Punch Art
I was asked by a lady to create an engagement card and when I asked what kind of things she thought the recipient might like, she said the lady loved frogs. Sooo, with the help of a video from Aly at Aly Stamps this is what I created.
My base card is Early Expresso and I added a layer of Whisper White which I embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. My lily pads are Gumball Green card cut with one of the Ovals Collection Framelits and embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. My frogs are made from Certainly Celery card and each piece is sponged around the edges with the same ink. The gentleman frog has a tie made from Early Expresso 1/8″ Tafetta Ribbon and the lady frog has a bow tied from Real Red 1/8″ Tafetta Ribbon. My waterlilies are created by punching Whisper White card with the Boho Blossom Punch and sponging the edges with Real Red ink. 
I attached the pieces together with Glue Dots and gave them a little shaping before adding a Basic Rhinestone to the centre. The greeting comes from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments stamp set and is stamped in Early Expresso ink on Whisper White card. I cut the greeting using one of the Bitty Banners Framelits. I used by Bone Folder to curl the greeting banner in both directions before attaching it with a dimensional in the centre and Glue Dots on the ends. The last little addition is a Real Red heart punched using the Small Heart Punch.
My customer loved the card and hopefully so will the recipients. Creating punch art can be a little time consuming but it is rewarding and fun at the same time.
I’d really like to hear what you think of this one.
Bye for now, Kris.
Sunny Challenge 75/13
This week’s challenge has been brought to us by Gwen and she has once again been very easy on us. All we need to do is create our project with the theme “Get Well”.
This is the kind of card, that we need to keep on hand and one that I seldom make! I cut my Certainly Celery card in half lengthwise. Then I used the new Simply Scored Borders Scoring Plate to create two rows of embossing on the lower edge of the front of my card. I stamped the leaves from the Field Flowers stamp set onto Whisper White card using Certainly Celery ink. I attached this panel to Crumb Cake card and then to the card front. I stamped the large solid flower onto scrap paper twice using Pretty in Pink ink and stamped the large outline flower over the top using Rose Red ink. I cut the flowers out and attached them to the card front, the lower flower is added with dimensionals. I stamped “get well soon” from the Delightful Dozen stamp set onto Whisper White card and punched it out using the 1-1/4″ Circle Punch. I attached the greeting to a Crumb Cake 1-3/8″ Circle, then a Rose Red 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle and then to the card front.
It is a simple card but one that I really like. It is happy and cheery and hopefully would make the recipient feel better.
As you know I usually leave the inside of my cards blank so that they can be decorated to suit the actual person I am giving the card to. Well this week I decided that I would add a little something to the inside. I stamped the flower stem from the Secret Garden stamp set onto Whisper White card using Certainly Celery ink and then stamped the flower using the Pretty in Pink and Rose Red ink. 
Now for some more inspiration pop on over the Sunny Challenges and Creations and see what the Gwen, Vicky and the guest designers have created. Once you have made your card, scrap page or 3d item, add it to Mr. Linky. We love seeing your projects and hopefully this week all of you will have time to play along. Remember, if we get ten entries we will have two Rays of Sunshine, and if we get more than twenty who knows we might even have three Rays of Sunshine.
Bye for now, Kris.
Male Card
As you know making male cards is not my strong point. I think it has to do with coming from a family of all girls and only having two daughters of my own. I also think that there are only a limited amount of stamp sets that have a male theme. There are hundreds of sets with flowers and even lots of children themes but not many for the guys. So when I saw Dapper Dad in the current Seasonal Catalogue I just had to have it. This is a card that I created for my class at Beachmere.
I started with Basic Black card and cut the front panel down to 5cm (2″). I used the Anywhere Glue Stick to cover a piece of Whisper White card and then attached aluminium foil making sure that the shiny side was visible. I trimmed the foil down to the size of the card and then embossed it using the Houndstooth Embossing Folder and attached it to the inside of the card. I embossed a small panel of Real Red card using the same embossing folder and attached it to the front of the 5cm section. I cut Whisper White card using one of the Ovals Collection Framelits and stamped the shoe image using Stazon Jet Black ink. 
I cut an oval one size larger from Basic Black and attached the shoe panel to the centre. I used Sticky Strip only under the left hand side and attached it to the card front over the Real Red embossed card. I cut another Whisper White oval the same as the one for the shoe and stamped the birthday greeting from the Delightful Dozen stamp set again using Stazon Jet Black ink. I attached this inside the card making sure that it is hidden by the Ovals on the front when it is closed. I also added a small panel of Whisper White card on the inside so that there was somewhere to write a personal note.
I think this is a great masculine card. Using aluminium foil is a fantastic way to get a manly feel without going to a lot of expense. Let me know what you think.
Bye for now Kris.
Card Box
I followed a tutorial by the fabulous Tanya Bell to create a box from the cardboard which is included as the backing for your Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up!. Tanya has made a video tutorial and it is so easy to follow.
I decorated my box with a piece of the Print Poetry Designer Series paper, Certainly Celery and Perfect Plum card. I made the flower for the front using the Build a Blossom Stampset, Perfect Plum ink, Whisper White card and the matching Blossom Petals Builder Punch. I gave the flower some dimension by curling the petals with my bone folder, firstly so that the petals turned down and then flipping them over and turning the ends up. I attached the flower with dimensionals underneath the petals to keep the shape. The ribbon is the fabulous Natural 7/8″ Cotton Ribbon which carried over from the Holiday Mini. 
The closure on the back is made with one of the framelits from the Apothecary Framelits Collection. Sometimes simple ideas are the best.
I’d love to hear what you think of my version of this great idea – Thanks Tanya.
Bye for now, Kris.
Purple Birthday Wishes
This is the first time I have used the Oh Hello stamp set even though I have had it since the release of the Seasonal Catalogue.
I stamped the image on the left hand side of Very Vanilla card using Perfect Plum ink. I also used my stamp-a-ma-jig to keep the images straight. Next I embossed alongside the stamping using one of the Needlepoint Border Embossing Folders. I also stamped happy birthday from the Bring on the Cake stamp set using Perfect Plum ink. The image panel is attached to scored and folded Crumb Cake card. I stamped the background image onto Very Vanilla card using Crumb Cake ink and cut it using the matching Oval Collection Framelit. I layered the stamped oval onto a Perfect Plum Oval cut one size larger. I attached the oval panel to the card front using dimensionals. I inked the flower image using Perfect Plum and Certainly Celery Stampin’ Write Markers and stamped it twice onto Very Vanilla card. I and cut out the images and I attached the flowers to the centre of the oval panel. 
I tied a knot in the piece of Certainly Celery 1/2″ Tafetta Ribbon and attached it over the flower stems using Glue Dots.
This is a great stamp set and one I need to use a lot more. Let me know what you think.
Bye for now, Kris.
Anniversary Wishes
My lovely daughter Emma and her husband Jason are celebrating their wedding anniversary today. Happy Anniversary. I made my card after seeing a video tutorial by Mary Fish. Mary made her card using the Elegant Butterfly Punch and it is truly gorgeous, however, I used the Hearts Collection Framelits for my card. Thanks for the inspiration Mary.
I used one of the Hearts CollectionFramelits to cut a piece of Whisper White card and then used the Occasions Paper Piercing Pack from the Seasonal Catalogue to pierce holes around the outside of the heart shape. 
I stamped “happy anniversary” from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments stamp set using Midnight Muse ink. I attached a piece of Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper to the front of folded Whisper White card. I attached the card with the heart shaped window over the top using dimensionals. I cut another heart from Whisper White card using the smallest Heart CollectionFramelit, added Basic Rhinestones around the edge and attached it using dimensionals inside the larger heart. I punched Midnight Muse card using the Small Heart Punch and attached it inside the Whisper White heart.
I love the way this card has turned out. Super simple and super elegant. What do you think?
Bye for now, Kris.
Gift Packaging
I am a little late sharing the gift bag that I decorated to hold Elyssa’s birthday present. Elyssa loves clothes and before she started school this year would quite likely wear at least 3 different sets of clothes each day. So that’s what I bought her for her birthday, lots of clothes. However, you need something to give them in so I decorated a plain white gift bag which I purchased at Spotlight (Australia).
I embossed a piece of Whisper White card using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. This attached it to Pretty in Pink card, then to Chocolate Chip which has both long edges punched using the Scallop Trim Border Punch and then to the front of the gift bag. I stamped the letters of Elyssa’s name using a long retired stamp set onto Whisper White card and punched them out using the 1/2″ Circle Punch. I cut Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip card using the Petite Pennants Build Punch. I attached all of the pieces together and then attached them to the front of the bag. I don’t use this punch often enough but really love the way the pennant fits across the bag. I wanted to decorate the back of the bag but didn’t want to make another pennant.
Soooo remember the little Heart Shaped Door Hanger which I shared in this post that I made using a tutorial from the Stamp Academy. Well, I decided that it was too delicate to just pop inside the bag so I hung it over the handle on the back of the bag and it was just perfect. Remember you can take a look at this tutorial by clicking on the Stamp Academy link in my side bar and then on the Free Video link. I’m sure you will be impressed enough to want to join this fantastic site.
Bye for now, Kris.
Happy Birthday Elyssa
My beautiful granddaughter Elyssa turns 5 today. I made her birthday card using the Stampin’ Up! exclusive Pop ‘n Cuts Dies.
I cut the inside of my card using Whisper White card with the Dress Form insert in place. I cut the top of the dress form off so that I could create my cup cake pop up. I stamped the cupcake bases from the Create-A-Cupcake stampset onto Whisper White card using Chocolate Chip ink. I punched the images using the Cupcake Builder Punch. I used the same punch to cut the “icing” from Pretty in Pink card. I embossed theses pieces using the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder. I attached the cupcakes to Whisper White card which I embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. 
I punched the little hearts from Rich Razzleberry card using the Owl Builder Punch. The embossed Whisper White card is attached to Chocolate Chip card and then the dress form piece. I cut another piece of Whisper White using the Pop ‘n Cut Base and embossed it using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I trimmed the piece so that it fitted behind the cupcakes and covered the “hole” where the dress form pops up. I cut another piece of Whisper White and embossed it again using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, attached it to Pretty in Pink card which has both long edges punched using the Scallop Trim Border Punch and then to the card base. 
I stamped the greeting from the Bring on the Cake stamp set onto Whisper White card using Chocolate Chip ink and punched it using the Extra Large Oval Punch. I attached it to one of the tags from the Lots of Tags Sizzlits and then to the card base.
To cover the holes where the die pops up, I cut a piece of Pretty in Pink card which is only 6″ x 4″ and scored on the 6″ length at 1-3/4″. I punched one long edge of a strip of Chocolate Chip card using the Scallop Trim Border Punch, attached it behind the edge of the Pretty in Pink card and then attached the base inside. 
I stamped “wish big” from the Bring on the Cake stamp set onto the bottom right hand corner of Whisper White card, embossed it using the Perfect Polka Dot Embosing Folder before attaching it to the card front. I stamped the “dotted” image from the Pennant Parade stamp set onto Whisper White card using Pretty in Pink ink. I used the Pennant Builder Punch to cut them out and attached them to Chocolate Chip card cut with the same punch. I stamped the hearts from the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set onto Whisper White card using Chocolate Chip ink, punched them out using the 1/2″ Circle Punch and added them to Chocolate Chip 3/4″ Circles. I attached all these pieces together and attached them to the card front.
It is so addictive, thinking about all the ways you can use these Pop n’ Cuts. Let me know what you think.
Bye or now, Kris.
Dress Up Framed Art
I have been inspired by the number of framed art pieces I have seen on different blogs and of course on Pinterest to create a framed art piece using the Dress Up Framelits.
I purchased my frame at K Mart (Australian store) because they were so pretty and each opening was only 4″ x 6″. I wanted to create 3 different but similar pieces for each one. I cut the dress forms from Basic Black card and also punched a 1″ Circle from Basic Black to look like a head.
The lady on the left uses a piece of Sunshine and Sprinkles Designer Series Paper with the addition of a Paper Doily cut with the framelit to create the over dress. A piece of Whisper White 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain decorates the waist and covers the joins in the two doily pieces. I added a small flower punched from Melon Mambo card using the Boho Blossoms Punch decorated with a Basic Pearl. The hat is an Extra Large Oval decorated the same as the waist of the dress. I added some Basic Pearls to the neck of the dress form.
The middle lady is made using Whisper White Card and Silver Glimmer Paper. I cut the skirt twice from Whisper White card and embossed both pieces using one of the Delicate Designs Embossing Folders. I also recut the bottom of the Silver Glimmer Paper with the Dress Framelit so that the curves were the same on all three pieces. I decorated the waiste with a strip of Whisper White card and one of the flowers from the Flower Trim, coloured with a Sponge Dauber and Cherry Cobbler ink. The flower is attached with a Glue Dot and I added a Large Basic Rhinestone to the centre. The hat is again cut with the Extra Large Oval Punch, embossed with the same embossing folder and trimmed in the same manner as the waist of the dress. The neck is decorated with some Basic Rhinestones.
The third dress is again cut from some of the Sunshine and Sprinkles Designer Series Paper. I cut a Paper Doily to match the bottom of the dress and added a little piece behind the neckline. Whisper White 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain again wraps the waist. A flower punched with the Boho Blossom Punch from Melon Mambo card and a Basic Pearl finishes the waist decoration. The hat is again punched using the Extra Large Oval Punch and decorated the same as the dress. Again Basic Pearls have been added to the dress form neck.
The panels behind the dresses are Very Vanilla card stamped with the En Francaise Background using Crumb Cake ink. I made a mask with a rectangle opening 4″ x 6″ and sponged inside the mask using Crumb Cake ink and then added a little Soft Suede over the top around the edges.
I absolutely adore the finished product and I know at least 3 or 4 young ladies who will want to have one of these.
I would really love to hear what you think.
Bye for now, Kris.
Floral Window Box and Card
This is the bonus project for the February edition of Craft Project Central. Remember how I have told you that you get 10 tutorials for $10.00, well you can actually get 11 tutorials. To get the instructions for this amazing set designed by the fabulous Kim Score, you need to subscribe to the February edition and meet one of the bonus project requirements of subscribing to two or months in a row, putting the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or referring a friend and when they subscribe, let Craft Project Central know.
This gorgeous gift set would suit me very well, look at how much chocolate you can fit in that gift box! Gorgeous isn’t it! Please take a visit to Kim’s blog to see more of her fabulous work and don’t forget to leave a comment.
The March edition of Craft Project Central is already underway and it looks as if it will be just as amazing as the February edition.
Bye for now, Kris.
Stamping with Kris 