Animal Stories Part 1

When I first saw the “Sneak Peek” stamp set, Animal Stories, I knew that I had to have it! The elephants seemed so stylized and classy to me, not at all juvenile. And then I got an idea. Why not show how this set could be used to make a card outside of the genre for which it was intended! With a little embossing powder and and a heat gun, I created two elephants that are sure to be the envy of any rajah!
  • Prepare a standard card base from Night of Navy card stock and score at the top. (Tip: I selected a “Rich and Regal” color to underscore the opulent feel I was trying to achieve.)
  • I then layered this with a copper colored paper that I happened to have in my stash. If you are saying, “Alas, I have no paper with which to make this card”, I will tell you that Stampin‘ Up! has designed some of the most beautiful Designer Series Papers that I have ever seen for their new catalog. Trust me, these are “fantabulous” and I am a connoisseur of Designer Papers! These will be available July 1st.
  • Cut a strip of Night of Navy. Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect positioning, ink the elephant stamp from Animal Stories with VersaMark ink, stamp, and then sprinkle with embossing powder. Tap to remove the excess, and heat set using a Heat Tool until the powder raises and becomes shiny. Repeat the technique for the second elephant. The little medallion in the center is also from another “Sneak Peek” set, Circle Circus. It is stamped and embossed using the same technique. (Tip: If you are afraid to try heat embossing, don’t be! It is quicker and easier than you might believe. Like magic, the powder is transformed! One of the keys is to not overheat and scorch the paper. It is an easy way to rock the “WOW” factor!”)
  • I then matted the strip onto one of my “new In-Color friends”, Dusty Durango card stock.
  • Because elephants never forget, I selected the sentiment “Thinking of You” from the Sincere Salutations stamp set, and heat embossed it onto Night of Navy and matted it onto Dusty Durango.

I love my little elephants. But just wait until tomorrow, when the menagerie takes a different twist! Stay tuned for Animal Stories Part 2!
Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!
Stamp Sets: Animal Stories (116716—Available July 1st), Circle Circus (115778—Available July 1st), Sincere Salutations (115068)
Inks: VersaMark (102283)
Card Stock: Night of Navy (100867), Dusty Durango (115321)
Tools: Heat Tool (100005), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)
Other: Copper Embossing Powder (Ink Xpressions)
Please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Boxer-licious

Just when I think I have all of the punches that I could ever need, along comes Mary Fish and another one of her fantastic cards! On her blog, Stampin’ Pretty, Mary designed a card for her pug, Isabella. When my Boxer, Missy, heard about this, she insisted that I make a card for her. So this morning I pulled out all of my punches and began the task of creating this card, only to find that I did not have any small circle punches. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, so I improvised with a lip stick case and eye shadow stick. (Thank you, Estee Lauder!) Feeling a little bit like MacGyver, I was able to accomplish the task. However, I did add two circle punches to my wish list. Never will I be caught without the perfect punch again!

On the brighter side, I spent so much time designing the ears that the UPS man delivered my new Stampin‘ Up! “sneak peeks” before I was finished with the card! I wasted no time opening the box and pulling out the new In-Colors. Missy’s head is mounted on Crushed Curry, and rimmed with Bermuda Bay. The card base is made from Dusty Durango and the pattern paper is from the Razzleberry Lemonade collection. The ribbons are Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, and Dusty Durango. Notice how they are reversible…solid on one side, dotted on the other! The “Friends” sentiment is stamped in Bermuda Bay and features the new Modern Label Punch.

If you are a Boxer lover like me, and would like to create your own Boxer-licious card, here is the recipe:

  • Using a Glass Mat and the Circle Scissors Plus, cut a 2-1/2″ circle from Close to Cocoa to serve as the head.
  • Use the Wide Oval Punch to create the characteristic Boxer mask from Basic Black.
  • The Full Heart Punch was used to create the jowls from Basic Black. (Tip: Since black jowls does not stand out on a black mask, a second heart was punched from Kraft and layered under the black heart.)

  • Rose Red and the Small Oval Punch were used to create the tongue.

  • In a perfect world, the eyes would have been created using 1/2″ and 3/4″ Circle Punches from Close to Cocoa and Basic Black. I used a lip stick case and eye shadow stick. Whatever works!

  • The ears were punched with the Full Heart Punch, folded down the middle and cropped. The edges of the ears were then inked in Basic Black for a slight amount of contrast.

  • The collar was fashioned from Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper using the Small Oval Punch.

  • The head was then mounted on Crushed Curry, and a Ticket Corner Punch was used to add interest. This was then layered onto Bermuda Bay.

  • Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper was matted onto Bermuda Bay and layered onto a 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ Dusty Durango card base.

  • Snippets of Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, and Crushed Curry ribbon were adhered to the card base. The image mat was then positioned and adhered in place.

  • The “Friends” sentiment from the Garden Greetings stamp set was inked with Bermuda Breeze and stamped onto Whisper White. The new Modern Label Punch was used to punch to it out.

  • To add a touch of bling, Pumpkin Circle Fire Brads were added to the ends of the sentiment.

This cheerful card did help Missy feel a little better after her accident Wednesday morning. My poor baby received a very bad sprain jumping out of bed. Luckily she did not break her leg or dislocate her hip, but she certainly scared her mom and brother…who carried her to the car for the emergency trip to the vet’s. She is on the equivalent of “doggie bed rest” for the next few weeks, and is basking in all of the extra attention!

Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Order Your Stampin’ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: Garden Greetings (113716)
Ink: Bermuda Bay (115655—Available July 1st)
Designer Series Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade (115675—Available July 1st )
Card Stock: Dusty Durango (115321—Available July 1st), Bermuda Breeze (115317—Available July 1st), Crushed Curry (115319—Available July 1st), Close to Cocoa (101341), Basic Black (102851), Chocolate Chip (102128), Rose Red (102544), Kraft (102125)
Tools: Full Heart (113693), Wide Oval (112082), Small Oval (107304), Modern Label (116630—Available July 1st), ¾” Circle Punch (107217), ½” Circle Punch (104390), Glass Mat (112531), Circle Scissors Plus (112530)
Embellishments: Dusty Durango ½” Grosgrain Ribbon (115609—Available July 1st), Crushed Curry ½” Grosgrain Ribbon (115614—Available July 1st), Bermuda Bay ½” Grosgrain Ribbon (115610—Available July 1st), Pumpkin Circle Fire Brads (109110)

Please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Two Old Friends

This time of year has me feeling quite nostalgic. With a new Stampin‘ Up catalog right around the corner, I find myself saying good-by to the accessories and stamp sets that are listed on the The Last Chance List. Don’t get me wrong…I am looking forward to my “sneak peek” items that are due to arrive Thursday. But the Designer Series Paper and the stamp set used on this card are two of my old friends. Parisian Breeze is a textured cover weight card stock that I loved for both scrap booking and card making. Feminine florals and masculine stripes in shades of Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip made this a very versatile collection indeed. The same versatility is evident in “Thoughts of Father”, which I have used to stamp a wide variety of cards. The good news is that of this morning, they are both still available for ordering. Mojo Monday Sketch #90 served as the inspiration for this layout. I hope that you enjoy today’s card.
  • Construct a card base from Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze Designer Specialty Paper and score at the top.

  • Ink the vintage car stamp from Thoughts of Father with Basic Brown and stamp onto Very Vanilla card stock. Mat onto Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze.

  • Using the Photo Corner Punch, punch out two sets of corners from Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze. The flip side of this paper is the Baja Breeze “Dotted Swiss” paper. Adhere the corners to the image mat as illustrated.
  • With the Big Shot and Sizzlits Stampin‘ Up! Little Leaves die, prepare a “stem” from Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze. Trim to fit, and position in the lower left hand corner to add interest, and to mimic the leaves in the image.

  • Cut a square of Baja “Dotted Swiss” Parisian Breeze, and mat onto Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze.

  • Using the Scallop Circle Punch, punch a Chocolate Chip Parisian Breeze circle. Using a Nestabilities scallop circle die and the Big Shot, cut a small scalloped circle. Layer the Baja onto the Chocolate Chip.
  • Using the photo as your guide, position and adhere all of the elements onto “Striped” Parisian Breeze.

  • Attach 1/4″ Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon and a Chocolate Chip Corduroy Brad as shown.

  • The Striped Parisian Breeze mat is now ready to be adhered to the card base!

I am so excited to break out the new stamp sets and In-Colors. I can hardly wait to share my sneak peeks with you! So get set for a parade of products. The fun begins on Friday!

Click here to access the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Order Your Stampin‘ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: Thoughts of Father (115094)
Ink: Basic Brown (104315)
Designer Series Paper: Parisian Breeze (113993)
Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Sizzlits Stampin’ Up Little Leaves (114511), Scallop Circle Punch (109043), Photo Corners Punch (109042) , Nestabilities Circle Dies
Embellishments: ¼” Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon (109026), Chocolate Chip Corduroy Brad (114339)

Please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…