Sending Happy Thoughts FMS#654

It's Sunday and the weather has turned cold and cloudy.  Perfect weather for going to my card room and working on some projects.  I'm using this weeks sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches for my card inspiration:  

Here's My Card:

Truthfully although this looks like  a very easy sketch challenge, I wasn't sure how to approach it.  After looking through my stamps for trees or tall features that I could use and not finding anything that really worked, I had a lightbulb moment.  

I decided to rummage through my past Paper Pumpkin kit bags to see if there was anything that would work.  I was so excited when I found the Adventure Begins kit from 2021 which featured nature and camping scenes.  There were still some card bases left in the bag that worked perfectly for creating this card.

The leftover background scenes in the kit were simply amazing, but the one I chose seemed to be the best for this sketch.  Using this scene eliminated the need to do anything else apart from attach the trees and a card strip to the card front. 

I cut the picture mat to 3 3/4" x 5" and mounted it on a 4" x 5 1/4" Whisper White mat.  After adhering these two mats I attached them to an 81/2" x 5 1/2" Basic Black card base.  

Deciding on what to do with the strip was difficult.  I had lots of ideas but no time to start searching for dies that would cut the strip into rolling hills or a picket or log fence.  So I decided to keep it simple and used a 1" by 3 3/4" piece of Basic Black cardstock. When I was positioning the strip, I realized it didn't add any dimension or life to the card so I embossed it with the Fern embossing folder. This simple step added the depth I was looking for. I adhered one of the trees with adhesive and the second one with dimensionals. I grabbed a pre-stamped sentiment from my stash and I was finished.  This is literally a 5 minute card. 

The sentiment is from a long retired Stampin' Up! set where all the sentiments were on one piece of red rubber and you used a coordinating solid die to cut them out.  The stamp and die are long gone, that's why I don't remember the name, however before I sold it, I stamped and cut out  a gazillion of the sentiments and I'm still using them.  Having pre-stamped sentiments on hand is a life saver when you're in a hurry.

Supplies:

The Adventure Begins - June 2021 Paper Pumpkin kit by Stampin' Up! for background paper, tree shapes (ephemera) and coordinating envelope. 

Cardstock:

• Basic Black 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the card base. 
• A 1"x 4" strip for the front card layer and 
• a 4" x 5 1/4" Whisper White layer for inside mat.  

Ink:

Momento Tuxedo Black ink

Accessories: 

• Fern Embossing folder for black strip
• Basic Rhinestones 
• Dimensionals 

Thanks for dropping by and checking out my card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  Appreciate it.  Let me know if you've ever used kits to complete a sketch, I'd love to hear your story.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store 

Sympathy Card - TSOT #653

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  When I first looked at this sketch challenge  at the Try Stamping on Tuesday site it really put me off.  I'm not a fan of the colours used on the sketch and wasn't planning on doing anything with it.  But then I took another look at it today, and decided if I ignored the blue and orange and just concentrated on the design elements then I could probably come up with something.   

HERE'S MY CARD: 

A friend lost her mom earlier this week to cancer, and I wanted to send a sympathy card to let the family know how much we cared.   Here's what I came up with using this sketch. 

SUPPLIES:

Stamp Sets and Dies:

• Country Flowers by Stampin' Up! #163405 for the sentiments and the floral  image.
• Classic Cloche (R) #156355 for the bird
• Encircled in Nature dies  by Stampin' Up! for the Floral sprigs

Card Stock and Designer Paper: 

• Misty Moonlight card base measuring 8 1/2" x 5 12" scored at 4 1/4".   
• Whisper White for inside mat 5 1/4" x 4", a 3" x 3" scrap of Whisper White for the Oval and sentiment  "sending love". 
• Moody Mauve mat for card front 5 3/8" x 41/8"
• Winter Meadow designer series paper for the layered mat.  4" x 5 1/4" piece of double sided DSP.  Cut the dsp mat in half and flip one side of the pattern to the front.  Mat measures 2" x 5 1/4".

Ink and Blends: 

• Momento Tuxedo Black for bird and floral images
• Misty Moonlight for sentiments and stencilling
• Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock, Moody Mauve, Seaside Spray (R) stamping blends to colour birds, 

Accessories:

• Foursquare Decorative Mask #161285 (R)for stencilling on focal piece
• Adhesive Backed Sequins #161206

Making sympathy cards is not something I enjoy doing, because of the sadness that surrounds them.  But I must say this sympathy card seemed to come together easily and I found the colour mix and the design of the papers to be quite soothing.  

