Monday, August 31, 2015

Butterfly Diagonal Pop Up Card

I love learning new techniques and fancy folds are among my favourites.  For today's card I was enchanted with a new to me fold called "Diagonal Pop Up" fancy fold. Now I've seen these folds in store bought cards, but I've never attempted to make one myself.  Trust me this fold is super easy and if I can do it without pulling out my hair then so can you.

Here's my card front:

I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 3 5/8" x 5 1/2" for the center panel of the card front.  I die cut two of the large butterfly images from this piece and then embossed it with the Elegant Dots TIEF.  I cut another piece of Whisper White Card stock the same size as the first and adhered it with dimensionals behind the front panel.  I stamped the butterflies through the opening created by the larger butterfly framelit. 

I love all things glittery so to pop up the impact of the front of this card I added two 1/2" x 5 1/2" strips of silver glimmer paper on either side of the white panel before it was adhered to the card front.  Sticky strip doesn't always stick to glimmer paper, so instead of using that I put two thin strips of Tom Bow glue down each of the sides on the back of the Whisper White panel and then adhered the Glimmer strips, making sure they were showing the same width on each side of the front panel.  I also added some more bling with four large Basic Rhinestones on the bottom right hand side of the card front.   The sentiment "Sending Wishes Your Way" is from the Basic Butterfly stamp set. 
Inside of the Card:
Okay, so there's nothing major exciting about the front of my card other than the butterfly images inside the cut-a-ways. Right? So where's the magic and wow factor? 

Drum roll please...........are you ready?  What's truly exciting about this card is the fancy fold on the inside of the card! That's where the surprise lays. 



Isn't that impressive?  I thought so too, but I probably wouldn't have made this card without the inspiration and help of one of my favourite super-talented and creative stampers, Julie Davidson.   I subscribe to Julie's blog posts and newsletters, and there is always something she shares that I find interesting and helpful.  

Recently Julie posted a great video tutorial showcasing the Watercolour Wings stamp set and Bold Butterfly framelit dies.  She demonstrated a new to me fancy fold card called a Diagonal Pop Up.  How exciting!  Her card was inspiring and I loved this technique so I just had to make this card.  Rather than me giving you a step by step tutorial on how to make my card, I'm going to let the video speak for itself and share her link. Go ahead, just click on this link for her video and you'll see what I mean by super easy and fun! 

Supplies For My Card:
Stamps: Wonderful Wings Bundle , Basic Butterflies
Card stock: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Bold Butterflies Thinlet dies , Basic Rhinestones, Adhesive, Elegant Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (TIEF), Dimensionals, Trimmer with Scoring Blade, Big Shot, Pencil
 
Bundle and save! Buy these two coordinating products for $45.00 CDN and save 15%.

The 15 image Watercolor Wings Photopolymer Stamp Set has made stamping classic butterflies even better by putting them in a Two-Step Stampin' set. Two-step sets have a base image and overlay images that you can combine over the base image. Use any combination of ink colors to create fantastic butterfly images. Suggested clear blocks (sold separately): a, d, e, g.

The Bold Butterfly Framelits Die set is comprised of 2 dies.  There is a large open image butterfly that measures 3-1/8" x 2-1/8" and a smaller delicately detailed butterfly that measures 2" x 1-3/8". 

 Cutting Instructions for Diagonal Pop Up Card:

