Scentsational Challenges / My Challenge 37 & 38 NAC #10/CCMCHOL12-01

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Hey y'all. Hope you're having a great weekend so far. I've got a post for you today because I'm a little late getting my card ready for the Nacho Average Challenge's weekly challenge. I haven't missed one yet, so I have to hurry up and get it posted.

If you've been following me for any length of time you know about my best friend Jason. He lives in Yuma and was here for a 2 week class earlier in the year. Well, he's coming back tomorrow for another 2 week class and I could't be more excited! I spend as much time catching up with him as possible so I try to get all my cards and projects done in advance. I try to get as many challenges done ahead of time too, so I don't have to worry about doing them while he's here. Today's card is for two challenges so I'm counting it for this week's challenge and next week's too. Since one challenge ends tonight and one ends next week I think that's a good compromise. :)

I don't know about you but I love our stamp sets that have coordinating framelets. It makes it so much easier to create really cool projects!I I 'm also loving Nacho Average Challenge's (NAC) weekly challenges. Of course I love the sketch challenges more than the color challenges and of course this weeks challenge is a color challenge. This color challenge was actually the hardest one for me yet. I just couldn't figure out what I was going to do with it. Of course, once I did I still had to figure out what I was going to do with it. I had an idea for how I wanted to use the stamp set, I just had to come up with a layout. Luckily I found a cute one over at Create with Connie and Mary and I was able to get started.

Here's what I came up with-

Holiday card featuring
Scentsational Season and Holiday Framelets

 Here are the two challenges I used-

(You're not going to believe this but I am re-writing this because I forgot to preview it and then when I went back to preview it I hit the wrong button and said revert to draft instead of view and lost the rest of it. AUGH!!!!!)
 So let's try again. I kind of feel this cards a win-win. I get to count it for two challenges (as well as my personal challenge) and the layout makes it fit my Clean & Simple card of the week. :) Love when things work out like that. Although the layout is C&S, there's a lot going on with this card.

I started with a base of Very Vanilla. I ran it through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. The Early Espresso flag is embossed with the Lacey Brocade Embossing Folder. My cup o'hot chocolate is colored in Wild Wasabi and Early Espresso. My candy cane is stamped in Raspberry Ripple. I used the fabulous Holiday Framelets to cut them both out. I then used my Versa Marker and Clear Embossing Powder to make both of them all nice and shiny. I should have emobssed it with one of my scented powders but I forgot. :( I cut a small slit in the E.E. part of my mug and then slid my candy cane down inside and secured it with Dimensionals. The steam image is stamped in Whisper White Craft Ink and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder. My mug and candy cane are adhered to my embossed flag with lots of Dimensionals and it makes it look like the steam was rising from the cup. :)

Here's the inside-

Inside of Holiday card featuring
Scentsational Holiday and Greetings of the Season.

My sentiment is from Greetings of the Season and is stamped in E.E. I love the combination of fonts on that sentiment. It's hard to tell, but I let Tink have her way with my Candy Cane and it's all sparkly and yummy looking.

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope the fab D.T. members like it too! I love hearing form you so if you liked today's card or have questions or comments about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment. I read them all and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are every appreciated! I hope you'll stop back by soon to see the new stuff I have waiting for you. Till next time- 

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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A Daydream and A Challenge - SSC #265 / My challenge #31

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a great day and that your week is progressing nicely. It's overcast here in the DMV with calls for storms today. I hope it's sunny wherever you are. :) I have another challenge card for you today. It's over with my favorite peeps at Stamping 411.  I hope you'll take a minute to check them out. They always have great sketches and great cards.

Here's today's card-

Card featuring
 DayDream Medallions set and A Paper Ribbon

I'm so happy with how this card turned out and it's full of sneak peeks for you.  The black border is one of our new edgelets, isn't it fabulous!?! The Real Red center strip is embossed with one of our new Embossing Folders. Both will be available in just 7 short days. The stamp set is all new and it's called Daydream Medallions. I had hoped to play with it at convention. When I found out I wasn't going to be able to go, it was one of the first sets on my wish-list. I also used the Floral Framelets that coordinates with it.

Here's a closer look-

Each layer of the focal point was stamped and then Heat Embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. They were then cut out with the coordinating framelet and popped up with Dimensionals. I needed a ribbon for the sketch and didn't have any in Real Red, so I decided to make my own out of Real Red c/s. This is the first time I have tried this and I have to say I loved how it turned out. Sorry I didn't take step by step pictures, but it's pretty easy. Will do this again soon as a EWT with step by step pics.

Here's what you need- card stock in color of your choice, paper cutter, bone folder and adhesive of your choice. (of course I used Tombow)

Here's what you do-

1- Cut your c/s in the width you'd like your ribbon to be. I used 1/4 inch x 11 1/2 for the entire bow.
2- Fold your c/s loosely into a circle to find out how big you would like your bow to be. I think my bottom bow was about 6" long. Snip it to this length.
3- Take your bone folder and run the edge over and under the strip of c/s almost like you are curling ribbon. This will make the c/s soft and pliable.
4- Fold one end in to the center of the strip and secure it with adhesive. Do this with the other side as well, This will give you the two side loops.
5- Add as many additional smaller loops onto the top of this one, securing each with adhesive.
6- Take another strip and wrap it snugly around the center, securing on the bottom with more adhesive.
7- If you'd like you can take additional pieces and attach them to the underside at an angle like the "tails" of the ribbon, like I did. Cut the ends either at an angle or in banner fashion, and attach to your project. I used Mini-Glue Dots.

Here's the inspiration sketch-

To be  honest, when I first saw this I thought of a big Holiday Ornament. However, I didn't want to just make a holiday card, so I chose to interpret it as a wreath, but in all honesty will probably use this design again later this year as a Christmas Card.

Here's the inside-

I chose to make this a Thank You card and I love the striking combination of Black, White and Red. I think it works well for a masculine as well as feminine card. What do you think? Surprisingly, there is no glitter on this card. *Gasp* I let the shine from my embossing take the center stage.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to get all your supplies and play along. If you liked it and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. If you liked it and have just a moment to drop me a quick line, you'd make my day! I love hearing from you and read all of my comments. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are so appreciated! I hope you'll come back soon to see all the fun new things I've been working on for you! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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Military Inspired Thank-You

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday or Monday-Tuesday as I like to call these Tuesday's after Monday Holidays. It's a Tuesday but it feels just like a Monday. :( I hope you had a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend and I hope you are feeling well-rested.

I got to spend the weekend stamping with my best stamping buddy April and getting to see some old friends as well as meeting some new ones. I enjoyed a weekend mostly free of the computer, so I didn't get to post yesterday. However, my thoughts were not far from those Brave Men and Women who have given some and some that have given all. With that in mind I thought I'd show you a card I made a few weeks ago. I kept meaning to post it but somehow other things (mostly 3 challenges last week) managed to keep getting in the way. No worries though it worked out just as it should so I can post it along with my Thanks to all those in the Military.

I've been wanting the stamp set Courage for the past few years and it often got pushed down on my Have-to Have list by other sets. When I saw it was retiring I knew I had to get it and quick. Now I don't usually purchase retiring product because I'm not going to use them very often on cards I make for here or for my classes, since my clients wouldn't be able to purchase them. This one however gets to stay in my collection and I'm sure you'll see it from time to time in my rotation as well.

I recently had an interview at a Military Installation and when I decided to design a thank-you card instead of just using some stationary, I thought what better stamp to use than this one.

Here's today's card-

Thank-You card with Courage Stamp Set, Heat Embossing and Embossing with Simply Scored Diagonal Tool 

I started with a base of Sahara Sand. Such a nice color, but so under-used / over-looked by many of us. I think it was perfect for this card. Added to that were layers of Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler. I used my Simply Scored Tool with the Diagonal Plate to create the Diamond Embossed background. This was inspired by a card we did at a recent team meeting and is actually featured today Robin Merriman's blog over at Trinity Design Studios today. Ha! Kind of funny since I'm the one that inspired her to do the card and now that card has inspired me. LOL!

It's not noticeable in the above picture but I heat embossed both the image and the sentiment with clear embossing powder. I wanted the images to really "pop". Here's a better pic-

Heat Embossed Image, Courage Stamp Set

While I think the card itself would have been nice enough without the two embossed details, I think they really "made" the card.

Here's a look at the inside-

Very simple, no extra fuss or muss here. I used Soft Suede for the sentiment and left it at that. Geesh, I hate when I decide to do that, but I don't think the LTC I was sending it too would appreciate any extra adornment. I hope he liked the card and I really hope that not only did I impress him during my interview, but that I followed up with a hand written note and card. So many of us (myself included) forget to do that after an interview. I know it's kind of old-school, but you never know...there were only 5 of us interviewing, could be the little things that set us apart.

That's all I have for you today. I'm battling a wicked headache that's been hanging around like my shadow for three days now. Hopefully it will head out soon. I hope you enjoyed today's card. I'd love to hear your thoughts, they always make my day. If you liked it and would like to +1 or Pin it I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

Don't forget to order your favor retiring products before they're gone. You only have 2 more days. You can shop my ONLINE STORE 24-7 to get everything you want and need.

I hope to see you back real soon. If you see a Military Member or Spouse, I hope you'll think about taking the time to tell them "Thanks". They don't hear this nearly enough. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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Sneak Peek- Embossed Betsy's Blossoms / Freshly Made Sketches #36

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday! Just one more day until the long weekend. Woo-Hoo! Do you have any fun plans? I'm having an Open House, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our New Catalog. I'm also going to be featuring Scentsy Home Products and the delish New Velata Premium Chocolate Fondue. So if you're in the Metro DMV and want to come by and make a project with new product, smell some great scents and enjoy yummy snacks, hit me up..I'd love to see you!

I know the plan had been to do my EWT today....best laid plans and all that. I saw a sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and just had to play along, (and wanted to go ahead and be able to post ) so this weeks EWT will come tomorrow.

Can you believe 3 challenges this week? It's been a while since I did that. :) However when I saw this sketch I knew exactly what I wanted to do. So rare for that to happen, so when it does it just doesn't make sense to not go with it! I'm using this for my Clean and Simple card of the week because even though it has a lot of embossing and sponging, the overall look is Clean and Simple. The C&S card I had planned for today will simply get moved to next week.(Whew now the stress is off for me to do another in the C&S style! Score!!!)

I hope you're not getting tired of Betsy's Blossoms because I am so loving it! Here's today's card-

C&S Betsy's Blossoms with Embossing, Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #36

Although I knew what I wanted to do with this sketch this is not the first color combo I planned on. I haven't decided how I feel about our New In-Color Summer Starfruit. I think it's the "Peach Parfait" of the 21012-2014 Collection. (You know what I mean, you know you do.) I had the card-base cut, scored and folded and just couldn't do it with this card. I think once I get some DSP that coordinates with it, maybe I'll have better luck. I am, however, loving this New Midnight Muse!

Here's the sketch I used-

My goal with this card was, even though it was such a great clean and simple sketch, to add a surprise to take it up a notch. I stayed true to the layout only flipping the orientation. I made the sky by sponging Bashful Blue over the edge of a scrap piece of c/s I punched out with my Large Scalloped Circle Punch. I did this multiple times and then went back and lightly rubbed the sponge all over the piece to give a "soft, airy" appearance and to ensure there were no harsh lines. I think this really helps to make my embossed images stand out.

Here's a close-up look-

Embossed Betsy's Blossoms

It was really hard to capture the embossing , but I think this few gives you a little glimpse. I used Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Marina Mist and Gumball Green and heat embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder. In person the embossing just "pops" out at you. It's really so striking and you just want to rub your hands over it to feel the texture, especially on the sweet little bird and middle blossom. I used my 1 1/4 square punch to punch out my elements after embossing and then sponged the edges with the matching color. The 3 squares are adhered with Tombow. The center panel is elevated with dimensionals.

Here's the inside-

I stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Midnight Muse. Next I masked the bottom of my card with post-it notes so I could be sure to get a straight line. I then stamped my two floral images from the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set in an alternating, random style, flowing pattern. I used Primrose Petals for the smaller flower and Raspberry Ripple for the larger one, stamping off once to get a softer look. A little visit from Tink gives it just a little sparkle and means the inside of my card has a pretty little surprise for it's recipient.

I'm so happy with how today's card turned out. I hope the fabulous ladies over at Freshly Made Sketches like it and that you do too! If you haven't checked them out yet,make sure you do. Their DT does Amazing work and the sketches are always fabuous!

If you liked today's card, feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you and getting your input. If you liked it and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

I hope you'll come back tomorrow for my Surprise End of the Week Technique. Thanks for stopping by and sharing my creative journey with me!

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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Another Mixed Bunch Thank-You

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday! Just one more day until the weekend. YEA!

I have a Quick and Easy card for you today. A few weeks back I got my first online order. Wow, it was so surprising to get that e-mail from Stampin Up saying someone had stopped by and placed an order. Surprising in a totally unexpected, fabulous kind of way. Well, I sent an e-card to that wonderful person, but I wanted to make them a card too. I knew just the stamp set I wanted to use too and it was due in that week. *Happy Dance* Well my stamp set came but not the punch I was going to use, so it took me a few extra days to be able to make this card. It's in the mail now, so if it's recipient is reading my blog and seeing it here first, just know it's on it's way and you are very appreciated!

Here's today's card-

Heat Embossed Mixed Bunch Card

Like I said, this is a Quick and Easy card and I had so much fun making it as a special Thank-You! I used Calypso Coral as my base and stamped two of the images from my new Mixed Bunch stamp set randomly (I just can't bring myself to like that word (:  ) all over the front of  my card. I used Calypso Coral Classic Ink for a tone on tone look. (Love that look!)

Next I stamped my floral images with Versamark and then Heat-Embossed them with Silver embossing powder. Then it was just a few simple punches and my focal point was ready to put together. I punched an extra flower from my Summer Smooches DSP to coordinate and used my bone folder to curl all my "petals" down on the bottom layer and up on the top layer. A few dimensionals in-between all the layers and my pretty little flower focal point was finished. All it needed was a sentiment and I used one from my Teeny Tiny Wishes. I stamped it in Calypso Coral on a scrap of Very Vanilla c/s, flagged the end, sponged the edges, curled it to give it some extra flair and dimension and adhered it with a few Mini-Glue dots. See, I told you, Quick and Easy! :)

Here's the inside-

The sentiment is from Three Little Words and it will be retiring at the end of next month. I sponged the edges of my Very Vanilla c/s for a little added depth and then stamped my floral image on the bottom. Want to know a secret? I didn't intend for the image to be lighter in the center. I guess I just didn't press down good enough and it ended up that way. I liked it though,one of those happy little accidents that happens so often in stamping. It looks like a tone on tone, rock and roll image. 

I didn't write on the card, I wrote my message on a sticky note, so it's recipient could use the card when she needed a Thank-You card for someone. I hope she likes it! What do you think?

If you'd like to get a special card, made just for you, I'd love to make one for you! Anyone that places an order in my Online Store will get a special card, from me. Now's a great time to shop since our retired list is out. Also, our current Occasions Mini catalog is ending at the end of this month. I sure hope that the Mixed Bunch stamp set and Mixed Bunch Punch will be in the new catalog that comes out on June 1st, but I have no idea and we won't know until then. If you love it or any of the other great items in our Mini, don't let them go without getting your favorites.

You can shop in my ONLINE STORE 24-7, you don't even have to get dressed up to do your shopping. :) Bonus!

Well, that's all I have for today. I hope you liked it and I hope this post hasn't ruined the surprise for it's recipient! :)

If you liked today's card, please feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you! Also, feel free to +1 it or Pin it. I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcomed too.

I hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Till next time-

Remember- Life isn't about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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You're An 11, Embossed Card

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Hey y'all. Happy humpday. :) I hope you're having a great week. I'm enjoying getting to spend time with my friend Jason. Speaking of friends, I have a sweet little card that's perfect for that special friend in your life.

Here's today's card-

I just love how this card turned out!

I started with a base of Calypso Coral, such a yummy color. Next I took a piece of Very Vanilla cut just a tad smaller to give a narrow border. I sponged it all around the edge with Calypso Coral just to give it some depth, but I love how when I matted it behind my main focal piece it gave the cardstock the appearance of being a light peachy color. Unexpected Bonus!

For my focal piece I used the "raindrop" image from the My Friend stamp set and stamped it multiple times using VersaMark onto another piece of Calypso Coral cut just a tad smaller than my Very Vanilla layer. I also stamped the sentiment from the same set in the same manner. Next I applied Gold Embossing Powder and used my Heat Tool to make the card come to life. Don't you just love heat embossing? It's just so magical! I love watching as my card magically transforms in front of my eyes. I sponged the edges of this piece of c/s as well and then Tombowed it to my Very Vanilla layer. These two layers were then adhered to my base using dimensionals.

Here's a close up of the focal layers -

 I just love the embossed detail and the way the Very Vanilla layer looks.

Here's the inside-

Sorry it's a little blurry. Didn't realize that when I took the picture

What a great sentiment! I also stamped a sweet little flower in the bottom corner, you know how I like my inside to be pretty-

I used the Bordering on Romance stamp set and just colored one of the flowers with my Stampin Write Markers. I stamped off once to lighten the image a little. Some more sponging around the edges and a little Tombow to adhere this layer and my card was done.

I hope you liked today's card and I hope it inspires you to make a little something special for that friend in your life who's an 11 to you.

If you liked today's card, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked it, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

I hope to see you back tomorrow for this week's End of the Week Technique. It's a really special card and I'm sure it's a technique you're going to want to try.

Till next time-

Remember- Life isn't about Waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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End of the Week Technique # 22 Sanding Textures and Challenge 9 -Freshly Made Sketches Challenge # 24/ My Challenge #11

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday. It's a beautiful, sunny day here in the DMV for the first day of March and it feels like Spring is in the air. Too bad the weatherman says it's not going to last. *Boo-Hiss*

I just put in a nice, large, over-night order of the All-New, Pre-Order, Spring Sneak Peak from Stampin' Up and I can't wait to play with it this weekend. Stamps and Fabric and Brads and Paper and Digital -Oh My! And that's just the beginning of what Mr. Ups is bringing to my house tomorrow. Oh how I love that man. I hope my honey's not reading my blog today... sorry sweetie, you know you're my true love.... kisses XOXOXO

Anyhoo- if you don't have a demonstrator I'd be happy to help you get your hands on some extra-special stuff before the other kids on the block too, just give me a shout.

But, for today I've got the second EWT this week and this week's challenge entry. I'm on a roll here and not in a good way. This is the third week in a row where I've looked at a challenge sketch (second week in a row where I've looked at 2) and had my idea match someone from the design team. Now if you haven't read my previous posts, when I look at a challenge sketch, if it's one that I really like, I either sketch it out on paper, or decide in my mind which paper, DSP, punches and stamp sets, etc. that I'm going to use before I look at the Design Teams samples so I don't feel like I'm influenced by their work in my card. Also, if my idea is like theirs it's really not much sense in submitting it because everyone's going to think I copied them, so why bother.

This has happened for the last 3 weeks!!!! SERIOUSLY! Yesterday it happened again on 2 challenges. This one for FMS used the same DSP. I have never even used this DSP before because it's my Absolutely LEAST Favorite DSP in the whole packet, and I finally decide to use it and scroll down to look at the DT samples and there it is. Seriously! *HeadDesk* At least I had not planned to use the Labels Framelet which I have to admit was a great design element by the DT member. Props to her. But still. The other challenge over at Stampin Queens was the same way, had my design figured out, scrolled down, BAM! There it was! Same design, same embosslets. AUGH! Ok- Great Minds and all that, plus I changed things up enough anyways so my card's different but still, I just needed to vent. :)

Freshly Made Sketches is all about Clean Cards- no torn edges, open spaces that kind of stuff. If you know me and my OCD, you know that pretty much fits me to a "T". How traumatizing is it to me to tear cardstock or crumple it up? Soooo Very! That's How Much! Well, this week they wanted DSP and or Embossing Folders on the cards so I used both.

You're probable wondering how my EWT of Sanding Textures could possible fit in with "Clean Cards" Well, it's "texturized" but still clean. No raw or torn edges. You'll see.

Here's today's card-

I started with a base of Early Espresso. On top of that I layered a piece of DSP from Everyday Enchantment. It's from our Sale-A-Bration line and it's free with a $50 purchase. It's got a vintagey feel and the paper comes distressed a little so I sponged around the edges with Crumb Cake classic ink to even it out. You know my OCD could allow it to be like that on just two edges. Oh that just wouldn't be acceptable, not at all!

I took a strip of Early Espresso and ran it through my Big Shot in my Lattice Embossing Folder for some texture. I've seen a lot of people  texturize DSP and then sand it to have the white inner core show through and I wanted to see what would happen if I sanded the regular cardstock. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up well with my cruddy BB (better camera coming up with tax refund) but a nice caramelly- rusty color showed up on the edges of the raised areas. It went well with the antiqued, distressed aspect of the DSP and made a nice addition to the card. I don't think the nice folks over at FMS will object to my addition....at least I hope they won't.

After, I made my embossed strip I attached my Early Espresso Organza Ribbon and Bow. You have some of that at home right? What, you don't remember seeing it in the catalog? I made it. You can too! I took the 5/8' White Organza Ribbon and sponged it with Early Espresso Classic Ink. I love that you can customize that ribbon to any color you want! I SNAIL'ed it to my embossed c/s and then made a bow and attached the bow with a Mini-Glue Dot. Perfect Match! Too Sinking Easy!

I stamped my Focal image from the Everyday Elegance stamp set, another Sale-A-Bration freebie, on Very Vanilla c/s in Early Espresso Classic Ink. I then stamped over it with VersaMark and set it with Heat and Stick Powder and Clear Embossing Powder. I then fussy cut it out, mounted it on Early Espresso c/s and cut it out again. To this I added Butterflies embossed and cut out from my Beautiful Wings Embosslet. They were mounted with Mini-Glue Dots. This whole focal point was mounted with Stampin Dimensionals and the front was done. I have to say it was a little more involved than most of my cards, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Here's the Sketch I was working with-

What do you think? I shifted the center piece up and added a bow, but otherwise it's the same.

Here's the inside-

I didn't add a sentiment because I'm not sure what I'll be giving it for. I did add a sweet little butterfly from the same stamp set to tie in with the theme.

Not my favorite paper to start with, but now that I've used it I kinda like it. :)

If you haven't tried this technique of embossing and sanding I recommend it. It really does work well with our DSP and I will do it with that on a card and post it here as well in a future post. Our DSP has a white inner core and when you emboss it and then sand it the white core shows through. Here's what you do-
1- Place your DSP or Cardstock in and embossing folder and run it through your Big Shot
2- Take your Sanding Block and lightly sand over the top of of your DSP or Cardstock
3- Watch the magic unfold before your eyes
4- Use your DSP or Cardstock to enhance your project
5- Wait for the Ooohs and Aaahs

I hope I've inspired you to try something new today, whether it's a new technique, or a challenge. If you do I would love to see what you come up with!

If you need supplies to help get you started, you can shop in my ONLINE STORE 24/7.

Today's Card recipe-
Cardstock- Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment
Ink-Early Espresso, Crumb Cake Classic Inks, VersaMark
Stamp Set-Every Day Elegance
Big Shot, Lattice Embossing Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslits
Embossing- Heat Gun, Heat and Stick Powder, Clear Embossing Powder
Accesories- White Organza Ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Paper Snips, Sanding Block, SNAIL, Tombow, Mini-Glue Dots, Sponges,

If you liked today's card, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)


Till next time-

Remember- Life isn't about Waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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End of the Week Technique #19 - Pocket Cards

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*Edit* Here's how sick I've been- I didn't even realize this didn't post yesterday. It was sitting in Blogger as a draft. *SMH* Darn Pneumonia!

Hey y'all. Happy Humpday! I hope you're having a great day and that you feeling good about making it through half of the work week. We are preparing for the white stuff here *shudder*, luckily our area shouldn't get too much, but still.... ):

I'm posting this week's EWT a little early because I'm still sick as a dawg! I think it's probably back to the doctor for me tonight after work. Going on 2+ weeks now and still wheezing & coughing even with the antibiotics and oral and inhaled steroids, Boo-Hiss! I can't even sleep without narcotic cough syrup, No-Bueno! Heck, even the studio assistants don't want to cuddle because of all the coughing.

At any-rate, I was able to finish this last night but not able to get any other cards done yesterday, so you guys get the EWT a little early. Hopefully, I will be able to get in a little stamping tonight and have something else to show you tomorrow.

My goal for my weekly EWT's is to do new techniques or one's that I either haven't done in a while or don't feel all that comfortable with. This is the first time I have ever made a pocket card on my own, so I'm very excited to show it today. Do you do pocket cards often? They really don't have any more layers than most cards we normally make, and some (depending on whether or not you cover the pocket) may even have less.

Here's today's card-

I used a base of Poppy Parade (Love this color, so sad it's retiring soon). I cut a 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock lengthwise at 4 1/4. I scored it at 5 1/2 for the bottom. Sorry, I can't remember the top score, you can adjust it to suit your needs. I love this card but looking back now, would probably have scored it another 1/4 inch down so the  score line hit the point of my Framelet.

I used my Corner Rounder Punch to round all the edges. I took a piece of DSP from our Everyday Enchantment DSP pack, that you can get for FREE with a $50.00 purchase, and ran it through my Big Shot with my Lattice Embossing Folder to give it some texture. I just love the look it gives this particular paper. I adhered it to my card base with Tombow. I scored and folded over the top edge, trimming off the excess with my paper trimmer and then secured the flap to my DSP with Tombow. I used a sponge and sponged all my edges with Poppy Parade.

I used Sticky Strip on the inside edges as close as possible to the outside edges to secure the pocket, so it would stay closed. Sticky Strip is really your best bet here. Tombow or SNAIL will not guarantee your pocket will stay securely closed.

For my Hinged Cover I used my Label Framelets. I think this is the first time I've used my Label Framelets on a card here. I've used them for projects but not cards. That somehow makes me sad! The Poppy Parade Framelet uses the next to the largest Framelet and the Very Vanilla one is the next smallest.

I have to admit I initially tried to stamp my heart image without my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, but had two issues.
1- Of course it wasn't centered perfectly enough.
2- My pad wasn't juicy enough for me to be able to emboss directly from the pad without using the VersaMark so I had to use the old stand-by and "flip the paper over"

This ended up making me much happier anyway. :)  I inked up my heart image from P.S. I Love You in  Poppy Parade centered it with my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and stamped away. Do you have this set yet? It is a MUST Have! It's great for not only Valentines, but just giving little love notes throughout the year. I then stamped over it with Versamark, applied my Heat and Stick Powder and then my Clear Embossing Powder. I then outlined this entire image with my Two-Way Pen and added Dazzling Diamonds . It really makes the image PoP! I then sponged all the edges with Poppy Parade, and once again rimmed the edge with my Two-Way Pen and added Dazzling Diamonds. I applied dimensionals to the Very Vanilla layer before attaching it to the Poppy Parade layer.

I used my Mat-Pack and Piercing Tool to get the hole for Vintage Brad. I also wanted to make sure that when the framelet was swung over the card it didn't catch so I wanted to elevate it some. I stuck two dimensionals together and left the tabs on the outside edges that would be against my cardstock. I pierced a hole through the center of these as well and put my brad through my Framelets, through the dimensionals, through the base-cardstock to the back of the card-base. It lets my Framelet cover swing up out of the way easily without catching on my note-card below.

See, It swings up and you get a sneak peak of the sweet card inside, just waiting for you to write your love note on.

I used a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock for the note-card. I sponged both sides of the note-card in Poppy Parade, so it would be pretty just in case there was writing on both sides of the card.

Both the sentiment and the cupid image are from the P.S. I Love You set. I told you, Fabulous! I used Poppy Parade for both and for the cupid image I stamped off twice before stamping the image on my cardstock. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch my hole at the top of my card and used Calypso Coral Bakers Twine for the  loop. Even though it's not the same color, it still coordinates beautifully!

Now, you know I couldn't leave that brad just hanging out on the back of my card, right? Oh, heck no!
Here's what I did-

I stamped this image from the same set in Poppy Parade and punched it out using my 1 1/4 Circle Punch, sponged the edges and applied Tombow to just the outer edges.This allowed me to cover up the brad "legs" but still allows the brad to rotate under the cover. :)

So what do you think? This was so quick and easy and I can't believe I haven't made them before. The Big Shot and our new Framelets really made it extra easy too. You could also make this without the framelet and add embellishments to the fold over flap and have an absolutely beautiful, fabulous card that's ready to give and more than happy to be received.

Today's card recipe-
Cardstock- Poppy parade, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Ink-Poppy Parade, VersaMark
Stamps- P.S. I Love You
Big Shot- Labels Framelet, Lattice Embossing Folder
Punches- Corner Rounder Punch, 1 1/4 Circle Punch
Accessories- Calypso Coral Bakers Twine, Vintage Brads, Clear Block C, Heat Tool, Powder Trays, Heat and Stick Powder, Clear Embossing Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Two-Way Glue Pen, Tombow, Sponges

If you need supplies to recreate today's card or to make cards of your own, you can shop in my ONLINE STORE 24/7.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope I have inspired you to try something new, if not Pocket Cards then something else. I know you'll be seeing more of these from me in the future. As always, if you decide to try your hand at these I would love to see what you make.

If you liked today's card, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)
Till next time-

Remember- Life is not about Waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

A Sweet Card for Valentines Day or Anytime

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Hey y'all. I hope today finds you feeling well or at least better than it finds me. I will hopefully be in possession of some antibiotics in about 5 hours and feeling much better in the next 24. My cold has turned into a sinus infection and my teeth and jaws hurt sooo bad I can't even begin to tell you. :'(

On a happier note I have a card today for you that just makes me smile and I'm sure it's going to make you smile too. (At least I hope it does) It's one we did this weekend at my stampcamp and the girls loved it! It was one of their favorite cards this weekend. It's one of my original ideas and can I just say that when I finally finished it I definitely did a happy dance. This was the first time I had done this design with the 3 panels and the layers, so you know it took me forever to get the measurements just right, right? But once they were done, Wow! I was so stoked! I had originally planned on doing this in Pool Party but didn't have enough for Saturday and I'm so glad it worked out that way.

Here's today's card-

Sorry about the lighting. I didn't get a chance to use the good light last night since I crawled into bed at 7:30. Isn't it precious! I have to tell you, I wasn't too sure about this stamp set when I first saw it, but I am really starting to love it and the coordinating DSP is simply fabulous. I used Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, and Sweet Shop DSP and layered them as a base for my fabulous focal point. I also used our beautiful White Organza ribbon and Lucky Limeade Ribbon (a Sale-A-Bration Exclusive) to anchor the bottom of the card (isn't it nice how it fits just perfectly in the center of the organza ribbon?) I tied a little triple bow to finish it off and adhered it to the card with a Mini-Glue Dot.

I used my Stampin Write Markers to color in my stamp for my large focal point. I used Lucky Limeade for everything except the following, Crumb Cake for the cupcake base, Real Red for the heart and the cherry and Garden Green for the stem. I used Dazzling Diamonds and my Two-Way Glue Pen for the cherry and the heart but for the frosting I used our new Vanilla Scented Embossing Powder and Dazzling Diamonds mixed together in a 1:1 ratio. I used my VersaMark Pen and colored in the area and then embossed the area with my Heat and Stick powder and then again with my Vanilla/Diamonds mixture. As you can see in the picture above it gave a nice effect. I wish you could have smelled my kitchen. It was like baking custard without the calories, or the mess!

Here's a closeup-

Don't you just want to take a bite out of it?

I went with the "You're So Sweet" stamp to show the versatility of this set, and I didn't even use my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, a big leap of faith for me. (:

Here's the inside-

Sorry about the paperclip at the top. Like I said earlier, I didn't get to do these pictures at home so it was either the paperclip or my fat fingers. I figured the paperclip was more attractive. I used the chocolate covered strawberry from P.S. I Love You (which I have to say is fast becoming one of my all time favorite seasonal sets) colored it with my Stampin Write Markers in Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Garden Green and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the top of the Strawberry to give it a "Sugared" look. If you look back at the first picture you can see that the DSP has chocolate covered strawberries on it. That's one of the reasons I chose this image, v.s. say a cupcake or a cherry. I purposefully left the sentiment blank, since this was for my camp and I wanted them to be able to envision it as not only a Valentine's day card but a card for a friend, or even for that special someone, just not on VD.

Well, that's all I have for you today. What do you think? I hope you like it & I hope it inspires you to try a new design layout of your own.

If you liked it, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

I hope to see you back here soon.

Till next time-

Remember- Life is not about waiting out the storm, It's about learning to Dance in the rain,

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

A Challenging Challenge - Paper Players # 79-Tag It

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday to you. I hope yours is starting out better than mine. I have what I fear is more than the beginning of the first cold vs sinus infection I've had in about 6-8 months. It started yesterday and now the coughing and real yuckiness is setting in and me with stampcamp and 2 weekend shifts ahead, not cool. Like I said, hopefully your day is going better than mine. With that in mind, I have a card that at least brings a smile to my face and hopefully will bring one to your face as well, and having just checked the site I found out I'm going to get it in just in time.

If you follow me at all, one of the things I resolved to do this year was at least one challenge a week. I saw this one over at Paper Players and thought it would be nice. In fact, as soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Does that happen often for you? You see a challenge or a sketch and immediately know just what you want to do. Not me. Nope. No Sir-ree! I usually have to sit there and channel my inner Pooh-Bear (come-on you know you want to do it with me) and Think, Think, Think, Think, before something comes about. This time I knew what I wanted, I had just never done it before, so I wasn't sure how easy it was going to be or how it was going to turn out.

Then, as so often often happens, I got busy and all of a sudden it's Thursday night and I still have a card to design for Saturday's StampCamp and with work on Friday that's the only time to do it so that's my priority and I got it done (wait till you see it next week, sooo pretty!) but I still wanted this card and this challenge, so I set out to try and get it done.

First - It had to have a tag. I didn't have any tag's, I was going to have to make one. Oiy! That involved measuring. The OCD in me was not going to have fun with that. Second, the tag I wanted to make was a "bookmark". Now we have a "Bookmark" die, which I've been meaning to get, unfortunately it wouldn't have helped here because my chosen image wouldn't have fit on it.

Second - I had to make sure the tag was the right size to hold my image plus a "border" tag plus I wanted it to sit on my card at an angle to actually be a part of the card. I couldn't very well just slap it on the card, now could I?

Third - I wanted to do some shading and masking on the tag, something I had never done before. I blame Michelle Zindorf and all her brilliant work all over the web. I could see in my minds eye what I wanted, but with limited resources at home (read mostly markers not pads, and no brayers) I had my doubts.

Fourth- What in the world was I going to do for the actual "card" background itself? I would have to figure that out if and when I made that far.

So at about 9:30 last night my journey began and 2 hours later after multiple attempts at getting this "tag/bookmark" just right I came up with what is perhaps, one of my all time favorite projects.

I hope you like it as well-

What do you think? I started with a base of Island Indigo one of my All -Time Favorite Colors. I'm from Florida and it takes me back home every-time I look at it. Then I took a piece of Whisper White c/s and made sure it was wide enough to stamp my image on. I ensured this by first stamping my image with my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and laying it over the W.W. c/s to get the appropriate measurements. Do you have a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig yet? They are an essential tool for your stamping toolbox. Even if you're not an OCD stamper like me. Once I had my measurements I set out to cut my tag and the underlying base/border tag. I don't think they turned out too bad. (:

Next came that sun. Who knew a little yellow sun could be so hard. Geesh! When we were kids, they seemed soooo easy! This only took me 4 tries. I punched a hole with my 1 3/4" circle punch on a post-it note and used that for my template. I used Daffodil Delight Stampin Write Marker to ink up a sponge and sponged around the circle and then  lightly inked up a sponge with a Pumpkin Pie Stampin Write Marker and went just around the edges. You have to be very careful, because attempt 3 got a "streaky-glob" (very technical term, streaky glob) of Pumpkin Pie and was rendered unusable. I would also recommend using extra post-it notes to hold down the bottom and sides of the first one to help keep it from lifting up and to make sure you don't get any color off the side of the post-it especially if you're using a small square instead of a big one. Ask me how I know.

After I finished my sun I inked up my stamp, which is unfortunately retired. Stampin Up has others you could use that would also make a beautiful card and/or bookmark including the Open Seas set that I used for the background of the card base. I chose this particular stamp however because my boyfriend and I often talk about sailing away on a sailboat to get away from the stresses of our lives and, as his job keeps us apart for long stretches at a time I made the bookmark, thinking I would think of him whenever I used it.

*Tip* - Be careful not to push to hard when inking up a stamp with this much solid line detail. It's easy to  push too hard and actually get ink on the soft rubber, non-image, portion of the stamp including the areas around the edges, which can then transfer when you stamp your image onto your cardstock. Again, ask me how I know.

I actually ended up using my Stampin Write Marker to get the coverage I wanted, to make sure everything was inked up just right for this project. I then used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, positioned my image where I wanted it and finally was on my way! You know what time it was? That's right. Happy Dance. But, only a little one. I still needed to do the VersaMark and Heat Emboss it. So, I got out my VersaMark pad but once again felt like I was getting a little too much coverage with the pad so I cleaned my stamp and inked it up with my VersaMark Pen, lined everything up with my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, and Voila! Too Easy! Clear Embossing Powder & a quick blast of heat and my glossy little boat was just waiting for ocean and a sky to be able to sail off into.

I used the circle I had punched out earlier to mask the sun and luckily this time had ink pads to work with. I used Pool Party and started by sponging the bottom of the card and ended up lightly sponging all over including the top. I then went over the bottom of the card with Island Indigo to add some depth to the water, and then sponged the edges of the tag with Island Indigo. I didn't get quite the delineation I wanted between water and sky but for a first time and at almost midnight and as tired as I was I wasn't willing to risk messing this up. I mounted this to my Island Indigo tag with Tombow and using my Crop-A-Dile punched a hole at the top with the largest hole punch. I ran a strip of our Chantilly Lace through this for my bookmark's ribbon and my "tag/bookmark" was finished"

Here's what just the tag looks like-

Wow! That being said and done,  I still needed to do the card base. Augh!  Back to my Island Indigo/ Whisper White combo. I pulled out my Open Seas stamp set (which I LOVE) so glad they kept that on as a write in. I hope they surprise us all and have it in this years big catalog! I used the manifest stamp and inking it in Soft Suede and stamping off once each time stamped on the Whisper White c/s. Then I did something almost unheard of. Calling All Trinity Stampers- Are you Listening? Are You Reading? This is something that has only been seen here once before.... and let me tell you I was so tired last night when I did this, that I channeled my inner Nike, and "Just Did It"

I Crumpled Cardstock!


Yes! You read that correctly. I Shannon Angel willingly and voluntarily crumpled cardstock. (Not only that, but I ended up liking the project so much, that I am going to change the sentiment, so I am going to have to do the base again ):  )  For those of you that don't follow me, you can read more about that HERE. The short of it is, Distressing, Distresses me! It stresses me out! I don't do it! But I did. (And I liked it!) I then sponged over the cardstock with the Soft Suede, Tombowed that to the Island Indigo base and could see the finish line... I was almost done.

I put two holes at the top corner of the card with my Crop-A-Dile and threaded my lace through them to secure my "tag" to the card and since it was a card I felt it needed a sentiment. I got out the "Love you, Kiss You, Miss You" stamp from the new P.S. I Love You stamp set from the Occasions Mini and stamped it in Early Espresso in the upper right corner. I wanted something small and subtle, I didn't want to detract from the main focus of the card.

What do you think? I am beyond thrilled with how it turned out! I actually went upstairs and put it in a frame. I'm going to change the base with another sentiment but didn't want anything to happen to it until I could get a chance to do that.

I hope this inspires you to try something new, whether it's a new challenge or a new technique like masking or heat embossing or playing with your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig or even just making your own tags. The whole point of this blog is to inspire to Just Try!

If you liked it, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

Today's Supplies
Cardstock- Island Indigo, Whisper White
Stamps- Open Seas, Sail Away
Ink- Island Indigo, Pool Party, Soft Suede Classic Ink Pads, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie Stampin Write Markers, VersaMark Marker
Ribbon- Chantilly Lace
Punches- 1 3/4" Circle
Accesories- Crop-A-Dile, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Powder Trays, Sponges (3 per pack)

If you need supplies to recreate today's card or to make your own card, you can shop in my Online Store 24/7.

I hope you have a great weekend, full of time to spend with family and friends and of course time for creativity and designing.

Till next time-

Remember- It's not about waiting out the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain,

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

End of the Week Technique #17 Floating Spinner - Special Birthday Card

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Hey y'all. Happy Humpday! I hope you're having a great Wednesday. I have a special card to show you today. It's my sister's birthday card. Shhhh- don't tell her about it- kay? I told her she couldn't visit here today, 'cuz I was gonna post it on here. (:

I know it's only Wednesday, but I figured we'd move our EWT up a day or two and use this for it this week, because let me tell you after all the work I put into this last night, I'm surely not coming up with any other "new techniques" this week. You hear? Good. (:

You ever have one of the concepts where you know just what you want and how it's gonna play out and everything you need and you sit down to make it happen and then 2 hours later look at the mess Catastrophe around you that has still failed to produce said end product and wonder "How the **** did this happen?" Yeah. That was me last night. I was inspired by a combination of a card I saw Sunday and a card I had seen online to do a Z-fold type of a card but have a floating spinner in the fold. Since it's my Sis' birthday I wanted a Spectacular Card! I decided to use cupcakes and I wanted to have a floating, spinning cupcake. Sounded so simple ... in my head. Not! I couldn't have the card situated the way I wanted,  couldn't punch through double cardstock, when you score and fold 2 pieces of punched and scalloped cardstock, multiple times, that are separated, the edges may not line up perfectly anymore. Do you see where I am going? Add to that new score measurements that I obviously didn't measure twice and score once for because I messed up a couple of pieces of paper. It's a good thing I made two of these, one for my sis and one for my techniques book that I am making because I tell you what, otherwise, who knows when I would have made another one.

However, since it's for my sister- I have to say the 4 hours, yes I said 4 hours from start to finish was worth it. At least I think so. Are you ready to see it?

Because of the odd (even for a z-fold shape) shape I had a hard time getting a picture of the front. This makes it look like there's a lot of open space, but it's really only to about the center. (Truth is I stamped the sentiment at almost midnight in the upper left hand corner and I didn't stamp it far enough over and you can see the last 2 letters or so if I took the picture full on frontal and I was too tired to finish the inside of the second card and take more pictures ):  )  I stamped the cupcakes down the right side for two reasons. 1- You know I like the inside to look as pretty as the outside and 2- I wanted there to be some motion there to mirror the motion of the cupcake spinning in the cutout window. I stamped off once before stamping each image except the cherry and then let Tink have her way. Don't they look pretty?

Here's a closer picture of the inside page-

I stamped the cupcakes with Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride, the cherry with Real Red and Garden Green and the sentiment in Chocolate Chip is from the Create a CupCake set.

Here's a picture of the card opened up-

I used a base of Blushing Bride c/s and for the inside panel used a piece of DSP from Beau Chateau that I sponged with Crumb Cake. All of the c/s edges on all surfaces were sponged with Crumb Cake.

Here's a closer picture of the cupcake panel-

As you can see the cupcake is suspended in the middle of a Large Scalloped Circle Punch. To make the punched area I simply marked my halfway point on the card and slid my Large Scalloped Circle Punch in there (at the mid point- you could use any punch you wanted) and went as deep as I could with the punch and punched. I also did this with my DSP, but as a back-up I also laid my DSP under my c/s and traced an outline of where the punch should be to make sure I was in the correct spot. I tried to get my punch points directly on the score lines and they just missed. I think I would have made this a little easier on myself if I had used a large circle punch, unfortunately I didn't have one, maybe I'll try it again when I get one.

Here's a close-up of the cupcake-

I used heat and stick powder and then our new Vanilla Embossing powder and my kitchen smelled sooo yummy! It was like baking custard without the guilt or the calories. However, I think that adding the glitter and setting it takes away some of the smell.

*Tip*- When doing double sided images like this when you are going to "sandwich" something remember you have to do opposite sides. I had initially heat embossed all the frosting on the same side and when I went to sandwich them together they didn't match up, so I had to turn it over and emboss it- does that make sense?

The hardest part of the cupcake was getting Tombow on the "candle and flame" and then lining up the thread in the center of them and then lining it up down the center of the cupcake. I secured it down the rest of the cupcake with dimensionals, and then secured it to my c/s with SNAIL. Clear fishing line or monofilament thread would have been the best for this, but I didn't have any, so I used a very fine flesh colored sewing thread that if you scroll back up to the first picture, you can barely see when the card is in it's regular position, and even open like this is not much of a distraction.

So, what do you think of today's EWT? It's a little harder than most of our previous EWT's. Are you going to give it a try? I would love to see your efforts? I would also love to hear what you think of my efforts. If you liked it, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

I really hope my sis likes her card!

I hope to see you back here soon. Don't forget Sale-A-Bration is going on. Now is a Great time to host a Workshop or Stampcamp or even place an order and get great FREE and Exclusive Stampin Up merchandise. You can go to my ONLINE STORE for more information.

Till next time-
Remember- it's not about waiting out the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan








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A Very Special Birthday / End of the Week Technique #13 Gate-Fold Cards

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Hey y'all! I hope you're having a great day! Thursday's here and you know what that means, right? Yep, one more day till the weekend. It also means it's time for my weekly feature, End of the Week Technique.

But today is a Very Special Thursday. It's my best friend (guy) Jason's birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAS!!!!!!!
Now due to a little mix up with our mail carriers at work (AUGH!!!!!) and the fact that my bestie's going home for the holiday's he's not going to get his birthday card (or his Christmas card for that matter) (Again, I say AUGH!!!!!) in his hands today. So, he's going to get to preview it here along with you guys. Now, being the great and supportive friend he is, he sees my cards online and has even commented on them. What A Great Guy! I just never thought he'd have to preview his card here with you guys.


When I decided to make Jason's card I knew I wanted to do something a little different than just a regular card,  (Not that he wouldn't have appreciated that too) so I channeled my inner Pooh-Bear. You know how that goes....Think, Think, Think, Think...Oh Bother...Think, Think, Think, Think. (You know you're saying it with me in your best Pooh-Bear voice) What to do? Masculine cards are a little harder to do to start with. Just not a lot of practice with them and let's face it, my guy's a gun-toting-kind-of-guy so I couldn't very well send him something covered in glitter. (Sorry, Tink you had to sit this one out)  You know my OCD was kicking in on this card, the need to be perfect was definitely there, but for Jas I just went with it. I'm so excited about how this card turned out! It's actually one of my All-Time Favorites (even without glitz and glimmer!) and I really hope Jas likes it too!

Here's the first look-

Hey Jas, can you see the surprise yet?

I started with Well Worn DSP because it's one of our more masculine papers and drew my color palate from there. The card base is Night of Navy and I decided to go with a Gatefold Design (which is our EWT) for a little something special. As I was trying to decide which section of the pretty Very Masculine, Blue and Gold DSP to cut for the front of my card, I noticed a faint design hidden in the Gold Marbling (wow, that word just doesn't look right does it?) I started to get excited, because I wanted this to work for this card so bad, I would have changed the design of the card if I had to. You know what though, I didn't have to. It fit perfect. This was meant to be Jas' card. I was def doing a little happy dance. Here's what I mean-

Bet you see it now, don'tcha?

It's a Fluer-de-Lis! And it fit perfectly right there on the front of my card. Now Jas and I both love New Orleans, in fact he's from just outside of there, and the Fleur-de-Lis is a symbol that is widely associated with Nola. See, I told you, it was meant to be his card! (More in a minute)

Now for our EWT #13 I chose Gate Fold Cards. When you want to switch up your cards a little this is a great way to do it. I Googled Gate-Fold Cards and came up with this site  that shows all sorts of Gate-Fold Designs. (Make sure you go there and look at all the beautiful designs. What a lot of inspiration!) For this card I used an 8 x 5 1/2 piece of cardstock scored at 2 and 6. This made it easiest for calculations. You can make yours whatever size you choose, that's what's so neat about this design. This gave me a 4" center panel and 2- 2" panels on the front. You can decorate the panels any way you choose. I chose to just go very simple and let the design element stand on it's own, so there is no additional matting on the front. I used Tombow adhesive because I wanted to make sure everything was secure.

Here's a picture of the inside-

I used more Well Worn for the side panels and to mat the center panel of Very Vanilla which I lightly edged in Night of Navy. Isn't this paper just gorgeous? I used our stamp set Engraved Greetings for the sentiment. I'm so sad they retired this set! It was perfect for masculine cards. I inked it in Night of Navy and then stamped off before stamping on my Very Vanilla piece. Would you believe I actually stamped off 4 times? Yep! I won't tell you how many pieces of Very Vanilla I went through to get that just right! Let's just say I  have some scraps to use now. :-)

I decided the card needed just a little something extra, so I decided on a belly band. This was actually the first time I had made one believe it or not. Not all Gate-Fold's require belly bands or ribbons it's really more of a personal preference and a design element.

*Tip #1* When you score your belly band don't score on the same lines as your card or it won't fit around. I know it sounds basic, but you know it's the simple things that trip us up. Ask me how I know. I ended up scoring so that I had a middle section that was 1/8" bigger than my card. Our Simply Scored Tool made it so easy since it's the only one on the market with 1/8" score marks.

*Tip #2* If you're not goig to be there when your card recipient opens the envelope, tell them about the belly band and to slide it off so they don't just rip it or mess up the card trying to get it off. I'm telling you...the simple things!

Now, you know I couldn't just leave the belly band plain - just because I wasn't letting Tink loose on Jas' card didn't mean it couldn't have a little glitz, I mean it is one of  my cards after all! So, I inked up my stamp again, but this time I used my Stampin Write Marker and just colored in the letters. I then used my Versa-Mark Marker to color in the scroll design. I thought it might be nice embossed in Gold to accent the Gold in the DSP. Have you purchased  a Versa-Marker yet? They are AMAZING!!!! Really, one of the best purchases I've made. So I inked everything up, Huffed and Puffed and Stamped my image, (Ok, so that made me giggle and smile. How about you? So, I'm silly! This is nothing new to anyone here right?) walked over to my embossing area, added my powder which stuck to my Versa-Marked areas so nicely and then heated it up. It always makes me smile when I heat emboss. I love watching the magic as my image changes before my eyes, don't you? This time though I got an unexpected surprise, a little Happy Accident, a little added Serendipity for my special birthday card. Some of the powder had hidden in the Night of Navy ink on my letters and this is what I saw-

I couldn't have planned this if I had tried. In fact, I went back and tried to replicate it and couldn't get the same look. In person you can see the Blue through the Gold even on the "B". It's just a sheer marbling effect. So Pretty and so perfect for this card! This effect will come out different every time based on your ink pad and the length of time you wait. If you don't want this effect I would suggest using your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and stamping the letters first, letting them dry and then going back over the scroll area with your Versa-Marker. I then punched this out using my Decorative Label Punch and sponged the edges lightly with Night of Navy. I adhered this with dimensionals for a little pop, used Tombow to secure the edges of the band in the back and I was done.

Then I did another Happy Dance! The perfect card, for not just an Amazing Friend but a just Downright Good Guy!

Jas, I'm sorry you're having to see it first on here, but I hope you love it as much as I love you! You're the Best and I really wish I was down in Nola with you tonight celebrating! I wish you the Best Birthday ever and a year that's as Amazing as you are! Have a safe flight home and hope to see you soon! MWAH!

Well, that's all for this week's EWT. I hope if you haven't tried this style of card you give it a try or pull it out of your toolbox and give it some use if it's been a while. I know you'll be glad you did.

If you liked today's card, I would love it if you left me a comment. It's great when I get to hear from you! Also, if you liked today's card, please feel free to +1 or Pin it. I've added the buttons to my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are also welcome. :)

Thanks for sharing today's post with me and my bestie. I hope you'll come back tomorrow for a little last minute Christmas/Secret Santa gift. If you need supplies to make a card for your best fella or even just someone else who deserves a handmade card, and let's be honest doesn't just about everyone deserve at least one, you can SHOP HERE.

Today's Card Recipe-
Cardstock-Night of Navy, Very Vanilla, Well Worn DSP
Ink- Night of Navy Classic Ink Pad & Stampin Write Marker, Versa-Mark Marker
Punch- Decorative Label
Accessories- Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Powder Trays, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Tombow Adhesive

Thanks again for stopping by,
Till next time-

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It