I really enjoy the stamps in the Country Flowers Stamp set which I used to stamp both the flowers and the sentiments.  The oval had just too much white space on it so before stamping the sentiment I placed one of the Foursquare Decorative Masks over the oval and applied some Misty Moonlight ink with a blending brush.  The flowers were coloured with blends and I added some iridescent sequins around them to give just a hint of sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

   

Click here to visit my Online Store

Coffee With Friends AHSC #591

After an extremely busy week it was fun to sit down and try out this week's
sketch design by Michelle at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  This uncomplicated design was just what I needed, and it didn't take me long to figure out what I wanted to make with it.

Click here to see the Design Team and Participants cards

HERE'S MY CARD: 

One of my guilty pleasures in life is a good cup of coffee and the only thing better is sharing time with a friend over a cup of coffee.  I loved the sentiment "this one's on me" and thought it would be the perfect saying on a note card to invite a friend to join me "on the house".  

I flipped this sketch sideways and added an additional mat using the Designer Series Paper on the card front.  

I fussy cut 2 coffee mugs from one of the designer series papers for the focal point popping up the Lost Lagoon colored mug with dimensionals. I also used dimensionals to support the stitched circle and nested it over top of some linen thread that was laid down in a figure eight.  

SUPPLIES:

Stamp and Die Sets:

• Latte Love #163455 stamp set and 
• A Little Latte Dies 

Card Stock and Designer Series Paper:

• Whisper White 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" card based scored and folded at 4 1/4". A 3" x 3" piece for stitched circle for focal point 
• 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Pecan Pie embossed 
• A Little Latte DSP #163453 for front mat 4" x 5 1/4" and a 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" piece for front mat.  1/4" x  5" strip for inside card. DSP is Calypso Coral with white patterned coffee beans in the design.  Two coffee cups were cut for the focal point.

Inks:

• Lost Lagoon

Accessories: 

• Basic 3-D Embossing Folder with large dots
• Adhesive Backed Swirled Dots #163464
• Linen Thread
• Dimensionals 

Thank you for dropping by.  I'd love to hear what type of cards you like  to make and what your challenges are.  Does my sample card inspire you to try this design challenge? I would love to hear from you, and  love receiving comments.

Until the next time............. 

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo Since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Web Store

Click here for instructions on applying the August Hostess Code

Farewell Ruby - FMS#644

A few weeks ago we were visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Williams Lake, and their beautiful little kitty named Ruby was very sick.  She'd lost a lot of weight and wasn't her playful cheerful self.  Unfortunately this week they had to seek out the services of Angela a wonderful lady who makes home visits and helps animals to cross the rainbow bridge.  So this card is to Ruby the sweetest little girl cat ever.  We're going to miss you darlin'.  

I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketch to design this card. Here's the sketch by Kim: 

Click here to see the link and FMS Design Team Cards 

Here's My Card: 

The picture on the inside looks far more like Ruby than the one on the cover, but that's okay.  I'd forgotten I had this Nine Lives stamp set until the card was almost finished. 

I love the way this little cat lies on the shelf.  Ruby was a climber, so she would have related to this.

Supplies:

Cardstock:

• Whisper White card base measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4".
• Whisper White layer for inside measures 5" x 3 3/4" and a piece for the sentiment on the front that measures 2" x 3 1/4" for sentiment and some scraps for the sentiment.
• Basic Black layer measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8". Cut a strip that measures 1 1/2" x 5" and emboss with 3D Basic Embossing Folder and adhere to the front of the red layer lining it up with the strips of DSP. 
• Real Red layers measures 4" 5 1/4" cut one for card front and one for inside
• Real Red strip measures 3 1/2" x 1 1/8" mounted to card front with dimensionals.  

Designer Series Paper:

• Playful Pets #152489 cut 2 strips of coordinating papers that measure 1" x 5 and a second one that measures 1 x 1/4" x 5 for the second piece.  Glue to red layer. 

Stamp Sets:

• Nine Lives for cat image inside the card 
• Love Cats #160410 for the black cat on the front of the card.
• Happy Tails #448682 (R) for sentiment "so sorry for your loss"  stamped on to a scrap of whisper white and then the words were cut down so they could be spread across the space. 
• Pampered Pets #152520 for sentiment "Always in your heart, so sorry for your loss"  For inside the card.  
• Pawfelt Cat - Kaisercraft CS284 Clear Stamp for small red heart.

Ink: 

• Momento Tuxedo Black Ink for sentiments and cats 
• Real Red ink for heart 

Accessories:

• Dimensionals for the cat shelf on card front\
• Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels #146924

It's very sad when we lose pets and sometimes folks feel all alone in their grief.  Being able to send some one a card when they are going through a loss is one way to connect, and let them know you're there for them.  See you next time.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my Online 24/7 Shop 

 Click here to see instructions for applying the Hostess Code to Your Online Order 

Beary Christmas Red, White, and Blue Card

It's time for a Christmas in July card, and I'm using the inspiration board #67 from Peace On Earth Christmas blog as my incentive and have created a fun red, white and blue card.  Here is the mood board inspiration:   

Click here to visit the Peace on Earth Christmas Blog for details: 

Here's My Card: 

Today's card is very special because it's the first Christmas card I've made towards my personal "Christmas in July Challenge".  Since I need to have 120 Christmas greeting cards finished for my end of October mailout, I've set a goal to make at least 30 cards each month from July through October. Whew, that's a lot of cards!  Will I make it?  I don't know but with challenge sites like the Peace on Earth Christmas blog, and their great mood boards to inspire me I'm pretty sure I will! 

One of my favourite winter stamp sets and designer papers in Stampin' Ups! 2023 Holiday Minu catalogue is called Beary Christmas.  I loved the paper so much I purchased two full packs as well as the coordinating Memories and More card pack and envelopes.   I'm using a combination of snowy scene papers from the Beary Christmas designer paper for this card.  

The color combination of White, Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight and Night of Navy provides the perfect backdrop for this gift giving polar bear as he treks across the card front.  The bear and the "warm wishes" sentiment are stickers from the Memories and More pack.  

Supplies:

Card Stock:

• Night of Navy for card base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• Front layer - Basic White 4" x 5 1/4"
• Inside layer - Basic White 4" x 5 1/4" 

Designer Paper and Accessories:

• Three 1 1/2" x 3 3/4" strips of contrasting designer paper from the Beary Christmas 12 x 12 DSP #162015 - Christmas Mini 2023
• Stickers (polar bear and sentiment) from the Beary Christmas Memories and More package #162028
• Envelope from Beary Christmas Cards and More Envelopes 

Thanks for dropping by and seeing my first Christmas card of the season.  Let me know if you've set any goals for your own Christmas cards this year.  I'd love to hear what you're aiming for.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006  

Click here to shop in my 24/7 online store

Click here for details on using this month's hostess code: 

Spring Inspiration - Hand Stamped Sentiment #411 Challenge

Happy Spring! 

Spring is here, with lots of showers and sunny periods, and even a bit of left over winter stuff like hail and snow thrown into the mix.  

So, while surfing through various challenges this week, I was inspired by the Hand Stamped Sentiment #411 Inspiration Challenge which unfortunately had already closed.  However I still  felt like doing it    

Here is My Card: 

Since I'm on a mission to replenish my birthday cards and diminish my huge stash of designer series paper, I chose the retired Flowering Fields Designer Series (2022) paper and paired it with Rich Razzleberry and Whisper White card stocks. What a vibrant colour combination!   

While searching for fancy fold cards through YouTube and Pinterest I came across this card design which shows up under a variety of names.  This one was called a Window Pillar card, but I've also seen it listed as a Pop-up Window Frame and Center Pop Up Frame.  Whatever the correct name, this design was ideal for showcasing the beautiful floral dsp and highlighting the birthday wishes sentiment.  

I absolutely loved the structure of this card.  It looks like it might be difficult to make, but isn't.  As long as you have some type of layering or nesting dies you've got it aced.  And, another thing I love about it is that the pillar mechanism allows the pop up to fold either left or right making the card lie flat when inserted into an envelope.  That's genius!

In the original card, there is just a flat cardstock mat, but I didn't care for that as I like cards with a lot of writing surface for personal messaging, and I want the card to stand up on it's own, not require an easel hinge or to be propped up.  So, for my version I chose to replace the flat mat with a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card base.  I was super please with this  decision.   

After making this card in a horizontal design I decided to make a second version in portrait mode to see what it would look like.  Again, I wasn't disappointed with this change, in fact I kind of fancy this version more. What do you think?  Horizontal or Vertical..... which is your fave?    

I haven't included measurements or instructions in this post as it's probably easier to go to the source and watch the video.  All the measurements and instructions can be found on Oksana Semenska's Fun Stamper blog post and her Youtube demonstration. She calls the card her milkshake funky fold card.  Hang in until the end of her video as she has included some additional card samples that are very inspiring.  

I liked her masculine Brewed for You version so much it inspired me to create one of my own with a few changeups in design. 

    

Well that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back to visit again.  Don't forget to leave me a comment on which version of the card is your favourite.  Follow Oksana's video, and create your own fun versions...... I'd love to see them too.  Truly this fun fold is a keeper! 

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demo
https://pennyhanuszak.stampinup.net