Sending a Little Sunshine

We're already a week into March and so far we've had an arctic front, snow, heavy frost,hail, wind, rain and more rain. After a weekend of gray skies, heavy rain and winds I'm trying to stay optimistic and hoping for some sunshine and dryer weather in the days to come. 

With the weather focus on mind I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #FMS626 for my inspiration. Here's the sketch:

FMS#626

HERE'S MY CARD:

I chose to design a positive card with a "rain and sun theme" that could be used for a variety of occasions.  

Remembering that the sketch challenge rules say it's okay to replace the circles with another image, I went ahead and changed the half circles with clouds. My basic white stitched clouds were die cut using the medium cloud die in the Stampin' Up! Bright Skies bundle featured on page 51 of the Annual Catalogue.  

There's also a cheerful little sun that's part of the coordinating stamp set and it has dies that make it easy to cut out and add dimension.  I stamped the sun in Daffodil Delight and used the small stitched circle die to cut a center for the sun from Daffodil Delight card stock.

I chose the "Sunshine to Brighten Your Day" sentiment from the "Sending Smiles" (#158701) stamp set on page 26 of the Annual Catalogue, and embossed it on a strip of basic black cardstock with Versamark ink and White Embossing Powder. I cut out the sentiment strip with the larger of the two label dies in the coordinating "Sending" (#159271) die set. What fun!  I love all nine of the sentiments in this stamp set, and any one of them would have worked perfectly with this theme. 

The Smokey Slate card base for this card measures 4 1/4" x 11" and is scored at the 5 1/2"  center line. I added a layer of Basic White 5 3/8" x 4 1/8", a layer of Balmy Blue 5 1/4" x 4" and a layer of Rain or Shine designer series paper that measured 3 7/8" x 51/8".  This piece of DSP has a myriad of glossing raised raindrops that capture the light when the card is turned. 

For the inside of the card I cut a 5 1/4" X 4" basic white panel and adhered another die cut sun to the bottom right hand corner.  I left the rest blank for a personal message. 

So that's my card for today.  I appreciate your dropping by to visit, and hope if my card inspired you in any way that you'll leave me a comment.  I super enjoy doing card challenges as it's a way of stimulating my creativeness and this weeks FMS#626 was perfect for that.  

Why not try out this challenge yourself, there's still a bit of time to do it.  Cheers and have a good week!

HAPPY STAMPING
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin Up Demo since 2006
Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Webstore

International Women's Day - Card Making

Happy March 8th and celebration of International Women's Day. International Women's Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. Purple, green and white are the colors of International Women's Day, an annual event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

My journey with Stampin' Up! started in 2006 and has given me the opportunity to celebrate creativity with women all over the world.  Whether we're coming together to make cards or scrapbooking or share our love of papercrafting it doesn't matter who we are.  There are no boundaries to the friendship, caring and camaraderie we've shared.  

So here's my salute and shout out to women papercrafters around the world. Keep your creativity positive and ongoing!  

HERE'S MY CARD: 

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Visit my 24/7 Online Web Site: 

Click here to see the benefit of adding my March Hostess Code to your order.

On Line Exclusives ReFresh Starts Today!

Oh Happy Day!  Over the past week or so you may have seen some "sneak peek" cards or projects featuring new Stampin' Up! products and wondered how do I get my hands on those.  Well the wait is over!  

Starting today, March the 5th, 2024 you can begin shopping the new Online Exclusive product line. These new products are not in any catalogue and are only available online, and require an Online Account to place your order.

 It's easy to set up an account with me, but if you run into any difficulties or have questions don't hesitate to contact me for assistance. 

Online Exclusive products have no fixed end date.  Some of the Online Exclusives are available only while supplies last, and others will be reordered when inventory is low.  In this way, Stampin' Up! can offer even more new products throughout the year.

 

Click here to view the flyer or you can scan the bar code below to check out what was added today.  

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store 

Zany Zoo March Birthdays #FMS645

March is always a busy month for me.  I have so many friends celebrating birthdays or anniversaries that my to do calendar is full.  I don't mind though, it's fun to celebrate and make someone's day with some happy mail! 

For today's card I've used the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #FMS625

HERE'S MY CARD: 

For today's card I used a fun birthday stamp and die bundle from the Annual Catalogue called Zany Zoo #161315.  There are 20 dies and 11 red cling stamps in this bundle.  The full suite called the ZOO Crew on pages 46 and 47 of the catalogue includes the beautiful Zany Zoo 12 x 12 designer series paper, as well as the stamps, dies and coordinating pastel ribbon  Duo pack.  Love it!  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator

Shop in my 24/7 On-line Store: 

Jungle Pals TSOT#641

The mid-month sketch challenge from Try Stamping on Tuesday (TSOT) #641 runs to March 3rd, 2024.  I decided to give it a try.  Here is the sketch: 

Click here to see the TSOT design  team cards. 

