Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #125 - Kath's Christmas Challenge

I found it ironic that this week's Watercooler Wednesday Challenge hosted by Kath, is a Christmas theme just when the sun has finally decided to shine and the temperature gauge is rising.  When "it's beginning to look at lot like summer" outside I find it hard to get into a creative Christmas mood but I actually did.  Kath's challenge WWC125 is all about using Non-Traditional Christmas Colors.  Here's her inspiration poster. 

Here's My Card:
The colours I chose for my card are Black, Gray and Dijon.  In my neck of the woods that's pretty non-traditional. What do you think?

I love this little Eskimo image.  It's hard to tell whether its a boy or a girl the way it's bundled up in its cute little outfit.  I stamped the image once on Very Vanilla and again on Delightful Dijon card stocks and then punched them out with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch.  I fussy cut around the Delightful Dijon jacket and shoes and then paper pieced them to the Very Vanilla image.  The rest of the Eskimo's attire and skin were coloured with markers and skin toned blendabilities.

I used my Misti to stamp the bold Christmas Banner image from the Time of Year (R) stamp set.  Because I was able to ink up the photopolymer stamp three times to achieve the contrast I wanted, the banner really pops off the page.  I created a "Midnight Sun" by layering a Basic Gray 3" Stitched Circle die cut, a Delightful Dijon medallion from the Eastern Medallion Thinlet Dies and a Basic Gray snowflake from the new Seasonal Layers Thinlet Dies.  The addition of Basic Rhinestones to the snowflake and medallion really adds some seasonal sparkle to this card face.

Inside the card I've added two of the snowflake images from the Seasonal Layer's Thinlet set and the sentiment "Let it Snow" is an A Muse Artstamp.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Cookie Cutter Christmas (R), Time of the Year (R)
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Smokey Slate, Soft Suede markers and the Skin Tone Blendabilities (R)
Card Stock:  Basic Black, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, and Delightful Dijon (R)
Designer Series Paper:  Warmth and Cheer DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Tom Bow Glue, Misti, Dimensionals, Cookie Cutter Builder Punch, Seasonal Layers, Eastern Medallion and Stitched Shapes Thinlets, Wink of Stella.

Well that's my take on this week's challenge. I always get such a kick out of working with the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set and punch and was delighted to find out they'd been carried over to the 2017-18 Annual Catalogue. I'd love to have your feedback on this card and whether you would use non traditional colours like this for your own cards. 

If you haven't checked out the creations by the Watercooler Wednesday Design make sure you visit the home page. And, I hope you'll join us and create something in a non-traditional Christmas colour because along with myself, the Design Team would love to have you link up with us. This challenge runs from June 28th through 5pm on Monday July 3rd, 2017.

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

WWC98 - Kath's Color Challenge

Whew!  This week just flew by and once again it's time for the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  This week it's hosted by Kath and she's chosen a very festive colour challenge.  The colours you need to use in your card are:  Early Espresso, Silver, Gold and Whisper White. 

Here's My Card:  
I'm not sure which was more challenging, trying to decide what I would create for this week's challenge or taking the pictures of it.  

I still had a bunch of Christmas cards to make so I decided to work with two of my favourite stamp sets this season and a technique called "3 layer stamping" to design this  fun and festive card.  Oh and just so you know, I did use all the colours in the challenge.  It's extremely difficult to see that the Reindeer are Gold Embossed, but trust me they are. One of the reasons for this is that the Silver Foil reflects so much light that it made it difficult to photograph and you're going to have to wait until the end of this post to discover the other reason.  You'll be surprised!

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Cookie Cutter Christmas #142043, Merry Mice #142145
Ink:  Early Espresso, Versa Mark, Smokey Slate
Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Whisper White, Silver Foil and Gold Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Heat Gun, Gold Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy, Bunch of Banners Framelit Dies #141488, Cookie Cutter Punch, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue and Basic Rhinestones

Assembly:
1.  Cut the Early Espresso card stock to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and score at 4 1/4".

2.  Cut the following layers of Silver Foil card stock: 5 1/4" x 4", 4 1/2" x 3 1/4" and 3 1/2" x 2 1/4".
Note:  I always cut out the centers of fancy foils or glimmer paper, because they are two precious to waste, and also because it reduces the amount of weight for mailing.  This is what my foil layers look like after they are cut.  I have a set of rectangular dies that I use to cut out the centers, but you could do this with a paper trimmer.  The lighting is very poor but trust me these layers are silver. 

3.  Cut the following layers of Whisper White card stock:  5" x 3 3/4", 4 1/4" x 3", 3 1/4" x 2".  Cut a 3" by 2" piece to stamp an extra reindeer image. Cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece for the inside of the card.

4.  Working with the Whisper White layers place them one on top of the other and center each layer.  I hold them in place with a dab of re-positioning glue on the back side of the two smaller layers.

5.  Now the fun part.  Once I had the layers properly aligned, I randomly stamped the reindeer head from the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set with Versa Mark ink.  Make sure your ink is juicy. When you stamp the image you are stamping right over the layers.  Apply Gold Embossing Powder shake off and heat set the images. 

Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp Set #142043

6.  Stamp the star image from Merry Mice in Smokey Slate ink, randomly across the layers. 
 

Merry Mice #142145

7.  Stamp the reindeer head on the 3" x 2" piece of Whisper White with the Versa Mark Ink, add the Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.  Cut out the image with the Cookie Cutter Punch.
 

Cookie Cutter Punch #40396  Note:  This punch will soon be out of stock. 

8.  Punch out two bows using the Cookie Cutter Punch from Gold Glimmer Paper and attach it to the middle of the punched out reindeer's head.  Add a basic rhinestone to the center.  Set this piece aside.  Note: the second bow is for the inside of the card.

9. Starting with the smallest Whisper White layer, glue it to the smallest Silver Foil layer, then repeat with the next sized layers and finally glue the group of layers to the Early Espresso card base.  Make sure you are lining up your images (antlers, ears etc.) so they join one area to the next.

10.  Adhere the punched out reindeer head to the center of the card using dimensionals.  

10.  Stamp the sentiment "It's Time To Deck The Halls" from the Merry Mice stamp set in Early Espresso ink on a scrap of Whisper White and cut out with the Bunch of Banner Framelit Dies and Big Shot machine.  Adhere with dimensionals.  Add two basic rhinestones on the end of this banner and scatter some extra rhinestones randomly on the card front. 

11.  For the inside of the card cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White card and stamp the sentiment "Wishing You a Festive Season" from Merry Mice and the reindeer head in Early Espresso ink.  Stamp some stars in Smokey Slate.  Add the Gold Glimmer bow to the reindeer's head and add a basic rhinestone.

Stamping on inside of the card.

Okay, if you've been waiting to find out what the second reason is that the Gold Embossing doesn't show up in the pictures, read on.  Today I learned the hard way while I was in the process of embossing the images that my Gold Embossing Powder which I've had for some time, had gone bad.  What does that mean?  Well, although the powder heat set, the silica had lost it's oomph or it's ability to turn the powder into a shiny gold surface and it remained flat and dull on the surface.  Bummer!  From now on I'll be testing my Embossing Powders  before using them.  What about you?  Have you ever had this happen to you?

I hope you enjoyed this card today and my short tutorial.  Layered cards are one of those neat techniques that you can always rely on  to give a simple wow to your cards.  I hope you'll leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this card.  And, don't forget to check out what the other Watercooler Wednesday Design Team artists have created for this week's challenge. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Token's Stamping Spot

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

WWC88 - Heidi's Sketch Challenge

  This week at the Watercooler our awesome and talented Heidi Weaver is presenting us with a great sketch challenge, and we encourage you to join in.  

The great thing about sketches is that you can interpret them in your own way, provided they 
have some resemblance to the original sketch.


 

Here's My Card: 
I took a bit of creative license with my take on Heidi's sketch for this week's challenge by omitting the scalloped circle element and substituting it with my family of bears.  I also used the background trees to replace the splatter. 

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Bear Hugs, Time of Year, Thoughtful Branches, Cookie Cutter Christmas
Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla and Garden Green card stock
Paper:  This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper
Inks:  Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake 
Accessories:  Big Shot, Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue, Holly Embossing Folder, Bear Hugs Framelits, Bunch of Banners Framelits and Balloon Framelits 

When I saw the ribbon candy designer paper included in the "This Christmas" DSP pack it took me back to my youth, reminding me of the beautiful Norwegian knit sweaters we saw in the store windows at Christmas time.  I thought it would be fun to dress up these bears in that design and I was thrilled with the end results.   

Assembly:

1. The card base is a piece of 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Cherry Cobbler card stock that was scored at 4 1/4". 
2. The Garden Green layer measures 5 1/4" x 4"
3. The Very Vanilla layer measures 5" x 3 3/4".  The three trees from the Thoughtful Bunch stamp set were stamped randomly and overlapping in the center of the card.  Three Rhinestones were attached to the top left hand corner.
4.  The three Bears were stamped on Very Vanilla card stock with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink. Note:  I stamped and cut a second large bear image for the Mama bear.  The images were cut out using the Bear Hugs Framelits and they were sponged with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede inks.

For these next few pictures you won't see any sponging or colouring on the bears.

This adorable stamp set is available in the Annual Catalogue

These are the matching Framelits

5.  To make the sweaters for Papa and Baby Bear, I used some small scraps of designer paper and cut out just the sweater part with the Bear Hugs Framelits.  

For Mama Bear's dress I cut out the skirt Framelit using the same designer paper and I used a large scallop circle and a 1/2" circle punch to make the top of her dress and Baby Bear's collar.

In this photo, you can see the sweaters don't actually fit the bears well.  In Papa Bear's case, the neck is too high and the sleeves too long.  Not too worry though, as I adjusted the sizes easily by trimming away the excess dsp from the collar area and on the arms.

The arms of the sweater were trimmed back and cuffs and collars cut from small strips of Cherry Cobbler card stock were attached with adhesive. I added the bow tie from the Bear Hugs Framelit set. 

In this picture you can see that I actually reversed the onsie.  The collar for the onsie was made by cutting a 1/4 circle with the 1/2 circle punch.  The scallop circle for Mama Bear's outfit was attached with dimensionals and in the final version has a pretty green bow cut using the Balloon Framelit Dies

 6.  Once the clothes were adhered to the bears I used adhesive to attach the Papa bear to the left of the trees.  I used Dimensionals to attach the Mama Bear and her image overlaps the Papa Bear.  I used double mounted Dimensionals on the Baby Bear so you can tell he is out front.  

7.  The Christmas Banner was stamped with the Time of Year stamp set and cut out with the Bunch of Banners Framelits.  Love those banners.  It was mounted with Dimensionals.

8.  If you look at the sketch, there isn't a panel on the bottom of it, but I managed to get ink on the bottom of my Very Vanilla card stock, so covered it up with a 1" x 4" piece of Garden Green card stock that was embossed with the Holly Embossing Folder.  My goof up actually worked out nicely as this additional piece of card stock seemed to anchor the picture.  

9.  Three Basic Rhinestones were added to the top left hand corner of the card front.  

9.  For the inside of the card I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped the sentiment "Warm Heartfelt Greetings for a Very Merry Christmas" in Cherry Cobbler ink.  The sentiment was from the Cooking Cutter Christmas stamp set.  A 1/4" strip of dsp was added to the right side of the panel. 

This was a really enjoyable card to make, so hats off to Heidi for a great sketch challenge this week!  I hope you enjoyed my version of it and will leave me a comment.   Hopefully my small tutorial will be of help if you decide to make sweaters for your bears 

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Watercooler Wednesday design team's cards.  They are truly wonderful.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot