquet set in the new catalog. Stampin' Up let us order 2 of the buttons and showed us a picture from the rest. They are very cool! I will say, though, that the Baja Breeze buttons we got don't go with the Baja Breeze cardstock IMHO. I'm a little bummed about that, but I will make it work!
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Dreams Du Jour; Paper: Confetti White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red; Ink: Basic Brown, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red; Accessories: blender pen, 1 1/4" square punch, cutter kit, scallop border punch, Chocolate Chip polytwill ribbon, Button Bouquet
I plan to break out the Sock Monkey tomorrow, so look for more posts coming up this week!
Happy stamping!