WWC96 - Gail Allen's Special Fold Challenge

Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday's latest challenge #WWC96.  Our awesome designer Gail Allen is hostess this week and she's chosen to feature a Special Fold Challenge. Not only do we have a great challenge but we are doubly blessed because we have the very talented Bronwyn Eastley from Australia joining us as our Guest Designer.  How exciting is that? 

Over the years I've created many cards using special folds, and I'm always excited to find and try something new to add to my repertoire.  The special fold I've chosen for this challenge is called an "Envelope Fold Card".  I ran across a tutorial on Split Coast Stampers by Melissa Banbury, several weeks ago and I was hooked. 

Although this may look like a difficult card, it's deceiving.  In fact, it was quick and easy to assemble with just a few instructions.  The most difficult part of making this card was deciding what to put on the inside.

Here's my card:  

This first picture shows just the outside of the card and you can see it looks like an envelope.  That cute little mouse from Merry Mice stamp set is guarding the  magic that happens when you open the card. 

And, here's the inside.  I've chosen to combine elements from Merry Mice, Candy Cane Lane DSP,  and the Candy Cane Lane stamp set to create a fun 3 dimensional Christmas scene. 

There's lots going on in this card, and I know it's difficult to see, however, I'll be showing you pictures from every angle so you can see all the details.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Candy Cane Lane, Merry Mice
Card Stock:  Early Expresso, Real Red, Tip Top Taupe and Watercolour Paper 
Designer Series Paper:  Candy Cane Lane
Dies: Thoughtful Branches Framelits (Retired)
Ink:  Early Espresso, Black Archival Ink, Real Red, Flirty Flamingo, Pacific Point, Emerald Envy, Pear Pizzazz, Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe, Daffodil Delight, Lost Lagoon and a Red Sharpie Alcohol Ink Marker.
Accessories:  Big Shot, Trimmer, Simply Scored, Aqua painter, Thoughtful Branches and Window Frame dies, Precision Scissors for fussy cutting, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip and Tom Bow Glue.  

Assembly:
1.  Envelope Card Base:  The card base is a 6" x 10 18" piece of Early Espresso card stock scored at 2", 2 18" and 6 1/8".

2.  Inside Panels:  You can leave the back of the card plain or choose to add  DSP.  I cut two pieces of DSP measuring 3 3/4" x 5 3/4" and glued them to the back panels. Note: Leave a little space so you fold the card the DSP doesn't interfere or become too bulky to fold naturally. 

3. Window Panel:  The window pane layer is a 6" x 8" piece of Real Red card stock. Score this piece a 3/8" on both of the 6" sides. Next measure 1/2" from the top and bottom of the 8" side and a 1/2" in from the two 3/8" fold lines. Note: I used my score blade and just marked all the cutting sides and then inserted the panel in my trimmer and cut away the center rectangle. 

Add sticky strips to the inside edges of this frame and attach the frame to the 
2 1/8" score line on the left hand side and the edge of the card on the right.  Make sure the top and bottom center parts of the frame bend towards the center of the card.  

Before attaching the above window panel I cut and adhered strips of DSP to the sides and top of the frame.  They measured approximately 1/2" x 6".  I adhered them and trimmed off excess paper. 

4.  Inside Front Panel:  Cut a  piece of Real Red card stock to measure 1 3/4" x 5 3/4" for the inside front panel, and a 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of DSP.  Adhere to the inside front panel.  

5.  Outside Flap:  Cut a 2 1/8" x 3" piece of Early Espresso, a 2 x 2 7/8" piece of coordinating DSP and a 1 3/4" x 2 3/4" piece of Watercolor paper for the image of the Mouse.  Glue all pieces together.  I added glue to the bottom of this flap and attached it to the middle of the outside bottom panel.  I attached  two dimensionals to the top part and then removed some of the stickiness so the panel would hold the envelope portion together when closed.  You could also just make a belly band to ensure the card stays shut.  

Once I had the card and frame assembled, I began adding images of the Merry Mice.  All of the mice were stamped in Black Archival ink on the Watercolor paper and then I fussy cut them out.  I used a variety of colours and painted them with an aqua painter.  I attached the fat little mouse with the star on it's tail to the inside right edge of the card and them glued each of the three mice with gifts and lights to the bottom edge with mini glue dots.  

I also cut out a row of houses from the Candy Cane Lane DSP>  I left the bottom of the strip flat and just fussy cut around each of the houses on the top edge of the strip. Then I attached the two outside edges of this panel with sticky strip to the back of the card and bent the center of the strip so it would fold inwards when the card was closed. When the card is open the houses stand out from the back of the card adding another layer of dimension.  

I used the tree framelit from the retired Thoughtful Branches Framelit set to cut out two trees. I cut one from Tip Top Taupe and the other from Early Espresso card stock. These trees were layered together in an offset manner and adhered to the back right hand side of the card. Eight small gumdrops were cut from the designer paper and attached to the branches with small pieces of dimensionals.  Basic Rhinestones were added to the center of each to add a bit of bling. 

For the right side of the card I used a Window Frame die cut in Real Red to frame a piece of Whisper White card stock that was stamped with the "Wishing You a Sweet Season" sentiment from Candy Cane Christmas and some gumdrops.    

 

So that's my special Envelope Fold card. Once again a big thank you to Melissa Banbury for her inspiration. I'm very happy with the way my card turned out and will be sending it to a very special person in my life.  I know she will totally appreciate the work I put into this card.  I hope you enjoyed it too and would love to have your feedback.  

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Design Team's creations and our Special Guest Designer, Brownyn Eastley - they're simply awesome and very inspiring.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Token's Stampin Spot

WWC95 Libby's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

At the beginning of November I participated in Stampin' Ups! On Stage Local in Vancouver, BC as one of the display board artists. I was tasked with creating 15 samples featuring some awesome new masculine stamp sets that will debut in January in the upcoming Occasions Spring Catalogue.  

So I'm very excited that Libby Fens is hosting the WWC95 Masculine - Anything Goes challenge at the Watercooler Wednesday blog, because I get to share a sneak peak of one of those awesome new stamp sets with you.

Here's My Card:

Drum roll please....................... 

What do you think?  Are you excited?  This card features a few of the images from a soon to be released stamp set called "Nailed It".  Let me tell you there are 15 awesome tool related rubber stamps in this set, that are bound to make your masculine cards rock. And, to make it even better, there's a co-ordinating set of framelits called "Build It".  Look for this bundle when the new Occasions catalogue goes live on January 4th, 2017!  

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Nailed It, Jar of Love, Gorgeous Grunge
Inks:  Delightful Dijon, Basic Gray, Basic Black Archival, Versa Mark Pad and Pen
Card stock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Silver Foil
Accessories:  Everyday Jars Framelits, Block E, Spritzer, Big Shot, Silver Sequins, Heat Gun, Silver Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy, Urban Underground Embellishments (New), Glue Dots Mini, Trimmer, Dimensionals and Tom Bow Glue.

Details:
While I can't give you many details about this stamp set or show you a picture of it just yet, I can tell you how I created the background for the screwdriver and the mason jar and assembled the card.

The card base was cut from a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Basic Gray card stock and it was scored at 4 1/4".  A 4 x 5 1/4" piece of Silver Foil was cut for the silver layer.  Note:  I never waste fancy papers like this, so before adhering this piece I cut a rectangle from the center and set it aside for another project.

1.  The background was created by directly inking an acrylic block (E) with Delightful Dijon and Basic Gray inks and then spritzing them with water.  Once the block was wet I pressed it down for a few seconds on the center of a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock. 

2.  Next I inked up the medium sized spotted stamp from Gorgeous Grunge with Basic Gray ink and stamped it randomly across the Whisper White layer. 

3.  The screw driver image was stamped in Basic Black Archival ink onto the block on the Whisper White layer.  I used a Versa Mark pen to colour in the shaft of the screw driver and then heat embossed that section with Silver Embossing Powder.  I stamped the screw driver again on Basic Gray card stock and fussy cut around the handle. The Basic Gray handle was adhered to the original screw driver image with dimensionals.   

4. For the Mason Jar:

• I stamped two large mason jar images on Whisper White with Basic Black Archival ink and cut them out with the corresponding Framelit.  
• I fussy cut out the inside of the jar on one of the images for the front of the jar.  
• I adhered Adhesive Strip around the edge of the second mason jar to make a well for the shaker bits.  I filled the well of the shaker card with "bits and pieces"  from the Nailed It set that were stamped and embossed with Silver Embossing Powder and cut out with the matching framelits.  I also added silver seed beads and sequins. 
• I cut out a third mason jar from an Acetate window sheet and glued this to the back of the front jar. I wiped this piece down with my Stamping Buddy, to remove static. I removed the sticky strip from the Adhesive strip and attached the front of the card to seal the shaker.
• I stamped the lid for the shaker jar with Versa Mark Ink on Basic Gray card stock and them heat embossed it with Silver Embossing powder.  The lid was glued  over the Whisper White lid. I used sticky strip to attach the finished mason jar to the Whisper White layer. 
  

• Three very realistic metallic "screw heads" were adhered with mini glue dots to the bottom right hand corner of the card.  This is another sneak peak of a new product called "Urban Underground Embellishments".  

Well that's it for my card this week, and I hope you liked it. I'd love to have your comments, and if you haven't checked out the rest of the WWC95 Watercooler Wednesday design artists cards make sure you do, there are some great samples.   

Over the next month I'm going to be showcasing some more sneak peaks featuring stamp sets from the new Occasions Catalogue I received for free for attending OnStage.  And, when the new Occasions catalogue goes live in January I'll be posting more of the projects I made for OnStage.  You're going to love them! 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

November On-Line Extravaganza - The Sale You've Been Waiting For

Don’t Miss Online Extravaganza - Starts on November 21,2016
Hold off on those orders!  Black Friday starts early with Online Extravaganza happening November 21-28! With the holiday season in full swing everyone could use a little help checking a few things off their gift list.

You'll want to take advantage of this sale to earn savings of up to 40% off.  Get those Holiday stamps and bundles you want for less. 

There will be 24-hour sales with new products on the first and last day of this event so you'll need to act quickly on those days (Nov 21 & Nov 28).

Hey, you don’t even have to leave your house! Check out the full details on the products being discounted during Online Extravaganza and  miss out on these great deals.


Online Extravaganza and  miss out on these great deals:
http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/Promotions/NA/2016/11_November/Online%20Extravaganza/Online%20Extravagana%20product%20list%20CA.pdf
 

November Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop - Celebrates Christmas

This is the last blog hop of the season at the Wacky Watercooler, so I hope you will enjoy the delightful projects our Design Team has in store for you. We have 10 members participating in this hop  and each member is contributing three wonderful Christmas themed projects to get you in the mood to stamp and create.  So grab a cup of your favourite beverage and relax for a while and enjoy! 

The Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop works on a circular basis so you can start at the beginning or in the middle or at the end, and still work your way through all the participants just by clicking on the "next symbol" at the end of my post.  If you've arrived here from the wonderful Marsha Reed's blog

Project One:  Simple Gift Card Holders

I like to give gift cards at Christmas since it's sometimes difficult to get together with my friends and family who live far away.  So I need a cute gift card  holder that is both easy and economical to mail and very quick to make. I discovered this pattern which I've CASED on Lynn Ellis' blog earlier this summer, and decided to recreate it for you here.  The beauty of this pattern is it can be used for any season and can be as plain or dressed up as you want it.  And finally, these gift card holders are perfect for selling at craft fairs and usually sell off very quickly.

Simple Gift Card Holder Instructions:
Supplies:
Stamps: Merry Mice

Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Watercolour Paper
DSP:  This Christmas DSP
Ink:  Archival Basic Black or Cherry Cobbler 
Markers:  Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Big Shot, Trimmer, 1 3/8" 1 3/4" and 2" circle punches, Dimensionals, Tear and Tape, Basic Rhinestones, Snowflake Embellishments (R)


1.  Cut 1 piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock 5 x 8 and score at 5 ½” and 2” and round the top corners
2.  Cut 1 piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock 8 x 1 ¼” for belly band.  Gently wrap the band around the holder and adhere the two ends with tear and tape.  You can decorate the band as much or as little as you like. 
3.  Cut 1 piece of DSP 2 3/8 x 4 7/8 round bottom corners and adhere to the front of the top panel.
4.  Cut 1 piece of DSP 1 7/8 x 4 7/8 round top corners and adhere to the front of the  bottom panel
5.  Use Tear Tape on the inside of the bottom front panel to create the holder for the gift card.  Simply place the tape along the bottom at the crease line and up the two sides of the panel.  Remove strips and press the panel against the inside of the holder.
6.  Stamp a sentiment on the inside of the front panel so that it shows when the gift card holder is opened up. 

One of the reasons I love the "This Christmas Designer Series Paper" DSP selections is this snow flake design.  The black images on the Very Vanilla paper are outstanding. 

