WWC173 - Tenia's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week our WWC Design Team Host is the wonderful Tenia Nelson.  If you've never visited Tenia's blog before, I hope you'll click on her link  and check out her many colourful and unique card designs and projects.  She has such a modern and fresh take on her sketches.

Here Is My Card: 
My Feminine Project for this week features the Abstract Impressions stamp set just released in the new catalogue.  This is a two-step photopolymer stamp set that is part of the "Garden Impressions Suite".  I had fun making this birthday card, and just couldn't wait to share this card with you.  I hope you'll enjoy it too.

I've combined the Basketweave Embossing Folder, new Designer InColour Paper, Granny Apple Green cardstock and the beautiful two-step rose from the Abstract Impressions stamp set to create this card front.  Luv, Luv, Luv it!

The inside of my card features more stamping with the Abstract Impressions floral stamps and the Happy Birthday sentiment is from the recently retired Stylized Birthday.  It's a very bright and cheery card.  

I love the new 6 x 6 Designer Series InColor Paper.   The designs are tiny which is a nice change and the papers appear really vibrant. The banner is in the Grapefruit Grove dsp and I paired it with the new Granny Apple Green card stock from the Brights Color Collection to make this happy card.  

This  banner sentiment from the Birthday Wishes for You stamp set that carried over from the Spring Occasions catalogue is fast becoming one of my favourite "to go to" stamped images.  I've stamped it on Basic Black and heat embossed it with White Embossing Powder.  There's just no mistaking the sentiment when it's contrasted like this.  Luv it!  

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Abstract Impressions, Birthday Wishes, & Stylized Birthday

Card Stock:  Whisper White (Base 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2", and 3 1/4" x 2 5/8" white oval), Granny Apple Green (5 1/2" x 3" panel  and3 1/2" x 2 5/8" oval), Calypso Coral Oval (3" x 4") and 1/2" x 2 1/4" scrap of Basic Black

Designer Series Paper:  3 3/4" x 4 3/4" piece of Grapefruit Grove DSP cut with large banner die.

Ink:  Grapefruit Grove, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green, Versa Mark 

Accessories: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Stitched Shapes Oval Dies, Banner Dies(R), Oval Dies (R), Basketweave Embossing Folder, Detailed Cutting Scissors, Dimensionals, Heat Gun, Embossing Buddy,  and Tom Bow Adhesive. 

For challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Monday, June 4th at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time to link up your project.

Click here to return to Watercooler Wednesday

Well that's it for this week.  Hope you enjoyed your visit and that my card has inspired you to stamp and or participate in this Watercooler Challenge.  I'd love to hear your comments on the new Stampin' Up!  Catalogue or the new stamp images I've used.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot! 

WWC170 - Penny's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I'm happy to be the host for this week's Watercooler Wednesday and I'm challenging you to make a card or project with a "Masculine" Theme.  Father's Day is only a month away, so why don't you take my "cue" and make a Father's Day project. 

Our challenge is open until 5:00pm Mountain Time on Monday May 21st. If you are entering other challenges remember our rule about only entering a maximum of 8 challenges including ours, so you're not disqualified from winning our Rock Star and or as a runner up Rockers  All the rules and details are on our home page Watercooler Wednesday Challenges.

Before we get to my card I'd like to welcome our Guest Designer Stephanie Lanzalotto, who is filling in for Gail Allen on this weeks challenge.  Stephanie has designed an awesome card, so I hope you'll check it out.  

Here's My Card:
I've been busy getting cards ready for a Father's Day class that I'm doing towards the end of May.  This is the first of four masculine cards for that event. 

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Truly Tailored #145735 SU
Card Stock:  Night of Navy, Very Vanilla and Crushed Curry
DSP: True Gentleman Designer Series Paper 
Ink:  Night of Navy 
Accessories:  Big Shot, Alphabet Dies (Cutter Bee 54-80032), Tailored Tag Punch, Star Embellishments (Urban Underground), Dimensionals, Tom Bow Adhesive.  

Details:
1.  This is an A2 card.  The card base is cut from Night of Navy card stock and measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is a top fold scored at 4 1/4".

2.  The first layer on the card front is a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Crushed Curry.

3.  The top layer is a piece of plaid designer series paper from the True Gentleman paper collection.  It measures 5 x 3 3/4".

