Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop

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!

Heidi Weaver

Debbie Spano

Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop - Start

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens

Sprinkles of Life Birthday Card

Samples from pg 189 of the Share the Fun Annual Catalogue

I purchased the Sprinkles of Life stamp set featured on page 189 of Stampin' Ups! new "Share the Fun" 2015-16 catalogue, and I'm having so much fun with it. 

This very special stamp set has 22 images.  It's a two-step Photopolymer stamp set that co-ordinates with the brand new Tree Builder punch seen on page 167 of the catalogue.   Two-step stamping is a really great way to layer your images.

Sprinkles of Life 22 Photopolymer stamps in English (139971) or French. Use clear acrylic blocks - a, c and g.  

Tree Builder Punch Item #7.  Multiple shapes for layering and more.  $22.00

Besides all the great sentiments and images in this set it's very special for another reason.  The purchase of this stamp set can "Make a Difference" to families with children who are receiving medical treatment far from home and supported through Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).  Stampin' Up! donates $3 to RMHC from the purchase price of every Sprinkles of Life stamp set sold.  Todate, Stampin' Up! has donated  over a million dollars to RMHC and their network of local RMHC chapters.  Isn't that awesome?

Whatever your celebration is and whether you want to stamp a tree, an ice cream cone or a cupcake, this stamp set's got it all.  Here are some fun projects I've made with the set.  

My Sprinkles of Life Birthday Card was inspired by Carol Payne's recent post in which she combined this set and the Mini Gift Bag Thinlet to make a gift card holder. Great idea! 

Here's my version:

I made a whole card, using Daffodil Delight for the card base, and I mounted the Mini Gift Bag to the front of the card.   I've added an insert with the gift card.  Here's a view of the outside front of the card.  I luv, luv, luv it! 

And, this is what it looks like opened to the center of the card.  Lots of room for writing a note and birthday wishes.

I used the  Big on You (retired) stamp set for the inside of the card.  Love the Cucumber Crush ink  with the Daffodil Delight

 Here are some more pictures showing the detail:

I love adding the Dazzling Details to these scoops of ice cream.  It just seems to bring them to life.  I also am a fan of the Big Dot Embossing Folder which adds just a subtle hint of texture behind the cone and ties in with the balloons on the designer series paper. 

 The sentiment is from the Sprinkles of Life set.  The tag was cut out with the Banner Triple punch.  The insert for the Gift bag was made with a

The ice cream on the top of the cone is used to pull the gift card from the gift bag, so you need to ensure it's really mounted securely to the top of the white card stock piece. 

Another project I made using the "ice cream cone" images from the stamp set was rosettes for my summer banner.  The ice cream cones just added the perfect touch.  Here are some close-ups:

Well that's it for today, but I'll be back on August 20th along with the other members of the Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop.  We'll each be presenting two projects focusing on the Sprinkles of Life stamp set.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.  Hope you'll bookmark that date and drop by for a visit!

The Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop Welcomes the New Annual Catalog(ue)

Hi everyone and welcome to my contribution to the June Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop. 

This month we're celebrating the launch of the new 2015-2016 Share the Fun Annual Catalogue, and projects related to Father's Day, Graduation and "something new".  

There are lot's of participants in this blog hop so I hope you'll play along and visit everyone's site between now and Saturday night (June 20th).  There are some awesome projects that I know you're going to love!

If you've been following the blog hop from the beginning you will have arrived here from the wonderful and talented Jackie Susnick's blog.  

Father's Day Project:

For my first project, I've made a Father's Day Card using the Guy Greetings stamp set featured on page 98 of the catalogue. Before I share my card, I just want to express how grateful I am that this stamp set was carried forward from the Spring Occasions catalogue.  It is probably one of the best male themed stamp sets I've used in a long time. 

Guy Greetings Stamp Set #137178 is a 22 piece stamp set that comes in Clear or Wood Mount and Photopolymer, and is available in English and French versions.  

