Creative Circle Design Team's December Blog Hop

Welcome to the Creative Circle Design Team's December Blog Hop.  If you're new to the crafting world or not familiar with the acronym, CCDT stands for "Creative Circle Design Team". This is a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the world who love creating using electronic cutters for their designs as well as Stampin' Up! products and who love to participate in blog hops.  

We hop on the first Thursday of each month and every 3rd month Liz Holloway, the leader of our group provides a pattern and challenge to create something using her 3D SVG and Silhouette formats.

The teams' challenge this month ties in with Christmas and is to create a Church of our choice using Liz's pattern but it must include some type of holder for cards, a mini album, candies or even home decor.


Here is My Project:
For anyone who lives in or who has been through the Sumas Washington area you may be familiar with an old landmark church on the way to Mount Baker that was turned into a pub in its later years called the "Holy Smoke".  This was the inspiration for my church design.  My holder is for Christmas cards.  Enjoy!

In this picture you can see the drawer which opens on the backside of the church open and holding the cards.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Hearts Come Home
Inks: In Colour 2017-18 Markers (Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Tranquil Tide, Powder Pink, Fresh Fig),Momento Tuxedo Black, Versa Mark 
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Black,White Glimmer Paper
Accessories: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Liberty Bell, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, 1 3/4 Circle Punch, Gold Thread. Stitched Shapes Die Cuts, Detailed Gate Thinlets Die, Sponge, Tom Bow Glue

Details:
I won't be providing measurements for any of the church assembly since it's all covered in Liz Holloway's design package.  But, the following are some of the things I added to my design for the challenge portion of it.  

I made a small box half box to fit inside the church and hold two battery operated candles.  The Church fits over top of the lid of the box and the box holds the church in place.

This is the insert for the support box for the church and holds the candles in place.

In this photo you can see how the church fits over top of the support box.  I actually attached the support box to the center of the drawer platform I made and it very effectively holds the church in place. 

In this photo you can see the base of the church is now mounted to the drawer.  It works similar to an easel card box.  The drawer is located at the back of the church and has a little bead pull to open it.  The drawer will hold four cards and envelopes.

Here you can see the cards inside the box and the drawer pull on the outside.  the platflorm is covered with glimmer paper so it looks like snow. 

When I was decorating my church, I opted to add three windows to the back of the church which was quite plain. 

This view shows the church off the platform.  I created a fancy door and scroll work on the sides and back of the church using the Detailed Gate thinlet die.  I cut one full gate from Basic Black card stock and then cut it down to three pieces of gridwork and the door portion.  I really liked the addition of these pieces to the overall look of the church. 

This is a closeup of the door.  It is cut from the top center of the Detailed Gate.  I mounted it on Whisper White card stock and cut around the design to form the door.  This was added with dimensionals to the front of the church.  The wavy lines you see on the church panels were made with the Seaside Embossing folder.  I wanted to give the appearance of wood siding on the church.

I absolutely love this Detailed Gate and the fact that it's not just for Halloween.  This beautiful die is from the Holiday Occasions catalogue and is only available until January 2nd, 2017.  It is product # 144669.

Here is my night view of the church.  The candles are on and you can see the lights flickering through those cute little vellum windows.  Unfortunately I don't have a closeup of the windows but them were assembled with the SVG cut outs and the vellum was coloured with this years In Colour Markers to give a pretty glow.

I found the degree of difficulty with this SVG design high but achievable and it was a fun project to tackle. I hope you've enjoyed my post and will check out the other design team artists to see their incredible projects.

  










Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot  

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #148 -Heidi's Feminine "Anything Goes"

Hi Stampers.  Wow the time is zipping by and once again it's time for the Watercooler Wednesday challenge.  This week's challenge is hosted by Heidi Weaver and she's challenging us to make a Feminine "Anything Goes" card or project. 

We hope you'll join in the fun and enter one of your own creations.   All you have to do is make a Feminine themed card or project and link it through your  post to our Linsky and follow a few simple rules.  What could be easier?  All the stuff you need to know about playing along is located on the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Main Page.  Our Linksy is open until 5:00pm  Mountain Time on Monday December 11th.  


Here's My Feminine Card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Painted Harvest, One Big Meaning
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Smokey Slate
Card Stock: Lost Lagoon, Smokey Slate and Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Ovals Framelits, Stitched Rectangular Dies, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue.

Some Details:
1. The card base is an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Lost Lagoon card stock scored and folded at 4 1/4". Lost Lagoon is a retired In Colour from Stampin' Up!

2. The first layer of this card is a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered to the card base.

3. The third layer is a 4 3/4" x 3 3/4" piece of Smokey Slate card stock adhered to the top right hand side of the card leaving a 1 5/8" gap on the left hand side.

4.  The final layer is a 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of Whisper White.  This layer is stamped with the Painted Harvest two step sunflower around the outer edges and top of the panel.  The first layer of the flower is Lost Lagoon followed by Smokey Slate for the second flower and the inner part of the flower is Smokey Slate.  

5.  Before adhering the panel in step 4, stamp the "thank you" sentiment from One Big Meaning in the middle white space on the panel.  Cut out this piece with a 3" oval from the Oval die cuts set.  Once the main panel is adhered to the Smokey Slate panel, attach this oval with Dimensionals in its original slot.  Add three medium sized Basic Pearls to the side of the oval. 

6. Cut a 1/4" x 4" strip of Lost Lagoon and adhere it to the center of the white margin on the left hand side. Run a strip of Basic Pearls down the center.

7.  For the inside of the card cut a 5 1/4" x 4" panel of Whisper white.  Stamp the sentiment "Your Kindness...." and a couple of the flowers in Lost Lagoon and Smokey Slate inks.  Make an envelope to match.

I have to apologize for the poor quality of these photos.  They simply don't do the card justice.  Apart from that I hope you've enjoyed this card.  I simply love these flowers and the soft muted images you can obtain by matching two coordinating colours.  I'd love to hear from you so please let me know if you like these images too.  

Make sure you check out the other design team artists and their beautiful creations in this week's challenge. 

Before I go just a reminder that we're looking for a new Design Team Member to replace Libby Fenn's on our team.  If you're interested all the details on how you can be considered are on the beginning of this post.  Check it out here.
Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #147 - Charlotte's "Anything Goes"

Welcome to this week's Watercooler Wednesday Challenge, hosted by Charlotte.  This challenge is open to any theme or project - no holds barred.  What fun!

We hope you'll join us in the fun and enter one of your own creations.  You could be our next "Rock Star" winner.   All you have to do is make a card or project - any theme is okay - and  link it to our site via your post and follow a few simple rules.  All the stuff you need to know about playing along is located on the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Main Page.  Our Linksy is open until 5:00pm on Monday December 4th, 2017.

Here's My Anything Goes Project:

Thanksgiving is behind us now and I'm switching to Christmas mode this week. My husband spent Black Friday getting the outside of the house decorated while I was inside lugging out the Christmas ornaments.  One of the things that was missing from my collection of Christmas paraphernalia was a Christmas mantle piece, so for this week's challenge I decided to make an Accordion Card featuring the word "holidays".  

The above picture shows the deck of card sized accordion card I made all bundled up in it's belly band and here it is unfolded: 

Supplies: (All products are Stampin' Up! unless noted)

Stamps: Merry Patterns (Hostess Promo 144973), Merry Little Labels(144795), Jar of Love (141587)

Ink: Dapper Denim, Pacific Point
Card Stock: Whisper White and Dapper Denim
DSP/Specialty Papers:  Color Theory Pack (144193), Silver Foil (132178)
Accessories:Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Tom Bow Glue, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, Glitter Enamel Dots (144200), Clear Faceted Gems (144142)
Big Shot Accessories:  Stitched Shapes Thinlets (145372), Card Front Builder (144674), Home Town Greetings Edgelit Dies (144671), Lots of Labels (138281), Sleigh Ride Edgelits (139670 Retired), Everyday Jars (1414900
Non Stampin' Up Accessories:  Tim Holtz Snowflakes 661599, EK Tools Alphabet 54-80032, EK Tools Christmas 54-80018

How It's Made:

All of the details and measurements needed to make an Accordion Fold card are listed in my November Creative Circle Blog hop post so I won't repeat them here. Just click on this link for the details.

To make this Accordion Fold card I began with Whisper White and Dapper Denim card stocks for my card base and first layers. I super liked the way the Color Theory Designer Series paper worked out in my Thanksgiving Accordion fold, so I chose the Dapper Denim coloured papers from this paper pack for my DSP layers. I especially liked how the blue crackle design paper worked perfectly for show casing the mason jars from the Everyday Jar stamp set.

The hardest part of making this Accordion Fold card was deciding what word to showcase and how I wanted the alphabet letters to be displayed.  My  display only had room for an 8 letter word so "holidays" worked for me.  

I also chose to go with the mason jars from Everyday Jars because they conjured up all kinds of ideas for displays like mini lights or candle holders.  To get that effect I sponged Dapper Denim ink around in the middle of the jars and then added glimmer swirls to catch the light and look like tiny lights.  Here's a look at the individual sections of the card.
 

This is the belly band that holds the Accordion Card together when not on display.  I also set it to the side of card on my mantle because it adds to the overall decoration.  When designing this cover, I tried to incorporate all the elements of the accordion card - the deer, houses, mason jar etc.  See my supply list for the wide array of die cuts I used in this project.  I also used a ton of basic rhinestones, silver foil and glimmer. 

This is a back view of the Accordion Card in the Belly Band prior to my adding the "Let It Snow" tag.  To make it look finished and professional, I covered the back side of the tag with  a Dapper Denim layer cut out with the Lots of Labels  die cut. 

In this view you can see what the back of the Accordion Fold card looks like.  I added card stock and dsp to the two end pieces, because they are the front and back sides that show when the card is folded and held in the belly band. 

I really like how the Dapper Denim dark crackle design paper adds such a cool effect to this back panel.  I stamped the "Let It Snow" label from the Merry Little Labels set in Dapper Denim ink and added glued it flat to the back panel. 

The first panel features a horse and winter sled from an old SU Edgelit set called "Sleigh Ride".  This die cut works perfectly with the Home Town Greeting Edgelits I used on the front and back panel of this card.  The large snowflake was cut out using the Tim Holtz snowflake dies and I've added a rhinestone accent to the center. 

Each of the panels and the alphabet letters have been sponged around the edges with Pacific Point ink to add some depth.  The jar lids were stamped in Dapper Denim ink on Whisper White and I've added glimmer to give them some sparkle.  The beautiful foil poinsettia, holly leaves and Christmas baubles come from an EK Tools Die cut set called Christmas.  I've also added lots of basic rhinestones, glitter enamel dots and faceted gems to each panel for added bling and blitz.  What fun!

I love how the last panel turned out.  The scene is comprised of various die cuts from the Home Town Greetings and Sleigh Ridge Edgelits.  The Color Theory background paper added to the overall feel of a cold frosty night.  

Well that's it for this week's challenge.  I hope you liked my Accordion Fold Card and that you'll try this out yourself.  It's really a lot of fun deciding what will go on each panel.  Let me know how you like this one, I love receiving your comments.  And, as always before you go make sure you check out the other projects submitted by our wonderful Watercooler Wednesday Design Team Artists.  You won't be disappointed. 

 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #146 - Kath's "All About Christmas"

Hi Stampers!  Welcome to this week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge hosted by Kath. Kath is challenging you to make something related to Christmas.  Let me tell you, this  is one of our most popular challenges, especially at this time of year when every stamper is rushing to finish off their Christmas card stash. 

We hope you'll join us in the fun and enter one of your own creations.   All you have to do is make a Christmas themed card or project and link it to our site through your post and follow a few simple rules.  All the stuff you need to know about playing along is located on the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Main Page.  Our Linksy is open until 5:00pm on Monday November 30th. 

Here's My "All About Christmas" Card:

Supplies:
Stamps:  Merry Little Patterns 
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black
Card Stock:  Basic Black, Whisper White
DSP and Specialty Papers:  Silver Foil, Merry Little Christmas DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Stitched Shapes Circle Dies, Stitched Rectangles (Memory Box), Basic Rhinestones, 10" strip of 1/4" black satin ribbon, Dimensionals, Tom Bow Glue.

Some Details:
1.  Card Base is a 4 1/4 x 11" piece of Basic Black and score at 5 1/2".

2.  Cut a 4 1/8" x 5 1/4" piece of Silver Foil for first layer.  Note:  I don't like to waste my precious stash of foils so I always cut out something from the center of one of these layers.  In this case it was a 3" x 3 1/2" rectangle. 

3.  Cut a 4" x 5 1/8" piece of Merry Little Christmas DSP for the 2nd layer. 

4.  For the circles I began by cutting a 3" circle from  Basic Black followed by a Silver Foil and DSP layer.  I used a combination of the Stitched Shapes circle dies and old Circle dies for these layers.  The circles were glued together and then glued to the card face on the left hand side.  I also added a 10" length of black satin ribbon on this side of the card.  

5.  I stamped the beautiful deer from the Merry Little Patterns Hostess Stamp Set that I received for free in September, on a 2" x 3" piece of Whisper White.  This rectangle was cut out with the Stitched Rectangles Die.  I stamped a second image on a scrap of Whisper White and cut it out to layer on the first one with Dimensionals.  

What a fun image to play with.  Most of the stamps in this hostess set are 2-step stamps.  First you stamp a beautiful line image of the deer and then you ink up a "filler" stamp and re-stamp to add the sweater. The great thing about the filler stamp is that you can ink it up with whatever colour you want.  What fun! 


This panel was attached to the circle and card base with Dimensionals.  I had to stack two Dimensionals together to raise the rectangle in height so it was evenly mounted.  I stamped the "Merry Christmas" from the Merry Little Patterns set on Whisper White and mounted it on Basic Black.  The silver foil snowflake is from an old die set I had. 


7.  The inside of the card was finished simply by stamping another 2-step stamp, the "tis the season" stamp in Momento Tuxedo Black ink on a 4" x 5 1/4" panel of Whisper White card stock.  Beautiful imagery!

Thanks for coming and checking out my card today.  Hope you liked it as much as I do.  As always, I love to hear your thoughts on my creations as it gives me inspiration to keep on doing this blog.  Don't forget to check out the wonderful creations of the other Design Team Artists by clicking here. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Save the Date for OnLine Extravaganza -Nov 20-27th, 2017

One of my favourite times of the year "Online Extravaganza" is starting soon! That's right it will be here from November 20th to November 27th, and there will be many exclusive deals and sales available during those time.  So mark your calendars today!

You'll want to stay tuned during this Stampin' Up! promotion,  and check back often as there will be a lot of great surprises.  I can't wait to see what the changing options will be.... how exciting!
 
The first incredible offering of this promotion will be the 24-hour stamp sale. This super stamp sale starts at 12:00 AM on Monday November 20th and ends at 11:59 PM November 20.  

That's right, check out this list to see if your favourite set's listed because these select stamp sets will be 20% off during this first 24 hours of Online Extravaganza and they are only available while supplies last.

Stamp Set List Click Here for PDF version

To close out Online Extravaganza with a bang, Stampin' Up! will also hold a special 24-hour flash sale on November 27th, after other Online Extravaganza deals end on the 26th. 

It's easy to shop on line, just click on my shop on line button.  If you don't have an online account it only takes a few minutes to set up and allows to shop at your leisure, how you want, when you want.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #145 - Judy's Masculine "Anything Goes"

Hi Stampers!  Welcome to our Watercooler Wednesday weekly challenge.  This week our hostess is Judy Markowitz and she's challenging you to make a Masculine themed card or project and link it to our challenge site.  

What could be easier, hope you'll join us.  The Linksy is open until 5:00pm on Monday November 20th.  All you have to do is make something masculine and link it to your post through our Linsky and follow a few simple rules.  All the stuff you need to know about playing along is located on the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Main Page. 

Here's My Masculine Card:

Supplies:
Stamps: One Wild Ride, Happy Birthday Gorgeous and Route 66 (Carta Bella)
Ink: Crumb Cake and Early Espresso
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Early Espresso plus a scrap of card stock with a straight edge for Retiform sectioning.
Accessories: Paper Trimmer, Detail Scissors, Post It Notes, Sponge Daubers

Some Details:
1. The card base is a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Crumb Cake scored at 5 1/2".

2. The first layer is a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Early Espresso.

3. The second layer is a 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" piece of Very Vanilla.

4. For the motorcycle layer, I cut rectangles from Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla using my Pinpoint Rectangles dies.  The largest rectangle measures 2 1/8" x 3 1/8" and graduate down in size. 

The edges were sponged with Crumb Cake ink and the sentiment "Birthday Wishes to the Leader of the Pack" from the One Last Ride Stamp set and the tire tread were stamped in Early Espresso ink. The motorcycle was stamped twice on scraps of Very Vanilla ink, fussy cut and the images were put together with Dimensionals. Before layering the motorcycle across this panel, the edges were sponged with Early Espresso ink.

5.  The inside panels are a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of Early Espresso topped with a 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" piece of Very Vanilla. The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp set.  I inked up the motorcycle with Crumb Cake and then stamped off on a scrap of paper before stamping the image on the bottom of the panel.

The technique used for the background of this card is called Retiform. Click here to see a video by Randi Collins that shows the step by step process to create this type of background.

 
You'll need two sponge daubers, 3 or 4 Post It Notes and a strip of scrap card stock that has a straight edge. For the pattern on my Retiform background I randomly stamped images from One Wild Ride and Route 66 stamp sets.

Well that's all there is to this simple card.  I hope you enjoyed it and will try this technique with your own stamps.  It works best with a stamp set that has more imagery than words.  I'd love to see what you create or hear your thoughts on this technique.

If you haven't checked out the entries from the other Watercooler Wednesday Design Team members just click here to return to the home page.
Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

5 Reasons to Reserve the New Stamparatus Stamping Platform

Stampin' Up! introduced their newest product sensation the "Stamparatus" at their recent On Stage event, and from all accounts it was an instant hit with the attending demonstrators. 

Check out Carrie's Video and the 5 reasons why you'll want to have this new tool:  

Benefits:
The Stamparatus will change the way you stamp, and before long, you’ll wonder how you ever crafted without it! Why do YOU need one? What will it do for me?  Okay here's what you'll be able to do with this new tool:

• You'll be able to make multiple stamped images with ease 
• You'll be able to  consistently stamp crisp, clean images by simply applying more ink and re-stamping. 
• You'll definitely make fewer mistakes positioning your stamps, which in the long run will save you time and money, and
• You'll be able to easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using these amazing reversible plates.

Here's some more details about what this well-thought out tool can do:  

1.  Using the two reversible and adjustable hinged plates you'll be able to develop new and specialized stamping techniques and stamp with precision.  the two reversible plates give you four surfaces to stamp with.

2.  You can stamp with your choice of red rubber or Photopolymer stamps simply by using the foam mat that's included with this tool.


3.   There are built in rulers and grid lines for quick measuring

4.  Because there are two open sides on this machine you can stamp on larger sheets of paper.

5.  There are 2 powerful magnets that will hold your paper in place so you can stamp crisp precise images.  The magnet storage slots have been provided on the back of the took, so the magnets are always handy when you need them.
 
How Much and How Do you Get It?:

First of all this stamping tool is reasonably price at $65.00 CDN plus shipping and handling. 
 
Instead of waiting until the new Occasions Catalogue and Sale-A-Bration events happen in January, Stampin up is releasing the Stamparatus in a slightly different way.  You'll be able to reserve yours during three upcoming periods beginning on Thursday November 16th, 2017.  See chart below for time periods and mark your calendar:

The launch will feature three reservation windows:

• Reservation quantities are “while supplies last”.
• Limit is 1 tool per customer
• You may participate in  multiple reservation windows
• In order to reserve your Stamparatus, you are required to provide your credit card information
• Credit cards will not be charged until the Stamparatus ships from Stampin Up.  When you close your order, be sure to verifiy that your credit card and shipping information are correct.

MORE DETAILED Q & A – click here

Reserve your Stamparatus – click here   

PLEASE NOTE – reservations start on November 16th and are while quantities last.


Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot