Today I have another project to share from the gathering I went to on Saturday.  This is the ATC I created for our ATC swap.  If you aren’t familiar with ATC’S, it stands for Artist Trading Card.  They are 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. 

I decided to make mine a bit 3D this time and since I had fun creating a stair step card recently, I figured out the measurements to make it a miniature ATC size.  Here’s what I came up with, using my Ollie and Griselda set once again.  The shoes were paper pieced and boy was I tired of cutting out those curly shoes!  LOL. 

Below is a side view so you can see the folds a little better.  I had to make 24 of these for the swap so I wanted to figure out the best measurements to avoid a lot of waste in scraps.  I pulled out some 12 x 12 cardstock and cut the base of the cards so that I started with a 3 1/2 x 6 piece of cardstock.  Then I scored the 6″ length @ 1 1/2, 3, 4, 5, and 5 1/2.  The scored lines are folded mountain and valley style to create the base.

And the last photo shows how the die cut bat was attached with a small strip of clear acetate.  I sandwiched the bottom between the cardstock and the punched border. 

Tomorrow I have one more project I made with this set…and it is yummy! 

stamps- Ollie and Griselda by Cookie Crumbs; paper- Navy, White, Celery, Black, Pumpkin, retired SU! dp- Halloween Night; ink- Memento Black, Pumpkin, Saffron, Olive; accessories- Long Rectangle Nestabilities, M.S. Drippy Goo punch, clear acetate, Cuttlebug Halloween die, Scor-Tape, yellow glitter pen, Stickles.

Hello!  :0)

I hope you had a great weekend!  I sure did.  On Saturday I attended another fun day of stamping with some of my NY and PA friends.  Fun, fun!  I have a few projects from this gathering that I will share with you this week.  And the sneak peeks for the new ATS sets for November start this week too, so be sure to check the ATS blog each day! 

This card was my shoebox project on Saturday that I prepared for everyone at my table to make.  I used my Ollie and Griselda set, along with the Retiform Grid technique that I haven’t done in a long time.  It was fun to try it out again.  I don’t remember where I first learned this technique, but I learned to make it two different ways…one by drawing in the lines with a marker and the other by sponging without drawing the lines.  I forgot to take some pictures as I was making it, so hopefully I’ll explain it well enough to understand.

First I started with a square of white cardstock.  Then I made a pattern for my grids by cutting a second square into 3 random pieces.  You do not need to make a pattern but I needed to be able to make several cards exactly alike so a pattern was very helpful.  Then I traced the pattern pieces with a Sharpie marker to get the black lines. 

Next I masked off each section, one at a time and stamped the images with black ink.  Then I masked them each again, sponging them with 3 different colors of ink.  It really doesn’t matter if you stamp first or sponge first by doing it this way but if you stamp first, then you have a little more control over where your lighter, highlighted areas are.

The second way I learned to do this technique is to not draw in any lines.  In this way, you must do your sponging first.  Mask off a section and sponge it.  Then move your mask and sponge another section.  Your sections may overlap if you want.  Continue until you fill the cardstock.  Then come back and mask the sections again, this time stamping various coordinating images in each one.  By doing it this way, it is sometimes best to choose only 2 colors of ink that blend well together to avoid the sections looking “muddied” where they overlap. 

I hope I explained it well enough and you give it a try!  It is really a fun technique which is quick and easy when you don’t have time to do a lot of coloring.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

stamps- Ollie and Griselda by Cookie Crumbs; paper- Elegant Eggplant, Not Quite Navy, Olive, Pumpkin, Black, White; ink- Memento Black, SU! Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin, Olive; accessories- Cuttlebug Halloween die and Spiderweb embossing folder, Sharpie marker, Martha Stewart Spiderweb Edge punch, brad, sponges. 

Hello!  Happy Saturday!

Today I thought I’d share my 12 x 12 monthly calendar project.  I have been using this calendar for probably 8 or 9 years now and it has held up very well.  But it was in dire need of an updated topper and I finally got around to stamping one. 

Here’s a pic of the whole calendar…

…and here’s some close-ups so you can see the stamped topper better.  The left side…

and the right side…

When I first made the backing for the calendar, I started with a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock and took it to an office supply store to be laminated.  I’m glad that I did that because several years later it is still in great condition. 

Next I printed out my calendar pages from the computer on regular 8 1/2 x 11 printer paper.  There are various programs that you can use.  The pages were laid onto the bottom of the laminated back and I punched two holes in the top corners to attach them with brads.

Then I cut a piece of 2 1/2″ x 11″ coordinating cardstock and decorated it with stamped images.  I also punched some holes in this piece…one on each side…to attach it with ribbon at the top.  This way it can easily be removed and replaced as needed.  It could be changed for each season or holiday if you wish!

Finally, after the holes are punched and the pieces are in place, you can attach some thin magnets to the back if desired so it can be hung on the refrigerator. 

Let me know if you make one…I’d love to see what you create!

stamps- SU! A Flower For All Seasons; paper- white, Buckaroo, Choc. Chip; ink- Memento Black; accessories- Labels 1 Nestabilities, Martha Stewart Mini Hearts punch, Copics, ribbon, magnets.

OK, fess up…. who can resist the marshmallow Peeps?  Seriously?  :0)

They’re out there on the shelves for every holiday now…in all shapes and colors.  Delicious sugary goodness.  Somehow they always end up in the cart.  sigh.

So here’s what I did with the pumpkin Peeps…

The cute puppy is a new C.C. Designs image from the Halloween Candy set.  He looks so sweet and innocent, doesn’t he?  He obviously hasn’t eaten too much sugar yet.  LOL.  You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?  Give the little ones too much sugar and…watch out!  he he.

I wanted to color the bones on his skeleton costume a bright green ’cause it reminded me of those glow-in-the-dark costumes that are so popular now.  Why didn’t they think of that when we were little?

This is only a cover for the front and sides…the back was not covered.  I just measured the front of the box and added 2 inches to each side.  (The box is 1″ deep).  Then I scored all sides at 1″.  It ends up looking like a box “lid”….make sense?  So I started with a piece of cardstock 7 1/8″ x 9 3/4″ and then scored each side at 1″.

Before glueing the sides together, I die cut and decorated the front.  First I attached the background dp and then I cut an opening with the Spellbinders Labels 6 die.  Since the width of the front is too wide to pass through the die cut machine, I had to improvise a bit…but it is easy.  Just place the die in the desired position on the box cover.  Then fold the side flaps up and overtop of the die.  The cutting edge will be facing down so there’s no worry of cutting the sides.  After your “window” is cut, decorate as desired.  Then slip it over your box of Peeps.  (assuming they are still uneaten)  ;0) 

Here’s a close up of the main image… 

Now go get yourself some Peeps!

stamps- Halloween Candy by C.C. Designs; paper- K & Company, purple, green, black, white; ink- Memento Black; accessories- Copics, SU! Large Oval punch, Spellbinders- Labels 6, Ovals and Fancy Tags, Martha Stewart Spiderweb punches, Cuttlebug Halloween die, pop dots, Black Diamond Stickles.

Recently I’ve been trying a few older techniques again that I haven’t done for a few years.  It has been fun and brings back a lot of fond memories of stamping with a friend. 

Yesterday I was working with the Emerging Color technique and I decided to take a few pics as I was making my card.  If you haven’t tried this technique before, I hope this quick little tutorial will help.  It really is a fun one to try! 

Here’s the card I made.  I had a hard time photographing this to get the purple right and yet show the rich, dark brown.  It looks much better IRL…the purple is much lighter and it’s a nice, dark brown. 

First I started with a piece of white cardstock.  I chose 3 medium to light colors of dye-based ink and 3 small images from the SU! Priceless stamp set.  The colors used here are So Saffron, Cameo Coral and Lavendar Lace.  Stamp your images close together and you may overlap them a bit.  When I finished stamping my background, it looked like this:

Next I used the butterfly image and stamped it several times over the background with Versamark ink.  Since this is a clear ink, you just need to be careful that you don’t stamp in the same spot twice.  Lift it up toward the light occasionally if you need to check your placement.  After you are finished stamping the butterflies, heat emboss them with a clear embossing powder.

When you are finished embossing, use a rubber brayer and a dark color of dye-based ink to cover the entire piece.  Here I used Chocolate Chip ink.

The images will look slightly “muddied” at this point.  Using a tissue or soft cloth, buff over the embossed images to remove the excess ink.  You can see in this photo how the brown looks on my card IRL.

That’s it!  Just mount it to your cardfront and finish your card. 

stamps- SU! Priceless and Best Yet; paper- Choc. Chip, Saffron, Whisper White, Cameo Coral; ink- Saffron, Cameo, Lav. Lace, Choc. Chip, Versamark; accessories- clear embossing powder, heat tool, brayer, paper piercer, photo corner punch, Priceless brass template, gel pen, Stickles.

Good morning!

I have lots to share today… in this post I have a puppy card preview and a tutorial for cutting “out of the box” with the Nesties.  Then don’t forget to scroll down to my other post today for the next Stampavie challenge!

This puppy is another image in my Get Well Critters set that will be available *tonight* at 10 pm on the All That Scraps site! 

He is the image that started the whole set since I was asked (a very long time ago) to make a card for someone who had an accident.  I never did get around to making that card…oops!  Well, now I’ll be ready the next time I need one!  LOL. 

I couldn’t quite bring myself to color the puppy’s “puddle” yellow, so I left it white. ha ha.  I hope this image and sentiment doesn’t offend anyone….it is meant to be humorous.  If you don’t like the puddle by him, just cut it off…no worries!  Did you see the super cute card that Dawn made?  She omitted the puddle and gave him a bandaid from the set- so cute!  (And be sure to check out the other samples in the ATS gallery…Jay Jay even stuck the Chicken in bed instead of the pig!)

I hope to see you tonight on the ATS board…there will be a chat at 8 pm before the release.

stamps- Get Well Critters by Cookie Crumbs; paper- Kraft, White, dp- SU! Manchester; ink- Memento Black; accessories- Copic markers, Labels 1 Nestabilities, brad.

____________________________________________________________

 ”Out Of The Box” with Nestabilities

 Next…here’s a card I made with Christine’s cute Bugg-a-boos set.  (And the words are from AmyR’s Beach Sentiments set.)

I used paper piecing on her tummy and paper piercing on the corners, around the sentiment, and also to make a butterfly trail.

And I don’t have the Copic airbrush, so this time I tried adding some yellow highlights around her with a stipple brush.  I’m still experimenting with this.  I’m not sure if I like the stipple brush more or the air art tool.  I do like the control I had, though, with a stipple brush.

The main image was cut out using an “out of the box” technique.  I’ve had a few friends ask how to do this, so I thought I’d do a quick tutorial. 

Now, there are several ways to do “out of the box” techniques.  You can take an image and use it in a different way…such as turning a flowerpot upside down for a hat…or stamping a heart several times in a circle to make a flower, etc.  Or you can think outside of the box and make a green heart or a brown flower, etc. 

But this time I used a different type of “out of the box” where you leave part of your image hanging out from the panel that it is cut out of.  Did I make sense?  In other words, here I cut out my butterfly girl but I cut around part of her wing so it sticks out beyond the shape I cut her in.  This technique is quite easy but it is just a bit tricky to visualize when you are using the Nestabilities.  So I took a few quick photos when I made this card and I hope they help to make this technique easier to understand.  It really isn’t difficult and I encourage you to try it!    

First, lay your Nestability shape on top of your image where you want it to cut.  Then, using a pencil, mark a small line on the inside of the die… above and below the section you want to leave hanging out.

Then remove the die and with a pair of sharp pointy scissors, cut from the edge of your paper up to the line you drew.  Then cut around the section you are letting hang out.  Here I cut up to the lines and then cut around the tip of the wing.

Next, place the die back into position, with the cutting edge down.  When you slide the die into place, lift the section you are letting hang out so that it lays above the die.  This will keep it from being cut off when it is put through the die cut machine. 

Now you just sandwich your image and die with your cutting plates and run it through your machine.  When your image is cut out, remove the die and erase the pencil marks you drew.

Here’s the finished card again:

I hope this was easy to understand and I didn’t confuse you!  It is such a fun technique…I hope you try it if you haven’t already.

stamps- Gingersnaps Bugg-A-Boos by C.C. Designs, AmyR Beach Sentiments; paper- White, Lilac, Saffron, Amethyst dp; ink- Memento Black; accessories- Copic markers, ribbon, Stickles, Labels 4 and Butterflies 2 Nestabilities, stipple brush, SU! Horizontal slot punch, paper piercer, SU! Priceless brass template.

Cookies are in the oven!  Mmmmm……….. 

Today the ATS design team is previewing my 2 new sets….”Cookie Jar” and “Cookie Jar-gon”!  I just *had* to do a cookie set, dontcha think?  :0) 

These sets, along with 2 others, will be available Monday night at 10 pm on the All That Scraps website.  And as usual, there will be a chat starting at 8 pm in the message board. 

My first set, Cookie Jar, has seven different cookies, 2 girls and several other cookie related images.  The second set, Cookie Jar-gon, has lots of cookie sentiments.  The images come in a tin and the words will be in a baggie.  BUT…if you get both sets, once they are trimmed they will both *just fit* perfectly in the tin!  It is packed full!  :0)  *scroll to the end of this post for info on the blog candy*

Here are some separate pics of the card and box…you can click on the thumbnails to make them bigger.

For my project today, I have to say that I was inspired by Lauren Meader’s oven here.  I didn’t make mine the same way though.  I started out with one of the cupcake boxes from All That Scraps.  And when it was completed, I filled it with some Peanut Blossoms….one of my favorite kinds!

This box is for the mini cupcakes and the window is on the top and front of the box.  So I just needed to make a stove top to cover the top part of the window.  I scored and folded a tiny edge onto the front of the stovetop and then scored and folded the back section up.  See the close-up pic below for more details.  

The box sides were folded together opposite from the way they normally go.  I folded the solid flap to the outside and attached it with Scor-tape so that the inter-locking flaps would not show. 

I framed the front window by die-cutting a piece of cardstock with the Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities.  Then I cut a window in it by trimming out the center with my Fiskars paper trimmer.  This could also be done with just a ruler and a craft knife.          

Here are some close-ups of the oven. 

All of the paper used (except the white and the dp on the oven mitts) is from the DCWV Summer Glitter stack, so this oven really sparkles!

The “knobs” on the back were made with some old mesh heart eyelets that I found in my stash.  It’s amazing what you can find when you start searching, isn’t it?  LOL. 

The burners were made by cutting circles with the circle Nestabilities.  Then I attached some circle clips onto each one with a brad.  This was the hardest part of the whole box….trying to figure out how to attach the “coils”!

The cookie tray and spatula are images from the Cookie Jar stamp set.  They were colored with Copic markers.  And the words are from the Cookie Jar-gon set.  I lightly stamped the heart cookie overtop of the words in pink.   

The oven mitt that is in some other pics is also from the set.  It was stamped onto patterned paper and attached to the front of the stove.

In this pic you can see that the box lid opens from the back of the oven.  I wanted to cover and support the area where the back of the stovetop meets the box flap, so I attached an additional piece of pink paper.  Then I decorated the back a bit with the heart cookie and another sentiment from Cookie Jar-gon.

I hope you liked this project!  I thought it would be a fun way to give a gift of cookies.  I didn’t talk about the card, but I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. 

Here’s the recipe for the card & box.  Scroll down for more info on the blog candy!  And be sure to check out all of the great samples by the ATS design team!  You can see them on the ATS blog and also in the gallery.

stamps- Cookie Jar and Cookie Jar-gon by Cookie Crumbs; paper- white, dp- DCWV Summer Glitter stack and Blossoms & Butterflies pack; ink- Chocolate Chip, Pixie, Memento Black; accessories- mini cupcake box from ATS, Scor-Pal, Scor-tape, Nestabilities- Circle, Double Ended Tags and Mega Curved Rectangles, mesh heart eyelets, snaps, Copic markers, circle clips, brads, Word Window punch, Large and Small Oval punches. 

Now for the blog candy….

Would you like to win these sets?  Just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite cookie is!  On Monday afternoon I will pick a winner to receive both sets!  (one post per person, please)

Have a great weekend!  :0)

Here’s another project that I just haven’t had time to share yet.  I made this micro sized Santa box as a large group Make & Take several weeks ago.  I was set out to make them larger, but at the last minute I realized that I was running low on red paper.  eek!  So I micro-sized my boxes and I think they turned out kinda cute!  They are only 3 1/4″ tall when finished.  And they hold one of those Keebler 100 calorie packs of Right Bites cookies rather nicely if you open the package and wrap them with some plastic wrap.  :0)  (They also hold mini size candy bars).

This box is made just like the 2-4-6-8 boxes, only I started with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of cardstock (a quarter sheet).  Then I scored the long side at 1″, 2 1/2″, 3 1/2″, and 5″.  Next, turn it 90 degrees and score the short side at 1″.  After scoring, cut and fold as shown in the diagram below (click to enlarge).  Cut on the red lines.  The yellow section will be removed.  Attach sides and bottom with strong adhesive.

To finish it off, I cut a strip of black for a belt that would fit through the die-cut buckle and added some buttons.  The Sizzix Bread Tag was cut a little shorter than the diecut size and stamped with images from my Annabelle set.

Check back tomorrow for another Christmas card I forgot to upload- oops!

stamps- Annabelle by Cookie Crumbs; paper- red, black, gold, white; ink- black; accessories- Sizzix Bread Tags die, Ellison Thick Cuts Buckles die, buttons, glue dots, Scor-Pal 

Today All That Scraps is having another Review Preview Friday.  This week we are reviewing the Annabelle and Sadie sets.  I was bummed that I didn’t get a chance to play with the Sadies but I do have an easy Annabelle project for you!   I was just playing around a few days ago with the Annabelle set and I came up with this tiny box.  I don’t know if anyone has made one this size before, it’s surely been done….but I haven’t seen one.  So I thought I’d call it a “Micro Box”.  The card it is sitting beside is a 4 1/4″ square card, which shows how tiny it is! 

I already had the card made so I pulled out the same papers I used and I started figuring out my box.  If you are familiar with the 2-4-6-8 boxes, this box bottom is constructed the same way….only with different measurements.  And the lid is simply made as well.  I didn’t have time for a complete picture tutorial, but I think you’ll find it is easy to make.

Micro Box bottom:

I started with a piece of 3″ x 5 1/2″ Celery cardstock.  Score the 5 1/2″ length @ 1 1/4, 2 1/2, 3 3/4, and 5.  Turn the cardstock 90 degrees and score the 3″ side @ 1 1/4.  Cut on the red lines and remove the yellow shaded corner as shown below.  Fold on the dotted lines and assemble the box.  (Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture).  Decorate as desired.

Micro Box lid:

I started with a 3 3/8″ square.  But if you look closely, my lid is a little loose.  You may want to try a 3 5/16″ square if you would like it to fit a bit tighter.  Score @ 1″ on all 4 sides.  Using the scored lines as a guide, stamp as desired.  Cut on the red lines as shown below.  Fold and assemble your lid.  (Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture).  Decorate as desired. 

Have fun with the tiny box!  If you make one, please link back so I can see!  :0)

Here’s the deets on the card & box:

stamps- Annabelle by Cookie Crumbs

paper- Celery, Amethyst, Black, White, dp- Susan Branch

ink- Black

accessories- Nestabilities, sewing machine, Key Tag punch, gel pen, button, ribbon, Copic markers 

Today’s sneak peek is the set “Froggie and Friends”.  Aren’t they cute?  This set includes the 2 frogs and their friends shown here plus a lily pad, 2 cattails, 3 party hats, a fly, balloons and a bunch of coordinating words!  All of those pieces make it a fun & versatile set!  I also love that it comes packaged in a CD tin.  I punched the holes and layered the patterned paper behind them.  The images were stamped on the patterned paper and again on cardstock, watercolored, and paper pieced into place.  All of the papers and accessories on this card are also from All That Scraps.  These papers are so cute- I almost hated to cut off these tiny pieces…LOL.  But I had this idea stuck in my head and wanted to give it a try.  Thankfully it turned out OK the first time because I didn’t have any more of the dark green layer to start over. 

I took a pic of the top layer while I was punching the holes so you can see how I got the circle punches perfectly aligned.  I started by deciding how big I wanted the circle punches and then  figured how I needed to space them out.  *Please note- this card is not a typical A2 size card.  The finished measurements are 4 1/2 x 6.  So if you follow my measurements, you will need to find an envelope to fit or make a custom one.  I chose to use my 1 3/8″ circle punch.  Then I cut the dark green layer to 5 3/4″ x 4 1/4″.   If you look closely at the photo, I used the punch upside down and marked the top and sides of the punch opening with a Sharpie marker.  I just used the notches on the sides of the punch as a guide and eyeballed it.  Then I drew intersecting lines on the back of my cardstock layer.  Next just simply line up the three marks you make on your punch with the lines drawn on the cardstock and punch.  On the 5 3/4″ side, draw lines at 1 1/8, 2 7/8, and 4 5/8 inches.  On the 4 1/4″ side, draw lines at 1 1/4 and 3 inches.

I hope you give it a try….it’s really not very difficult.  Post a link if you make one so I can check it out! 

stamps- Froggie and Friends by C.C. Designs

paper- from All That Scraps

ink- Black, Celery, Artichoke, Bashful

accessories- ribbon & brads- All That Scraps, circle punch, gel pen