Fun Fold with a Belly Band

Yes!  I'm back!  I've spent a long week preparing for a BIG class over the past 2 days.  I held my first ever "Over the Top" class, showcasing three cards that I would NEVER attempt to make in a regular Card Club.  Lots of fun and a lotta work, but everyone enjoyed their "pushed to the limit" creativity.

I'll show you one of the cards we made later this week, but first, one more card from March birthdays:

This was a card we made last month (and I sent to my nephew).  It's a "Gatefold Card"--a fun and different card that still fits in a regular envelope.  A belly band holds it closed; slipped off you have:

To make this card, start with a piece of cardstock (I used Gumball Green) cut to 4" x 12".  Score along the long edge at 2", 4", 8", and 10".  Fold on the 4" line (as if you are closing a card) and then BACK on the 2" fold; repeat on the other side, folding on the 8" line (again, as if you are closing the card) and then back on the 10" mark.  This creates your "gate".

My front panels were decorated with Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper mounted on Summer Starfruit strips.  Inside, I stamped the sentiment from Perfect Pennants in Gumball Green, then stamped again on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla and punched out just the "a" with a 1/2" circle punch.  This was adhered over a little banner cut from Summer Starfruit and the Bitty Banners framelits. 

The card is kept closed with a belly band:

A strip of Gumball Green is placed under the card and brought up over the front.  By overlapping the front, the seam is hidden when the medallion is glued in place over the band.  The largest stamp from Starburst Sayings was stamped in Gumball Green and cut out using the Starburst Framelits, then mounted on a Summer Starfruit circle cut with the Circle Framelits. 

All items used can be purchased in my on-line store here.

Let's get creating!

Better Get Better

Ever need a Get Well Card?  I did...

I wanted something cheery, without being too cutesy.  So pulling out my beautiful Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper helped me choose a color palette that was just what I was looking for. 
A Crisp Cantaloupe card base was cut 5-1/4" x 8-1/2"  and scored on the long side at 4-1/4".  I then layered on a piece of Island Indigo which took a quick trip through the Big Shot with my Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  The Watercolor Wonder DSP came next, but was cut about an inch narrower than the Island Indigo, leaving a border on the left.  Before gluing this layer, I inserted a few Banner Blast images, punched with the Banner Punch (these are FREE through Monday, when Sale-A-Bration ends). 

And to highlight it all, I ran a strip of Island Indigo through the Big Shot with the Finishing Touches Edgelits.

The sentiment from Perfect Pennants was stamped in Island Indigo Ink on Cardstock Vellum and cut using the Banner Framelits dies; a second, larger one was also cut from Vellum and embossed with Perfect Polka Dots.  Some Island Indigo Bakers Twine was wrapped three times and tied in a bow,and this was all added to the card front.

I  jazzed up the envelope by adding matching DSP.

Wouldn't this brighten your day?

All items used can be purchased here.

Let's get creating!

My Anniversary

Yesterday was the anniversary of my marriage to my wonderful husband, Jim.  This guy has been around forever, supporting me through the ups and downs, fathering our kids, and letting me have this crazy hobby!  So I made a special anniversary card:

This is pretty different from any I've made him before--more playful and fun.  I had these left over people from a Paper Pumpkin a few months back, and knew I wanted to use them, but what to do?

I started with one of the Watercolor Wonder Designer Notecards, cutting one in half.  This was embossed using the Ampersand Embossing Folder.  A piece of Whisper White was sent through the Big Shot with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, and after tying a pretty White Organza Ribbon Bow around the Watercolor piece, I mounted it to the White.  This layer was adhered to the Gumball Green card base (5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4").

My little people were added, using Mini Glue Dots (aren't they the cutest?).  But what to do next?  I wanted a sentiment...my first choice was just a Happy Anniversary, but it didn't seem right.  Then I was looking at the stamp from Perfect Pennants--Me and You--but decided that needed to go inside.  Aha!  How about a word bubble with the Just Sayin' stamp telling him how I feel?

Perfecto!  Stamped in Gumball Green and hand trimmed, then mounted to a piece of Gumball Green cut with the Word Bubbles Framelits!  Love it!!!  Of course this needed a little heart (punched from the Owl Punch in Real Red) and it was all popped up with Dimensionals.

Done...and now for the inside:

Stamped in Gumball Green, cut out with the Chalk Talk Framelits and mounted on another layer of Gumball Green, with a Happy Anniversary from Hugs & Wishes (a vintage set) stamped below...Just what I wanted for my perfect hubby!

Items can be ordered here--you can even shop in your pj's.

Let's get creating!

Young At Heart

I have an uncle who has just celebrated his 85th birthday.  I spent many years inviting him to various family celebrations, as he only had us for relatives.  When he moved across the country a few years ago, we realized that we were missing someone in our lives.  So not to be forgotten on his BIG birthday, I sent this card:

Taking a cue from the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper (which has one with party hats all over it) I made a special hat just for him.  Using the Perfect Pennants Bigz XL die and my Big Shot, I cut a piece of Island Indigo card stock into a triangle.  This was embossed using the Sophisticated Stripes embossing folder (now retired, :( ). 

 I added a punched scalloped circle, using the 7/8" Scallop Circle punch, embossed with Perfect Polka Dots, and then added a little explosion of happiness--silver threads swiped from the Silver Bakers Twine!  How cute is that! (Easy to do--just unravel the thread by cutting a length, holding an end in each hand, and pulling the silver from one side and the bakers twine from the other.)

My card base is Island Indigo with a layer of the beautiful Silver Foil on top.  This was to highlight the "85" on the hat, cut using one of my favorite dies--Typeset Alphabet Bigz and more Silver Foil--and then came a layer of the Birthday Basics DSP.

"Celebrate" came from Best of Birthdays--available only until the end of this month!, stamped in Island Indigo and cut out using the Word Bubbles Framelits--can you say "adorbs!"?

All current items used for this card can be purchased in my online store, here.

Let's get creating!

A Card Club Offering

A quick post today; here's one of the cards from our March Card Club:

Although a little hard to see (should NOT have photographed my Crushed Curry background on my maple table!), this is a little different card.  Using a standard Stampin' UP notecard-sized Whisper White base, I attached it to a standard-card-sized piece of Crushed Curry (4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), run through the Big Shot with the "vintage" Sophisticated Stripes embossing folder.  This makes the smaller Note Card fit into a standard sized envelope. 

The Make-a-Wish stamp (from Perfect Pennants) was inked in Strawberry Slush and stamped on Whisper White; then cut out using one of the framelits from the Banners Framelits Dies.  The same stamp was re-inked in Crushed Curry; just the "a" was stamped on a scrap of card stock, and punched using the 1/2" circle punch.   A piece of Designer Series Paper from the Kaleidoscope DSP was also cut using a larger banner.  And during the same "run through the Big Shot" a tiny banner (from the Bitty Banners Framelits) was cut using Bermuda Bay cardstock.  This all gets layered to create the main image, which is topped off with a wrap and bow of Linen Thread.

Two banners (also from Perfect Pennants) are stamped in Bermuda Bay and Strawberry Slush, and snipped to size using Paper Snips (love these!).  They're popped up on Dimensionals.

And I love the border at the bottom--triangles were stamped using Geometrical, and punched with the Triangle Punch, then pieced together to make the border.  One of the Crushed Curry triangles was cut in half--6 triangles (3 Crushed Curry and 3 Bermuda Bay) fit perfectly!

Wanna make one of your own?  I'm happy to ship the monthly Card Club offerings to you--all card stock will be cut to size, ready for stamping (your stamps) and putting together; I include detailed photos.  You get 4 cards and envelopes for just $14.00 (this includes postage).  Contact me and your set will be shipped the next business day.  Stamps can be ordered here.

And let's get creating!