  1. The card base is Elegant Eggplant and the card stock measured 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 and is scored at 4 1/4.
  2. The inside card panel is cut from Whisper White card stock and measures 7 1/2 x 4 3/4".  It is scored at 3 3/4".
  3. Using a ruler and a pencil measure 2 1/2" from the center score line to both the right and left of the inside card panel and make a small erasable pencil mark.  
  4. Measure 2 1/2" from the top of the center score line towards the bottom of the inside card panel and make a small erasable pencil mark. 
  5. Starting from the right side line up the top and center pencil marks using the score line on your paper trimmer and score to where they meet.  Repeat this process for the left hand side of the panel. 
  6. Erase pencil marks and Fold first on the center score line and then each of the side score lines, so that when the card panel is opened up a triangle pops up in the center.  
  7. I stamped and cut out a butterfly image and adhered it on the left side of the triangle with two dimensionals.
  8. Stamp your sentiments and any other design you want on your card panel and then adhere the panel with Tom Bow or other adhesive.  Tip:I applied the adhesive around the two sides of the panel to the beginning of the triangle at the top of the panel, and along the bottom of the panel. Make sure there is no adhesive on the triangle portion of the panel.  Once all the adhesive was added, I folded the panel at the center score line and then lined it up with the center score line of the card base and then closed the card.  When you do it this way, everything lines up perfectly.  
I hope you enjoyed this card and my tips and will try this out yourselves.  Let me know if you would make this card.  Right now I can think of all different kinds of things I can put on this pop up.  

How about you?  I want to know so leave me a comment and let me know what kind of card would you make and what stamp set or sets would you use to create it?  Please let me know. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens   

Sunday, August 30, 2015

WWC31 Heidi's Sketch Challenge



Where is the time flying to.  Suddenly summer's over and it's time for another sketch challenge at the Watercooler Challenge.  

This sketch #WCC31 was designed by the very talented paper crafter, Heidi Weaver.  If you're into cards or layouts with lots of layers then this one will be right up your alley.  

I decided to combine this great sketch with the colour challenge at Colour Me.  It's colour challenge CMCC#86 and showcases Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Cajun Craze and Tangerine Tango with a neutral of your own choice. I chose to combine these colours with Whisper White.

Here's my entry:
My card started with a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Whisper White card base scored at 4 1/4".  The first mat measuring 5 1/4 x 4" is cut from Pool Party and I sponged around the edges with the same ink.

The next mat measures 5 x 3 3/4".  I started with a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 sheet of Whisper White card stock and stamped a random pattern with Sponge Daubers in the four challenge colours. Some dots were full strength and others were stamped off almost to opaqueness. I also used the dotted image from the Watercolour Wings stamp set and stamped it over the circles in Lost Lagoon ink.  Once all the stamping was done I cut the paper down to the above size for the mat.  I also die cut the three butterflies with the Butterflies Thinlet Dies. 
Note:  If I was making this card again, I think I would have changed how I used the Tangerine Tango, because it's simply too bright a card stock and overwhelms the left side of the card creating an imbalance. In retrospect, I should have have die cut the large Butterfly image and placed it as the bottom layer of the Butterfly stack. I would have then substituted a strip of Lost Lagoon for the Tangerine Tango banner and probably embossed it with the large Polka Dot TIEF, to mimic the circles on the background paper, instead of using the smaller Perfect Polka Dots TIEF which is now retired. 
 
I stamped the sun burst from the Kinda Eclectic Stamp set on a 2 3/4 x 2 3/4" piece of Whisper White.  It makes a nice background design.  In retrospect I should have stamped it using Versa Mark and Lost Lagoon inks and then heat set it with clear embossing powder.
Kind of Eclectic Stamp Set comes in wood or clear mount.

 
For the inside of the card I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment the butterflies and the border strip using images from the Basic Butterfly stamp set.
This eleven piece coordinating stamp set and matching butterfly dies come in a bundle in either wood or clear mount styles. You can save 15% off the regular price of the stamps and dies by purchasing them as a bundle.  I'm totally in love with my clear mount.
I think I've fallen in love with the Boho Chic Embossing folder.  It's one of my favourites this season.  It looks great layered over other images or on it's own.  In this picture you can see a bit more of the background paper that I stamped with all the sketch colours.  Background papers are so much fun to make.
Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Butterfly Basics, Kinda Eclectic, Watercolour Wings 
Ink:  Cajun Craze, Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Tangerine Tango
Accessories:  Big Shot, Trimmer, Perfect Polka Dots(R) and Boho Chic Embossing Folders, Basic Butterflies Thinlet Dies, Basic Rhinestones, Silver Charm (R), Dazzling Details, adhesive and dimensionals.

Well I hope you enjoyed today's colour and sketch challenges.  There's still a little bit of time to play along so if you want to get in on the fun, please click on the Watercooler Challenge or the Colour Me Challenge or both to find out the details.   


HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPING 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

FMS#200 What a Celebration!

Today has been such a peaceful day.  We went for a walk around Mill Lake, did some shopping, came home, handled a few chores and then drum roll please.......... I had three glorious, undisturbed hours of stamping time, while my hubby watched golf. Yeah!  Got to love golf! What a great day!
To make the most of my creative time I looked for some sketch challenges that would be quick and easy to do, and I came across this one from Freshly Made Sketches which fit the bill.  The design has simple lines and you can do what you want with it, but the twist is to keep your project as clean-lined and fresh as possible.
This is a very special challenge for Freshly Made Sketches as it marks their 200th sketch challenge! That's quite a feat and they are really celebrating! To thank everyone who's participated in their past sketch challenges they've gathered together some of the best known companies from the crafting community as sponsors for this week's challenge. How wonderful is that? 
Here's My Card:

Originally I planned to use a White on White theme for my floral birthday card, but in looking at the design team and other samples, I realized that several other crafters had already gone that route, so I opted to use white and a solid colour.  I chose to work with Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White.  
I stamped the full image of the flower across the two pieces of Whisper White card stock and then re-stamped the floral image onto scrap card stock. I fussy cut out each of the flowers and coloured them with an Elegant Eggplant Marker and a Blender Pen.  To give the flower petals some dimension, I turned them over after they were coloured and rolled a stylus around the edges to give them some shape. The flowers were adhered with dimensionals and I placed a small Basic Rhinestone in the center of the main flower. 

I added three Basic Rhinestones to the bottom of the card in a random pattern.  I inked up the background stamp from the You've Got This stamp set with Perfect Plum ink and then stamped it off several times on scrap paper before stamping it across the two Whisper White layers.   

I kept the inside of the card pretty simple, re-stamping the floral image and the sentiment from the Basic Butterfly set.  I adhered  a 1/4" strip of Elegant Eggplant card stock along the right hand side of the card. 
Supplies:
Stamps:  Basic Butterfly and You've Got This
Inks & Markers:  Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke, Old Olive Assortment of Blendabilities.
Card Stock:  Whisper White and Elegant Eggplant 
Accessories: Detail Scissors, Stylus, Paper Trimmer, 
Blender Pen, Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones and Tom Bow Glue

Thanks for dropping by today.  I hope you liked my clean and simple birthday card.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens 

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop


August 2015 Blog Hop photo August 2015 Banner.jpg
Wow it's August already and time for another Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop. This hop is called "Let's Sprinkle August With Life" and runs from today through Saturday August 22nd, 2015.  We're showcasing the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set from the new 2015/2016 Annual Catalogue!

If you've been following the hop, you should have arrived here from the very talented and creative Debbie Spano's site. She has such awesome projects! 


We hope you'll enjoy our virtual hop, learn some great techniques for your paper crafting projects or simply enjoy visiting our 12 participants sites and seeing all their great creations! Be sure to click on the "next button" at the end of the post to continue your journey on this blog hop or return to the start point.

Projects One & Two - Sprinkles of Life: 

I'm so happy to be showcasing the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set along with my fellow Wacky Watercooler designers for the first two projects today.  What fun! 


This set includes 22 Photopolymer versatile stamps 
The Sprinkles of Life Stamp set is notably one of Stampin' Ups! most popular stamp sets this year, and there are a couple of very important reasons for that:  
  • The first reason is that Stampin' Up! donates time and money to support Ronald McDonald House Charities. To date they've contributed over $1,000,000 to RHMC and their network of local RMHC Chapters. When you buy the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set, Stampin' Up! donates a portion ($3.00) of the proceeds to RMHC. 
  • The second reason is that it's down right fun to use this set!  You can unleash your creative genius and stamp your heart out with these very versatile stamps.  You can make cards for any occasion using a myriad of combinations of the 22 photopolymer images and sentiments. Your projects can be adorned with cupcakes, clouds, rain, ice cream cones, baskets of flowers, apples, trees and much, much more.  And, as if that's not enough, there's even a co-ordinating Tree Builder punch, to make cutting out the tops of the cupcakes, trees, clouds etc. that much faster.
    All Occasion 3 x 3 Note Cards & Gift Box: 
    I love having small note cards on hand to tuck into hostess gifts or as a small thank you for good deeds.  You can never have enough of them.  So, for my first project I designed a set of 4 note cards with matching envelopes and a gift box holder using the Sprinkles of Life Set .