Here is My Card:

This card is for one of my stamping friends who's currently going through some pretty rough health issues and needs something to lift her spirits. I decided I would use one of my Sale-a-bration stamp sets called Jungle Pals and the coordinating dies and try and create a fun card. 

Stamping Products Used:

Stamp Set & Dies: Jungle Pals (Sale-a-bration now retired)
Cardstock: Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lolly and Whisper White

Ink: Momento Black Ink, Granny Apple Green, Lost Lagoon, Lemon Lolly, Wheat, Sweet Sorbet

Blends: L&D Crumb Cake, L&D Gray Granite, L&D Black

Accessories:  White and Pink Pearlized L&S adhesive sequins, Dimensionals, Mini Cut and Emboss Machine, Tom Bow Adhesive, Acrylic Blocks, Regular and Mini blender brushes.  

• The card base measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/4"
• Mat Layer 5 1/4 x 4" piece of Lemon Lolly cardstock, adhered to the base
• 51/8 x 3 7/8" layer of Whisper White for top layer.  I used this piece of card stock beneath my die cut images when I was colouring them with blends to colour the background and make it more interesting. 
• All the leaves, tree trunk and flowers were cut from scraps of Whisper White card stock and then coloured with blending brushes (see Products). 
• The Sloth and the cat were stamped in Momento Black ink on Whisper White cardstock and then coloured with blends and cut out with the coordinating dies.  The Sloth was mounted with Dimensionals to the tree branch.  

For my version of the TSOT #651 sketch, I used the tree for the long vertical  layer.  The leaves at the bottom actually cross over and behind the tree so they represent the strip that runs horizontal on the card, and, the Sloth and flowers and additional leaves are the focal .  

I love the images of the leaves on the background layer I created just by colouring the leaves and flowers with the various layers of ink on top of this whisper white layer.  I moved the images around as I coloured so that the ink would cover the whole area of the layer.  It really looks like the jungle.  

I enhanced the size of the tree trunk by leaving a margin on the right hand side of the tree when I made the first cut.  Then I ran it through the mini cut n' emboss again, moving the die so it cut to the left on the margin which left little stubs of the branches on the side.  You can see them in the photo below.  

Well that's it for this sketch challenge and my Jungle Pals get well card.  I had a lot of fun playing with the dies and stamps in this set and have already started a couple of other cards that I'll post later this week.  What fun!  

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demo 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store: 

NOTE:  I wasn't paying attention to the TSOT deadline, thinking I had all day, unfortunately it closed at 1pm MT today, so I missed entering my card.  Oh well the sketch still inspired me to make a card and there's lots of great samples on the web link for TSOT.!  

MY MARCH 2024 HOSTESS CODE

 HELLO MARCH

My March Hostess Code PN4VBUTU starts today and runs through to March 31st at noon. May the Luck of the Irish be with you this month!

Every papercrafter needs stuff, but not everyone can afford to place orders over $200 or host workshops to accumulate sales, so offering my monthly hostess code for smaller orders, is my way of saying "thanks for supporting my business".  

If you're planning on placing an order valued from $60 to $199.00 (before shipping and tax) during the month of March add this code at the end of your order to receive a small token of my appreciation and thank you card. 

The benefits of shopping at my online store and adding my monthly Hostess Code are:

• You never have to go to a workshop or party. 
• If you need help with your product choices I'm always here to help. 
• You get to decide when to place your order and my online store is available 24/7.
• Your new products are shipped directly to your front door and generally arrive within 5-7 days of placing your online order.

After you've  placed your order and applied the current hostess code you'll receive a free surprise gift from me and thank you card  generally within 2-3 weeks.  

Here's How It Works:  

My monthly Hostess Code/free gift offer is only available for orders placed on-line and you must add the hostess code before the order is finalized.  If you don't already have an online account with me, you'll need to set one up. It's fast and easy.

Once you've got your account set up you simply type in the monthly hostess code at checkout to any qualifying order valued from $60 to $199.00 (before shipping, tax and handling). 

Before you finalize your order at checkout you must add my hostess code to the circled area.  Make sure before you place your order to have the current code because once your order has been finalized, I can't add the code for you, and unfortunately you will not qualify for my free gift although you'll still receive a thank you card from me.   

If your order totals more than $200, no worries, you'll automatically receive Stampin' Rewards at the checkout based on your order total and will be prompted to enter products adding up to the qualifying amount before you proceed to checkout.

NOTE:  My March Hostess Code promo closes at noon on March 31, 2024.  Your free gift and thank you card will be sent to you by the 3rd week in April.

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up Demo

Click Here To Go To  My 24/7 Online Store 

Cascading Folds Fancy Fold Cards

Have you ever received a handmade card from a fellow stamper that leaves you speechless and wanting to craft?  That's what happened when I opened this beautiful birthday card made by my friend Debby Evoy. Honestly when I pulled it from its fancy envelope,  I just stood there checking it out for at least 5 minutes. It was the prettiest card I'd received and I didn't want to put it down.  

What impressed me so much about this card?  Well, what didn't!  I loved the double tone cardstock layers and mix for the branches. And, I was really taken with the Perennial Lavender designer series paper layers. The focal point florals, tiny butterflies, amethyst gems (my birthstone) and lovely draped folds captured and held my attention. Honestly, opening this special fancy fold card was truly a WOW, WOW, WOW moment for this cardmaker. Thanks Deb for making my day special! 

Prior to Debby's card arriving I had a couple of cards in the works, that were  inspired by posts on Youtube and Pinterest. This fancy fold card style comes in a variety of names.  It's most commonly referred to on social media as a Cascading Pleat or Three Panel Fold Card.  There are also a variety of sizes and orientations.  One thing all of these cards have in common despite their different names and sizes, is they have easy to follow directions and there are many beautiful samples to inspire you. 

I reviewed a lot of different posts and samples before I made my cards, but my favourites were those demonstrated by Lesly Kilby of the UK, Tami White, Dawn Griffith, and Susan Camfield (Suestampfield).  Sizes and measurements on each of their posts.   

Here Are My Cards:  

I was making a get well card for a very sick friend and wanted something special.  Because I wanted to send some positive vibes I chose the Sunny Days 12 x 12 Designer Series Paper and the Brighter Skies stamp set to achieve this. 

My moods are highly influenced by colour so I wanted to project a soft and soothing background for my get well card.  The colour mix of Pool Party, Shaded Spruce, Smokey Slate and Whisper White in the Sunny Days dsp provided that  soothing feel. Also raindrops, clouds, and rainbow designs when mixed together were very cheery. 

This is a back view of the card base showing a better view of the cascading pleats. I scored and cut the card base, all the mats and DSP layers and did the sentiment stamping before I started assembling the card.  It came together very quickly.

This picture shows the front panel, that began with a piece of cloud covered dsp followed by a mat of Pool Party cardstock. The rain drops on the whisper white mat were stamped in Smokey Slate.  The raindrop stamp and the sentiment are both from the Bright Skies #162787 stamp set. I finished this panel by adding 5 pool party opaque faceted gems and although you can't see it I used Wink of Stella to add some shine to the raindrops. 

For the second or middle panel I adhered a piece of raindrop dsp.  When I planned the layers for this card I decided to stamp this adorable bunny from the "Playing in the Rain stamp set. This character has just the right amount of positivity and cheer to make my "feel good" get well card.  The image was coloured with Petal Pink, Smokey Slate and Pool Party Stampin' Up! blends 

The Playing In The Rain Stamp Set #160542 coordinates beautifully with the Bright Skies #162787 stamp set and dies #162793.  It's available in the current Annual Catalogue on page 60. 

This cool rainbow dsp was adhered to the inside panel of  the card.  added a smaller mat to the center so that the dsp would be the spotlight on this panel.  The "get well wishes" stamp is from the retired Petite Pairs stamp set which retired years ago and the umbrella is from the Playing in the Rain stamp set.  

HERE'S MY SECOND CARD SAMPLE: 

My second Cascading Pleat card is for a friend's masculine milestone birthday. He loves carpentry and Mr. Fix It stuff, so I know he'll love this one.  

This card was made in the landscape or horizontal orientation mode.  Although the card is assembled in the same way as my first card, the measurements are quite different and I had to make adjustments to the PDF instructions I was following.  

The tools were fussy cut from the free Sale-a-bration 12 x 12 designer called Trusty Toolbox. I used some dies from the Trusty Tools bundle on page 56 of the January Mini Catalogue.  I love the pegboard background die and the toolbox.  Both are easy to cut and or assemble.   

Another great stamp set I used from the Sale-A-Bration flyer was called Heartfelt Hellos.  I can't tell you how many cards I've made using the Enjoy Your Day sentiment over the past two months and I'll be sad to see it retired at the end of February. In fact I wish this one would carry over into the next catalogue season. 

The birthday sentiment and cake stamps on the middle panel are from the Hey Chuck stamp featured on page 49 of the Annual Catalogue.  Both were stamped in Smokey Slate ink, on the Whisper White banner.  I used the Nested Essentials Die set to die cut the banner for this focal point as well as some silver foil nuts and a screw from the Trusty Tools dies.  

Well that's it for today and I hope you enjoyed both of my versions of the Cascading Pleat card. I'll be making and giving away more of this style of card in future because it was so much fun to make.  All you need to make this card is a good mix of dsp and coordinating cardstock.

I hope you'll give this fancy fold a try, you're sure to find it easy to make.  I suggest you watch any of the crafters videos on YouTube first so you can get the full cutting instructions and see how the cascading fold is created.  

Let me know how whether you've tried to make a Cascading Pleat card or would like  to try it out.  I love to receive your comments and hear or see what you're creating.  Cheers and have a good week.   

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Shop My  24/7 Online Store