Layered Snowflakes

I've seen lots of these layered cards, so I wanted to try my hand at it!  My Stamp Club ladies will be making this card this month.

I was inspired by a gorgeous card that my friend, Donna Wizniuk, made.  She used Crumb Cake with Whisper white, which was quite stunning.  I decided to change it up a bit, and I used Midnight Muse and Whisper White with the Snowflake Soiree stamp set.  I embossed the snowflakes in white and also stamped a few in our new Luminescent ink, which makes a shimmery watermark image.    To finish off the card, I used some Midnight Muse stitched satin ribbon and added a "Merry" tag with the Designer Label punch and a couple of pearl jewels.  The snowflakes on the tag are in Midnight Muse, stamped off a few times so they're lighter (ink the stamp, then stamp it on scrap paper a few times before stamping on the sentiment).

Here's a quick tutorial for those of you who haven't seen this type of card before:

1.  Cut three sizes of the same colour of cardstock that you will be stamping your collage image on (Midnight Muse here).  I used 4 x 5 1/4", 3 1/4 x 4 1/2" and 2 1/2 x 2 3/4".  (Often this card is done with white or a neutral colour as these pieces so you can stamp in a coloured ink - I did a reverse here).

2.  Layer the three pieces together on top of each other (you may want to adhere them with Dotto or another repositionable adhesive so they will come apart after).

3.  Stamp your images over the cardstock in a collage style.  Emboss now if you're embossing!

4.  Pull apart the three pieces and layer them onto mats (I used Whisper White).  Make sure you keep the layers in the same direction as when you stamped them so that your images will line up when you put the pieces back together. The card base is the largest mat, then 3 1/2 x 4 3/4" and 2 3/4 x 4" for this card.

5.  Embellish your card as desired.

I love how easy this card is, but it looks complicated!  Enjoy!

Blessings to you,

Card Box Instructions

I just wanted to post some instructions on how to make the card box that my Stamp and Scrapbook Club ladies made this week since a few people couldn't make it to the club, and they'll need to know how to make it with their supplies!  Hopefully many of you will also find it useful.

BOX & BOW
There is a great tutorial for this box on Erica Cerwin's blog here (scroll down a bit for the box tutorial).  Here are the supplies you'll need:

• cardstock (Cherry Cobbler here) - 7 x 11" and 6 x 7"
• designer series paper (Be of Good Cheer here) - 3-3/4 x 4-3/4" and 2-1/4 x 6-1/2" (2) for decorating the box.  Score the two longer strips diagonally from the top at zero.  Cut the diagonal line so the paper will fit on the side of the box.  You will need to flip one of the sheets of paper and score the opposite side so that the same pattern will show on each side of the box (see photo below).
• designer series paper - 1-1/2 x 12" and 1-1/2 x 6" for band (glue the strips together and wrap them around the box)
• Simply Scored tool with diagonal plate 

 To make the bow, you'll need a half-sheet (6 x 12") of designer series paper, cut into the following:

• 6 x 1" (8)
• 5 x 1" (4)
• 4 x 1" (1)

There's a tutorial here on Splitcoast Stampers, but for an easier way to get the bow pieces in loops, check here. 

CARDS
The cards are pretty straight-forward.  I wanted to keep them simple so the ladies could finish them and the box with envelopes in a couple of hours.

Here are the supplies for the cards:

• card bases (Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler here) - standard 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Very Vanilla - 3-1/4 x 4-1/2" (one per card)
• designer series paper (Be of Good Cheer here) - 1-1/2 x 3" (one per card)
• ribbon (Cherry Cobbler polka dot scallop, Gumball Green stitched satin and 7/8" cotton ribbon here) - about a 4" section per card
• rhinestone jewels

Adhere the Very Vanilla cardstock piece to the card base.  Adhere the designer series paper to the bottom of the Vanilla piece.  Cut the ends of the ribbon into "v's" and glue it across the top of the designer series paper. Stamp your image at the top of the Vanilla piece (any assorted Christmas stamps will work).

ENVELOPES
For the envelopes, you will need 7-3/4" squares of designer series paper (one per card).  Use the Simply Scored tool with the diagonal plate.

Score the first side at 3-1/8".  Rotate the paper 180 degrees and score the opposite side at 3-1/8".

Turn the paper 90 degrees and score at 4-1/8".  Rotate another 180 degrees and score the opposite side at 4-1/8".

Snip out the corners where the scored lines intersect.  You may need to fold the scored lines to see them clearly on the designer series paper.  You can use paper snips or a 1" square punch as shown.

Fold the flaps and snip off the top part of the front flap.  Adhere the edges of the front flap and glue the flaps together.

And that's how you make the box, bow, cards and envelopes!  Please feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions. 

Blessings to you,

Mini Photo Book Tutorial

I absolutely loved the mini photo book that Teri sent me (you can check it out here). She said it was actually from a kit she purchased and put together (I'm afraid I don't know the name of the company who made the book, but I will admit to totally CASEing the cover idea and the inside decorating from Teri!). So I decided to figure out how to make it from "scratch". Here are the steps (I put the colours I used in parentheses beside the dimensions for easy reference):

Supplies:

• cardstock cover - 10-1/4" x 5" (Certainly Celery)
• paper for inside frame - 5" x 5" (Blue Bayou Prints)
• cardstock for inside cover pocket - 9-3/4" x 5" (Purely Pomegranate)
• cardstock for inserts - 4-1/2" x 4-1/4" (Certainly Celery)
• Round Tab punch
• stamps
• ink
• sticky strip or other double-sided tape
• corner rounder punch (optional)

Steps:

1. Score the cover piece at 5-1/8".

2. Make the frame by cutting a 2-1/2" square from the center of the paper (line up the paper at 1-1/4" and cut from 1-1/4 - 3-3/4" all the way around).

3. Put sticky strip around three sides of the frame, leaving about a half-inch from the edge (so that a photo will slide in without ripping the paper).




4. Score the inside cover piece at 5". Cut a triangle on the diagonal of the shorter side (4-3/4" of this piece).

5. (Optional) Use the corner rounder punch with the guard removed (or scalloped scissors) to create a scalloped edge along the diagonal.






6. Decorate the inside of the insert as desired (Blue Bayou Prints here) and put a piece of sticky strip along the bottom of the diagonal piece. Fold this over and adhere it to the square part of the insert to make a pocket.







7. Adhere this inside piece to the left inside of the cover. Adhere the frame to the right inside of the cover with the open end (non-sticky strip edge) at the scored line in the center of the cover.








8. To make the photo inserts, round the top corners of the pieces (the longer (4-1/2") sides are the top and bottom). Use the round tab punch to create tabs for the tops of the inserts. Decorate them as desired (for these photo mats, I used 3-1/2" x 3-3/4" Pomegranate and Blue Bayou pieces of cardstock and 3-1/4" x 3-1/2" pieces of Kraft cardstock). Insert these into the pocket.





9. Decorate the inside of the book and the cover as desired (see photos at the top of the post).

If you would like a printable version of this tutorial, please email me and I'll send it to you in Word.

Pencil Holder Tutorial

I found this cute little pencil holder in the September 2007 issue of Stampin' Success magazine (SU!'s downline magazine), and I thought it would be a great project to include in my newsletter. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make it.
1. Start with a 5 x 7" piece of cardstock (I used textured River Rock). Score it horizontally at 1 7/8" and 4", then score it vertically at 7/8". Cut out the top corner pieces as shown, then round the tab corners with a corner rounder punch.





2. As an embellishment, I added a 2 1/8 x 1 1/2" piece of designer paper, punched with the spiral punch. I used the new Ginger Blossom designer series paper for this piece.






3. Stamp the outside as desired. I used the new Embrace Life set with River Rock and Bravo Burgundy ink.







4. Adhere it shut with a strong adhesive - I used sticky strip because I wanted to make sure that it would stay closed with the pencils in it. Then all you need to do is finish the embellishments (I used Bravo Burgundy 5/8" grosgrain ribbon above) and slide some pencils in it!

More Bows!

I'm loving these bows! They're so quick and easy to make! I know I'll be making tons of these for Christmas presents. You can find the tutorial here. For these ones, I used Almost Amethyst Prints designer paper and Petals & Paisleys designer paper. (By the way, did you know that Stampin' Up! has designer paper on sale this month? When you buy three packages, you get one free! Also, for Canadian orders - there is FREE SHIPPING for the month of November, so you'll want to order this month!)

I was shown a tip on Saturday at our large group meeting. Susan P., a very talented demonstrator, showed us a quicker way to make these was to use your paper piercing tool and layer the paper strips on there (instead of folding and adhering each one). When you have four strips on the tool, just slide them off and put a brad through the bottom to hold them together. Much faster!

Pouch of Cards Tutorial

I've never written a tutorial before, so I hope this makes sense! I got this project from my friend, Treena, who learned it at a class she attended. So it's been passed down a lot! It's a great, easy project and makes a fantastic gift! I would have put it in Word with a link, but I had to draw the card templates by hand, so I scanned them and I'll include the instructions below.

Here are the supplies you'll need for the pouch of cards:

• 12 x 12" designer paper (2 different sheets)
• coordinating cardstock (one 8 1/2 X 11")
• neutral cardstock (one 8 1/2 x 11")
• neutral cards (6)
• envelopes (6)
• 6 x 6 scrapbook page protector
  
• 6 x 9 1/2" neutral cardstock for pouch insert
• velcro fastener
• brads, ribbons, etc.

Instructions:

1. Designate the designer paper as A and B. Coordinating cardstock is C and neutral cardstock is N. (For my cards, the Wintergreen snowflake is A, the Wintergreen spotted is B, the Sage Shadow is C and Whisper White is N.)
2. Cut the paper and cardstock as shown below (after step 4).
   
3. Adhere the paper and cardstock to the cards as shown on the template (click on the template picture to see a larger version).
4. Stamp and embellish the cards as you like. Ribbon and brad placements are suggested on the card templates.
   

Cut the paper as follows:

Designer Paper A
Card A - 2-1/4" x 4-1/4"
Card B - 2-1/2" x 4-1/4"; 2" x 3-1/4"
Card C - 1" x 5-1/2"
Card D - 3-1/4" x 5-1/2"
Card E - 1-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Card F - 2-1/4" x 5-1/2"

Designer Paper B
Card A - 3-1/4" x 4-1/4"
Card B - 3" x 4-1/4"
Card C - 2-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Card D - 1" x 1-1/2"
Card E - 3-1/4" x 5-1/2"
Card F - 2-1/2" x 5-1/2"

Coordinating Cardstock (C)
Card A - 2" x 5-1/4"
Card B - 1" x 4-1/4"
Card C - 2" x 5-1/2"; 2-1/4" x 2-1/4"
Card D - 2" x 3-1/4"; 1" x 5-1/2"
Card E - 2" x 3-1/4"
Card F - 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" (3)

Neutral Cardstock (N)
Card A - 1-3/4" x 5-1/4"
Card B - 1-3/4" x 3"
Card C - 2" x 2"
Card D - 1-3/4" x 3"
Card E - 1-3/4" x 3"
Card F - 1-3/8" x 1-3/8" (3) - use 1-3/8" square punch

Card Templates:























Pouch Instructions:

1. Cut the ring/post side off of the 6 x 6 page protector so you're just left with the pouch.
   
2. Score the insert page at about 6 1/2 (you want it longer than 6 inches because when the cards are in the pouch, it will be fuller and pull the insert up when you close it).
   
3. Decorate the pouch insert. I used a brass template to dry emboss and cut around the flap of the pouch, but you could just round the corners with a punch and stamp on it too.
   
4. Put the insert into the pouch and hold it in with a couple of mini glue dots in the top corners.
   
5. Remove the velcro fasteners from their protective backing and stick them together. Stick the velcro fasteners on the inside of the flap (both parts on the flap so that one is stuck to the flap with the other sticky-side-out.) Put the cards in the pouch and then close the flap so the other velcro fastener sticks to the outside of the pouch. This way, you will have the velcro pieces lined up with each other exactly where you want them.
   
6. Stamp the envelopes as desired and put them in the pouch as well.

Thanks for reading! I really hope this makes sense! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Here are the six cards I made, from Card A - Card F:

Post-Its Cover

This is a really cute door prize or gift for guests at workshops. My upline, Sarah, showed us how to make them at one of our downline meetings. I made a bunch of them last night when I had the whole evening to myself! Here are the directions:

1. Stamp all over a 3 x 8 1/2" piece of cardstock. Score it at 2-5/8", 3-1/8", 6-1/4" and 6-3/4".
2. Adhere a pad of post-its into the square at the center of the scored piece. Fold over the flaps. The shorter flap goes over the longer one.
3. To decorate the front, I made 3 squares (2-1/4", 2" and 1-1/2"). I stamped on those and adhered them all together.
4. Cut a small piece that is 1" x 1-1/2" and stamp on it as desired. Punch a slit with the slit punch.
5. Adhere the large decorated square to the shorter flap (only put adhesive on the top half of the square or it will glue the whole thing shut!). Put adhesive on the back of the slitted piece and slide it onto the stamped square. Then press it down onto the bottom flap.

I used the Heartfelt Thanks set here with Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow and Very Vanilla cardstock and Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow and Basic Black ink.

Here's the view of it open. I realized as I was taking this photo that I should have stamped on the inside as well! I'll have to go back and do that later.

These are so quick and easy (the theme of my work!), and they're so cute!