Explosion Box For Baby

One of my managers at work is expecting a baby any day now. I decided to try my hand at an explosion box to give to her.

To create the box, I chose a 12 x 12" piece of Marina Mist card stock and scored each side at the 4" mark. I then cut up the score lines to cut off the "boxes" at each corner, leaving a shape like a plus sign. This would be used to form the base of the box.

For the lid of the box, I cut a piece of Marina Mist at 7 1/8 x 7 1/8" and scored each side at 1.5". I cut tabs on two sides of the piece and then used liquid adhesive to adhere them to form the lid.

I cut mattes from Pacific Point and Whisper White for each panel, inside and out, and both sides of the lid of the box. The Pacific Point mattes were adhered to the box using liquid adhesive and then I used various baby themed stamp sets, some new, some retired, to stamp the Whisper White panels using Marina Mist. The stamp sets I used were Baby Prints, Made With Love, Something For Baby, Baby Bear, and Moon Baby. These were then adhered on top of the Pacific Point mattes.

For inside the box, I created a baby carriage, complete with baby! I referenced a video tutorial and downloaded a template from Steffi Von Stempelwiese. You should note that the video is in German and is actually for a basket that uses the same technique as the carriage but after downloading the template I was able to make sense of how the baby carriage was constructed.

I printed the template onto a 8.5 x 11" sheet of Pacific Point card stock and then scored and cut it out, using both my Stampin' Trimmer and scissors. I used the now retired Project Life Corner Rounder Punch to round each segment of the template that would be held together with a brad.

Once I had all the segments and the larger piece of the carriage from one side all piled up in order, I used my Paper Piercer to put a hole through all at once and then put in a now retired gold brad. I repeated this process with the other side to construct the carriage. (My one regret is not inking each piece before putting it together–it would have given it a better look.)

I used my 1" Circle Punch and retired 7/8" Scalloped Circle Punch to create the wheels of the carriage. For the handle, I cut a 1/2' strip of card stock, scored it and adhered it inside the carriage. I added a strip of Venetian Crochet Trim to the top of the carriage using Tear & Tape. A tiny bow was made from the retired 1/8" Marina Mist ribbon to adhere to the top of the carriage.

For the baby, I used the retired Baby Bumblebee stamp to stamp twice, once on watercolor paper and once on Whisper White. I used Marina Mist for one and Basic Black for the other. I then used a combination of Watercolor Pencils and Stampin' Write Markers together with an Aqua Painter to paint the baby's face on the watercolor paper. This was then cut out and glued onto the Marina Mist stamped piece, minus the wings and antennae.

To cover the baby, a piece of Marina Mist card stock was embossed with the Cable Knit Embossing Folder. The "blanket" was adhered over top of the baby using double Dimensionals to make the blanket look rounded.

I used the retired Confetti Hearts Border Punch to punch out Pacific Point strips to adhere around the lid of the box. The resulting confetti hearts were added inside the completed box.

For my first explosion box, I think it turned out pretty well! One disappointment is that when I stamped the outside mattes, I didn't allow for the lid so you can't see the entire image until the lid is off the box :(  Oh, well! The next one I make will be better!

I think my manager will like it just fine, just the way it is!

Christmas Tag Exchange 2016

I've come to the conclusion that December is not a good blogging month for me judging by the lack of posts this year and in past years. It seems that there is always something that needs doing and blogging has to take a back seat :(.

However, I did want to share with you the Tag Exchange from my stamping group. Luckily, it was the turn of one of the stampers in the group–Shawna–to instruct so I needed only to create my own tags and the little treats that I made for the group.

For my tags, I cut a long tag from Thick Whisper White and punched the top with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch.

I added a strip of the Presents & Pinecones DSP and then embossed a piece of Cherry Cobbler, using my favorite Embossing Folder, Cable Knit, and added it to the bottom of the tag.

I tied a length of the Emerald Envy Ruched Ribbon around the tag to hide the join and strung a charm from the Christmas Trinkets Embellishments on twine from it. More ribbon was added to the top of the tag and finished with a piece of the Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine.

Finally, I stamped the To/From in Cherry Cobbler using a stamp from the Hang Your Stocking stamp set.

The tags this year were truly remarkable! Be sure to click on the photo below so that you may examine the tags close up.

These mini mug treat holders for my ladies were CASEd from a video tutorial by Heidi Smith. These were very easy to make and used very little paper. And who doesn't enjoy Ferrero Rocher? (other than me, that is!)

Shawna had us make two very lovely cards. The cards do have some Stampin' Up! components though this is not a "must" when a member of the group instructs.

I really enjoyed making Shawna's first card. Because I generally use a lot of colors in my cards, working with this earthy color scheme was a pleasant change of pace! I also enjoyed the many textural elements on the card.

Shawna's second card used the Softly Falling Embossing folder as a nice backdrop for this lovely winter scene! We also got to work with Alcohol Inks and then die cut our creation for the card's sentiment.

It was a lovely evening, complete with a luscious sharing of sweet and savory treats!

Merry Mice

Today I finally got to play with my Jade Inka Gold! I had been waiting for something that required a green color and thought that the Holly Embossing Folder would meet the requirements!

For those of you unfamiliar with Viva Decor's Inka Gold, it is a fast drying metal gloss paint that contains natural Bees Was. You can apply it to a number of surfaces like wood, cardboard, unglazed pottery, metal and paper. It can be applied with a sponge or even your finger; buffing it will bring out its shine.

Before potentially messing up my card, I tested the Inka Gold by trying it on various colors of card stock to see what would work best. I embossed scrap pieces in a variety of colors and found that the Emerald Envy card stock gave me the look I wanted–a kind of patina.

I cut a standard card base from Thick Whisper White and a matte to fit the card front from Emerald Envy. After dry embossing the matte with the Holly Embossing Folder, I rubbed the Inka Gold over the embossing and then polished it with a paper towel. The embossed matte was then adhered to the card front with Fast Fuse.

Next, a strip of Cherry Cobbler was embossed with the Cable Knit Folder and adhered as a border on the left of the card front. A strip of the Emerald Envy Ruched Ribbon was also added.

Basic Black Archival ink was used to stamp one of the mice from the Merry Mice stamp set onto Thick Whisper White. It was colored using Stampin' Write Markers and then die cut using one of the Stitched Shape Framelits. It was adhered to an Emerald Envy matte die cut using a scalloped circle from the Layering Circle Framelits. The mouse was adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

Cherry Cobbler berries were die cut using a die from the Pretty Pines Thinlits and adhered around the mouse using Glue Dots. The sentiment was stamped with Cherry Cobbler onto Thick Whisper White and then die cut using the Classic Label Punch. It was adhered to the card front using Foam Adhesive Strips.

I think it is fun to experiment with all kinds of media because you never know what you can create until you try it!

Stamp Class #2 Projects

When I was a kid, time seemed to pass soooooo slowly. It took forever just to get to the weekend. Christmas and summer vacation were eons away. And growing up, in general, seemed like it would never happen. Now, one week runs into the next, and the months gallup into years!

Though it seems like only a few days ago, I met with my second stamp group at the end of September. All but three were new to stamping but they did fabulously with the two projects I created for them.

The first card started with a standard card base cut from Thick Whisper White card stock. A matte of Real Red received a stamped background of Versamark using one of the stamps from the Timeless Textures stamp set. It was Heat embossed using Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder.

A length of the metallic gold twine from the Baker's Twine Trio Pack was wrapped around the matte and secured with tape. The matte was then adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

On a square of Thick Whisper White, the candle from the Jar of Cheer stamp set was stamped using Basic Black Archival ink. The heat tool was used to set the ink before coloring with Stampin' Write Markers. The candle and flame also received some Gold Wink of Stella.

The candle and a piece of gold foil were die cut using the Layering Circles Framelits and then adhered together using liquid adhesive. The finished embellishment was then adhered over the twine using Dimensionals.

To complete the card, a sentiment from the Tin of Tags stamp set was stamped in Real Red on the inside of the card.

The second card was CASEd from here. The standard card base was cut from Crushed Curry and two mattes cut from Very Vanilla and Rich Razzleberry.

The Rich Razzleberry matte was spritzed lightly with water and then embossed using the Cable Knit Embossing Folder. It was adhered to the Very Vanilla matte with liquid adhesive and then to the card front.

Crumb Cake was used to stamp a leaf from Vintage Leaves on watercolor paper and then after die cutting, color was sponged onto the leaf using Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive. Two pieces of Linen Thread were tied around the leaf stem and then the leaf was adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

The Triple Banner Punch was used to flag one end of a strip of Very Vanilla and then Rich Razzleberry was used to stamp the sentiment from Basket of Wishes Stamp set. The strip was adhered using Dimensionals.

The ladies had a lot of fun and the time flew by!

Thoughtful Branches Sunflower

Today's card share is a birthday card for a friend of mine who really likes sunflowers.

I cut a card base from Garden Green card stock for a 5.5 x 5.5" card. I cut a Soft Suede matte and embossed it with the Cable Knit Embossing Folder. After inking the edges with Soft Suede, I adhered it to the card front with Fast Fuse Adhesive.

Next, I stamped the leaves from the Thoughtful Branches stamp set—22 times—using Delightful Dijon. I had meant to stamp on Delightful Dijon card stock but pulled out some Hello Honey by mistake!

I die cut the leaves with the coordinating dies. I also used the dies to die cut the stem and leaves from Garden Green.

I punched a circle from Soft Suede card stock using the 2" Circle Punch. Using Soft Suede, I stamped the leaf canopy from the Thoughtful Branches stamp set on Soft Suede card stock and then die cut it. I then punched a 2" circle from the die cut and then glued it to the punched circle using liquid adhesive.

Unless you click on the pictures for a closeup look, you won't be able to see the Gold Wink of Stella that was "flicked" over both the embossed matte and the sunflower centre to add a bit of sparkle.

I adhered the stem to the card front using Glue Dots. The circle was turned upside down and then I glued the petals around the circle in two concentric circles. I adhered the flower to the card front over the stem using Dimensionals.

The Banner Triple Punch was used to flag one end of a strip of Garden Green. The sentiment from the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set and the bee from the Garden in Bloom stamp set were stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. The sentiment was adhered to the centre of the sunflower using a Dimensional.

A Very Vanilla matte was cut for the inside of the card. Two leaves were stamped in Garden Green in the bottom right corner of the matte. A third leaf was stamped on a scrap of Very Vanilla and die cut. It was adhered over the two stamped leaves using Dimensionals. The matte was adhered inside the card using Fast Fuse.

Something For Baby

One of my daughter's friends was having a baby shower so she asked if I would make a card. Of course I said yes!

For this card, I used both old and new products. I started by cutting a standard card base from Sweet Sugarplum. I cut a matte from Thick Whisper White to exactly fit the top of the card and embossed it using the Cable Knit Embossing Folder.

Using stamps from the Something For Baby stamp set, I stamped a onesie, a bib, and two booties with Sweet Sugarplum on Thick Whisper White. I die cut these with the coordinating Baby's First Framelits. I also die cut a hanger from Silver Foil paper.

I tied a bow around the embossed matte using some glittery sheer ribbon that I had on hand. The matte was then adhered to the card front using Fast Fuse.

Glue Dots were used to adhere the onesie to the hanger and then adhered it to the card front using Dimensionals. I added three small pearls to the front of the onesie.

I cut a matte from Whisper White for the inside of the card. I stamped the sentiment from the now retired Baby Bundle stamp set and then adhered the matte using Fast Fuse. I used Dimensionals to adhere both the bib and the two booties inside the card. Though it is not shown in the photos, I stamped the baby carriage from the stamp set on the envelope.

I wasn't totally pleased with this card but Courtney's friend loved it!

Pretty Paisley Birthday

I don't know why I waited so long to purchase the Paisleys & Posies Stamp Set, coordinating Thinlits and DSP–they are GORGEOUS! And yes, I am shouting!

When I saw the sheet of Night of Navy DSP with the copper embossed paisley print, I knew that I wanted to pair it with the (you guessed it!) Cable Knit Embossing Folder.

I started by cutting a standard card base from Night of Navy card stock and then cut a piece of the DSP to 5.5 x 4.25" to fit perfectly on the card front.

I cut a strip of Night of Navy card stock and embossed it with the Cable Knit Embossing Folder and then wrapped several times with the Copper Metallic Thread, securing it at the back with Fast Fuse. I then adhered the embossed strip to the DSP and then that to the card front using Fast Fuse.

I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Blooms stamp set on Night of Navy using Versamark and heat embossed with the Copper Embossing Powder. I die cut the sentiment using the Layering Squares as well as die cutting a piece of the Copper Foil using the matching scalloped square.

Both pieces were transformed into rectangles by using this trick from Patty Bennett. I adhered the die cuts together using liquid adhesive–I find that this adhesive works best for centering these die cuts because it gives you the wiggle room you need to get the right placement. I adhered the sentiment on top of the embossed strip using Dimensionals.

A matte of Very Vanilla was cut for inside the card. I used the Paisleys & Posies with Night of Navy ink to stamp along the bottom of the matte. I then used a Versamark marker to edge the matte and then heat emboss with the Copper Embossing Powder. The matte was adhered with Fast Fuse to complete the card.

Click photo to view details in larger size

Don't you just love this? Though the copper is hard to photograph–it tends to look like gold–I'm sure you will agree that this paper and stamp set is truly stylish and ornate and it looks well with the clearly defined cable knit embossing.

Cable Knit Thank You

Though Autumn is not my favorite season–I much prefer Spring–I do love leaves! The Vintage Leaves stamp set is one of my most treasured because I think it is very realistic and it can be used in so many ways and the coordinating Framelits are nice too!

For my thank you card today, I started with a standard card base cut from Cajun Craze. I cut a matte from the now retired Naturals Ivory card stock and embossed it with the Cable Knit Embossing Folder. I find myself reaching for this folder over and over again!

Though the color and texture of the Naturals Ivory was what I wanted, the paper did not react well to being spritzed with water and then being embossed. The dried paper was very warped and I resorted to placing a sheet over it and ironing it to get any sort of flat matte from it! It was finally adhered to the card front using Fast Fuse.

Next, I stamped both the maple and oak leaves, on Cherry Cobbler and Delightful Dijon respectively, with Versamark and heat embossed using Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. Each leaf was then die cut using the coordinating Leaflets Framelits.

The leaves were adhered to the card front using Dimensionals and then one of the now retired Gold Basic Metal Buttons was threaded with Linen Thread and adhered to the leaf stems.

The sentiment, from the now retired Happy Watercolor stamp set, was stamped with Basic Black on on a strip of Cajun Craze and then the Triple Banner Punch used to flag the end. It was adhered just under the leaves.

A matte of the Naturals Ivory card stock was stamped with both the oak and maple leaves using Cherry Cobbler and Delightful Dijon and then adhered inside the card.

I love all the texture achieved by combining both the embossing folder and the embossed leaves!

Cable Knit Christmas

Today I had my first play with products from the new Holiday Catalog and all I can say is, "Woweeeeeee!"

The products I played with rocked and the rest of the catalog is AMAZING! Stampin Up has outdone themselves this time! Seriously, you will want it ALL!

The first product I chose was the Cable Knit Embossing Folder. This is unlike any of our other embossing folders. It is very thick and produces a really 3D emboss!

I cut a matte from Real Red card stock and spritzed it lightly with water on both sides before putting it in the folder. This is done to relax the paper fibers so that they will be able to stretch and not break while being embossed.

Because the folder is so thick, you will place the folder directly on your platform. If you are using the old platform, you will want to use "no tabs" (flip both of the tabs back off the platform) and then place the folder with one cutting pad on top of it and run it through. The result is stunning–looks just like a knitted sweater!

I set the embossed matte aside to dry and cut a card base from Thick Whisper White. I then die cut three pine branches from Emerald Envy using the new Pretty Pines Thinlits. I used the dryer sheet method and they popped out perfectly!

Next, I die cut a large pine cone from Early Espresso using the same die set. For the small pine cone, I used the cooridinating stamp set, Christmas Pines. I used the set of three photopolymer stamps with my MISTI to stamp the cone using Tip Top Taupe, Soft Suede, and Early Espresso. I then die cut the cone and inked the edges of it with Soft Suede.

I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Thick Whisper White using Emerald Envy and then Versamark so that I could heat emboss it with the new Emerald Envy Glitter Embossing Powder. I used Emerald Envy ink first, rather than just Versamark because it gives the embossing powder a richer color base.

I found the new embossing powder a little challenging to use because it is hard to know when the embossing powder has been set because it looks basically the same before and after unlike our other embossing powders that seem to "turn" as heat is applied to them. If anyone has some tips for using this new powder, I would love to hear them!

I attached the now dry embossed matte to the card front using foam tape. Glue dots were used to adhere the pine pieces. The Banner Triple Punch was used to flag the end of the sentiment strip and it was adhered over the pine with the cones on top, adhered with dimensionals. Before adhering the cones, I used my bone folder to shape the cones a bit.

Though I did think about adding further embellishments to this card, I held back, allowing the wonderful embossing to take centre stage!

If you are in Canada and would like to get your hands on these wonderful products before anyone else, contact me to sign up as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and choose products from the new Holiday Catalog to start your stash!