Screen Divider Card

Hi everyone.

It's the Blog Hogger again with another screen divider card. (The first one is here: http://inkinbythebay.blogspot.ca/2015/02/colorful-birthday.html) 

I loved the birthday card one I recently posted so much that I just had to make another one. This one has a totally different feel but I made one that didn't remind me of winter. (Although the birthday card didn't either. That's probably why I liked it so much! lol)

I live in a province that winter doesn't just visit. Oh no, it comes in December (or November) with it's bags packed and lasts until April (or May). For me, it's kinda like that relative who comes to visit and doesn't know when to leave! :)

So, the card I made has flowers on it and it just lifts my spirits when I look at it. Who needs Seasonal Effective Disorder (SAD) light treatment when you can substitute Stampin' Up therapy! lol

Here's the card lying down:

And here it is standing up:

I just love the way this card stands up. It makes it super cute!

Details;

• Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White
• Stamps: The flourish from Elements of Style and Petite Petals
• Punches: Scallop Trim Border (top), Decorative Label (legs), Petite Petals
• Ink: Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Melon Mambo and Wisteria Wonder
• Extras: The flowers are popped up on Dimensionals.

This card was faster and easier to make since I didn't have all those elements to cut/punch out. Besides, it's always easier to make something the second time around.

Fast & easy hugs 

Hmm, that sounds funny, so let's just go with fast hugs,

Colleen

Getting Ready!

Good day Stampers!

The title of my post is Getting Ready!  Ready for what you may ask, and surprise, surprise, I have an answer! Several in fact!

Tomorrow is our annual dash to book the park.  As most of my regular readers know ( I have complained posted this event for several years now!)  Yes our much anticipated (well by my DH anyway) race to book our camp site for the summer.

(on and this applies to my sister also, smile Colleen!)

Also tomorrow we will be bringing home the trailer so I am getting ready with my linens and what not to fill it up with.

I also have a video conference call on Thursday with the CEO of Stampin' Up! Canada.  I was chosen along with 150 demonstrators across Canada to be involved in a focus group.  I am pleased and honoured to be asked by Dale Hampshire but I am not sure if he knows just what he is getting when he asks me for my opinion lol.  (note to self  - try to keep lips shut until I have something sensible to say) 

And I have a class planned for Sunday here at the house.  I will be teaching a couple of techniques for Female Birthday and Mother's Day cards.  Yes it is that time of the year to honour our Mom's. 

Oh and I am tearing apart my craft room again trying to organize myself again.  This is an on going process but usually close to the new catalog I kick it up to a whole new level.

Tomorrow the Retiring Stamps and Accessories list will be made available, so I have to make room for the new products.

But that is enough blathering for now, on to the card.  Yeah I kinda got carried away with watching myself speak type.

Here you go -

 

Here is a pic of the technique I worked on last night.  Isn't it gojus?  I worked hard on this one, in fact I made quite a mess.  But, in my humble opinion it wouldn't be a technique class without a messy technique lol.

 

Well gotta run and get cleaned up (the room not me)  I can't have the CEO of Stampin' Up! Canada seeing me with my craft room in slings. 

 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's much anticipated, much dreaded, (depends on how many favorite Stamp sets I lose :O( Retired lists.

 

Ready for a vacation hugs!

 

 

Re- Explaination

Good Day Inky people!

Weather Report for Sarurday Jan. 26 th - Same as the last 26 days folks!  Cold followed by snow followed by more fricking cold!

So what to do when one is stuck indoors?  Well Stamp of course!  But before I get to that, I just wanted to mention my explanation yesterday concerning the SAB brochure.  My sister called me today to mention that I left out some items in my first explanation.  So I just wanted to clear up a couple of things.

First my intention to explain the brochure was just to show you the way it was laid out, not to itemize everything offered. (although I did do most of it lol)

I felt that you could look for yourself and see it on line.  For instance on the right hand side of the blog, just like you do with the new catalogs.  Imagine my surprise when Colleen mentioned that I had failed to put up the brochure widget (technical speak for the SAB thingy you clik on to have a lookey loo) 

Anyhoo!  I am here to remedy this today!   Widget is up and working on the right hand side of the blog or you can Clik on the highlighted link HERE  and that will take you to my business website. (in case you might want to place an order)  

 Or clik HERE to have a look at a simplified version of the brochure.  If all else fails contact me and I will mail one of them out to you.   .

So I guess you want to see something from the craft room right?  Well here you go - A little glimpse of a technique I will be teaching in my class tomorrow - Not coming?  That's too bad, you're going to miss the fun!  Oh well contact me to book your own class! 

Ok enough teasing here you go _

 

This is the first time I tried this technique and while I love it in the browns I was wondering what it would look like in a brighter color.  For this one I used Whisper White for my base and Early Espresso for the layer.  I stamped on Crumb Cake for my art piece.  Of course I used "Elements of Style" for my stamp of choice.

 

Guess What?  I like both but I love this one.  I used a paint brush to color the flowers and also our ink.  I  am not sure what to call this technique but I am calling it Painted Embossing!  Sound Good?  For this card I used Primrose Petals for the base and once again Early Espresso for my accent color.  Do you like it?  I hope so!

 

Well, I think that's a lot of information for you to process in one post, so I am saying goodnight and sleep tight!

 

Primrose colored hugs!

Vintage Color Block!

Hi everyone, it's the Blog Hogger again!

Today's card features the Vintage Wallpaper Folder. When I was playing around with my Soap Dish Card (previous posting) I attempted to replicate the horizontal brush strokes in the background of the soap dish in a couple of different ways.

The focal point for today's card features a "failed" attempt . . . although it could only be considered a failure in that it didn't give me the look I wanted at the time. I thought it was really striking and so decided to make a card around it.

Here's the card:

Now I'll walk you through some of the details. First I'll give you a closer look at the center panel.

The body of the card is More Mustard cardstock (cs) cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", and scored at 4 1/4". The center piece is Daffodil Delight cs cut at 5" x 3 3/4". I swiped my More Mustard ink pad across the front (the side with the Stampin' Up logo) of the vintage Wallpaper Folder, actually being careful not to make it too perfect. When I ran it through the Big Shot with the Daffodil Delight cs inside this is what I got.

The "Color Block" part of the title for this posting is the way I bordered the center piece. You'll notice the border is part Real Red cs and part Very Vanilla cs. Here's a picture of the back showing what I did. Warning: The front looks way better than the back! lol

This gave me a chance to use up some scraps that were lying around from the last card I'd done. I haven't seen this done anywhere else and, since only a bit peeks out around the edges, I think the statement it makes is subtle, yet interesting.

Next I'll give you a close-up of the flower.

I used the Fancy Flower and Boho Blossom punches and an Antique Brad to make this.

Using the Fancy Flower punch I punched out two flowers using More Mustard, Daffodil Delight and Very Vanilla cs. I dampened them and then squished them into little balls. After I had straighten them out again (but not too flat 'cause I wanted the petals to look rumbled) I used my More Mustard ink pad to add some color to the edges. I wasn't particularly careful doing this since I wanted a "natural" look.

I built up the flower starting with one of the More Mustard flowers, adding a Daffodil Delight one and a Very Vanilla one, and then repeated it. I punched the center piece out of Real Read cs using the Boho Blossom punch. I carefully put a hole in the middle for the Antique Brad using the Paper-Piercing Tool and the Pierce Mat and then I arranged the petals to make the flower look more natural. (Remember to let it dry before you attach it to the card using Mini Glue Dots.)

Given the height of the flower, this will definitely be a personally-hand-it-to-the-recipient card, since otherwise I'd have to mail it in a box! lol

The last detail I'd like to point out is the butterfly. Take a close look at the beads in the center.

Not close enough? How about this?

Better? lol I used little gold beads I had lying around but then . . . and here's the genius part that only comes to me in the middle of the night when I should be asleep . . . I used Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details on the tops of them! Depending on how you hold the card you can see the sparkly red or a hint of the gold bead! It's a little detail but I love it and the Dazzling Details seems to be really holding up well, even when I rub my finger over it.

Here's what it looks like on a Pearl Basic Jewel and a Rhinestone Basic Jewel:

The straight pin is the much-abused one I use with my Crystal Effects. In this case, I used it to spread the Dazzling Details around a bit.

Going back to the butterfly, I also used my Real Red ink pad to smudge up the edges and textured section of the butterfly, which was made using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.

BTW, the sentiment is from the Elements of Style stamp set. The inside will read: And I am so glad to share this moment with you. Congratulations on (insert whatever moment is happening in the person's life at that, well, moment!) lol

Finishing off this rather lengthy posting, I adhered the flower to the card using 3 Mini Glue Dots and used Dimensionals to pop up the sentiment. I bend the butterfly in the middle and glued the right wing to the textured piece, making sure it was tightly up against the sentiment to be sure the left wing would give a 3-D effect. (Again, I'm planning on hand-delivering this card.)

Living in the moment hugs,
Colleen, aka the Blog Hogger

Big Buckle Card Revisited!

Hi everyone,

This is the newly calm and relaxed Blog Hogger coming to you with a revised version of the Big Buckle card I botched a couple of days ago.  Let's all say "Ommmmmm!" together now, shall we?  lol

So to what do I attribute my new Zen-like state, you ask?  Well, Katherine, the Card Goddess, was home for a few hours yesterday.  She called me to comment on my blog postings and asked about the Bold, Bright & Beautiful Big Buckle Card that became the Big, Bold, Bright, Busy, Botched Big Buckle Card.  (Did you follow all of that alliteration?)

I sent her a picture of the card and . . . after she'd stopped laughing . . . gave me some pointers on what I did wrong.  Seems you shouldn't use three bright colors, flowers, way too many butterflies and a fancy fold all on one card.  Hmmm, who knew?  lol  I knew I'd gotten myself into trouble when I kept adding stuff trying to make it look better!

So . . . I peeled off the main element, kept the overall design, used softer colors, ditched the butterflies and am now able to present my Soft & Subtle Big Buckle Card.  (The alliteration isn't as good but the card is better!  lol)

It uses the Elements of Style and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets; Labels Collection Framelits; Word Window, Modern Label and Scallop Trim Border punches; Square Latice Emboss folder; markers; Dazzling Details; and Old Olive, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White cardstock (cs).  And, tada, all of those products are in the current catalogue!


I stamped the image again, colored a couple of the flowers, cut them out and popped them up on Dimensionals.  (That's why they extend outside the Old Olive frame.)


I'm a lot happier with the card now, but I think I will use Certainly Celery instead of Old Olive cs next time to give it an even softer look.


Soft and relaxed hugs,
Colleen

I hate contests!

Hi, it's the Blog Hogger again!

Now, if you've been following Kathy's blog you will be aware of the many competitions Kathy and I engage in . . . and that I regularly lose.  (And if you have just stumbled onto this blog for the first time, now you know about it too!  lol)

Well, I have always been able to sooth my ruffled feelings by knowing that I was considered the Stampin' Up Card Creator Extraordinaire at my office place.  (And, yes, I am sure that was my actual title!  lol)

This past week we at the office, along with the rest of the world, celebrated Administrative Professional's Day and I brought in absolutely beautiful cards for our two secretaries.  They were handmade cards (of course), reflecting much time and effort, and were pinnacles of perfection!  (Kathy's not the only one in our family who is comfortable with self-praise!  lol)

Yesterday, however, our head honcho, Wilhelmena - may the sun shine on her blessed head - brought an absolutely delicious homemade chocolate cake to work for our morning break . . . which was such a thoughtful thing to do.  (Especially since I love sweets and, seriously, it was soooooo good!  lol)

Unfortunately, she also brought the two hand-decorated candles she had lovingly made for our secretaries!  Would you like to see them?  Okay, here they are:

Here's the front of Elizabeth's candle . . .

and here's the back!

Here's Jenny's, from the front (showing off the Dazzling Diamonds she embedded into the candle) . . . 

and the side . . .

and the back!

There's a wonderful verse, their names, ribbon, bows, butterflies, flowers, pearls, rhinestones, and Dazzling Diamonds!!!

And as my jaw dropped and my heart sank I realized . . . I can't even win a Who-Makes-The-Most-Beautiful-Creation-Using-Stampin'-Up-Products-At-Work Contest!!!

It's a good thing I like my job, 'cause I hate my boss!  lol

Depressed hugs,
Colleen

Elements of Style Mother's Day Telescoping Card!

Good Day friends! 

If you read yesterday's post you will be waiting for today's post for sure.  I am ready to reveal the "Mother's Day" card I designed yesterday.

I showed it to Colleen last night and now she "hates me in a loving and caring way!"  so I know that it is really, REALLY good.  (we are such a competitive bunch) lol.

But I have to tell you competition is good for me as without it I wouldn't strive so hard to make the Best card possible.  Thank you sis!  I love and care for you also.!! hahaha

So here you go, my Mother's Day card for this Sunday's class.  You won't want to miss this one for sure. 

Here is the full card closed.  I used Very Vanilla and the Tulip Border embossing folder.  I sponged it with Soft Suede to give it some age.  As you can see I used the Elements of Style stamp set for the art piece.  Don't you just love the shine and color?

Now here is what it looks like open -

Ta Da!  Is this not the cutest, most beautiful card?  Don't you just love it?  See?  Now you know why I was Dancing in my brain yesterday.  tee hee! 

Well that's my share for today everyone!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Stylish hugs!

Telescoping Card!

Good afternoon, everyone!

This is your friendly neighborhood Blog Hogger here, coming to you with a telescoping card!  What the heck is that, you ask?  Check out the three pictures below and you'll get the idea.

The first picture shows the card closed:

The second picture shows it partially open:

And the last picture shows the card completely open:

How neat is that?  I'm planning on giving my mother this card for Mother's Day, but by using different stamp sets it could easily be adapted for Easter, or birthdays, or Valentine's Day, or . . . you get the idea.  lol

And now here is a picture tutorial to show you how I did it.

1. Cut out and decorate three similar shapes of different sizes.  I used the Labels Framelits Dies, but you could use circles or whatever suits your fancy.

2. Take your medium sized shape and put a small hole close to the bottom of the image, making sure you center it.  

3. Next, turn the image upside down onto the largest piece of cardstock.  Line up the two images carefully and, using the hole on the medium shape as a guide, pierce a corresponding hole through the largest shape.

4. Put a brad into the two holes, thereby connecting the two pieces.  (I used a Pretty in Pink brad so it's kinda hard to see.)

5. Next, put a small hole in the bottom center of the smallest piece of cardstock.  

6. Turn it upside down on top of the medium shape, line up the holes, and pierce the medium shape.  (You do the same thing as you did for the first two pieces.)

7. Put the brad into the hole.  (It's easier to see in this picture because it shows up against the Whisper White cardstock. And, yes, the top layer is upside down in this picture.  Once you pull the top section up it will look normal.)

And that's it!  I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and some Basic Pearls to fancy up the top layer of the card.  And then I had fun playing with opening and shutting the card!  lol

In case you're curious, I used Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, and Whisper White cardstock.

I also used;
Smallest Layer: Sincere Salutations & Oval All (I used markers to color part of an image) stamp sets
Middle Layer: Elements of Style stamp set
Largest Layer: Up in the Air Stamp set (leaving space for a handwritten sentiment)

And so the Blog Hogger blogs on two consecutive days!  (You just never know when I'll hog my sister's blog!  lol)

Telescoping hugs, (Picture me opening and closing my arms. lol)
Colleen

Painting with Embossing Powder

Good Day Inky People!

How are you doing?  I am busy today cleaning house as I have been on the run since Friday past and things are getting away from me.  Hubby is patient but hey the dust is not!

My techniques class last night went well and it seemed like the ladies enjoyed themselves.  My thanks to Deborah for being such a gracious hostess.  The lunch provided was wonderful and the cake she baked - well I almost packed it up in my bag to take home with me.  Yummy!  She said it was called "The Great Canadian Ketchup Cake"  So when I get that recipe from her I will let you know. 

Yesterday I showed you Crayon Resist and today I have a card that showcases Painting with Embossing Powders.  I will be doing this class at the end of the month on Feb. 26th here at my home. 

I used the Elements of Style stamp set for my swirl and the embossing powders used were - Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango and Pewter.  Of course I ran the Calypso Coral card stock through the Big shot first with the Vintage wall paper embossing folder.  This added a lovely element to the card.  I stamped the greeting in Early Espresso and punched it out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I used the Big shot to punch out two butterflies in Melon Mambo and Calypso Coral and the Extra Large Bird Punch for the "greenery".

I found a way to use several types of embossing powder and not lose too much of your product.  If you would like to know how just come to the class and find out!

Well that's it for today everyone!  I am leaving you with a little funny!  I kinda miss the Christmas ones :O(  I found this on the Internet and thought it was funny hope you enjoy it!

Embossed hugs!

Not a Wedding Thing! :)

Hi there, happy stampers!

This post is coming to you from Colleen, Kathy's sister.  Not being the mother of the bride, with all the mind-boggling details involved, I decided to share a card that has absolutely no connection with the upcoming wedding.  (I know!  It's a shock, isn't it? lol)

I made this card as a thank you for oldest daughter's boyfriend's parents (You still following?) who we met on a recent out-of-province visit.  They invited us to their house for an absolutely wonderful tea!  Therefore, as with every event in my life . . . 'cause I'm almost as addicted to Stampin' Up as Kathy . . . it's a reason to create a card!  lol  Here it is . . .

This card was pretty simple to make.  I cut the base at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", and scored at 4 1/4" using Really Rust cardstock.  (I'm on a mission to use up some of my older supplies, which I'm finding hard to do 'cause I love the new colors so much!)  Then I cut a piece of Bordering Blue cardstock at 5 1/4" x 4" and used the 'Square Lattice' Textured Impressions Embossing Folder run through the Big Shot.  I followed that with a scrap of Old Olive cardstock embossed with the "Finial Press" folder, and fancied up one edge with the Scallop Edge Border punch.  I also added some Old Olive ribbon.

Next, I used Confetti White cardstock, the Big Shot and the "Two Tags" Bigz Die to get my main element.  Then I stamped it in Chocolate Chip ink using the large flower from the Elements of Style stamp set.  (You might notice that I forgot to ink up the bottom of the stamp.  I knew I wasn't going to use the whole image so got sloppy.  Oh well, as Kathy always says, "It's not a mistake.  It's an opportunity for embellishment!"  lol)  I colored the flowers and leaves using a Blender Pen and ink.

I stamped the sentiment using the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set . . . that Kathy gave me for my birthday (What a sweetie!) and punched it out using the Small Oval punch.  I backed it in Really Rust using the Large Oval punch.

I finished off the card with some Chocolate Chip sponging around the Confetti White cardstock, pearls and Dazzling Diamonds.

Well, that's it for now.  Chocolate chip kisses and Dazzling Diamond hugs!  (So how did I do, sis?  lol)

Tribute to New Catalogue

Good afternoon, everyone!  You may find this blog entry to have a slightly different tone than previous ones.  That's because I'm not Kathy!  I'm her sister, Colleen.

As you all know, if you've been following Kathy's blog, she is off camping in the wilderness (translation: no internet).  That means she hasn't had the time or opportunity to post as often as she'd like.  Therefore, I've been asked to do . . . or harassed into doing . . . some occasional blog entries.  Hopefully, today's post passes her rather exacting standards!  lol  

So . . . it's July 1st, which is Canada Day here in Canada!  It's also the first day you can buy from Stampin' Up's newest catalogue . . . no matter where you live!!!  I'm not a demonstrator, but I have to say this latest catty is the best one yet!  (How do they keep making them better?)  The colors are gorgeous, the ideas for making cards are awesome, and I love how Stampin' Up showcased the punches and Big Shot accessories!  (Check it out for yourself at Kathy's site at http://www.inkinbythebay.stampinup.net/and you'll immediately see what I mean!)  

Anyway, as a tribute to the new catty, I cased a card displayed on the cover.  Here's my take on it:

First I cut textured cardstock at 4 1/4" X 11", and scored at 5 1/2".  (I didn't do the stamping until I had scored and folded the cardstock.  See next step.)

After scoring it, I stamped the florish from the "Elements of Style" stamp set randomly over the cardstock using Chocolate Chip ink.  

 Next, I randomly stamped the same stamp over plain white paper, cut at 5 1/2" X 3 1/2".  (Yup, I didn't have any designer paper I thought was appropriate so I just made my own.  hehe)

Then I "dirtied" up the paper by squashing it into a ball, flattening it out, and then sponging it with Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, and Chocolate Chip ink.  I finished this step by tearing the two long edges of the paper.

I then cut a thin strip of designer paper, measuring 5 1/2" by about 2".  I tore and sponged the edge with Chocolate Chip ink, and used my paper-piercing tool and mat pack to put a row of holes along the sponged edge.  (The piercing is hard to see in the picture.)

Next, I used snail adhesive to adhere the two pieces, and then wrapped a piece of Cherry Cobbler seam binding along the bottom.  I glued this piece onto the cardstock base.  (Warning: Only glue the bottom edge, since you'll want to slip some elements under the top section later.)

I tore a piece of plain paper into a sort-of oval shape.  I dirtied it up using the same technique, ink, and sponges as I did on the paper above.  Then I used a Cherry Cobbler marker and the spritzer tool to randomly splatter spots on the paper.  I finished this element by stamping the flower from the "Elements of Style" stamp set in Cajun Craze.  (So it wouldn't be too bright, I first stamped the image onto scrap paper and then onto my oval.)

Next I punched a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock using the Decorative Label punch.  I sponged the top edges using the same color ink.

I glued the two elements together and tucked them carefully under the fake designer paper, securing them and the top of the paper with snail adhesive.

I stamped a butterfly from the "Bliss" stamp set onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock.  I cut it out and put three pearls along the body.

I stamped one of the stamps from the "Four Frames" stamp set onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  Then I used Wild Wasabi, Regal Rose and Tangerine Tango markers to color the flowers.  I also used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to place the little "for you" from the "Happy Moments" stamp set.

I glued everything else onto the card, adding pearls on the element on the top of the card and an antique brad in the middle of two loops of Cherry Cobbler seam binding to make a bow.  I backed the brad/bow combo with a 1/2" circle.  I popped up the butterfly, sentiment and the brad/bow combination with dimensionals.  And ta da, it's done!

Well, I'm finished my very first blog entry . . . and it only took me three . . . okay, maybe four hours to make the card and type this post!  I have a whole new appreciation for what Kathy does!  And now I'm going to lie down for a while and try to get my fingers to uncramp.  lol

And in true "Kathy" style, goodbye 'til next time and new catty stylish butterfly flowery antique hugs!  (That's not as easy to do as I thought it would be. lol)