4.  The lettering was cut from Night of Navy and Crushed Curry card stock with the Cutter Bee Alphabet dies.  I cut two of each colour, layered and glued them together ending with a Crushed Curry piece.  I used a sponge dauber and sponged around the top edges of the letters.  The individual letters were spaced across the center of the card and adhered with Tom Bow glue. 

 5.  I stamped the "To A Classy Kind of Guy" image from the Truly Tailored stamp set onto a scrap of Very Vanilla and fussy cut it out.  Then, I punched out a tag from Night of Navy and glued the two tags together and mounted it with Dimensionals in the bottom left corner beneath the letters. I really like that Tailored Tag punch.

6.  The metal star embellishments in the top right hand side of the card were left over from last year's Urban Underground suite.  I think they add a masculine feel and just the right balance to this card.

7.  The inside of the card started with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla card Stock.  The sentiment "Wishing You a Dapper Day" and the corner images are from the Truly Tailored stamp set and were stamped in Night of Navy ink.  I added a 1" x 4" piece of the plaid paper to the bottom of this panel to tie it in to the front of the card.  

Well, that's it for today's card.  I hope you liked it and it will inspire you to create your own Masculine cards.  I really liked the clean crisp look of this card.  The plaid paper really adds a masculine feel as do the bold letters.  

If you haven't already stopped by the home page for the Watercooler Wednesday challenges, go have a look.  The rest of the Design Team have added some really awesome cards that I know you'll love.  Thanks to all of you who participate in our challenges it's really appreciated and we love seeing all the talent that you bring to our site.  Wow, you're all amazing.  

Until next week........................

Happy Stamping
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

WWC #168 - Helen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Who's up for another card challenge?   If you answered yes, I hope you will join us this week at Watercooler Wednesday and play along. It's fun and it's easy and we'd love to have you join us.  Between the Design Artists and all our participants, there's always a ton of inspiration going on. 

Our host for this week's "Feminine - Anything Goes" challenge is Helen Finlay.  Helen has started us off with a beautiful card inspiration.  This challenge will remain open from today through 5:00pm Mountain Time on Monday May 7th, 2018, and the details are posted on the main page of the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.  See you there!

Here's My Card:
From the time they arrived on the scene Stampin' Ups! Butterflies Thinlets were one of the most ultra feminine embellishments I could  incorporate into my card designs. They brought me pure joy!  I've chosen to CASE one of my own favourite card designs using these thinlets.  I hope you'll enjoy this project.

Here's My Original Card: 

This is such a great card design.  I've used it many times and changed it up by using different pieces of designer papers and embossing folder backgrounds.  This is also a great card for using up paper scraps.  Not much is required.  Changing the sentiment and embellishment also gives this card a different look. All in all a great design layout to have in your arsenal of 5-10 minute card design sketches.

And here's my updated version:  

Supplies: 
Stamp Sets: Stylized Birthday
Card Stock: Whisper White, Tranquil Tide and Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper
Ink: Tranquil Tide
Accessories: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Petal Burst Embossing FolderButterfly Thinlet Dies, Tom Bow Glue, Basic Rhinestones - small, 

Details:

1.  The card base is an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Whisper White scored at 4 1/4".

2.  The Whisper White layer measures 5 1/4" x 4" and was embossed with the Petal Burst Embossing Folder. Note: If you don't recognize this Embossing Folder design it's probably because I reversed the panel and I'm showing the "de-bossed" side.   

Debossed side of the Petal Burst Embossing Folder

3.  I cut a strip of the Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper (DSP) that measures 1 1/2" x 5 1/4" and adhered it to a 1 3/4" x 5 1/4" piece of Tranquil Tide card stock.  This piece was adhered 1/4" to the right of the edge of the white panel.  The Fresh Florals DSP will be retiring at the end of this month or while stocks last. 

4.  The Happy Birthday sentiment from the Stylized Birthday stamp set was stamped in Tranquil Tide on a 2 1/4" x 3" piece of Whisper White card stock.  It was mounted on a 3 1/4" x 2 1/2" piece of Tranquil Tide card stock and then mounted with Dimensionals a 1/4" from the bottom of the DSP panel.  

5.  The beautiful butterfly was cut with the medium sized die from the Butterflies Thinlets.  A row of small Basic Rhinestones was adhered to the spine of the butterfly and this die cut was attached on an angle above the Happy Birthday sentiment with Dimensionals.  I fluffed the butterfly wings up to make it look like it was in flight.

6.  I kept the inside of the card fairly simple by adding a 4" x 5 14" panel of Whisper White card stock to which I'd adhered a 1/2 x 5 1/4" strip of the DSP.  

Voila that's it for today's card.  I have to be honest, I'm terribly sad to see these delicate thinlet dies retire, at the end of May, but I probably will continue using them.  How about you will you be sad to see them go?  Have you used these dies and are they one of your favourites too?  I'd love to hear from you

If you haven't visited the Watercooler Wednesday main page, click here.   You don't want to miss all the beautiful cards created by our Design Team.  Until next time............... 
Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot! 

WWC#164 - Marsha's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome Stampers!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.  We were invited to a small family gathering on Sunday for dinner, and it was just perfect. The food was terrific, conversation was great and we got to break bread with one another again.  Although the day started on the cloudy and windy side it finished with a glorious blaze of sun in the West.  Pretty fitting for the Easter weekend!  

The only problem with a long weekend, and especially a four day one, is getting back to the grind and into the routine of things. Monday was a day of mishaps and time delays which was quite fitting, as my horoscope said Mercury Retrograde in my birth sign was going to wreak havoc.  Right on point!  

We have a Feminine Anything Goes Challenge this week being hosted by Marsha.  She's challenging you to design a feminine card or project and post it with links to our site by 5:00pm Mountain time on Monday April 9th.  I hope you'll join us.  Our design team seems to have been synched in our thinking because many of the designs this week have a floral focus.  Mine fit right in the groove.  

Here's My Card:
I've been working on some ultra feminine "Thank You" cards for my customers who placed March orders.  I love how they turned out.  I used a Sale-A-Bration stamp set I hadn't gotten around to using called "Heartfelt Blooms".  Oh my gosh I wish I'd used this set sooner, because I totally fell in love with it!   

How do you like the combination of floral stamp with the Designer Series Paper. I think it really works well together, and the basic gray panel really helps to show case the floral design and add just the right touch of femininity.  

The inside of the card is pretty basic.  The Whisper White panel measures 5 1/4 x 4.  I stamped a small portion of the floral image in the bottom right hand corner, leaving plenty of white space for writing a message of thanks.  

Stampin' Ups! Whisper White Envelopes have a super deluxe shiny finish that accepts ink so well.  I used a standard envelope and stamped the image across the back flap.  I think this really added to the feminine look of the card.  Alternatives to stamping the flap would be to create a liner or use the DSP to cover the outside of the flap.  

These cards were quick and easy to make using my Mini Misti positioning tool.  Stampin' Up!  has a new platform tool that will be coming out with the new catalogue called a Stamperatus.  

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Heartflet Blooms (Sale-A-Bration 2018 - Retired)
Ink: Basic Gray, Flirty Flamingo
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories:  Paper Trimmer, 8" Coordinating Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, Whisper White Envelopes, Tom Bow Glue.

How It's Made:  
1.  Cut Flirty Flamingo to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and score at 4 1/4" for the base.
2.  Cut a piece of Designer DSP to 5 1/4" x 4" and adhere to the base.
3.  Cut a piece of Whisper White to 4 1/4" x 3 1/4" - once the layering on this panel is finished attach to the card face with Dimensionals or score tape depending on the thickness you want. 
4.  Cut a piece of Basic Gray to 4" x 3" adhere to Whisper White panel.
5.  Cut a piece of Whisper White to 2 3/4" x 3 3/4" and stamp sentiment and image on it.  Tie ribbon around this piece before adhering to Basic Gray panel. 
6.  For the inside cut a 5 1/4" x 4" panel of Whisper White card stock.  Stamp a portion of the floral image in the bottom right hand corner.
7.  Stamp the image on the flap of the envelope.  

Here are some additional samples using this design:

This sample is in Island Indigo and Whisper White.  The ribbon is 1/4" White Cotton.  

Island Indigo

For this card I used Lemon Lime and switched the contrast card stock to Basic Black to give it some additional pizzazz.  I forgot to put ribbon on the stamped panel before adhering it to the black one, so just addd some black rhinestones 

I decided to keep things simple on the inside of the card, and just added a strip of designer paper on the right hand side of the card.  The black mat adds some drama.

This card is made with Berry Burst DSP, inks and card stock.  The contrasting card stock and ribbon are Crumb Cake.

I love the captions in the Heartfelt Blooms set.  There are three different ones:  "Thinking of You", Sending Heartfelt Thoughts" and "Thank You".  The fonts in these sentiment are simply beautiful.

I loved all the variations I made and the versatility of the double sided designer papers gives you even more choices.  This is a terrific way to use up some of those paper stashes, we all have.  

Well that's it for today.  I hope you've enjoyed my floral feminine cards this week and that you'll use this design template for your own cards.  You can create the same effect using any larger floral stamp so don't be intimidated if you don't have the Heartfelt Blooms.  Cards in this style can be used for any occasion and it's an economical way to get your card supplies loaded up.  

If you haven't already checked out the WWC164 Challenge on the main Watercooler Wednesday site, take some time and check it out.  The other DT members have created some beautiful cards to share with you and would be delighted if you visited them too.  Until next time............

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

WWC #163 - Penny's "All About Christmas" Challenge

I find at this time of year there's always lots of appointments, paperwork, spring cleaning and other tasks that take over my life and settling into a routine after a vacation absence doesn't always leave much time for doing the things I love to do.  With a long list of "must do's" it was a little hard to focus on this week's All About Christmas Challenge for Watercooler Wednesday, which I'm hosting, but focus I did and I came up with a card that I'm very pleased to share with you.   

The Watercooler Wednesday WWC163 Linsky is open until 5:00pm Mountain Time on Monday April 2nd, 2018.  If you're looking to get a head start on your Christmas cards, challenges like this are a perfect way to get them done.  I hope you'll join in with your own creation, and also check out the beautiful cards created by our very talented Design Team.  

Inspiration:
My inspiration for this weeks card came from one I made in a class held by Cheryl LeFore, using the Good Tidings stamp set and featuring the Eclipse Technique.  I thought it would be fun to make one using the Merry Patterns stamp set.  Here's the Original Card: 

Here's My Card: 

I love how the Eclipse stamping and lettering merge and give the front of this card so much dimension.   

The inside of the card is special because the stamped panel is designed to hold a gift card.  

Supplies:
Stamp sets: Merry Patterns(R), Hearts Come Home #145416
Ink: Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Very Vanilla
Accessories: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, EK Success Alphabet (1 1/4" dies), Foam Strips, Basic Rhinestones, 1" Circle Punch, Tom Bow Glue

How It's Made: 
1.  Cut an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Cherry Cobbler for the base and score it at  4 1/4".

2.  Cut two 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" pieces of Garden Green for the first layer on the card front and inside.

3.  Cut a 5 1/4"" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla cardstock for the stamped layer.  Using Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green inks randomly stamp a pattern using the deer and branch images from Merry Patterns.

4.  Place the stamped piece on the big shot platform and place the "N" "O" "E" and "L" die cuts in the center of the design.  The letters should be close together, almost touching, and in a straight line. Run through the big shot and remove the letters.  Adhere the stampled panel to the Garden Green layer.

5.  Using a scrap of Garden Green card stock cut a second set of letters and adhere them to the backs of the patterned letters.  Attach Foam Adhesive Strips to the backs of the letters.

6.  Before removing the backings on the foam strips temporarily place the letters into the negative image slots left on the patterned paper when the dies were cut out. Adhere the center of the "O" carefully realigning it through the center of the foam mounted "O" to the negative space.

7.  Once the "O" center is in place, remove the adhesive backings and carefully place the letters in the negative spaces pressing down to adhere.

8.  Finish off the front of the lettering with some randomly placed Basic Rhinestones.

9.  Cut a 1 1/2" x 4"  and a 5 1/8" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla for the inside card panels.

10.  Stamp the sentiment "Wishing You a Beautiful.........." from the Hearts Come Home stamp set in Cherry Cobbler. Stamp a couple of boughs in Garden Green to the bottom right hand side of this panel.  Adhere to the Garden Green layer.

10.  For the gift card holder, stamp the boughs and deer images on the 1 1/4" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla and then cut a half circle from the center right with  the 1" circle punch.  Add adhesive to the back side on the top, bottom and left hand side and adhere to the larger panel.  

It may look like a lot of work, but really this is a very straight forward card to make and it's got a really "wow" look to it.  If you haven't tried out the Eclipse Technique yet I urge you to experiment with it.  You're going to find that it's fun and I'm sure you'll have fun with it.  Don't worry if you don't have any alphabet dies, just try the same technique with any punched shape or die cut.  Experimentations the key! 

Thanks for visiting my site.  I hope you'll let me know what you think of this card.  I love receiving comments on my work.  If you haven't already checked out the other Design Team entries here's a link to the WWC163 challenge.  I hope you'll drop by again.  In the meantime.....

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot