Happiest of Birthdays

This week's sketch at  Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #686 calls for a large sentiment as the focal.  This was a bit of a challenge for me since I don't have a lot of large sentiments, however I decided on a retired Stampin' Up! set called "Happiest of Birthdays" that was perfect. 

HERE'S MY CARD: 

I likely haven't used the Happiest of Birthdays stamp set for five or six years, but I recall purchasing it because of the big birthday messages and the font styles. I really liked it back then, and I believe I've come to appreciate it once more. Thanks to AHSC for this challenge!

I used Secret Sea ink from Stampin' Up! to stamp the sentiments; it’s a very dark blue shade that falls between Night of Navy and Black. I was quite pleased with the richness it added to the sentiments both inside and outside the card.

I came across a 3 1/2" x 5" piece of ephemera cardstock featuring beautiful flowers that matched the first matte on the card front. Initially, I planned to cut out and matte the sentiment on a square or another shape for the focal point, but I managed to stamp the sentiment between the two floral designs instead. Since it appeared a bit flat, I searched the ephemera pack for coordinating flowers and attached them with dimensionals at each corner. I completed this layer by adding some soft pink sequins.

For the inside of the card I chose an image of a cake slice and a strip of pink gingham DSP from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack to glam up the inside of the card.  I used the sentiment "It's Your Day! Enjoy" from the Happiest of Birthdays" stamp set.  

SUPPLIES AND INSTRUCTIONS:

Stamps and Dies:

• Happiest of Birthdays #152539 SU (R)

Cardstock and Designer Papers:

• Basic White cardbase 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• Basic White matte for inside 3 3/4" x 5"
• Pretty in Pink matte 5 1/4" x 3 3/4" for front
• 5 1/4" x 4" matte for inside of card
• Brocade Blue matte 3 5/8" x 5 1/8" for front 
• Wildflower Birthday Designer Paper (DSP) 
• 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" for card front 
• 5" x 3 1/2" Ephemera Matte for front
• 3/8" x 5" strip for inside card 
• Ephemera Birthday Cake and flowers 

Inks:

• Secret Sea ink

Accessories:

• Dimensionals 
• Soft Pink Iridescent Sequins

Once I selected the large sentiment and the designer paper I wanted to use, this card came together quite quickly. The mattes' dimensions aren't standard due to the ephemera piece I picked as the focal point. When that happens, you just need to adjust your sizing.

Thank you for stopping by to view my entry for this week's sketch challenge at Atlantic Hearts. I hope you liked my interpretation. I’m sure I’ll be using these sentiments again and was glad to rediscover them in my collection. Until next time..........

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop

First Rodeo Birthday Box Card

I was recently asked to make a western themed one year old birthday card for a very special little guy.  I thought I'd share it with you today, and show you what I came up with.  This was quite a fun card to make and once all the elements were added, I was quite pleased with how it turned out.    

Instructions: 

Box cards can be made in varying sizes. I prefer starting with a 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock instead of a 8 1/2" x 11 piece. I find that the 12" x 12" box is just a tad bigger making it easier to add images and display. I use large square envelopes I have on hand or custom make the envelope to fit the occasion so it's almost like a present when it's done.

Here's my basic recipe for cutting the base for this card, although you can find many templates that work just as well on Pinterest and other crafting sites.

Supplies: 

Card Base: Begin with a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock and cut to 61/2" x 12"

• Score on long side at 2 3/4", 5 1/2", 81/4" and 11 1/4" leaving a 1/2" margin at the end of the cardstock.
• Turn the cardstock to the short side and score at 3" across the first two panels. Do not score the third panel which is the back of your card. But, score the 1/2" remaining panel at 3".
• Cut top Panels: On the long side using a paper trimmer, cut along the score lines at the 2 7/8", 5 5/8", 81/2" and 11 1/2" marks from the top to the center 3" score line. These are your top panels.
• Glue Panel: The 1/2" panel at the end of the columns is the glue or joining panel. Where the cut line ends at the 3" score line, cut on an angle to the edge of the cardstock. This makes it easier to join the panels together when you're ready to form the box.
• Cut two Cross Bars from remaining cardstock cut a 2" x 12" strip of cardstock. Cut the strip in half to make two strips. Cut the length of the strip to 4 3/4" and then cut at short end at 1".
• Mattes: Use a coordinating colour of Cardstock and Designer Series Paper for the mattes. Cut three mattes from cardstock for bottom outside and 3 for top panels. The measurement I generally use is 2 1/2" by 2 7/8", however I generally do a quick measurement before cutting to make sure that the cut leaves me with a small margin between base and matte evenly all around the matter.
• For the back and inside panel cut two mattes to 21/2 x 5 7/8". Again measure before cutting to make certain it will fit with surrounding margin to card base. Cut two neutral pieces either to match card base or a white panel for outside and coloured panel for inside to fit.
• Cut Designer paper for all mattes at 2 1/2" x 2 5/8" for all panels
• Finishing: I like to work flat on my card before I glue the edges together or add the cross bars. I start with the mattes and then add any embellishments at this stage. Same with the cross bars, I usually like to assemble the card candy then adhere it to the bars before adhering them to the inside of the box.
• Tip: Don't rely on my measurements ......check your own measurements before cutting and adhering pieces.

Let's Take a Closer Look: 

Each side of this card is adorned. Even the reverse side of the images are covered with matching cardstock, giving it a polished appearance. Let's start with the back of the card. I always ensure there is ample space for the sender to include their personal message.

How It folds: 

The card folds flat by sliding the panels to the sides. When flattened, it appears like this and fits into the custom envelope.

All the panels on the top and bottom, both on the outer and inner sides of the base card, are decorated. Each block or panel is made up of the card base, a matching coloured block, and a decorated designer paper block.

The next image shows the front view of the card when flattened to fit inside an envelope. The images are kept simple, and I only use dimensionals when necessary. I prefer layering with cardstock; for instance, the "ONE" lettering consists of three layers of the cut image. For the skull, I cut two layers and glued them together.

If the edges of the image show a lot of white from fussy cutting, I use a coloured blend or marker around the edge. For example, I used a black marker on the cactus and skull to add more definition. I don’t alter the edges of coloured cardstock, such as the pool party balloons.

The following image displays the back and sides of the card when it is unfolded to fit inside an envelope. There is a slight overhang on the Happy Birthday message, which could have been prevented if I hadn’t used shadow layering on the birthday die cut. However, I liked the two tone look of the sentiment and the text was positioned well enough that whether the card was open or closed, the wording did not interfere with any other embellishments or fold lines.

Once again this is a picture of the front of the card when it is flattened, however, I've folded over the upper flaps to show how all the images on the cross bars fit flat without overlapping. 

I have stamped numerous images and sentiments from a mix of both new and retired stamp sets. Some, like the adorable little cowboy boots and the barrel, I coloured and used multiple times on the card. Nearly all the images were fussy cut since there were no dies available.

After choosing the card base and matching matte layer colours, I aimed to maintain consistency by incorporating those colours somewhere on the card, whether through colouring or accessories such as sequins. I coloured the images using a blend of ink, watercolour pencils, and blends. To add some sparkle, I included sequins and copper stickles.

My base card was Pool Party, layered with retired Chocolate Chip card stock. The double-sided designer paper came from an old Stampin' Up! paper pack featuring a mix of chocolate chip, rust, and cream shades. Even though the paper wasn’t specifically western-themed, it complemented the design well. I added tiny splatters of chocolate chip, pool party, and pecan pie ink to the designer paper to create a more weathered, rustic effect.

When I'm assembling the clusters of images, I like to create card candy by putting together clusters of coloured images before adding them to the center part of the card.  For example with the Celebrate a Sweet Birthday tag I stamped the tag in Pool Party ink and then adhered some tiny ice cream cones, a sucker, a cowboy boot and the number "1". 

I made the number 1 sturdier by die cutting it four times and gluing the layers together.  The second row of images has a grouping of birthday presents, cactus,  cupcake and barrel.  I followed the same for both rows of images and the backdrop of the card.  It's all trial and error until it feels right.  It's the same with figure out what I put on each of the side panels but I always stick within the theme - birthday, one year old, first rodeo.  

Although in the previous pictures it looks like everything is very tight in the center of the card, however this side view shows the separation between the bars and the backdrop. 

That concludes my "how I made it" for this special box card, and I hope you enjoyed touring the card and my insights on how I put it together.  Milestone cards like these are often saved for years after the event and included in memory boxes and albums, so I really take my time and make sure I've done a clean and neat job of including all the special touches to ensure they last.  

My final tip if you're making a box card for someone's special occasion is to give yourself plenty of time.  These types of cards generally take me a few days beginning with organizing, stamping and colouring my images, prior to assembling.    

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

FIFA Fever Hits Vancouver - FMS#740

Freshly Made Sketches #740 is hosted by Michele Ferguson this week.  The challenge runs from June 10th to  3pm EST on Monday June 15th.   I hope you'll try out this sketch, and have some fun making your "scene".

Here's My Card: 

FIFA World Cup of Soccer fever has officially arrived in Vancouver, BC and the weekend was packed with soccer fandom. There are soccer related theme parties happening everywhere, and that inspired me to designed a simple soccer themed card that could be used as a thank you to the hosts, or as a note card relating to this special occasion. 

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Match Day stamp and Dies
• Fun In the Sun - Feb 2023 Paper Pumpkin Kit
• Curvy Dies #154319

Cardstock and Designer Papers:

• 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Basic White card base scored at 4 1/4" 
• 3 3/4" x 5" matte for front.  Use Pool Party and blender brush for sky and stamp on sun.
• 4 " x 5 1/4" Basic White matte for inside
• 2" x 2" Basic White for Soccer Ball
• 3 7/8" x 5" Basic Black matte for card front
• 2"  x 2" Basic Black scrap for soccer ball die cut 
• Garden Green - 2 pieces of scrap for top and bottom slopes width 4 1/4" height 3".  Cut away excess once glued to the
• Granny Apple Green scrap for layered slop 2 pieces. Stamp sentiment from Match Game in Momento Black on slope 

Ink and Blends:

• Pool Party
• Momento Black 

Accessories: 

• Dimensionals. 

Thank you for dropping by to check out this week's project.  I hope you liked it, and would absolutely love it if you dropped me a comment.  If you haven't visited the Freshly Made Sketches website to check out everyone else's cards, here's the link to do so:  Freshly Made Sketches #740.  

Until next time..........

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Click here to check out my 24/7 Online Shop and see what's new! 

Christmas in June? Oh My!

My finished rendition of the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #685 turned out totally different from where I started out.  Originally I planned to make a card with a floral design or grouping of animals.  But somewhere along the way I took a detour and finished this challenge with my first Christmas card for the season. A little early, I know, but I think it's a worthwhile starter.  When do you start making Christmas cards for your stash? I'd love to hear about your plans. In the meantime, here's the sketch:  

Here's  My Card:

While searching for the "right" designer paper, I opened a paper bin and right near the top was a 5 1/4" x 4 piece of red, beige and white striped designer paper.   It was sitting there all on it's own, and practically screaming at me to pick it up and use it for my card.  So what was I supposed to do?  I took the hint and here's what I came up with for this challenge: 

Instead of flowers I chose a well loved retired stamp set called Family and Friends for the focal point on this card.  I didn't include a bow in the bottom left hand corner as it just didn't look right.  The family and the trees have some dimension.

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Family and Friends SU#159779 (R) 
• Christmas Gleaming SU#150464 (R)

Cardstock and Designer Papers:

• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Basic White cardstock for card base scored at 4 1/4"
  
• 5" x 3 7/8" piece of Basic White for inside matte and a scrap for stamping the family and sentiment.
• 5 1/4" x 4 Striped SU designer paper for the first matte
• 4 7/8" x 3 5/8" Real Red matte
  
• 4 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece of cardstock from the  October 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit called "Home for the Holidays".  The card stock had a beautiful image of trees, snow and starry sky.  
• I added two ephemera trees from the kit elevated with cardstock instead of Dimensionals were added.
• I stamped the family image on the illustrated matte and then stamped it again on Basic White Cardstock and fussy cut out the whole image. Before colouring and attaching it with dimensionals. 

