Fancy Folds Class - Part 1

In May I held a class featuring four cards with fancy folds. I tend to keep the same style of cards, but decided this was a great chance to learn some new techniques.

Card #1

To make this great card, cut your base cardstock to 5 1/2" by 11". Score at 2 1/8", flip around and score at 2 1/8". From there fold the smaller scored pieces inward. Decorate the front and inside of the card and it's finished.

I chose to use some of my leftover All Abloom DSP as my base palette. The big cut-out butterfly and coordinating stamped butterflies add that extra touch.

Stamps: Hello Darling (retired); Papillon Potpurri
Inks: Strawberry Slush (retired); Blushing Bride
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight; Pistachio Pudding (retired); Blushing Bride; All Abloom DSP (retired)
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Ribbon; Jewels
Tools: Butterfly Thinlits

Card #2

The trick to this card or any cut out card is to place your framelit off the cardstock. I love the layered look of these floral frames. Simple card but very cute. I don't have a specific measurement for this card, I just folded the paper and lined up my framelit.

Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners (retired)
Inks: Blackberry Bliss
Cardstock: Blackberry Bliss; Moonlight DSP (retired)
Accessories:
Tools: Floral Frames Framelits (retired); Itty Bitty Framelits (retired)

Use Your Scraps

For May I am featuring a class called Use Your Scraps. We all have a ton of scrap pieces of paper lying around. What to do with them? Here are three ideas for you:

Card #1 Long Banners

A simple way to use scraps is to make them into various length banners. For this card, I took some random pieces of Moonlight DSP and cut them into random lengths. The banners fill most of the card. Adding a punched sentiment and some candy dots completes the look.

Stamps: Hello There
Inks: Lost Lagoon
Cardstock: Basic Gray; Moonlight DSP
Accessories: Brights Candy Dots
Tools: Scallop Punch; Hexagon Punch (banner ends)

Card #2 Hexagon Punch

The second card features my favorite scrap technique: hexagons. I love the repeat of patterns and colors in this card. A simple sentiment finishes the card.

Stamps: Label Love
Inks: Midnight Muse (retired)
Cardstock: Gumball Green (retired); Summer Starfruit (retired); Print Poetry DSP (retired)
Accessories:
Tools: Artisan Label Punch; Hexagon Punch (banner ends)

Card #3 Short Banners

Lastly, I have a cute rainbow colored card featuring short banners. I love the play of patterns on this one.

Stamps: Petite Pairs
Inks: Rich Razzleberry
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry; Random scraps
Accessories: Gumball Green Ribbon (retired)
Tools: Banner Punch; 1" Circle Punch; 1 1/4" Circle Punch; Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

October Card Swap

For October's swap, we were to make a tag and an embellishment. I decided that I just couldn't do two Christmas items, so I made a birthday tag and a Christmas embellishment.

Card #1

I wanted to have a good layered tag with some of that great Moonlight DSP.

Stamps: Perfect Penants
Inks: Blackberry Bliss
Cardstock: Moonlight DSP
Accessories: Gold Metallic Buttons; Gray Twine; Purple Ribbon (not SU)
Tools: Scallop Tag Topper Punch

Card #2

This simple star is not really a star at all. Its five Christmas trees arranged in a star.

Stamps: 25 Days
Inks: Cherry Cobbler
Cardstock: Whisper White; Trim the Tree DSP
Accessories: Silver Glitter
Tools: 1 3/8" Circle Punch; Christmas Tree Punch

Holiday Catalog Swap Cards

My local demo group did a card swap featuring holiday catalog products. And my goodness! What a beautiful bunch of cards I received back. Let's take a look at them...

Angela McCormack

Pam Wu

Rosemary Bryson

Stacey Lane @ A Work of Carte

Jennifer Blomquist @ Northwest Stamper

Cindy Espino @ Cynbad Living

Sara Grafton @ 1200 Some Miles

Jill Cantorna

Kathy Thisted

Unite and Excite Swaps: Fall Themed

We had a great swap time at the Livermore Unite and Excite event on Sunday. Here are some of the great fall themed swap cards I received:

Debbi S Green

Kristina Holland

Linda Romer

Kristine Custino

Blythe Klipple @ Stamping with Blythe

Lisa Ann Bernard @ Queen B Creations

Sea Street Non-nautical Colors

Two more cards from Friday night's crafting session. These two I CASEd directly from the source. I really enjoyed the design and the non-nautical colors. Both cards feature paper from the Moonlight DSP stack. Really loving those color combinations. And I was excited to use the Sea Street stamp set with something beyond red and blue.

Card #1

Card Inspiration from Creations Habsgirl22

My version

I love how this one turned out. I CASEd the card, but slightly changed the placement of the pieces, the patterns for the banners, and the octopus ink color. I love the appearance of water with the Lost Lagoon patterned pattern and the Hello Honey fish add just the right about of visual interest for the octopus.

Stamps: Sea Street
Inks: Blackberry Bliss; Hello Honey
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon; Whisper White; Moonlight DSP
Accessories:
Tools: Circle Framelits; Banner Punch

Card #2

Card Inspiration from Natalie Bradley

My version

For my second non-nautical color card, I loved the clean and simple look of the original card so much, I had to CASE it. I changed up the sentiment and didn't add the background stamped image. Overall I adore this card. I love the combo of Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, and Basic Gray. Very cute and easy!

Stamps: Sea Street; Kinda Eclectic
Inks: Lost Lagoon; Hello Honey
Cardstock: Whisper White; Moonlight DSP
Accessories: Basic Gray Twine
Tools: Banner Punch

Fun 'n Crafty Blog Hop August 2014

Welcome to the Fun n’ Crafty Blog Hop for August! This month we will be showcasing project ideas using the Big Shot. Stampin' Up has an amazing offer of buy a Big Shot and get a stamp/framelit bundle for free! That's right for free! What an amazing deal! For those of us who already own a Big Shot, they've also put five great bundles 15% off during the month of August. So make sure to check out the list of stops on the hop at the bottom of this post to see them all!

Right now my favorite Big Shot product is the Starburst Framelits. I have been using these all the time lately. They are so much fun and much more visually interesting than plain circles. It's a little hard to see, but I also used the Stylish Embossing Folder on the piece of Blackberry Bliss. In person, this card has a ton of dimension. I love it! Plus, the colors are very bright and happy. I may just have to make multiple of this card in different colors.

Starburst Framelits Die

$26.95

Starburst Sayings Clear Stamp Set

$18.95

Starburst Sayings Clear-Mount Bundle

$38.95

Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$6.95

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Hello Honey 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$6.95

Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

You can check out the the special sale bundles in the chart below. Take advantage of these awesome deals throughout August!

Here's a little preview of some of the other awesome creations on the blog hop!

Blog Hop Participants:

Tobe B. of The Craft Sea
Angela M of Stamp with Angela
Stacey L. of A Work of Carte
Pam W of Stinky Tofu
Jennifer B. of Northwest Stamper

Starburst Moonlight Cards

After getting the Moonlight paper stack in the mail as I walking out for craft night, I knew I would have to play with it. I was thinking of using it for my July blog hop card, and I did. However, I used the monochromatic papers for that card. I also wanted to play with some of the other patterns. And so these two cards were born.

Card #1

Card Inspiration from Art with Heart

I kept the same basic design as the inspiration card, but cleaned mine up a bit. I dropped a layer, the twine, and a few flowers. I love my simple yet full of fun card.

Card #2

After making the first card, I realized that I had a great little layered starburst left over. What could I do with it? Of course! Add a sentiment and pop it up on a great background layer. Two cards for the price of one!

Supplies:

Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Hello There Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$9.00

Starburst Sayings Clear Stamp Set

$18.95

Starburst Framelits Die

$26.95

Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Petite Petals Clear Stamp Set

$11.95

Petite Petals Punch

$12.95

Hello Honey 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$6.95

Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$4.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Fun 'n Craft Blog Hop July 2014

Welcome to the Fun n' Crafty Blog Hop for July! This month we will be showcasing project ideas from the new Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper. So make sure to check out the list of stops on the hop at the bottom of this post to see them all!

This month's theme is our favorite DSP from the new catalog. I've only bought three packs so far (Moonlight, Park Lane, and Lullaby) and Moonlight is hands down my favorite. I love the color combo: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Gray, Sahara Sand. But I also love that a few of the papers feature just one color. I decided to make my two cards each featuring one of the colors.