Wacky Watercooler September Blog Hop

Welcome to the Wacky Watercooler September 2016 blog hop highlighting the Design Team's favourites from Stampin' Up!s new 2016 Holiday Catalogue.  

Whew, did your head spin like mine as August whirled past and September rushed in? I  must say the launch of the Holiday Catalogue on the 1st was really helpful in transitioning that change. 


When my copy of the new Holiday Catalogue arrived I spent hours pouring over it and ewing and awing over all the fun new products. Quite literally I wanted everything!  Alas, reality and practicality set in and I settled for purchasing just a few things I knew I'd use and get a kick out of.  During the blog hop, I'll be sharing my love for these new products.

Whether you've just joined in on the hop or arrived here from Fiona Whitehead's awesome blog, I'm super thrilled to have you visit my stamping spot!  I hope you'll enjoy my projects, leave some comments, and ask questions if you have any. At the end of my post will be a next button so you can jump to Marie Green's blog and see her wonderful projects.

 Project One - A Cookie Cutter Christmas

Who can resist a Gingerbread Man or a sweet little Reindeer?  I couldn't! The Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Bundle was my first choice from the catalogue, and I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since it arrived.  

Here's a look at some of the cute projects I've made with this stamp set and punch.

 To begin with all of my customer's who regularly order from me all received their catalogues with two enclosures.  The first is a personalized 4 x 4 card from me and the second is a Wish List form.  Check these out and let me know if they're not the cutest:

This is a fun and very quick card to make.  It measures 4 x 4 card and is layered with Real Red card stock and Candy Cane Lane DSP.  I stamped the two reindeer on Watercolour Paper and punched them out with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch.  What Fun!  The reindeer were painted with an Aqua Painter in Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride inks.  I simply cut off the antlers to make the girl deer and attached a Red Glimmer paper bow and a basic rhinestone.  Too cute!  

It's hard to see from this picture, but for above version of the card I attached a couple of the silver mini jingle bells to the male deer's antlers.  Tip:  Previously when Stampin Up! had these jingle bells they sold out quickly so if you like them don't wait.  

The greeting comes from the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set.  I cut it out with the Bunch of Banners Framelits.  Note:  the card that went out with the catalogues was plain and didn't include the jingle bells for mailing purposes.

For the wish list I simply stamped a Crumb Cake Gingerbread man and attached a Red Glimmer Paper Bow.

I made my next project with the Cookie Cutter Christmas Bundle and it is called a Triple Gate Fold card.  What a wonderful card with it's multiple levels to showcase the Candy Cane Lane designer paper and more of those yummy Gingerbread men.  I love, love, love this card!

The card measures 11 x 5 1/2 and has score lines at 2", 5" and 7".  The base is in Real Red card stock and has layers of Crumb Cake, Whisper White and Candy Cane Lane DSP.  

In the above view you can see the inside of the card when it's completely open.

In this view you can see the front panel, back panel and the gate fold.

The Gingerbread Man and Woman were stamped in Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White card stock and then cut out with the Cookie Cutter Builder punch.  So simple!  They're mounted on a 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of Crumb Cake card stock with dimensionals. This piece is called the "gate fold".  The bows and buttons are cut from Red Glimmer paper.  The banner which I really love, is from the "Time of Year" hostess set on page 201 of the Annual Catalogue (AC) and it's stamped in Real Red ink.  

I added a piece of 3 1/4" x 2 1/4" Whisper White card stock on the inside of the Gate Fold and stamped the "Thinking of You At Christmas" sentiment
from the Embellished Ornaments stamp set on page 33 of the AC.  The little mitten was cut from the DSP.

 

Embellished Ornaments 7 piece rubber/wood or clear mount stamp set comes in English and French.   This set has matching framelits. 

The last panel of the card is a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Crumb Cake card stock and 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" piece of Whisper White card stock.  I adhered a 1/4" x 4 3/4" strip of the DSP down the right edge and  a tree, star and gingerbread man cutouts.  Basic Rhinestones were added to the center of the mittens and the star on the back panel of the card.  

Project Two - Detailed Santa Thinlets:
My second favourite from the Holiday Catalogue is the Detailed Santa Thinlets on page 11 of the Holiday Catalogue. This thinlet set includes an intricate die featuring Santa's flowing beard.  It also includes two side-bar thinlets and a grouping of stars. These four dies work really well and can actually be used for far more than seasonal projects.  

My project is a shaker card featuring the Santa and one of the side-bars.

This shaker card is a top fold card and the base is cut from an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Whisper White.  I cut the "side-bar" image from the left side of the card and adhered a 1/4" by 3 3/4" piece of Red Glimmer Paper with Mini Glue Dots to the back of the front panel so it lights up the side-bar with colour.
 
The shaker measures 4" x 4".  The Santa image was cut from a piece of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.  I added a Red Glimmer Paper pompom to Santa's hat for a pop of colour.  This Santa square panel was mounted on a 4" x 4" piece of acetate Window Sheet.  To create the well for the shaker pieces I wrapped Foam Adhesive strips around the edge of the window square.  

At the end of the season last year I managed to buy some clearance rack embellishments which included some awesome silver sequins and snowflakes.  I threw in some silver seed beads for "rattle" to the mix. Tip:  To ensure the shaker pieces don't get static cling, wipe the inside of the window sheet with an embossing buddy before putting in the shaker pieces.  

To seal of the back of the shaker I added a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White  card stock.  Before attaching it I stamped the sentiment "With Loving Wishes for a Bright and Beautiful Season" in Real Red ink.  This sentiment is also from the Embellished Ornaments stamp set. 

For the inside of the card I added a layer of Real Red card stock that measures 4" x 5 1/4" and topped that with a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock.  I stamped the "Thinking of You" sentiment from the Embellished Ornaments stamp set in Real Red.  It looked far too plain so I stamped the Santa from the Cookie Cutter Christmas beneath the sentiment.  Wouldn't you know it looked way too flat, so I stamped another Santa image and cut him out with the Cookie Cutter Christmas punch.  Once coloured I mounted him to the original stamped Santa with dimensionals.  

I hope you enjoyed this Shaker card and my use of the Santa Thinlets.  Stampin Up has put together this video to demonstrate how to use this set and it's matching stamp set "Greetings from Santa".  


Project Three - Merry Mice

For my final project I chose "Merry Mice" a 7 piece rubber or clear mount stamp set that's available in English and French. Each time I use this set I fall more and more in love with these little guys!  What characters.   I know you're going to love this project! 

You may have run across some cards lately that feature an intricate pop up mechanism called a "Twisting Pop Up" or a "Pop Up Panel", and wondered how they're made.  I was very intrigued by the ones I saw and decided this would be the perfect pairing for my Merry Mice card.  Here it is: 

Okay, I know, this card doesn't look so special right now - it's cute but not special.  Just hang on while I give you a few details, then we'll get to special.  
This is a top folding card and the Cherry Cobbler card stock base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".   The first layer is from the "This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper" in the Annual Catalogue and measures 4" x 5 1/4".  

The next layer is a 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" piece of Garden Green card stock that's been dry embossed with the new Holly Embossing Folder.  The next layer is a Cherry Cobbler 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Cherry Cobbler and a 3" x 3" piece of Very Vanilla card stock that's been stamped with the sweater mouse image.  

I used a blender pen and an aqua painter to colour the image.  This is the sweetest little mouse I think I've ever seen.  To pop up his head I actually stamped his face twice coloured it, and fussy cut it out and attached it to the original with dimensionals.  

I've used Glossy Accents (now retired) to add some dimension to his big ears and his darling little nose.  I added basic rhinestones to the Christmas bauble.

Okay are you ready...................ta da!

When you open up this card this wonderful pop up panel happens.  I'm not going to go into all the details and measurements for the panels or how it was assembled as I believe seeing it in real life makes more sense.  And, I have to tell you I spent many hours researching the mechanics of this card before I stumbled across a video by Dawn Griffith in which she provides a wonderful example of this pop up panel card.  I've used Dawn's measurements for the panels on the inside of my card, so the details are in the video.  Dawn........you're the best! 

I painted all these little mice panels with the same technique as above and what fun I had.  I did splatter on some ink in Cherry Cobbler and Cherry Red and in some cases was a bit over zealous with the splatters.  Oh well.  

Well, what do you think?  Isn't this just the greatest card?  One of my bestie's saw this at last week's stamping get together and claimed it as her own Christmas card, so I know I'm going to be teaching this technique and making more of these down the road.  Once I figured out how it worked it was a lot of fun and what a sense of accomplishment when it came together!  Yeah!   

So that's the end of my projects for this hop but I'll be continuing to post new projects every week.  I hope you'll take the time to leave me a comment and let me know how you liked these cards.  

To resume the hop and visit the rest of the Watercooler Designer Team just click on the watercoolers below for a direct link.  If you press on NEXT you'll be taken to the very talented Marie Green's blog My Tanglewood Cottage.    

Marie Green

 

Fiona Whitehead

Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop Beginning

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

September Hostess Code:  2KDCKBQE

WWC85 Jean's Colour Challenge

Thanks for dropping by.  It's time for this week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge which is being hosted by our wonderfully talented Jean Fitch.  Jean has chosen black, white and copper for her colour challenge. Although Jean's inspiration came from this adorable calico kitten picture, the mix of these three colours is nothing short of bold and dramatic. 

Here's My Card:
When I began playing with these challenge colours I was struck by the elegance of this combo.  It made me think of black tie affairs and crystal ball rooms.  Before long I was working out the details for a floral wedding card.  That's how it rolls! 

Although show casing copper on a wedding card may seem non-traditional, the trends today are changing and copper is the "new kid on the block".  If you don't believe me, just check out the large variety of black, white and copper wedding invitations, table settings and home decor on PINTEREST.  It's mind blowing!

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Rose Wonder
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black
Card Stock:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Copper Foil 
Accessories: Big Shot, Trimmer, Rose Garden Thinlet #140619, Seaside Textured Embossing Folder, Tom Bow Adhesive

 Instructions:
1.  The card base measures 8 1/2 x 11 and is scored at 5 1/2" for a side fold card.
2.  The black layer started out as a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" piece of Basic Black cardstock that was cut on the diagonal.  This piece was embossed with the Seaside Textured Embossing Folder and adhered to the front of the card.  Make sure it butts up against the folded edge of the card. 

You only need one of the Basic Black pieces to complete your card. 

3.  The Rose image and some additional leaves for the inside of the card were die cut from a piece of Copper Foil using the  Rose Garden Thinlet dies. 

The Rose Garden Thinlet has 5 dies that coordinate with the Rose Wonder Stamp set on pg 132 of the Annual Catalogue and with the Helping me Grow stamp set on page 40.  

Note:   I kept the image of the rose in tact when I removed it from the Big Shot, flipped it over and applied adhesive to  the back side so the pieces of the petals wouldn't separate from the thinlet.  Let dry for 10 minutes.  

4.  Use fine adhesive to attach the rose and leaf thinlet image over the Basic Black layer.  Trim off end pieces that overhang the edge of the card.  Note:  Just a caution if you are using the fine detail glue use it sparingly and try to keep it off the Copper Foil.  Unlike Tom Bow glue it is not very forgiving and will not come off with an eraser if you're trying to clean up the card.  If you try to erase smudges from the Copper Foil you will wind up with streaks that can't be removed.  

5.  The sentiments on the card face and inside are from the Rose Wonder set and are stamped in Momento Tuxedo Black ink.  I love, love, love this stamp set and the font!
 

The Rose Wonder Stamp Set #140697 has 14 Photopolyer stamps that are perfect for all occasion cards. 

6.  For the inside of the card I cut a 5 1/4 x 4" piece of Basic Black Card stock and then a 3 3/4" x 5 " piece of Whisper White card stock. 

 

For the inside of the card I simply stamped this beautiful sentiment and added two clusters of Copper die cut leaves.  The layers are detailed above.

Well that's it for today folks.  I hope you liked my take on the Watercooler Wednesday WWC85 Color Challenge.  If you haven't visited the Design Team on the home page yet, don't forget to do so as there's such a great variety of wonderful cards on display.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Token's Stampin' Spot
 The Hostess Code for September is: 2KDCKBQE

New Items in the Clearance Rack

 Special Offers in September 

100+ Items Added to the Clearance Rack Today! Get Them Now!

The Clearance Rack was updated today with 5 pages of items that are available at the lowest prices while they last.  Save up to 60% off!  What are you waiting for check it out.  Click on my Clearance Rack post to see more!  

Stampin' Up! Special Offers in September - Week Two

It's Thursday and Stampin' Up! has a whole new group of Special Offers for you this week and you can save up to 25%.  Check them out:

 

These special deals are available from September 8th through midnight on September 14th, 2016.  Click here for Special Offers 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot
Hostess Code for September
2KDCKBQE

WWC84 Deborah's Sketch Challenge

The very talented Deborah Smart is our host for this week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge and she has chosen a wonderful sketch that I know you're going to want to try out.  Here it is:
 

 

Here's My Card:

I really liked the composition of this sketch and new that it would be quick and easy, which I need these days, to recreate.  I decided to change the layout of the sketch though, and chose to go with the card fold at the top and the layers running down the card front. 

As I scrolled through my new Holiday Catalogue I practically shrieked with delight when I came across the Merry Mice 7 piece stamp set.  Mice have been one of my all time favourite images for Christmas cards and the three main stamps in this set do not disappoint.   I knew it would be the perfect stamp set to use with this sketch.

Merry Mice 7 piece stamp set #142142 (wood) or #142145Clear Mount.  Also available in French.  Page 23 of the Holiday Catalogue

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Merry Mice, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Cookie Cutter Christmas 
Card Stock:  Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Water Colour Paper
DSP:  This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink:  Tuxedo Momento Black Ink, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Dapper Denim, Soft Sky, Pirouette Pink, Smokey Slate
Accessories:  Big Shot, Trimmer, Holly Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Adhesive, Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine - Whisper White with Red Metallic Thread, Mini Glue Dots, Wink of Stella Clear

Assembly:
1.  The card base is a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Garden Green card stock scored at 5 1/2".  I've chosen to do a top fold card and have flipped the original sketch to the top.

2.  The first layer is a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock.

3.  The second layer is a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of "This Christmas Specialty Designer Series paper". 

This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper #141628 page 172 of the Annual Catalogue is a light weight Christmas themed paper, including sheet music. It includes 24 12 x 12 sheets of paper - 4 each of 6 double-sided designs, that can be used with Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, and Very Vanilla card stocks and inks. 

4.  The third layer is a 1/2" by 4 1/4" strip of Garden Green card stock that was embossed with the Holly Embossing folder. I mounted this strip with dimensionals across the face of the card and left a small strip of the Cherry Cobbler card stock visible at the top.

5.  The fourth layer is a 3" x 4 1/4" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock that is mounted on the DSP layer with dimensionals.

6.  The final layer is a 2 3/4" x 4" piece of water colour paper on which I coloured the image.  Before adhering this piece to the Cherry Cobbler layer, I wrapped it with a 12" piece of Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine.  I used the Whisper White with Red Metallic thread spool. 

7.  I stamped the sentiment "Merry Christmas" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in Garden Green ink at the bottom of the water colour paper layer. I chose this stamp because of the dots underneath the sentiment.  They match the diagonal red dots in the designer series paper. 

8.  I had so much fun colouring this little guy and the more colours I added the more animated he became.  Don't you just love the expression on his cute little face? He just makes me smile!

Note:  I began by stamping the image on water colour paper with Momento Tuxedo Black ink.  In retrospect, I should have used Staz On ink as the Momento ink bled a teeny bit along the tail and around the ear. The reason was because the aqua painter I was using to apply the colour was releasing too much water and it saturated the paper in places, causing the bleed. 

You can't tell from this picture but the book has a shiny gray cover achieved by covering it with Glossy Accents.  I also added some sequins with Mini Glue Dots and Wink of Stella Clear on the White strip of the mousies hat, the pom pom and the musical notes.   

I brushed on Soft Sky ink in the background around the mouse and Smokey Slate beneath him.  I think he turned out pretty cute!

9.  For the inside of the card I cut a 4" x 5 1/4" layer of Very Vanilla card stock.  I embossed the top of the layer with the Holly Embossing Folder and stamped the sentiment "Have Yourself A Beary Merry Christmas" from the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set in Cherry Cobbler.  I used scraps of Garden Green and DSP on the base of the layer.  The Garden Green measured 1" x 4" and the DSP 6/8" x 3 7/8".  

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I missed the word "Beary" in the sentiment I stamped on the inside of the card, because it's actually referring to the Bear image in the Cookie Cutter stamp set.  Instead of throwing out this panel I decided to add the Holly embossing in the hopes that it would be interpreted as "berry" not "beary".  We'll see!

Well that's it for this week.  I'd love to hear what you think of my card or this stamp set. Let me know what your favourite images are at Christmas, I'd love to know. And, don't forget to check out the other design artists for this Watercooler Wednesday Sketch Challenge, they've created some awesome designs.  

Oh, and if you like this holiday card be sure to come back on September 15th as we're having our September Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop and we're going to be featuring our favourite holiday stamps and accessories from the new 2016 Holiday Catalogue. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Token's Stampin' Spot 
September Hostess Code:  2KDCKBQE