    The Gift Box:
     
    Love this cute little gift box.  It holds 4 gift cards and matching envelopes and is simply tied shut with a ribbon.


    The 16" piece of ribbon simply slides under the Whisper White mat that is mounted to the box front with dimensionals and ties at the top of the box. 
    Here's what the back of the box looks like when it's closed and done up with the ribbon. 

      3 x 3 Note Cards:
    The four note cards that I made match the front of the gift box.  
     

    This cute little scene began by stamping the tree trunk from the Sprinkles of Life stamp set onto a 2" x 2" piece of Whisper White card stock.  Next I added two bunches of flower stems around the base of the tree in Cucumber Crush ink.  The flower heads were stamped in Hello Honey and Watermelon Wonder inks. The clouds were sponged in Soft Sky ink around a 1 3/4" scalloped circle.  The top and sides of the square were sponged with Soft Sky ink to blend in the clouds and the bottom of the square was sponged with Cucumber Crush ink.  To finish off the little scene I added small basic rhinestones for a touch of glimmer.  The foliage on the tree was stamped on a piece of Cucumber Crush card stock and then punched out with the Tree Builder punch.  I used dimensionals to adhere it above the tree trunk.

    That might sound like a lot of work, but trust me you can complete this card front in just a few minutes.  It will put a smile on your face when you're done!

    The Envelopes:
     

    I am hooked on using the Envelope Punch Board.  It's one of the best tools I have and I use it for every project that requires an envelope.  Here I made four cute little 31/4 x 31/4" envelopes from Whisper White card Stock.  I've lined then with paper from the Cherry On Top Designer Paper Pack (DSP).  I stamped the flower image on the front left corner of each of the cards, repeating the colouration and design from the front and inside of the gift cards.
    How cute is this? 
    See below for link to measurements and how to make the liner.  It's super easy!
     


    Supplies:
    Stamp sets: Sprinkles of Life
    Card Stock:  Bermuda Bay and Whisper White 
    DSP:  Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Pack
    Ink:  Cucumber Crush, Hello Honey, Tip Top Taupe, Watermelon Wonder, and Soft Sky
    Accessories:  1 3/4" Scalloped Circle Punch, Basic Rhinestones, 16" White Cotton Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board, Paper Trimmer, Adhesive, Dimensionals

    Cutting Dimensions for Four Cards:
    1.  Cut 4 pieces Bermuda Bay to measure 3 x 6" and score at 3" (card base).
    2.  DSP layer cut 4 pieces 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" adhere to card base.
    3.  2nd layer - cut 4 pieces of Bermuda Bay measuring 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" adhere to DSP layer.
    4.  3rd layer - cut 4 pieces of Whisper White card stock, adhere to Bermuda Bay layer once stamping has been completed.   

    Card Box and Envelopes: 
    For full details on making the card box, envelopes and cards click here for my original tutorial.


    Project Two - Sprinkles of Life Positivity Card
    One of the wonderful things about the Sprinkles of Life set is that it is definitely full of "positives".  That became the theme for my next card which could be used as a birthday card, an incentive card or a "just because card".  
    The positive affirmation on this card reads:  Hope Your Day Stacks Up to Be One Good Thing On Top of Another!

    This is the inside of the card.  I simply repeated the ice cream cone from the front of the card but omitted the glitter. 
    Love these cones.  I stamped the cones onto Tip Top Taupe card stock and then fussy cut them with my detail scissors and adhered them over the 1 3/4" x 4 1/4" DSP layer.  I stamped and punched out the ice cream scoops from Hello Honey and Watermelon Wonder card stocks.  The scoops were added above the cone with dimensionals. I highlighted the design on the scoops and cherries with Dazzling Details glitter (luv that stuff).  The cute little window and frame was made using my brand new Lots of Labels Framelits.  I'm delighted with how it turned out and I know I'll be using these framelits a lot.
    Supplies:
    Stamp Set:  Sprinkles of Life 
    Card Stock:  Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Watermelon Wonder, Hello Honey and Tip Top Taupe
    DSP:  Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Pack 
    Inks:  Bermuda Bay, Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe, Hello Honey
    Accessories:  Large Polka Dot TIEF, Lots of Labels Framelits (new), Tree Builder punch, Big Shot, Magnetic Platform, Paper Trimmer, Detail Scissors,and Dazzling Details Glitter.

    Project Three - Case The Catalogue: 
    We had such a blast and received such excellent feedback from our July Blog Hop "CASE THE PROJECT", that we decided to do it again.  If you haven't checked it out, the Annual Catalogue is an absolute treasure trove of design ideas.  No need to buy a stamping magazine or search Pinterest, it's all there and you simply can't go wrong CASEing projects from it.

    Here's the card I'm CASEing.  It's from page 114 of the Annual Catalogue and features the stamp set "Blended Bloom".  

    I loved using the original design of this card but changed it up a bit to meet my own needs.  CASEing this card was a great opportunity to use another of my favourite tools the Mini Treat Bag Thinlets and my new Brick Wall Embossing Folder.   Here's my card:
    I wanted a sophisticated looking card for my upscale friend who has a passion for white, yellow and black.  I switched up the flower from Watermelon Wonder to Daffodil Delight.  I loved the bold stripes on the original banner but decided to go more subtle with a smaller striped pattern from the Go Wild Designer Series paper pack and the Triple Banner Punch.  The Blended Bloom image was stamped onto Daffodil Delight card stock with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink.  I love the depth you get with that ink and it dries so quickly.  The flower has three layers and I used a Zentangle technique to add dimension to the petals. 
    Here's the back side of the treat bag.  I joined two 2" x 6" pieces of DSP together and punched out the banner with the Triple Banner punch.  Sorry this is such a lousy picture........ it's pouring rain out and there's no natural light.  Grrrrrrrr.

     
    You can see the detail on the flower a bit more in this shot. I stamped the flower image on Daffodil Delight card stock three times to create the flower layers.  Each layer was fussy cut and the edges were sponged with black ink. Black was coloured into the edges on the flowers to give them a rolled look and adding Crystal Effects to these coloured areas gives them more depth. The basic rhinestones in the flower's center were coloured with a Black Sharpie Alcohol Marker.  I didn't like the bow in the flower center on the original card, so this was the "just right" finish for mine.
    A gift card tucks nicely into the DSP pocket.
    I cut a 2" x 3 1/2"  piece of the designer series paper and put a thin line of adhesive around the outer edges and bottom to adhere it to the Daffodil Delight card stock.  I stamped a partial image of the flower in black ink.
    I like to write my own personal message on my cards so I added a 3 x 4 1/4" piece of Whisper White card stock to the back of the Gift Card insert.

    Supplies:
    Stamp Sets:  Blended Bloom and Wetlands
    DSP:  Go Wild Designer Series Paper Pack
    Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black 
    Cardstock:  Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
    Accessories:  Big Shot Machine, Brick Wall Embossing Folder, Crystal Effects, Banner Triple Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Black Sharpie Marker Alcohol based, Detail Scissors, Tom Bow glue, Adhesive Strips, Paper Trimmer. 

    Well that's it for this month's projects.  I hope you liked them and will leave me a comment or two on your favourites, and come back again.  Thanks for visiting!

    Heidi Weaver our fabulous blog host and super talented Wacky Watercooler Designer is next on this blog hop so make sure you click on the "next" button below to move to her blog.   You won't want to miss her wonderful and exciting projects!
     photo nextwatercoolercrockbutton.jpg
    Heidi Weaver
     Debbie Spano
    Debbie Spano

    Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop - Start

    Happy Stamping!
    Penny Tokens

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