I used an old snowflake punch I had to create a negative image and then punched it out with the 1 3/8" circle punch.  It was mounted on a 1 3/4" circle of Very Vanilla card stock, which in turn was mounted on a Basic Black circle.  The center jewel is from last year's stash and is called Winter Wonderland Embellishments.

Isn't this little mouse super cute?  I coloured his outfit with an aqua painter and ink from a variety of ink pads including:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Crushed Curry and Pirouette Pink.

The little belly bands only have DSP on the front panel which measures 1" by 
3 3/4". 
Project Two:  Gingerbread Rectangular Pop Up Card

I'm a great fan of Pop Up Box Cards.  These cards are so much fun to make and the recipients are always excited to receive them.  For my second project I chose a Gingerbread Man theme.

This little pop up box card is so adorable, that I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I was making it.  There is very little stamping involved in this card as most of the line images come from the Candy Cane Lane DSP. So, although I'm not a huge fan of fussy cutting I didn't really mind for this project.

 

I love the way the Red Glimmer Paper added so much life to this project!  Got to love it.  I added a little bow on the candy cane.  It was punched out with the Cooking Cutter Builder Punch. 

The sentiment "Wishing You a Sweet Season" is stamped in Early Espresso ink.  I used a Red.

The Candy Cane House is from the Candy Cane Lane DSP.  I added basic rhinestones to the small candies to give it some bling.  I fussy cut the house and then adhered it to a piece of Crumb Cake and then cut it out again leaving about a 1/16th" border all around the house.  This gave it a bit more stability.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Candy Cane Christmas

Card Stock:  Real Red and Crumb Cake
DSP:  Candy Cane Lane, Red Glimmer Paper 
Ink:  Crumb Cake and Early Espresso
Accessories:  Circles Framelits, Big Shot, Basic Rhinestones, Trimmer, Fine Tip Scissors, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue, Acetate strips, Red Sharpie Marker  

Assembly:
Since I've made the rectangle box card previously I'm not including the instructions here, but you can get by clicking on this link WWC78.  Although I'm not giving you the full instructions here are two additional pieces of information that will help you when you make one of these cards. 

Tip One:
1.  I didn't have 12 x 12 piece of Real Red card stock for this project so I had to get inventive.  I cut a 4" x 11" piece of Real Red card stock and scored it according to the instructions.  Then I cut a 1" x 4" piece of Real Red card stock and scored it at 1/2".  I used this piece to extend the 4 x 11" piece.  

Cut a strip 1" x 4" and score at 1/2"  Clip away the top box as per the picture.Add the additional strip to the end of your box.  I used Tear N' Tape to give it some additional stability when I stuck the pieces together.  

Once the piece is adhered you'll never even see it.  Voila an instant solution when you don't have the right size card stock.  

Tip Two:
The original instructions in WWC78 do not include the scoring measurements for the two support pieces of the box card. You need to score at 5/8" on both ends of the support piece.  
 
Project Three: Reindeer Games
For my third project I decided to make a card using the Reindeer from the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set.  You just have to smile when you see that cute little face. It's too bad my photography wasn't better, because this card is a real stunner!  The silver foil and silver embossing are so rich looking.

It's difficult to see in the picture, but the three Reindeer were actually stamped in Versa Mark Ink directly on the card stock and then heat embossed with Silver Embossing Powder.  A fourth reindeer was stamped on a separate piece of paper and I used the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch to punch it out. 

I stamped the sentiment "Sending a little Christmas magic your way" from the Christmas Magic stamp set.   The little stars are from a retired stamp set. 

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Cookie Cutter Christmas, Christmas Magic
Ink:  Versa Mark and Momento Tuxedo Black
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Silver Foil
Accessories:  Big Shot, Trimmer, Heat Gun, Silver Embossing Powder, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue, Cookie Cutter Builder Punch

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my projects and that I've provided some stamping inspiration and excitement for you.  I'd love to have some feedback and would enjoy reading any comments you might have.  Out of my three projects which was your favourite and do you think you'll make your own versions of these projects?

Well, time to move on to the talented Heidi Weaver.  Heidi's outdone herself this hop and is giving you some extras so be sure to check out her post.  Just click on her name or the NEXT button below and you'll go directly to her post.

Heidi Weaver

Marsha Reed

Start of Hop - Wacky Watercooler
Happy Stamping!!!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot