Beautiful Butterflies
Can you believe this is the first time I have used my Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die. I was inspired by the butterfly on the sketch for this week’s challenge at Stamping 411.
I have used Concord Crush card (I am really loving this colour) as my base card and added a layer of Naturals Ivory card which I embossed on the top section using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. Next I embossed a piece of Crumb Cake card using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder and added a narrow section of Concord Crush card which I punched using the Pinking Hearts Border Punch. I added some Very Vanilla 1cm Taffeta Ribbon tied with a beautiful bow (thank you Sean for my bow maker). I cut my butterfly from Concord Crush card and then ran it through the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder to add some dimension. A medium and large Basic Pearl finish off the butterfly perfectly.
I just love all the texture on this card. The three different embossing folders combine well and really give some life to what is basically a very simple card. What do you think?
Bye for now, Kris.
Easter Gifts
This year I just seem to have run out of time to make much in the way of Easter Gifts and cards for my grandchildren. So they are getting this Fancy Favour Box which I have cut using Sahara Sand cardstock. After cutting the box, I ran it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I added this cute little bunny behind which I saw on Jennifer Blomquist’s blog. Apparently she saw it on Jan Tink’s blog. Anyway it is very cute and smaller than the one I usually make and just perfect for the Fancy Favour Gift Box. It is made using three small ovals (ears and feet), one 1 1/4″ circle (body) and one 1″ circle (head). I used Pretty in Pink card for the girls and Bashful Blue card for the boys and sponged all of the pieces with the matching ink. I made my tail using the smallest flower on the Boho Blossom Punch and Whisper White card. I added a small silver brad as well. To give the flower some shape I placed it on the soft mat that comes with the mat pack and pushed into the middle with the wrong end of the paper piercer. It kind of makes it go “round” in the centre and the petals push up. Inside is a cello bag filled with easter eggs and tied with either Pretty in Pink or Marina Mist 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon.
I hope that your Easter has been one filled with happiness and joy and lots of family time.
Bye for now, Kris.
A new sketch
Today I decided to play along with the sketch challenge at Create with Connie and Mary. I love to see what the design team creates for these sketches, they are all so talented.
I cut my Soft Suede base card at 10 x 5″ and scored it at 5″ to make a square card. I stamped the images from Extreme Elements onto an 8cm square piece of Whisper White card using Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler ink. I cut this piece into 4 pieces 4cm square and layered them onto a 9cm square piece of Whisper White card. I stamped the Extreme Guitar image onto Whisper White card using Soft Suede ink and cut him out. I stamped “Birthday Wishes” from the Occasional Quotes stampset onto Whisper White card using Soft Suede ink and cut it out using the Decorate Label Punch. I also punched one of these labels from Soft Suede card to act as a mat for the greeting. I attached the greeting behind the 9cm Whisper White square and then attached the whole piece to the Cherry Cobbler card which is 4 1/2″ square.
I was going to pop the Extreme Guitar image onto the card using dimensionals but decided that the “guitar cord” was a bit too fragile for that, so I attached it flat to the card front.
I love both these stampsets and can’t stop using them for male cards. I probably should have used a 9cm square mat of Baja Breeze to really lift this card but in any case I am really happy with it.
A Mini Album
I am still trying to make all the projects that were part of the Spring and Easter Inkspirations 4U. This little mini album is one of the projects and has turned our really gorgeous.
This shows the album closed. It is really pretty tiny only about 2 3/4″ wide by 3 ” long. The album is constructed in Basic Black cardstock and I added Whisper White card which has been embossed using the Square Embossing Folder. I made the flower for the front by punching 3 Fancy Flowers from Melon Mambo cardstock and also 2 of the small 5 petal flowers from the Island Floral Die. I also punched one of the largest flowers from the Boho Blossoms punch. I used my bone folder to curl the flowers on both sides until the cardstock could be separated. They were stacked on a Vintage Brad and then scrunched up around the brad and opened out again. The leaves were cut from Old Olive card using the single petal on the Island Floral Bigz Die. They too were separated, scrunched and added to the back of the flower on the brad. I used a piece of Old Olive 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon which is attached to the back of the brad and then I wrapped the other end around a hair elastic which is attached over the flower to keep the album closed.
This is the first two pages inside the album. I have used Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla and Daffodil Delight cardstock. The designer series paper is from the Greenhouse Gala Series . I have also used a Clear Rhinestone brad and some Very Vanilla 3/8″ Tafetta ribbon. I have also used the Boho Blossoms Punch.
This is the second set of pages in the album. The colours used are Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Woodland Walk Designer Series paper. I have also used a Basic Rhinestone and some Very Vanilla 3/8″ Tafetta Ribbon. The punches used are Scallop Trim Border, Boho Blossoms and the Punch Pack.
This is the third set of pages in the album. I have used Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Cumb Cake cardstock. Again I have used Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper. I have also added some Basic Rhinestones and used the smallest flower from the Boho Blossoms Punch.
This is the fourth and last set of pages in the Mini Album. I have used Concord Crush, Pretty in Pink and Very Vanilla cardstock. I have also used a Basic Pearl, Concord Crush 1/2 stitched poly ribbon and the Boho Blossoms Punch and the Punch Pack.
I absolutely love the way this little mini album has turned out. Each of the pages will hold a “contact sheet” size photo – approximately 1″ x 1 1/2″.
I am really more than happy with the tutorial for this mini album and can’t wait for the next round of tutorials. I am actually getting the next round of tutorial FREE – so exciting – thanks Madeline.
Well I’m off to get ready for a family lunch to celebrate Good Friday. Hope your Easter is wonderful.
Bye for now, Kris.
My First Children’s Class
I have been wanting to do a class with children for quite a while and finally decided to schedule one today. It’s school holidays here in Queensland and I thought it a perfect time to have them make a Mother’s Day Gift.
They made a small gift box using the tutorial I found on Kerin Sylverter’s blog, a tea bag holder, the tutorial for which was shared by Bev Watt and a small 3 x 3 card to match. I allowed 2 1/2 hours for this class but the children were very speedy and it only took them 2 hours to complete all three projects. I think I underestimated their ability.
The box is made using Sahara Sand card and we punched the hole for the handle using the large oval punch. “Happy Mother’s Day” from the Occasional Greetings stampset has been stamped onto Very Vanilla card using Real Red ink. The flower is the small 5 petal one from the Island Floral Bigz die. The children used the big shot to cut two flowers and also two sets of leaves using Sahara Sand card and the Little Leaves Sizzlit. The flowers were glued together with a touch of snail and then a Gold Brad was inserted into the centre. The leaves were attached to the Very Vanilla card and then the flower attached over the top using a dimensional. Now each of the children used their own imagination to place the flowers and the leaves and I must say each of them was very different. A Real Red cardstock mat was added to the Very Vanilla card before attaching to the front of the box. The children didn’t tie their ribbon until they had made the little chocolate holder and card, so that they could be placed inside.
The chocolate holder has been decorated in the same manner as the front of the box, only this time they only used one set of leaves. They also used the Eyelet Edge Punch to decorate the top flap of the holder. I found some Lindt excellence chocolates and the children all selected one to go inside.
The 3″ x 3″ card is made in the same manner as the box and the chocolate holder.
All the children wrote inside their cards before placing them into the box and tying the ribbon.
The children all enjoyed themselves and I must say were all great students. I will be holding another class during the next school holidays and one of the children suggested that maybe we could make a Father’s day gift.
I think I will have to increase the level of difficulty a little for the next class.
Bye for now, Kris.
A Baby Card
I made this card for the challenge at Late Night Stampers this week – it’s all about babies. I started with a base card of Soft Suede. The next layer is certainly celery and I used my Tulip Embossing Folder for the very first time. I love the way this frames the cardstock. I embossed the Blushing Bride card using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and added a mat of Soft Suede card. I stamped the “horse” image from the Animal Stories stampset onto Whisper White card using Blushing Bride ink (it is very light in the photo but shows up well in real life) and also added a Soft Suede cardstock mat. This image panel is added to the card front using dimensionals. I stamped the greeting from the Short and Sweet stampset onto Whisper White card using Soft Suede ink and punched it out using the Word Window Punch. I added a Soft Suede Modern Label and added it to the card using dimensionals under the right hand side only.
All in all a pretty simple card but I think it has turned out really well. Don’t you just love the depth and dimension of the embossing this gorgous new folder adds to the card. I am sure I will be able to find many ways to use it.
Bye for now, Kris.
A new technique
I watched a video posted by Sage Kimble about a vintage techniqe called tapestry paper. The card Sage created using this technique is absolutely gorgeous and although I used the same colours as her I don’t think my paper is quite as good. Some practice is in order.
Anyway here is the card I created for the Clean and Simple challenge this week using my tapestry paper. My base card is Crumb Cake and I added a layer of Bravo Burgundy. My tapestry paper is attached to the left hand side of the Bravo Burgundy paper and then I added a piece of Soft Suede which has been embossed using the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder. I added a strip of Bravo Burgundy 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon as well.
To create the greeting piece I used my Bravo Burgundy Stampin’ Write marker to ink up the oval around the “happy birthday” in the Perfect Punches stampset and stamped onto Whisper White card. I punched the piece out using the Wide Oval punch. I stamped “for you” from the Great Friend stampset inside the oval using Bravo Burgundy ink. I attached this to a tag cut from Crumb Cake card using one of the tags from the Lots of Tags sizzlits. I punched two sets of leaves from Soft Suede card using the Two Step Bird punch and also punched 3 flowers from Bravo Burgundy card using my Trio Flowers punch (retired). I attached the leaves and flowers around the greeting and added two medium and one large Basic Pearl to the centre of the flowers. The greeting piece is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
I quite like the way this has turned out and will definitely be trying this technique again.
Bye for now, Kris.
Nature Walk and a challenge
This week I finally had time to participate in the Stamping 411 sketch challenge.
I used Poppy Parade for my base card and added a layer of Pear Pizzazz card. The Whisper White layer has been embossed using the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder. I added the Poppy Parade 1/2″ stitched Poly Ribbon before attaching it to the Pear Pizzazz layer. I inked the flower image from the Nature Walk stampset using my Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz Stampin’ Write markers and stamped onto Whisper White card. I added a mat of Pear Pizzazz which has been punched down both sides using the Scallop Trim Border punch. I stamped “thinking of you” from the Three Little Words stampset using Poppy Parade ink onto Whisper White card and added a Poppy Parade Modern Label . I attached the greeting to the image panel and then added the whole piece to the card front using dimensionals.
Not quite sure if I have pulled this one off or not but I think it’s ok. What do you think?
Bye for now, Kris.
Strength and Hope
This stampset is on the last page of your Autumn Winter Mini Catalogue and Stampin’ Up! is donating $2.00 from the sale of every stampset to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I haven’t used this set much yet and thought I would participate in the Stampset Challenge at Sudsol this week.
The layout for this card was inspired by a swap I received from Simone Bartrum earlier this year. I used Whisper White as my card base and added a layer of Pretty in Pink card which I stamped with the “word” stamp from Strength and Hope using Pretty in Pink ink. I also sponged the edges with the same ink. The piece of Whisper White on the left is punched along one edge using the Pinking Hearts Border punch and then I embossed it using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I tied this piece with Pretty in Pink 5/8″ Satin Ribbon before attaching it to the card . I stamped the butterfly from Strength and Hope onto Whisper White card using Pretty in Pink ink and cut it out. I attached it to the card front using dimensionals.
This is a close up of the bottom right hand corner of the card. You can just see the “words” stamped onto the Pretty in Pink card and the gorgeous butterfly image.
Well, hopefully I can post a little more often this week. I was away for a couple of days last week visiting my Mum in beautiful Pottsville (northern NSW). I also held a class while I was down there with some of my loyal customers (hello Mum, Robin and Ann).
Bye for now, Kris.
A Card Box
But this is no ordinary card box, it is designed for giving those beautiful one-of-a-kind 3d cards we make from time to time for someone special and I found this fantastic free box template on the Three Sisters blog. This is a great site because it is free to join and all the projects and templates shared are free as well. If you haven’t checked it out yet, then I suggest that you do. Anyway on with the box.
I constructed my box from Basic Black cardstock. I added a piece of Newsprint Designer Series Paper to the bottom section of the front of the box. I tied a double bow on the bowmaker that my son-in-law made for me and discovered that I could actually tie it onto the ribbon which is attached to the Very Vanilla card. I added a narrow piece of Basic Black card which has one edge punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch. I cut two sets of leaves from Old Olive card using the Little Leaves Sizzlit and added one to the bottom section and one to the top flap. My largest flower is made using 3 Real Red scallops punched using the 1 3/4″ scallop circle punch. I used my bone folder to curl both sides of each scallop until each one separates into two layers. I scrunched each piece into a tight ball and then opened them out. I stacked them onto a brad (any colour because you don’t see it) and then scrunched each layer up around the brad again. When you open it out again you get a real “carnation” like flower. The two smaller flowers are made using 1″ and 3/4″ circles.
The shows the box open and you can see there is plenty of depth in there for your 3D card.
I made my box especially for this card which I shared with you earlier in this post. The card was made as part of a technique class on making “paper flowers”. I lvoe it and couldn’t bear to part with it and now it has a gorgeous new home. I’ve actually got a recipient in mind for this card, and now it is even more special. I am really happy with the way this has turned out and I hope you all check out the site and make one of these fantastic card boxes for one of your special creations.
Bye for now, Kris.
Stamping with Kris 