End of the Week Technique #51 - Easel Cards / Domestic Violence Awareness

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday. I hope you're having an Amazing week and gearing up for the weekend. Just one more day, woo-hoo. :)

I'm a little disappointed in my self that we are 11 days into the month of October and I haven't done a "Purple Post" yet. Most of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know though, that it is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month? I bet most of you will answer "No" to that question. It's unfortunate that two of the biggest health concerns for women fall on the same month. It's a tragedy that one gets all the attention and the other very little. Football players wear pink, the White House gets bathed in pink lights, there are Nationally known walks and runs all in pink, but none of this happens in purple. One reason Domestic Violence is such an epidemic in not only our country but world-wide is that more people don't talk about it. The silence of it's victims and of the communities it's victims live in only contributes to the strength of this scourge. It's time to remember that Love Does Not Hurt! Please keep this in mind not only this month but throughout the year. We can only stop this epidemic of pain and suffering by shining a light on it. If you know someone that is in an abusive relationship, be it physical, emotional, financial or any other type, please let them know you care and are not willing to let them continue on alone.

Ok, off my soap-box-, although I can't promise that you won't hear it again. :) Today's card is an easel card. I did one of these way back when I first began my blog, just in a different shape, so it's been a while. I thought it was time to do another one and to do one in a shape I thought went well with the month. Here's today's card-

I used the Bigz Butterflies Die and my Big Shot to make this and it came together so quickly. Although this particular style easel card will stay open on it's own (the butterfly wings catch on the notched section) I chose to add a stop as well. I had wanted to add a purple ribbon, but the stamp I have would have been too big. :(

Here's a little bit different angle-

Sorry for the "huge" picture I wanted to show some of the detail.

I used Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White c/s and Wisteria Wonder Classic ink to sponge the edges of the c/s and Elegant Eggplant ink to stamp the sentiment. The sentiment was cut out with the Word Window Punch, sponged with Wisteria Wonder and then edged with a little love from Tink in the form of Dazzling Diamonds. It was then adhered with Dimensionals to make a lovely sentiment and an additional stand. The butterfly wasn't originally sparkly, but I felt it needed just a little something extra so Tink gave it a little love as well and I think that was just the right touch. Since the c/s is so light, an additional greeting could be written on the back of the base piece.

For today's technique you will need the following- Embossing tool (I used my Big Shot), Butterflies Die, scoring tool (I used my Simply Scored Tool) Embellishments as desired (I used the Perfect Polka Dots E.F., Word Window Punch, Dimensionals, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes).

Although you can make an easel card in any shape and without the aid of a die, I chose the butterfly die, because of the symbolism of butterflies. To me the change they go through is similar to the change/rebirth someone emerging from an abusive relationship goes through.

Here's what you will do-

1- Cut and score your c/s in the size you will need for your particular shape. Mine c/s was approximately 8 x 3 1/2 scored to form a 4 x 3 1/2 piece of c/s. I placed this over my butterfly die with the folded edge just below the top of the wings so that when I ran it through my Big Shot I ended up with 1 cut out piece of c/s instead of 2. Next you will need to decide where to score your top piece. I simply scored across the center where there was already a notch in the design.

Ooooh, sorry that's blurry!

2- Fold and re-enforce your score line down-wards.

3- Cut out another piece of c/s using the same design but this time cut out the entire image.

4- Adhere your new cut-out image to the bottom portion of your scored c/s. I used Tombow to adhere my two pieces together. 

*Tip* apply the adhesive to your scored piece of c/s and not your top cut-out image. If you apply adhesive to the top image and you apply extra it could later get stuck to the area above the score line and then your card will not function correctly.

5- If needed by your design add an element to the base of your card to act as a "stop" to keep your card open.

6- Optional - Embellish as desired. You will likely want to do this before doing your final adhering. I ran my top piece of c/s through the Perfect Polka Dots E.F. for a little added texture and also did my sponging after the fact. (You live and You learn and then you embellish just a little more!)

7- Smile when you see your finished project and smile even more when you think about the smile that it will bring to it's recipients face. (This really is the best part)

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today' technique and card and I hope it inspires you to try something new today. There are many different types of easel cards and I will be trying more including some that don't include dies, but to be honest, I've been so busy with different issues this past week I didn't have the time to figure out a design from scratch. Hopefully I will be able to do this soon. I love hearing from you, so if you liked today's card or technique or have questions, I hope you'll leave me a message below. 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 and thoroughly appreciated! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! 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.

Please also remember that Love Does Not Hurt-

Be Safe,

Shan

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Sneak Peek - Betsy's Blossoms and Floral District / SSC #256 / My Challenge #22

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday. It's rainy and gloomy here in the DMV and I'm fighting the migraine (that is threatening to hit full force) it has brought me. :(

You guys know I love the peeps over at Stamping 411 and all the great sketches they have for us. They really motivate me to step out of my Scaredy Cat self and stretch myself creatively. Well they have another great sketch this week and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make something with it.

Here's today's card-

Thank You Card with all new Betsy's Blossoms and Kindness Matters stamps and Floral District DSP

This card is a little of a departure for me. I rarely use DSP as a complete background. I looked back over my posts and it looks like I've only done this 9 times for full cards and 3 times for 4 x4's out of about 160 cards/projects. I tend to use it more for an accent/element. Geesh! I probably wouldn't have nearly so much old DSP if I did this a little more often. LOL! Another departure for me is the use of Rich Razzleberry. It's the first time I've ever used it all, no cards, no projects, no accents, nothing. Poor R.R. must have been feeling so unloved. The colors/design are also a little bold for my cards, but I went with the DSP for my color choice. Ha! I guess I should change that first line to say "This card is a BIG departure for me!"

This is a pretty simple card all in all. Rich Razzleberry base, Floral District DSP, (First time it's getting used but it def won't be the last. Love every design in the pack!) Daffodil Delight (another lonely c/s color) for the mat and a little Baja Breeze joins the other two colors for my floral accent.  I stamped my sweet little bird in Baja Breeze twice on c/s, using one to cut out the wings which I popped up with dimensionals, and once on a post-it note. I then cut out the one on the post-it note to "mask" my stamped image for two reasons. 1- so I wouldn't get ink on it when I stamped my other images and 2- so it would give depth to my stamped panel where it looks like the bird is flying "in front of or over" the floral image.

I used the sentiments from Kindness Matters for the front and inside of my card. I got this set for free during SAB and am finally getting to ink it up. :) I used R.R. to stamp my sentiment and one of my "must-own punches", the Word Window Punch to punch it out. I punched individual flowers with my BoHo Blossoms Punch. I'm so glad both of these are hanging around in the new catalog!!! I curled the edges of the flowers up with my stylus, adhered them together with Tombow, added a little pearl (another under-utilized item) and adhered them all to the card with more Tombow. The right side end of the sentiment is elevated with a dimensional as is the Daffodil Delight layer. All other layers in my card utilize Tombow.

Here's the Stamping 411 sketch I used for my inspiration-

I stuck pretty close to it just changing the orientation and moving the sentiment and embellishment over to work with the orientation change. If you haven't played with the great gals over at Stampin 411, this is a wonderful sketch to start with! One of the things I like most about their site (other than the great sketches!) is they give dimensions for their cards and all the layers to help with your design. I don't know about you, but that's one of the things that takes me the longest to figure out! What a time saver to not have to guess, and cut and then re-cut! Thanks Ladies!!! <3

Here's the inside-

Once again the sentiment is from Kindness Matters and is stamped in R.R. I stamped the flowers in R.R. and D.D. and then let Tink have her way with them. It's been far too long since I just let her have her way. You know me, it just hurts me to not have a little something pretty on the inside. Why shouldn't the inside be as pretty as the outside?

For those of you new to my blog, You will see Tombow used a lot. My team-mates tease me about this all the time, even promising to break me of my Tombow addiction (or compulsion) if you will, especially before I begin my Convention Swaps. It's a pretty good bet that the only time you will see SNAIL used on one of my cards is to hold down ribbon. I use Sticky Strip for the "major" stuff, Dimensionals for elevation and Mini-Glue Dots mainly to adhere ribbon or embellishments. Most people ask me why I take this extra step especially since the SNAIL is sooo much quicker, not to mention less messy. Due to the humidity in the area I live, I've had "Snail-Fail" before on cards/projects I've made and stored. (I store all the cards I make for my blog until I either sell them or have an occasion to give them to someone. Sometimes that can take a little while.) Having found card elements in my storage box separate from their cards I would never want that to happen on a card I gave to someone and certainly not on a card I had sold. (Horrors!!!) I read a post a year or so ago about someone who gave a card to a family member and when they picked it up off the mantle to show a friend it fell apart. :'( How sad!!!! Please, don't get me wrong....I think SNAIL is a great product, I just don't think it works for me where I currently live. I know if I give you a card that I've Tombowed, those layers are staying put!

That's all I have for you today. Hopefully it's sunny where you are today and if not, that today's card brings a little cheer your way! If you liked today's card, feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing form you. If you liked it and want to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

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 Pin It

Sweet Bunny Spinner

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Hey y'all. Happy Monday! I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. I know I did. :) I spent Friday night with friends, Saturday with friends and babysitting the sweetest little Chunky-Money around, and Sunday cooking a fabulous dinner to eat with my baby girl. All in all pretty good!

I meant to post today's card yesterday, but never even got around to checking my e-mail on the computer. What in the world did we do before smartphones? So this is a day late for Easter but I think it's still a really cute card and if you aren't familiar with spinner cards, it might give you ideas for your own.

Here's today's card-

Spinner card with EveryBunny stamp set and Nursery Nest DSP

Don't you love it when you can use DSP from one specific set for a totally different type of card? I do! It's like getting another pack of DSP for free! For this card I started with a base of Perfect Plum. I'm not usually a Pastel-ly kind of person but I'm trying. Then I added this 4 x 4 piece of DSP from the Nursery Nest DSP Collection. Such soft pretty colors and I felt like the up and down pattern kind of mirrored the motion of my sweet little bunny as she spins her way across my card.

I used the sweet little bunny from the EveryBunny stamp set and water-colored her in with my Blender Pen and Classic Ink Pads. Doesn't she look like she's holding on to that egg and getting ready for her ride? It's hard to see but I used some Dazzling Details on the inside of her ear and all around the darker outside edge of her shell for a little shine. I inked up part of the sentiment with my Stampin Write Markers in Perfect Plum, and punched it out with my Word Window Punch. A little sponging around the edges and some Stampin Dimensionals and the front was done,

Here's the inside-

Inside of card with EveryBunny stamp set

I inked up the rest of the sentiment the same way and stamped it on a piece of Whisper White c/s. I stamped the sweet little "egg-flower" with Basic Black Classic Ink and then water-colored it with my Blender Pen and Classic Ink Pads as well. For some added sparkle I once again used my Dazzling Details to make the image and the inside of my card even prettier. I also outlined the image with some Bashful Blue for a little shadowing and to make the image "pop" just a little. A little sponging around the edges of my card for a final little detail and my card was done.

I wish you could see it in person. It's just so cute not to mention fun to watch my sweet little bunny spin her way back and forth across the card. :) You know it's the small things in life. LOL

Well, that's all I have for you today. I should be getting back to my regular schedule this week of designing and posting; Look for a challenge card later this week and an All-New End of the week technique too.

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. :)

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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Sweet "Peep" Spinner

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday to you. I hope your week is going great!

I don't know about you but one of my favorite types of cards is a spinner card. I love them because they're just so cute and they never fail to make me smile. :) In fact one of my first End of the Week Techniques was this spinner card.

For the last few Easters we had a really cute stamp set called A Good Egg. One of the stamps was of a little chick in a shell, and lots of people used him to make "Peeps" cards. He was just so precious! When they announced that set was retiring, I have to admit I was pretty bummed. However, this year's set Everybunny is so precious it was hard to be too upset. Especially since it also has a sweet little chicklet. For some reason though, I haven't seen any "Peeps" type cards featuring him. Well, I decided to change that...

Here's today's card-

Isn't he sweet? The best part, this card was so Easy to make. The hardest part was figuring out which colors I wanted to use to water-color with. LOL (Don't you just hate it though when you see something you missed, but you don't see it until it's on your post and you can't fix it? I just noticed I didn't put the ...'s after my "everybunny". Oh well, guess I know what I'll be doing when I get home.)

Any-hoo, back to my sweet little chicklet's card. I started with a base of Daffodil Delight folded to make a 4 1/4" square card. I added a 4' square of printed DSP and used my Word Window Punch to make the channel. You do have one of these punches right? It was the first punch I ever bought about 6 years ago and  is still one of my favorites. It's a must have! I stamped my sweet chickie on Whisper White c/s and used my blender pens and classic ink pads to color him in and then fussy-cut him out. It's hard to see but I went back just before bedtime last night and added a little of our dimensional glitter-glue (can't for the life of me remember what it's called right now. AUGH!) to his shell for a little added sparkle. I popped him up on some dimensionals and pennys, slid him in the channel and sat there and played with him for a few minutes. I then stamped part of the sentiment from the same set onto a scrap piece of Whisper White c/s in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink and punched it out too. I slid it back into the punch and punched again to get a smaller piece. A little sponging around the edge, some dimensionals and a Daffodil Delight Punch below it and the front of my card was done.

*Tip*- when making spinner cards it's helpful to double layer the dimensionals on your spinner layer, to make it easier for your spinner to spin. It's not absolutely necessary, but it does make it spin easier.

Here's the inside-

I stamped the rest of the sentiment from the front of the card in Chocolate Chip. I thought black would be too harsh. I then stamped the sweet little bunny and chick  to give the inside a little something pretty. Isn't he just too sweet?!? I used my blender pens and Classic Ink pads to color and finished it off with some dimensional glitter for just a little something extra. I used a little Bashful Blue to outline him for a little extra dimension and shading. This was the first time I had tried this and I think it really adds to the look. I've seen it on lots of blogs, but boy was I afraid to try. You know me, "Scaredy Cat" all the way...what if I used the wrong color, what if I messed up and had to start all over again and so forth. Whew! Not too bad though for a first attempt, and definitely something  I will do more of. A little sponging around the edge of the cardstock in Daffodil Delight and my card was done.

This card just makes me smile! How about you? I have to say, getting this card from someone would totally make my day. To me, that's the Gold Standard of crafting, to make something you would be happy to receive.

Well, that's all I have for today. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to make something special for someone in your life. I hope you'll come back tomorrow for my End of the Week Technique.

If you liked today's card please feel free to leave me a comment or to +1 or pin it. Also Friends and Followers are always welcome, just click on the buttons in my sidebar.

Till next time-

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

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

A Fun, Quick and Easy Celebrate-ion Card - TST Challenge 54 /My Challenge #9

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday. Just one more day till the weekend begins. :) I hope you're all having an Amazing week. I'm still sick but at least I feel like I'm slowly getting over this pneumonia. At least I have had the energy to design and stamp.

I've already done my "challenge" for the week, but I saw this sketch challenge over at Try Stamping on Tuesday, and knew I wanted to do it too. It was another one of those sketches that I just looked at and knew exactly what I wanted to do. Love when that happens, especially since it happens so rarely, for me at any rate.

Here's my take on the sketch-

And here's the TST sketch-

What do you think? I sketched it at work and went home and was able to recreate my plan so quickly and easily. Apparently though I sketched it too quickly, because I realized later that I missed the extra border under the lower strip and that the lower strip was supposed to go all the way across. Hopefully the design team over at TST won't mind too much.

I started with a base of Peach Parfait, the same as yesterday. Hard to believe I haven't used that color much and then made two very different cards with it, for two different challenges, in one day. Next I layered a Whisper White panel that I ran through my Big Shot with my Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. Two strips of DSP from Just Add Cake (love that pack!), add some bright color to the front. 

For my flower I punched out pieces of Peach Parfait and So Saffron with my Large Scalloped Circle Punch. I tried something new with these pieces and, using my paper snips, made cuts in between each of the scallops and then raised every other one to make it look like individual petals. I layered the two colors on top of each other, so that you could see both colors and secured them with a brad from the Sale-A-Bration Ribbon and Brad pack. The flower was adhered with two dimensionals, for a little more elevation.

The sentiment is from Sprinkled Expressions, another Sale-A-Bration set and I used my Word Window Punch and Modern Label Punch  and some more dimensionals to make it stand out.

Here's the inside-

The sentiment is from the same Sprinkled Expressions set. I colored it in with my Stampin Write Markers in Peach Parfait, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, and Wild Wasabi. A strip of DSP carries on the design theme from the front. It's hard to tell from my picture (sorry about that) but the DSP is up from the bottom a little so that there is still some Whisper White c/s showing.

Like I said, Quick and Easy but I think it's so fun too! 

I hope you liked today's card and I hope it inspires you to create something today, maybe for a challenge, maybe a new technique... Remember the goal of this blog is to Just Try.

I hope to see yo back here tomorrow for my End of the Week Technique. It's one I've been wanting to try for a while now.

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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Ever Have One Of THOSE Days? This Set ALAWAYS Makes Me Smile!

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Hey y'all.

Ever have one of THOSE days?

You know the ones.....I'm not even talking about Monday's. I'm talking about the ones where you just start off the morning and think "Be Kind, Rewind".

Well, you know my OCD, I have 3 alarms set up in the morning, just in case, because if I were to oversleep, it's a nightmare to try and get in to work. Sure enough, 2 of the 3 didn't go off. Oh Noes!

It's ok though, I'm still on time....I'm sitting down putting on my shoes getting ready to leave, one shoe on, and all of a sudden I can't find my second sock! I tell you I look everywhere! I move everything! I finally walk back upstairs with one shoe on, (very lopsided I might add) convinced I must have left the sock upstairs, you know it must have dropped or something. Nope, not there, so I get another one and go back downstairs. I sit down to put this second sock on and what do you think I find? Yep! The first sock! Guess where? You Betcha! On my foot! SMH!
I feel I can tell you this because we're friends and friends don't judge right? We just commiserate. Plus, I know you're not really laughing at me right now, you're laughing with me, right? Right! See, I knew you'd understand.

I was looking for a card to post though and came across this one. I did it about a month ago, on the fly, before class, for my professor. I couldn't believe how quickly it came together. You know me, things don't usually come together real quick, but this one did. It was a good thing too, because I was really pressed for time. In between getting home from work and heading out to class there's just over a hour for me to do whatever needs to be done. Not a lot of time for me to plan and execute a card. AUGH! STRESS!!!!

This set always makes me smile though. I know I use it a lot, but it's just so Stinking Cute and versatile and like I said it makes me smile.Why wouldn't I use it? On top of that a portion of every sale is donated to the Ronald McDonald House? Win,Win! Do you own it yet? You need to get it before it's gone, so you can smile every time you use it too.

Here's my card-

I used Wild Wasabi for the base with a strip of  Just Add Cake down the side. Such a fun pattern! Then I layered Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait and Whisper White. I stamped the sweet little snail from the Turtle and Co. set onto my Whisper White c/s. I have this in the clear-mount set so I was able to see exactly where I was stamping him. Can't tell you how much I Love that ability. Then I stamped the little birthday hat on his shell. I colored both in using my Stampin Write Markers. I stamped the gifts on a scratch piece of Whisper White c/s colored them in with my Stampin Write Markers and then cut them out using my paper snips. I attached a small strip of linen thread to the underside of the gifts with a dimensional and then applied a few more dimensionals to the back to pop the gifts up. I attached the other end of the linen thread to the snail's tail with just a dab of glue applied to the thread. This whole panel was secured with 4 dimensionals.

I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black on Whisper White and used my Word Window Punch to punch it out and then secured it with 2 dimensionals. I can't say it enough, this is a must have for your punch collection.

For the inside, just a little something because you know I believe the outside shouldn't have all the fun-

Seriously! How can you not smile when you see his little face smiling at you? Every time, I see him he makes me smile. Seriously, Every time! I'm going to miss him when he's gone! We need to write in and make this a regular stamp set. The greeting is from the same set as well.

