Having a Play with Therm O Web Stencils Day Two

As I shared yesterday, I recently received the new Therm O Web Deco Foil Designer Stencils and have been playing with different ideas with them. I wondered how it would look to apply Deco Foil Transfer Gel through a pinwheel stencil onto a Gina K Designs Foil-mate and then foil the whole thing with Rainbow Deco Foil and this was the fun result. It is bright and colorful so I thought maybe a kid would like to give it to a special teacher and used some alphabet dies to say "thanks" in the eclipse technique way. The "teacher" die is from Simon Says Stamp. Here is a look from the side to see the "thanks" a bit clearer:

After making a pretty Deco Foil background, there is always so much lovely foil left so I had to use a toner sheet to make another rainbow background that I used in this card:

Foil is always so hard to photograph, but here are a couple more shots including the inside where I used more of that gorgeous rainbow foil:

I used a stitched rectangle die from Stamplorations and a Happy Birthday frame from Memory Box on the front, and a Celebrate die from Tonic Studios and an old candle punch from Martha Stewart on the inside.

Links to the other products used in these two cards:
Deco Foil Designer Stencils (Pinwheel)
Deco Foil Transfer Gel
Deco Foil Rainbow 
Deco Foil Toner Sheets
TOW/Gina K Designs Where's the Party Foilmate
Kat Scrappiness Condensed Uppercase Alpha Dies

Stop back again Friday for my favorite of the cards made with these fun new products from Therm O Web.

Friends are the Sweetest Gift of All Tri-Shutter Card

I made this fun fold shutter Christmas card for a dear friend and she should have received it by now so I can share here. I started with a red pre-cut pre-scored tri-shutter or Funky Fold Accordion cardbase from The Paper Cut. Then I simply decorated with the Retro Merry Christmas die from Tim Holtz  Sizzix, several presents made with the Taylored Expressions All Wrapped Up Die, an old border punch from Martha Stewart, The Ton Holiday Bows stamp set and matching dies and Tim Holtz's Peppermint Layering Stencil. The perfect stamp sentiment is an older one from Great Impressions. Here are some more pictures: 

The card folds and fits into an A2 envelope for mailing. I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Scrapy Land and the Christmas/Winter Holidays challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday. Merry Christmas everyone!

Spooktacular New Fun Fold

I love love love finding new fun folds! I saw a video and a blogpost explaining how to make this bridge card here and knew I had to try it right away. Sandi made hers with matching Christmas dies in the front and the back, but I wanted to include some new Halloween dies from Tonic Studios and Karen Burniston and this is what I came up with. Here are some more looks so you can see this fun fold: 

I started with an orange cardbase scored and folded following the directions on the video. I attached Tonic Studio's Haunted House in the back of the card. I cut four strips of some Halloween dp I had in my stash for the 4 side panels. I die cut a ghost, a bat and a spooky tree from Karen Burniston's Halloween Elements and Halloween Scene die sets and attached them on the sides as shown. I punched a Halloween fence using an old punch from Martha Stewart, leaving an inch along the bottom for the bridge. I attached a yellow Spooktacular die cut (from Tonic Studios) and another ghost to complete the card. If the die cuts do not stick out (and mine do), this card will fit into an A2 envelope and lay flat as shown here:

I am sharing this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday and at Scrapy Land.

So fun to play with new fun folds! Thanks for helping me #share the joy of creativity!

A Z-Fold Spring Birthday Card

I was playing with z-fold cards recently and remembered an old Martha Stewart fence punch and thought it would be perfect for inserts in the z-fold card. The fence punch was designed for Halloween with bats on the fence but I cut them off and the card idea started to come to life. I was also playing with new stamps that had not been inked and created my card front with an Altenew layered flower stamp and three shades of Altenew ink.I created the z-fold banner across the bottom and attached a "happy birthday" greeting cut with a Memory Box die. Here is a look at the card when it is opened:

I die cut Cheery Lynn's leafy stem and Poppy Stamps Hampstead Butterfly Stem and attached them to acetate and then onto the layered fences. I die cut a flowery butterfly from Die-Namites and stamped a "beautiful day' sentiment. To finish the card I added a bunch of small punched butterflies with sticker gems. 

I am entering this card in Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge called Things with Wings and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge to use more than one die or punch. 

Butterfly Celebrate Surprise Card

I am going to be teaching a class soon that will feature Karen Burniston Pop It Up dies and this is the third card I have designed for the class. I love butterflies- who doesn't? and am featuring them on this card. The beautiful stamped butterfly is from a set by Fun Stampers Journey and I stamped it once and then a second time without re-inking. I created a belly band out of a floral dp and attached "celebrate" which I cut out with a Tonic Studios die and sponged just the bottom half with a blue ink. The front was completed with a small butterfly punched out of the dp with a Martha Stewart punch. And as always with Karen's dies, the surprise inside is my favorite part: 

I die cut the pop up center of this card with a die from Karen Burniston called Anita Frame. There is a stamp set by Karen called "Occasions" with stamps that fit perfectly on pieces of this die set. I stamped and die cut the "Happy Birthday to you" label and attached it to the interactive right label of the diecut. The die set also included a die to decorate the top and bottom pop outs perfectly. I punched some more butterflies, adhered them and added some pearls to each. The Anita Frame die makes a gorgeous card very easy to make! 

I am entering this card in the challenge at Simon Says Stamp (Wednesday) to use more than one die and/or punch.

Big Hugs Snowman Surprise

I am loving how this card turned out and will be sharing it with the classes I teach in my home soon. Why you ask? Just wait until you see the inside. The snowflake belly band was created with a Martha Stewart punch and the "Big Hugs" was made with a brand new die by Neat and Tangled and orange dotted dp. Slide off the belly band and this is what pops up:

I was totally inspired by a tutorial here by MayMay to try a pop up snowman using the popular twist and pop mechanism that has been shown so much lately on Pinterest and blogs. I recently purchased a new mitten die from Impression Obsession and it was smaller than the one MayMay used, so I cut down the sides of the pop up apparatus to accommodate them. The buttons were created with a die from Tonic Studios and "love" is a new die from Impression Obsession. I punched the eyes, hand cut the carrot nose and used a pennant die from My Creative Time on the scarf. Here is a close up of the pop up mechanism: 

I used the directions from Jen Evers video here to make the pop up mechanism but cut down the side panels to accomodate the size of the mittens. 

I am entering this card in the New Something challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. The mitten and love dies are brand new and the pop up snowman idea is also new to me.

Trying New Colors for Double Embossing Article

This time of year I tend to make fall or Christmas cards but when I am working on an article, anything I create has to be non-seasonal unless I want to wait a year to see it published. If you follow me, you know I fell in love with this fun double embossed technique and have made many cards with it and sold an article on the technique in cooperation with Melissa who first shared a card with it here.  I played with some different colors of Staz-on and embossing powders and some floral embossing folders to design these two cards. 

I used blue and black Staz-on, light and dark purple and blue embossing powders, Sizzix and We R Memory Keepers embossing folders and Tonic Studios sentiment dies. The butterfly was created with a Martha Stewart punch. The article will be published in June of next year as the deadlines are set that much in advance of publication.

Happy Halloween with Crackerbox Palace Stamps and Dies

It’s Crackerbox Palace Friday and I am sharing a Halloween card I made for my grandson with some Crackerbox Palace stamps and a fun new interactive die I purchased from Karen Burniston for Elizabeth Crafts. The picture above shows the card closed and here is a picture of how the card looks when you pull the tab:

I stamped the funny Halloween poem and bats from Crackerbox Palace and hung a ghost charm (also from Elizabeth Crafts) from the frame. The bat fence was created with a Martha Stewart punch and the Halloween cardstock is from my stash.

Here is another look at the card as well as the inside where I stamped another Halloween CBP greeting:

And here is a picture of the sweet grandson who will be receiving this card for Halloween. Yup- he is 10 and is almost as tall as Grandma!

I am entering this card in the Halloween Challenges at Simon SaysStamp Monday and Wednesday challenges, and the Anything Goes challenge at Scrapy Land.

Happy Halloween Z-Fold Card

As you know, I love fun fold cards and have made a few z-fold cards since discovering this fold earlier this year. I saw a couple versions on Pinterest with extra tabs in the center but never saw a tutorial for how to do it. It looks similar to box cards I have made, so I tried it and it was not difficult to figure out. The picture above shows the card closed for mailing. Here is a look at the card opened up to show the fences on the inside tabs: 

Isn't that fun? Here are the measurements in case you would like to make one: I started with a spooky cardstock weight designer paper I bought at JoAnns cut 5 1/2" x 11" and scored at 5 1/2" and 2 3/4". I cut the orange strip 1" x 11" and scored at the same measurements. I cut two black tabs 4 3/4" x 3/4" and scored on each side at 1 inch. I diecut the Happy Halloween Channel die from Memory Box out of black and attached it to the longer side of the orange strip. I popped up the little pumpkin for the O. I punched the jack-o-lantern face (punch from Fiskars) and attached the orange strip. The two black tabs are attached inside the center of the orange strip and I punched and attached the Halloween fence using a Martha Stewart punch. I die cut Cheery Lyn's Witches Skirt out of purple and attached it upside down behind the fences. I added some grey bats (die from IO) and a ghost die cut with an old Sizzix die. Here is another look at this fun fold card: 

Snowy Acetate Stepper Christmas Card

I recently found this beautiful card on Pinterest and was inspired to try an acetate stepper card. I am always making Christmas cards to share in my in home classes and so that my cards are done well before the holidays, so I designed this snowy Merry Christmas card. 

I made my card 5 1/2" wide, but you can choose your desired width. There is a link to a tutorial on the above linked blog you can check out for more specifics. But the base of the card is cut 12 inches long and scored at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 inches, then folded mountain, valley, mountain, etc. I cut my acetate topper 4 1/2" by 12" and scored it in the center. I decorated my inside steps with two brand new dies from Memory Box (Merry Christmas Fancy Channel and Snowflake Breeze.) I added some punched snowflakes and glittery snow gems. I stamped the beautiful snowflake from IO with white pigment ink on the acetate topper and carefully heat set to dry.The acetate is attached to the front and back of the stepper card base with strong two sided tape. I covered the front tape with a lovely Die'sire Edgables Snowflake die which I cut and embossed. I covered the back strip with a punched snowman border (Martha Stewart punch.) My last step was to add some sparkly Nuvo Glitter Deops to the front snowflakes. Here are some more pictures showing the acetate stepper card from the side and back:

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

My First Magenta Nuance Card

If you follow me, you know I own and play with my BB/CB (Brushos, Bisters and Color Burst) powders frequently and really don't need any more watercolor powders. But I was seeing some beautiful projects made with Nuance by Magenta, so I decided I did need them:) This is my first try at a card with them and I used Mauve Purple, Violet and Turquoise Nuance powders spritzed with Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. I like them- they are more subtle colors than Color Burst and more true to the specific colors than Color Burst. But I like all the options I now own. I made this card for a friend whose birthday is today. After the Nuance colors dried, I layered the piece on a white A2 cardbase. I die cut Poppystamp's Floral Frame in white and added some Tonic Nuvo Blue Lagoon Glitter Drops to the flowers. I punched a small butterfly out of a scrap of the Nuance colored paper with a Martha Stewart punch and added some Nuvo white Crystal Drops to the butterfly and to dot the i.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes with Sentiments at Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge and the Birthday challenge at Digi Designs.

Hugs and Prayers Coming Your Way

I bought this Prayers die and stamp set from Simon Says Stamp when I heard about the Lasting Hearts Card Drive and fundraiser.  Click on the link to see how you can help mothers who have lost a child to miscarriage. I started this card with a pretty pink dp die cut with Memory Box's Starlit Breeze. I wanted to use hearts instead of the stars in that die, so I punched (with a Martha Stewart edge punch) and sponged a bunch of hearts. I die cut the "prayers" die (from Simon Says Stamp) in the same pink dp and also from white fun foam to raise it. The stamp is part of the same lovely set.

I am entering this card in the "Have a Heart" challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and the monochromatic challenge at Fussy and Fancy.

ABC with Dies Candy Matchbox Gift

I have been having fun designing projects for an article I am writing on ABC with D- Anything But Cards with Dies. This is a matchbox candy holder and it features dies from my favorite die cut companies - Die-Versions and Tonic Studios. I die cut Die-Version's Diamonds Background out of designer paper by Stampin' Up and attached that to an acetate piece scored to make a cover for the matchbox bottom. I die cut Tonic Studio's beautiful Juliet Butterfly and punched a smaller butterfly with a Martha Stewart punch. I also die cut and attached the "Make a Wish" from Die-Versions. If the recipient is wishing for candy, they will be happy when they open their gift:

I covered the Hershey's Nuggets with wider blue and butterfly washi tape. I also used the washi tape to hold the acetate closed in the back. I added a couple gems to complete the ABC project.

I am entering this project in the Anything Goes challenges at Speedy Fox and Friends and at  613 Avenue Create. (From my stash, I used old SU dp and the Martha Stewart punch that I have had forever.)

CASED Super Cute Baby Cards

I found a card on Pinterest that used safety pins to tell this story and fell in love with it. Unfortunately the card that inspired me was just an image with no links to the designer of the card so I cannot give credit where credit is due. I rushed right out and bought some larger safety pins to recreate it. I started with a pink card base and cut four rectangle pieces and attached, then embossed the whole card in a baby embossing folder from Sizzix. I attached the safety pins with glue dots and clear glue. The hearts are from a Martha Stewart hearts border punch. The perfect word dies are by Die-Versions. Here are my "it's a boy" and "don't know the sex" versions:

I had little yellow and pink pins but not blue, so I used a Sharpie to color the little pins blue in my boy card. The "It's a Boy" die is from Die-Versions and you get both sexes in one die, so it's a great deal (especially if you used my discount code on the side of the blog.) I am sharing these cards in my classes in my home next month.

I am entering these cards in the Something New challenge at Eureka Stamps (the dies are brand new) and the Anything Goes challenge at Crafting From the Heart.

LOL Get Well Cards from Crackerbox Palace

It’s Crackerbox Palace Friday and today I am sharing two get well cards I made with Crackerbox Palace stamps. I love using humorous stamps when making cards and CBP has a wonderful selection of lol stamps to choose from. I made the CAS get well card above with the aspirin, band aid and Nyquil Margarita stamps. And here is a card for someone who broke an arm or wrist:

I paper pieced the chick with dotted patterned paper and the sling with actual medical bandage material. I layered it on a green piece punched with a Martha Stewart border punch.

I am entering these cards in the Anything Goes challenges at Crafting from the Heart and Wonderful Wednesdays.

Birthday Cards 4 Kids Challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids

It’s Saturday and time for another fun challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids! This time our challenge is Birthday Fun 4 Kids! Create and link any birthday card for a child and you could win one of our great prizes.

We have three very generous sponsors for this challenge: Bugaboo is giving their winner 7 digis of their choice!  Lacy Sunshine is giving their randomly picked winner 3 digis!  And Fred She Said’s winner gets a $10 gift certificate! TEAM S.A.S will also be choosing their favorite cards for our top three and the winners will receive a blog badge and an opportunity to be a guest design team member on a future challenge.

My first birthday card above features Pickles and the Love Cupcake from Lacy Sunshine. I paper pieced him and his yummy cupcake and popped him up over a background I created with a stitched wavy border die. I printed the sentiment, cut it out with deckle scissors and attached. 

I think lots of kids like word searches and puzzles and so they would love this card with "Word Search Birthday Boy" by Bugaboo. I highlighted "smiles", did a little coloring and paper pieced his outfit and balloons. The card is an easel card and stands up to reveal the Happy Birthday sentiment which is a popped up border punch by Martha Stewart.

I am entering these cards in the Birthday challenges at Aud Sentiments and Fresh Brewed and the Design Team Showcase.

Happy Dust Fun Fold Card on Crackerbox Palace Friday

It's Crackerbox Palace Friday and today I am sharing a new fun fold card featuring Crackerbox Palace’s funny funny stamps. I love trying new folds and using humor in my cards, so this card makes me happy. I learned how to do this fold from this video on line. I stamped the lol fairy godmother with versamark and heat embossed her with sparkly glitter embossing powder. Then I cut out her stitched square frame with a die from Lil’ Inker. The opening in the front of the card was cut with another stitched square die also from Lil’ Inker. I punched the top of the folded inside piece with a star border punch from Martha Stewart. Then I stamped the Happy Dust saying in purple on the yellow. I stamped the sentiment again and the magic wand with versamark and purple embossing powder, cut them out and attached. Here are a couple more pictures showing the card open, from the top and closed.

**As a present to you from Crackerbox Palace, all the CBP stamps  on this card will be 20% OFF for one week! What a deal! **

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Wonderful Wednesdays and the “one for the girls” challenge at Penny’s Paper Crafty.