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

WWC92 - Jean Fitch's Sketch Challenge

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. Ours was totally quiet with one burst of fireworks about 8:00 followed by a big void of silence.  There was not one knock on our door, although neighbours at the beginning of our complex boasted having five.  I guess it's safe to say my husband will be munching on those Coffin Coffee Crisp chocolate bars that he bought (hmmmm.....did he plan that?). 

So it's November, the start of a new month of excitement, and it's time to put away all your Halloween stamps, paper and treats and get ready for this week's challenge over at the Watercooler Wednesday blog.  

To get our November challenges off to a great start, the talented Jean Fitch has presented us with a tricky little sketch featuring lots of layers.  Don't be intimidated by this sketch, it's really quite easy once you decide what your layers will be.  I hope you'll play along, because I'd love to see what you create with it! The challenge ends at 5pm on Monday November 7th.   Here's Jean's sketch:

Here's My Take on the Sketch:

Since Christmas is just around the corner I decided to ink up my brand new Christmas Magic stamp set.  Love it!   The train is my favourite out of the set, but the other 7 stamps rank pretty high up there too. 

For the inside of my card I chose an old sentiment from a retired stamp set called Christmas Bliss. I added a strip of the "This is Christmas" Specialty Designer Series Paper.  It seemed such a shame to cover it up on the front layer and miss out on seeing all those beautiful snowflakes.  In fact this paper was the inspiration for my card.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Christmas Magic, Christmas Bliss(R) 
Card Stock and DSP:  Smokey Slate, Basic Black and Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, "This Is Christmas" Specialty Designer Paper (DSP)
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, Real Red, Garden Green, Delightful Dijon, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo
Accessories:  Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Trimmer, Tom Bow Glue, Dimmensionals, Aqua Painter, Wink of Stella Glimmer Stick.

Assembly:
1.  The Smokey Slate card base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/2" for a side fold card.
2.  The first layer is cut from Basic Black and measures 2 1/2"x 5 1/4"
3.  The second layer is cut from Basic Gray and measures 2 5/8" x 5"
4.  The third layer is "This is Christmas" DSP and measures 2 3/4" x 4 3/4".
5.  The stamped layer is a piece of Very Vanilla card stock that measures 3 1/8" x 4 1/2".  I stamped the image of the train in Momento Tuxedo Black ink on this piece and then embossed it with the Softly Falling Embossing folder before colouring the greenery and bows on the train with inks and the aqua painter.  The wreath on the front of the train was stamped again, cut out, coloured and mounted on a dimensional over the original wreath.

6.  The inside layer is a piece of Very Vanilla card stock measuring 51/4" x 4" It is adhered only on the top half.  A 1/2" piece of the DSP was glued to the right side of the panel.  It measures.  12" x 5 1/4".  
7.  The two sentiments are from the retired Stamp set - Christmas Bliss.  

Voila!  Apart from stamping and colouring this card front the card came together really quickly.  I'm very happy with my Christmas Magic stamp set and I know I'll be using it for years to come.  I just love the vintage old world feel this set has. 

I hope you'll leave me a comment and let me know what is your favourite Christmas stamp set that Stampin' Up! has issued this year - or even all time. I'd love to know. Don't forget to check out the other Watercooler Wednesday Design Team artists, because i know you'll enjoy the variety of cards they came up with for this sketch. What fun!

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Stampin' Up! is starting off the month of November with some great deals.  The first is the new Stitched Framelits 12 piece die set.  You're definitely going to want these outstanding dies! 

These framelit dies are a new product coming out in the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog, but you can purchase them right now on a special pre-order!  In this fantastic set you get four ovals, four squares and four circles in all the popular sizes that you'll need.  They have a wonderful perforated stitched edge around each die. In addition to that, there's a selection of holiday stamp sets on sale this month for 25% off! 

 

*AC refers to the annual catalogue; HC refers to the holiday catalogue.
Details:

• Stitched Shapes Framelits available November 1, 2016
• November 1-30, 2016: select stamp sets 25% off
• Stamp sets also available in French
• Ordering Deadline (25% off stamp sets): November 30, 2016, by 11:50 PM (MT)

Click here to purchase your Stitched Shapes Framelits and stamp sets today!
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HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

WWC91 Marsha's Masculine Challenge - Anything Goes!

Hi Stampers.  Today at Watercooler Wednesday we have one of my favourite challenges hosted by Marsha Reed.  It's a Masculine Challenge and as long as it has a masculine theme "Anything Goes".  

Here's My Card: 

It will come as no surprise to those of you who follow my blog that I love the Bear Hugs stamp set.  It's become my number one "go to stamp" when I want something quirky and fun.  I think this Birthday Card is just that! 

 

Supplies:
Stamps:  Bear Hugs #139546, Swirly Bird #141749, Thoughtful Branches #143539 (R), and Stylized Birthday #141828
Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Dapper Denim, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Inks:  Daffodil Delight, Dapper Denim, Crumb Cake, Honey Dijon, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Emerald Envy, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Watermelon Wonder, Momento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Bear Hugs Framelits, Bunch of Banner Framelit Dies, Big Shot, Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue, Sticky Strip, Wink of Stella

Assembly:
1.  The card base is cut from Soft Suede Texturized Card Stock and measures 8 1/2" by 5 1/2".  This is a top fold card so it's scored at 4 1/2".

2.  The first layer is a piece of 5 1/4" x 4" Dapper Denim.

3.  The top layer is a piece of 3 3/4" x 5" Very Vanilla.  

4.  The inside layer is a piece of 5 1/4" x 4" Very Vanilla.  

5.  I stamped the large Swirly Sun from the Swirly Bird in the top left hand side of the Very Vanilla panel.  To add more dimension, I stamped the center of the sun with the solid medium circle image in Honey Dijon. I needed to create a mask to protect the sun while I sponged in the background colours so I did that on a post it note.  I began by sponging the sky in Soft Sky ink, leaving some white space so it looked like clouds.

6.  I also made a mask from a scrap of card stock to shape the hillside across the center of the card, and  sponged it with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede inks. My mask looked a little like the wave die in the bundle above.  I moved the mask down and alternated the inks as I sponged the hillside, creating a feeling of texture and depth. I stamped the grass image from Thoughtful Branches randomly across the hillside in Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede inks.

7.  I stamped the 3-tree image from Thoughtful Branches across the hillside.  The branches were stamped in Pear Pizzazz and the trunks in Soft Suede.  Tip: I inked up the whole tree image in Soft Suede then removed the colour from the top of the trees with a baby wipe. Then I tapped the Pear Pizzazz ink pad over the top of the image to create the tree branches.  This could also have been done with a marker.

8.  I sponged Soft Sky and Dapper Denim inks on the bottom portion of the panel for the lake and then stamped over this with the wave image from Thoughtful Branches in Dapper Denim ink. I also swooshed some Dapper Denim over the water before adding the fish to give it some depth.

9.  The fish were stamped on a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock in Momento Tuxedo Black ink and were cut out with the Bear Hugs Framelit dies.  I coloured them with an aqua painter in shades of Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Watermelon Wonder, Honey Dijon. I coated them with Clear Wink of Stella to bring out that Rainbow Trout look.  I also waved the brush over the water to make it look like ripples.  The two end fish were glued directly to the water and the middle fish was popped up on a dimensional.  Note:  Before I give this card away I'm going to coat the fish with Crystal Effects(R) to make them shine.  I think that would be a nice touch.

10.  The bear from Bear Hugs was stamped on a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and cut out with the Bear Hugs Framelits. I sponged the bear with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede inks.  I wanted the bear to look like it had just scooped up his fish so I cut a second bear image and removed the left arm.  I glued the corresponding arm to the back of the one that I wanted bent after sponging it with ink then gently bent it forward so it could hold the fish.  I glued the tail of the fish to the arm and popped the body of the fish up on a dimensional to give it more depth.

11.  Originally I stamped the sentiment from the Bear Hugs stamp set, "Wishing You a Day Full of Sunshine and a Lake Full of Fish" above the bear in Soft Suede. However, it didn't stand out well enough so I re-stamped it on a 3" x 1" piece of Crumb Cake card stock, cut it out with the pointed single banner from the Bunch of Banners Framelit set and mounted it with Dimmensionals. Better.

12.  To finish the inside of the card I stamped the "Happy Birthday " sentiment from Stylized Birthday in Early Espresso Ink in the center of the Very Vanilla panel.  I randomly stamped four fish across the bottom and coloured them with an aqua painter.

Well that's it for today's card.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  I'd love to hear from you, whether you think a guy would like this card.  I think they would get a chuckle out of it, especially if they love to fish.

If you've come directly to my blog I hope you'll go back to the Wacky Watercooler site and check out the rest of the design team's creations for the WWC91 Masculine Challenge.  You won't want to miss them!   

Happy Stamping!
Penny Token's Stampin' Spot