It makes me sad that there's no Glitter or Shimmer on this card but as it was for my Very Masculine, Ex- Army Professor, I resisted, but Boy. It. Was. Hard.

That's all I have for today. A quick, fun, easy to recreate card for you and a hope that your day starts and continues better than my day started out. ;o)

Here's what I used for today's card
Cardstock- Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Just Add Cake DSP
Stamp Set- Turtle and Co.
Ink- Basic Black Classic Ink Pad, Stampin Write Markers- Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo
Accesories- Clear Block C, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Tombow

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. :)

If you need supplies to recreate this card or others, you can visit my ONLINE STORE, 24/7.

I  hope you have a Great day!
Till next time,

Be Safe,
Shan



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A Happy Harvest - Trick or Treat Surprise

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Hey y'all, how are you this morning? Did you survive the onslaught of little ghouls and goblins yesterday? At work we have 2 daycare centers and they did a Halloween Parade and let me tell you they were so Stinkin Cute I just wanted to get out my BB and take pictures!!!!! But, you know the thing is so slow they would have been gone and I would have looked like a creepy perv. *sigh* But they were so precious!!!!

My lights were out on my porch so none of the sweet little ones came by my house last night, good thing since I didn't have any candy. (Didn't want that stuff hanging around taunting me!) Did however have a couple of the older monsters come by after hours looking for handouts. How do I know they were monster and not sweet little ghouls and goblins who had not yet matured into monsters you might ask....Well let me tell you. It was after 8:30, almost 9. No sweet little ghoul or goblin is going to be out that late.

Did you know Va. has age limits on Trick-or-Treating? Yep-12, and time restrictions, 8:30. Let me tell you, I didn't even get up when the doorbell rang and they pounded on the door. (Another sure sign it was monsters) I was just getting around to eating dinner, still had laundry to do and a card for this weekend's stamp camp  to do. Are you coming? I hope so!

Well Sunday night I was in the studio working on a Fall card and Shere Khan, my friendly ghost, yes I know it doesn't have quite the same ring as Casper but it is his name, decided to play a little early Halloween Trick or Treat prank on me. Unfortunately, his was a Trick, luckily, I think it still ended up being a Treat. Want to see what I mean?

I actually sat down to make a card to put on here for yesterday's post. I was going to keep my sweetie's card just for him. So I decided to  make some pumpkins, thought maybe I would draw some faces, but then I thought they were cute enough like they were, so I decided to just leave as they were. What do you think?

I took a base of Basic Black cardstock 4 1/4 x 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4 and layer a 4 x 4 piece of Frightful Sight DSP over that. I just love the Fall colors! I took a 1" strip of Simply Celery and sponged it with the same color and placed it down the left side with some Tombow. I wish I had my measurements for the center piece with me, I think it's about 1 3/4 x 2 3/4 Whisper White that I sponged lightly with Cajun Craze and about 2 x 3 piece of Cajun Craze that I also sponged with Cajun Craze. I adhered them together with Tombow. I really love using Tombow up here, because I know that my cards are going to stay together. I can make a card today, and if I don't give it away today, I know it will stay together. Sometimes, depending on the humidity in your area, this may not be the case if you use other adhesives.

For my Pumpkins I used my small oval, and 1 3/4" circle punch. Each pumpkin got 3 circles of Pumpkin Pie card stock and then got lightly sponged with Pumpkin Pie ink for a little added depth. I stuck them together with Tombow and then added the stem which I cut out of Early Espresso cardstock freehand. (To be honest with you, I had started on some green vines, but I made them too thin to curl and by the time I figured that out I was simply too tired to make more. Maybe they'll get added later. *tear*) I put these little cuties on with dimensionals. For the two on the outside, I doubled up the dimensionals on the outer edges so they would stand up a little higher since the inner edges were adhered to the edge of the center pumpkin.

I then mounted this whole center piece on my card with dimensionals and was feeling pretty good about my little card. I thought, "Hey, that's kinda cute! Tink hasn't hit it yet, but it's cute. Let me get the inside going and then we can add the finishing touches." So I go to open my card and find out that Khan has flipped it at some point and instead of sitting like you see it above it actually sits like this-

ROTFL!!!!!!!!!

Well Now! It just doesn't have quite the same impact does it? LOL! Do you have any idea how hard I am LOL'ing as I am writing this post right now? So Hard, would be the correct answer Alec!
Well, in the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it Work" came to mind, because darn it , it was just to cute to not! So, this is what I did-

I used my Journaler to write Surprise and punched it out with my Word Window Punch (I'm telling you it's my all-time favorite punch) , SNAIL'ed it and then covered it with Dazzling Diamonds.

Take That, Shere Khan! Your Trick turned into a Treat!

Ok, so most of you will say, "Shan, you just turned the cardstock and forgot to check it."
Could be. But, as long as the worse tricks he pulls are cute ones like this, well I won't be too mad at him!

Happy Fall Y'all!
Here's some Great News- Our Big Shot Promotion has been extended! You can get a FREE Big Shot or $100.00 in Free Merchandise just for signing up with Stampin'Up, through November 11, 2011. No Tricks just Treats, No Strings, Just Free! Contact me to learn more.

If you'd like to get the materials to make this card or cards like it, you can shop in my online store 24/7 HERE.

As always, if you like this card or it inspires you to make one of your own, send me a picture. I would love to see them! 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. :)

Hope you'll check back in soon!

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

End of the Week Technique #3 A Sparkly Spinner for a Friend in Need

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Hey Y'all, Welcome back, or Welcome if it's your first time!

Today's card will seem particularly appropriate considering the weather outside here in the good ol' DMV is.... wait for it.... here it comes.... can you guess it.... yep.... 100%.... WET....with 100% chance of staying WET, with Thunderstorms likely! Where are we Forks? Seriously?!? :-) And, it's it's been below 72, for the last 2 days in a row, which we all know is TOTALLY unacceptable!

But, the sun'll come out tomorrow. Doug Kammerer the chief meteorologist said so, or did he say Saturday, at any rate he said the weekend was supposed to be Beautiful, Woo-Hoo! So, hopefully, you can look at today's card and it will make you smile and help get you through until the sun shines, and hopefully you'll make your own as well.

I don't know about you, but I got to relax on Columbus day by spending a few hours stamping and had a nice new card already made for today's segment. Then I got an e-mail that changed those plans, so we'll do that card next week. Turns out though this cards works with today though, funny how things work sometimes huh?

For those of you that don't know me, My beautiful daughter Jacquelline and my Upline Robin's daughter Emma used to skate Synchro together. That's how we met. J has graduated and moved on, and one of the girls on the team with Emma named Emily has had some recent medical problems and is in the hospital right now and is very ill. Robin sent out an e-mail saying that Emily loved Frogs and that Lime Green was her favorite color and it might be nice if we had the time to make a card to brighten her day. I immediately thought of this idea. I hope it makes her smile as much as it does me. I hope you like it as well. Maybe, if you get a chance to, you could remember Emily in your prayers too. Thanks!

 Do you like spinner cards? I LOVE Spinner Cards. They're interactive. They make me want to constantly pick them up and tilt them from side to side and watch them spin baaack and forth, baaaack and forth, baaack and forth and as I do I usually sit there with a Goofy grin on my face and think of the Special, Wonderful, person the took the time to make such a wonderful gift for me. (Unfortunately, it's usually me that took the time, but if you would like to be that Special, Wonderful, person, please feel free to share your creations as well!) One thing to make sure of though when making spinner cards, is to use quality cardstock. Now, I know I'm a Stampin' Up, distributor so you might say "She's going to say Stampin' Up's the best because that's what she sells." Nope, I'm going to tell you  I've used other card stock and other Designer Series Papers on the market and I've had to "Double them up" to get them to hold up and even then they would tear quickly under the strain of the spinning. So, I really do recommend Stampin' Up cardstock for this project because your card recipient is going to want to play with this card A LOT!

I started with a square base of Pear Pizazz and topped that with Lucky Limeade. Both are In-Colors. Sorry the colors aren't showing up well here. Better lighting is a little further down in the budget. :-( Next Pic is a little better. All stamps are from Turtle and Co. which is our Ronald McDonald House Stamp Set this year and a portion of all the sales go to this charity. How Stinkin cute is this little guy!?! Even before I blinged him out? I stamped him on Whisper White cardstock in Basic Black ink and then used my Stampin' Write Markers to color him in. I used Garden Green to outline him and Lucky Limeade for his body. I then cut him out and using my Two-Way Glue Pen covered his whole cute little body body with glue and then dunked him head first in my jar of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Yep, Just dove him right in! And, when I rescued him from the Dazzling Diamond Quicksand I had  forced him to endure, look how beautiful and happy he looked! Well, he couldn't then sit on just any plain ole lily pad so I made him a special one. I took some old Glorious Green that I had (although I'm sure Garden Green would work just as well) and using my new Lattice embossing folder, ran it through my Big Shot to give it some texture. I then used my Small Oval punch and cut out 3 ovals and using my Tombow Adhesive glued them together. Next I sponged the edges with some Garden Green to give it a little dimension and depth and then I used my Two-Way Glue Pen and you guessed it, a little more Dazzling Diamonds to add a little something-something for my cute little fellow.

Now, for the Spinner portion. There are plenty of video tutorials on You-Tube, but here's the Down and Dirty Print Version which I know you'll find hard to believe coming from me.
Ready? Here goes-
1-Take your handy dandy Word Window Punch (first punch I ever got, I swear It's the Best!) and slide it in as far as it will go. You can now punch and then continue to punch as far across as you want and it will be even. you can go across the card, or down the card in this manner. If you want, you can even make the lines zig-zag, you are only limited by your imagination and how far in you can reach your punch or tear the edge of your paper.
2- On the back side of the cardstock place a penny. Take a Stampin Dimensional and line it up in the Groove with a flat side to the top and bottom and remove the sticky strip and adhere to the penny.
3- I recommend mounting your cardtock layer on two Dimensionals because you want to make sure there is plenty of room for your slider to move freely and not get stuck. Place your dimensionals in each corner and then in the center of your card, above and below your punched slot. Just make sure to place them so the penny won't hit them when it spins. Do this next. As you do this have your penny/dimensional lined up with your slider slot as much as possible. This will really be very easy. Trust me on this. Some people advocate for wedging your paper apart and shoving your assembled slider mechanism in between the layers but I find this cumbersome and it risks tearing the slider window.
4- Center your Slider on a penny with a Dimensional (try to center it as much as possible for the best spinning).
5- Remove the top sticky from the penny under the cardstock, the one from #2. Now stick your Slider (#4) to this one.
6- Enjoy! Slide back and forth. Your slider may not slide smoothly the first few times, but the more you slide it the more smoothly it should slide and the more it should spin for you.

I tried to insert a video here but it was taking to long to upload at work so I'll try again from home :-(

After I played with the card a little, I decided the top greeting was a little plain, so I went back and Blinged it up a little. I stamped the greeting again on Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with my Word Window Punch. (told you it was Awesome!) Next I took My SNAIL Adhesive and swiped it over the punched out piece and then coated that with ... can you guess...Yep my fav... Dazzling Diamonds! and now I think the card front is Perfect! What do you think?


I then stamped a few more images on the inside and colored them in because, well they were just so cute and I just could help myself... Cute Overload I guess.

This picture actually shows the truest colors. But while I was typing this I got an e-mail from my upline about a light source for a really good price so maybe better pics are just around the corner. (fingers crossed, it is pay day tomorrow after all)

So, that's it for this edition of End of the Week Technique and for Emily's Get Well Card. What do you think?
Do you think she'll like it? I hope so! I hope you like it too, but more than that I hope it inspires you to try your own spinner card. You really are only limited by your own imagination. Give it a try! And, Please,  remember to be sure to show me how they turn it out. I can't wait to see.

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. :)

As always, if you need supplies to recreate this card or your own cards, you can shop at my online store, HERE, 24/7.

See you back here soon.

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It