Note:  To achieve the dimension with the family I began by stamping and colouring the image directly onto the cardstock.  I then stamped and coloured it again on a scrap of Basic White and fussy cut the whole image.  I used a light Mint Macaroon Stamping Blend and coloured all the remaining card stock around the edges of the cutout.  Small mini dimensionals were used to adhere the cut image on top of the stamped image on the card matte.  

To give dimension to the two trees that were added and the sentiment I cut small strips of card stock and adhered them behind the image before gluing them to the matte.  They don't stand out as high as when you use dimensionals, however it adds a bit of texture. 

Ink and Blends:

• Memento Black Ink for Stamped Family image. 
• Stampin Blends light and dark :  Blueberry Bushell, Memento Black Ink, Pool Party, Mint Macaroon, Sweet Sorbet, Boho Blue, Granny Apple Green, SU600, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.  

Accessories:

• Dimensionals
• Crystal Stickles on the trees to add some sparkle. 

Thanks for dropping by my blog and checking out my challenge card for this week.  Is it too early to be starting to thing of Christmas?  What do you think? 

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop

FREE SHIPPING - THREE DAYS ONLY

 

Need a reason to shop?  It's here!  Starting today June 11th through June 13th get free shipping on all orders over $100.00 CDN (after coupons and discounts and before shipping and handling).  I'm using this promo to stalk up on cardstock for my winter projects.  What about you?  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Aviator Birthday Masculine Card FMS#739

This week's Freshly Made Sketch #739 features three circles for the focal point, but these images could be just as easily be blocks, triangles, or other images.  That's the beauty of doing a sketch challenge.  I hope you'll join me and play along this week.  Check out the design team and participants samples.  There's such a variety of styles.  Here's the sketch: 

Here's My Card:

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Perennial Birthday #145757 - Happy Birthday 
• A Good Man # 149270 - It's Your Day stamp
• See You Later #133533 Birthday Sentiment for inside card 
• Stitched Circle Dies for focal circles  

Card stock and Designer Papers:

• Smokey Slate card base 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 14" with top fold
• Smokey Slate scraps for 1 34" circles for focal 
• Cut two Basic White mattes measuring 5 1/4" x 4" for front and inside panels
• Mossey Meadow scraps for focal 
• Take to the Sky DSP #163436 for 2" x 5 1/4" for front and 1" by 5 1/4" for inside of card. 

Ink:

• Mossey Meadow
• Smokey Slate 

Accessories:

• Dimensionals 
• Silver Sticky Strip lines for card front

I hope you enjoyed my challenge card this week.  Let me know if you played along.  That would be so exciting and I'd love to see your card.  

Until next time..........

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demonstrator since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Happy Birthday Wishes Sail Boat Card - AHSC#684

This week's sketch challenge #684 at Atlantic Hearts has been posted.  Here's the sketch:

Here's My Card:

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Sailing Home #149457 stamps
• Smooth Sailing Dies #149576
• Stylish Shape Circle Dies 
• Gone Fishing  (water stamp) #161535

Cardstock and DSP:

• Start with a 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" basic white card based scored at 4 1/4
• Cut inside  panel from basic white measuring 5" x 3 3/4" 
• Cut a 3" x 3" piece of basic white to die cut focal circle and a scrap to stamp the sailing ship and sentiment on.
• Cut a piece of Misty Moonlight 5 1/4" x 4" and a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" scrap for the focal mat.  Die cut with 3" stitched circle die.

• Let's Go Fishing DSP #161534 Cut two pieces that measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Use one piece for the inside panel.  Cut the second piece into three 1 1/2"panels

Inks and Blends:

• Misty Moolight
• Secret Sea

Accessories:  

• Dimensionals 

Thanks for dropping by to see my rendition of this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  Leave me a note to let me know if this card inspires you to do more crafting.  Until next time......

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006