Here's My Card:

Love that Tip Top Taupe Striped paper from the Cherry on Top DSP Paper Pack. 

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Watermelon Wonder and Tip Top Taupe
Ink:  Tip Top Taupe,  Watermelon Wonder
DSP: Cherry on Top  Designer Series Paper Stack #138443
Accessories:  Extra Large and Large Oval Punches, 1" and 1 1/4" square punches, scissors, trimmer, adhesive and dimensionals.  

Graduation Card 
Since my niece is graduating this month, I wanted to make her a special graduation card.  While scouting around on the internet for graduation card ideas I found one by Glenda Caulkins of The Stamp Camp blog, that really caught my interest.  As the school colours were exactly what I was looking for, I decided to CASE her original card, with is called a "Peek A Boo Front Flip card".  You can see Glenda's card here, and here's my original CASE with a couple of changes.

This is a flip top fancy fold card.  Just the center part opens up.  I'll be posting more details and a brief tutorial on how this card and the shaker card below are assembled in my Sunday post, so make sure you come back and check it out.

When you open the flip top you have room to right your message below the sentiment.

When I was asked to make something with a graduation theme for this blog hop, I wanted something a little more exciting so I used the same card colours and stamp set, but designed a "shaker" card.

Both cards were made with the Celebrate Today stamp set, another carry over and favourite of mine. 

Here's my graduation shaker card:

 

I added some gold and royal blue seed beads along with the Metallic Sequins to the inside of the balloon shaker.  What fun!  The sentiment is embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.

Supplies:
Stamp set:  Celebrate Today

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Night of Navy and Gold Foil 
Ink:  Versa Mark 
Accessories:  Balloon Framelits, Metallics Sequin Assortment, Gold Seed Beads (non-SU), Fun Foam, Adhesive, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, trimmer, Big Shot
 

This is the bundle which includes 17 Photopolyer two-step stamp images and 4 framelit dies.  By purchasing these products as a bundle, you save 15% off the original price.

 

Something New 
For my "Something New" project, I wanted to share a combo gift card holder and birthday card made with this year's Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities stamp set "Sprinkles of Life".  Did you know that for every Sprinkles of Life stamp set sold, Stampin' Up! contributes $3.00 towards the RMH Charities?  I think that's so awesome!

Sprinkles of Life is a 22 piece Photopolymer stamp set that you're absolutely going to fall in love with.  It has a matching punch called the Tree Builder which helps you cut out all those ice cream or cup cake tops in the blink of an eye!

Here's My Card:

The gift card holder on the inside of the mini gift bag. 

Here you can see the gift card holder with an actual gift card inserted in it. 

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe and Whisper White 
Ink:  Watermelon Wonder, Cucumber Crush, Tip Top Taupe, 
DSP: Cherry on Top  Designer Series Paper Stack #138443
Accessories:  Tree Builder and Banner Triple Punches, Mini Treat Bag Thinlits, Dazzling Details, sequins, trimmer, adhesive and dimensionals.

The Banner Triple Punch gives you triple the banner options in one punch. You can make banners in three widths--1", 1-1/2", and 2"--in any length. Just slide the paper in, punch, and get perfectly notched banners (or gift tags, bookmarks, belly bands) every time. * Punch size: 3-3/8" x 5-3/4" x 1-1/4"

Well that's the end of my projects for this month. Enjoy the remainder of the blog hop... and thanks for stopping by!  

Since this is a circular blog hop you have some choices about how to proceed.  You can click on the "next" button below to move on to the awesome Kath Rick's blog or move back to Jackie Susnick's.  You can also click on the Home link and go back to the beginning of the hop where all the participant's blog links are listed.  Come back and visit again soon!

Click here to go to Kath Rick's incredible blog

Click here to go back to Jackie Susnik's blog

If you want to start at the beginning of the blog hop you can click on this link to go back to the Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop site for the list of participants.