It's time for another spooooky card! This one features the Autumn Harvest stamp set. I love this set because its pumpkin images are so versatile for all Fall activities--pumpkin patches, Halloween, you name it. This card uses the masking technique, which is done with a simple Post-It Note. To learn how, watch the video below:
OK, no, I'm not talking about a hippo with a really great beat and some fancy footwork! I'm talking about a stamping technique called "Rock-and-Roll." It's a fun and easy way to add some dimension to your stamped images. To learn how, watch this quick video; it lasts just over a minute.
Here is a close-up of the hippo:
This is a quick and easy card using the Trendy Trees stamp set. What makes it super quick is that the tools are doing all the work here: I cut a large circle using the Circle Scissor Plus tool, and punched cardstock using the Scalloped Circle Punch and the Large Tag Punch.
To line up the tree and the tree trunk perfectly, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, a must for this particular stamp set. To view a video tutorial on how to use the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, click on the video below.
Many card makers (including me!) have used the Big Shot Top Note die as a fun layer on a card. But those are always made by adding a layer and recently, I decided to see if I could create the Top Note Edge on a card WITHOUT adding a layer. I wanted the edge to be on the card itself. Because the Big Shot cuts the entire image when you crank the cardstock through, I knew this would entail cutting the paper part of the way, then backing it out again. To see how to use this method, click on the video below:
A few months ago, I received a small calendar from a magazine I subscribe to. It had such a simple construction that I knew it had to be a Stamp Camp project someday!
To start, cut a piece of cardstock to 5.5" x 11". With the long edge of the paper flush with the top of the trimmer, score at 2", 5.5" & 9".
Fold the paper in half (at the 5.5" score mark you just made), and with the small flaps facing you, find the midpoint and make a small cut into the paper, about 1/2 inch or so--this doesn't have to be precise and can be expanded later if need be.
You could adhere photos directly to the holder, but I made little pockets to hold photos, so that I could change them out. To make the pockets, cut a piece of DSP and a thin piece of acetate to 2-3/4" x 4". Using the 2-way glue pen to get a nice thin line, draw a line of glue around 3 sides of the DSP, leaving the 4th side open. Lay the acetate on top, making the pocket. Using the 1-1/4" circle punch, make a half-circle notch in the open end of the pocket. Adhere the pocket to the holder and start decorating!
This is the fun part. I used the Boho Blossoms punch to punch several sets of flowers out of Delicate Dots DSP, featured in the Sale-a-Bration catalog. I then stamped several sets of the 3 flowers from One of a Kind, and punched those out. I also did a few of the small flower from that set, and punched using the 1/2" circle punch. I glued the flowers all around the 3 closed sides of the pocket, being careful not to interfere with the pocket opening.
I cut 2 photos to 2-1/4 x 3-3/4. I then stamped one of the flowers from Polka Dot Punches, also found in the Sale-a-Bration catalog, and punched that with the 1-1/4" circle punch. I placed adhesive on one side of the circle ONLY and placed that on the end of my photo, to create a little tag that helps pull the photo in and out of the pocket. The first time you put a photo in the pocket, you will have to work with it a bit, but once you've done that and created a little give, the photos can move in and out pretty easily. You can use 2 photos, or stamp a quote on cardstock and use that on one side.
Once you are ready to assemble the holder, just fold along the score lines and tuck the slits inside one another.
This is a fun and inexpensive way to display photos, and it would make a great gift!
For all my customers who have enjoyed making this card at recent Stamp Camps, I wanted to post the instructions for this fun stair-step card, which was shared with demonstrators at the Orlando Regional Conference last month.
To start, cut a piece of cardstock (I used Pretty in Pink) in half lengthwise, so that it is 4-1/4" wide x 11" tall. Then score the paper at 1-3/8, 2-1/2, 4-3/8, 6 & 8-1/4.
Fold the largest flap down, then accordion-fold the other score lines. You will have 3 "mountain" folds and 2 "valley" folds.
Now cut a piece of the same color cardstock to 4-1/4 x 5. Cut a coordinating piece (I chose Whisper White) to 4 x 4-1/4.
To decorate the front flaps of the card, cut 1 piece of DSP (I used Bella Rose) to 4 x 1-1/2, and another piece to 4 x 1-1/8. These pieces could be identical, or coordinating--your choice. Mount the smaller piece of DSP to the first flap, and mount the larger piece to the second flap. Stamp images onto the white piece, then mount it onto the 4-1/4 x 5 piece of pink. Fold up the card so that the smallest flap faces you. You will see there are 2 "valleys" made by the fold lines. Mount the layered piece into the second valley. When doing this, add adhesive to the card base, not the layered piece, because the top of the layered piece will not be mounted to anything and you don't want extra glue on the back of it.
Add punched or cut-out pieces to the flaps, as well as the layered piece. For this card, I used Love You Much, although other sets could be used for birthdays or other occasions.
Yes, this is a card a mother (or father) could love. My 7-year-old made this for Daddy's birthday last week, and I had a good laugh when I saw that he only stamped one image on the outside of the card, and spent the rest of his efforts on the inside. After all, it's the inside everyone reads, right? That got me to thinking, that I also wanted to make a card that was even prettier on the inside than it was on the outside. And when you want a pretty "inside," what could be better than a pop-up card?
To start the card, choose a color for the outside and one for the inside. The outside card will be a standard size, the inside will be a little smaller. I choose Tempting Tuquoise for the outside card and Gable Green for the inside. In this case, I cut the Gable Green piece to 8.25 x 5.25 (this is a 1/4-inch smaller than the outside card) and then scored at the 4-1/8 mark.
Now, with the card folded, find the center point (provided you want your pop-up centered), and make a pencil mark. You will make 2 cuts, and the size of the cuts will depend on the size of the item you are going to adhere to the pop-up. I choose the cupcake from the Party Hearty set, so my pop-up didn't need to be very big to support the image. I made 2 cuts that are about 1/2-inch deep, and spaced about 1/2-inch apart. Again, if you choose to put a bigger image on your pop-up, you would need to make the cuts longer and further apart, to create a bigger pop-up.
Now, poke the cut portion back into the inside of the card. You will have to "score" the paper a bit with your fingers to get it to bend properly. When you open the card, the pop-up will look like a little bench to sit on.
After stamping the cupcake and embossing the "frosting" with Iridescent Ice EP, I trimmed it out and adhered it to the vertical face of the pop-up. Because the pop-up will get moved a lot when the lucky recipient opens and closes it several times (!), you want to use a strong adhesive, so I chose Sticky Strip.
One trick to remember with the final assembly: when adhering the inside card to the outside one (so that the cut lines don't show), don't put any glue on the pop-up tab, as it has to be free to move. Pop-up cards look so intricate, but really are easy to make, so go make a card that is pretty on the inside!
Your Bookmark, that is. This project comes to us from my fellow demonstrator and best friend, Linda Hopton, who is blogless at the moment, so I asked if I could share her project on my site.
This project takes minimal supplies (scraps will do), and only a few minutes to make, so it is the perfect quickie project when you want to give everyone in your department a little something.
To start, you will cut 2 pieces of cardstock (the sample uses Piroutte Pink). One will be 3-7/8" x 3", and the second will be 2-3/4" square. Next, you will need a strip of DSP (the sample uses Bella Rose) that is 3-7/8" x 1" and a coordinating square that is 2-1/2".
Next, cut the 2 square pieces on the diagonal, giving you triangle shaped pieces. You only need one triangle from cardstock and one from the DSP, so you can actually get 2 bookmarks out of these pieces.
Now you will adhere the strip of DSP to the bottom of the large pink piece, and round the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch.
At the top of the pink piece, measure halfway across (1-15/16"--get out your glasses!) and make a pencil mark. Using a bone folder, score from that pencil mark to the top edge of the DSP you adhered in the previous step, on both sides. Fold along those score lines, making the top of the pink piece into a triangle. Your folds may be a bit messy--don't worry, you are going to cover those up in the next step!
Now adhere the pink triangle you cut earlier over the top of the triangle you just folded. Use a bone folder to burnish the triangle on top. This makes the glue adhere better, especially with a 3D item.
Now glue the DSP triangle on top of the pink triangle. You should have a little border all the way around. From here, you can embellish with more paper strips, felt flowers, etc. If you choose to use a brad, as is shown in the sample, be sure to insert the brad through the flower and open it up, then adhere the whole thing with a pop-up glue dot. Do not insert a brad all the way through the triangle piece, or it will catch on your book every time you use it.
Again, this project is quick and easy, and a great way to use up some scraps. Thanks, Linda, for sharing!
I was so happy when I recently found the instructions for this envelope bag, on Kay Kalthoff's blog. I tweaked my instructions just a bit and did this as a Stamp Camp project last month. No one could believe how easy it was to make a little gift holder out of an envelope! Here is a step-by-step tutorial for you, so you can crank out some Christmas goodie bags:
First, seal a medium envelope closed. I know this sounds redundant, but everyone kept asking me: "You really seal it FIRST?" Yes, you do!
Second, on the SHORT right-hand side of the envelope, insert the large tag punch as far as it will go, leaving just a little "air" on the far right side. In other words, on the right side of the punch, you will want to see a little sliver of space between the edge of the envelope and the punch. Now punch.
Now move the punch over to the left side and insert the tag punch as far as it will go. Leave a little "air" on the left side of the punch. Now punch.
Now you will use scissors to trim off the flaps, which will create the bag's handle. You also will need to nip off the triangle-shaped pieces that were left by the tag punch.
This completes the bag's construction! Turn the bag over, so that the sealed edge is on the back, and decorate as you like. I decided to use the Shellabrate stamp set and Rainbow Sherbet Designer Series Paper, for a non-traditional color combination. I filled it with a few tea bags, to make a nice gift.
As one of my customers pointed out, this project also results in a couple of folded tags, which you can decorate for packages. I love it when even the scraps get used!
