Pals Color Challenge #175

Fall has arrived and the Pals Paper Challenge design team has selected 3 of the most glorious fall colours for inspiration this week.  I just couldn't resist playing along, and I hope you'll be inspired to do so too!

Today is the beginning of our Thanks Giving Day celebrations in Canada so my choice of cards was easy.  And, since I was already busy putting together a Pinwheel card tutorial I thought perfect, I'll combine this challenge with that - even easier!  

Here's the pinwheel I made:

The card base for the pin wheel is Always Artichoke cut into two 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" squares.  See tutorial for assembly instructions. 

I needed some DSP to correspond but didn't have any so I decided to make my own.  I chose an 8 1/2 x 11"  sheet of So Saffron DSP to make a One Sheet Wonder background.  To begin I stamped the leaves from the Wonderfall stamp set randomly in So Saffron, Always Artichoke and Cajun Craze across the card stock.  I then inked up the tire track, small and large splotches and speckles stamps from Gorgeous Grunge in the same inks with a touch of Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler thrown into the mix.  To finish my One Sheet Wonder I stamped the Off the Grid stamp in Versa Mark ink and embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder.  Voila my very own designer paper.  

This is the One Sheet Wonder with just the Wonderfall Stamp set images stamped on it.

Here is the finished One Sheet Wonder that has images from Gorgeous Grunge and Off the Grid stamped on it along with Wonderfall. 

For this card I cut a 6 x 1" strip of the One Sheet Wonder and worked it into the Pinwheel design.  I needed 4 of the dsp and 4 coordinating squares which I chose to cut out of Champagne Glitter paper.  I think it looks pretty good.  To finish the pinwheel I sponged the around the outside edges with Old Artichoke to give it an aged look and that worked too.  

The sentiment "Happy Thanks Giving" is from the Tags 4 You stamp set in the Holiday Catalogue.  I layered it onto a couple of Cajun Craze bracket labels that I cut in half and glued to the back of the sentiment label.  This piece was adhered with dimensionals to the pinwheel and a couple of basic rhinestones were added for bling. 

The card base is a piece of 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" Always Artichoke card stock that was scored and folded at the center.  Next came a 5 1/4 x 4" piece of the One Sheet Wonder dsp, topped with a 5 1/2" x 1 1/2" strip of So Saffron card stock that was dry embossed with the Honeycomb Embossing Folder.  I thought that added a bit to the outdoor theme.  And finally two 1/4" x 5 1/2" strips of Champagne Glimmer paper were added to this strip before it was adhered to the card front, for some added dazzle.

Although the inside of the card looks almost white in this picture, trust me it is from So Saffron card stock that's been dressed up with some additional stamping from the Gorgeous Grunge and Wonderfall Stamp sets.  The sentiment "Thinking of You" is from the retired All Year Cheer Stamp Set #II, which I simply cannot part with.

Tags 4 You Pinwheel Tutorial

 

In follow up to my workshop at the end of September, I wanted to give each of my new customers a card and a thank you for their orders.  Since the workshop was a Winter/Christmas theme I decided to make each of them a Christmas card that they can actually use.

As these gals are all relatively new to stamping I wanted to keep the card simple and yet fun, so decided on using a pin wheel tag base layered on some of the Seasons of Style Designer Paper and feature the "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" sentiment from the Tags 4 You stamp set.  This is a very simple card and so a great design for a stamp a stack class or when you want to churn out a bunch of cards for your friends and relatives assembly line style.  Here's the "how to's"

Supply List:

Cardstock:  Cherry Cobbler for the card base, Gumball Green for the pinwheel base, Whisper White for the sentiment and inside of the card

Stamps:  Tags 4 You* from the Holiday catalogue, Small Snow flake stamps or some other Winter/Christmas themed stamp to decorate the inside of the card.

Designer Paper: Seasons of Style Designer Paper, Red Glimmer Paper

Ink:  Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler

Accessories:  Chevron Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Bracket Punch*, Apothecary Framelits, Trimmer, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals, Adhesive strips. 

Note:  The Tags 4 You and the Bracket punch can be purchased individually or as a bundle.  You save 15% off total cost before shipping and handling when you buy the bundle.   

For the Card Front:

1. Cut Cherry Cobbler card stock to measure 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" for the base, score at the center and fold.
2. Dry emboss the front panel of the card with the Chevron Embossing Folder
3. Using your trimmer cut a strip of Season of Style DSP to measure 51/2 x 1 1/2" 
4. Cut two 5/12" x 1/4" strips of Red Glimmer Paper
5. Choose which side of the DSP you want facing up, I chose the stripes to contrast with the pinwheel.  On the reverse side lay down two strips of sticky strip - one on each long edge and attach the two 1/4" wide strips of Red Glimmer Paper.  TIP:  I line up the glimmer paper along a straight line on my grid paper, remove the sticky strip backing on one side of the DSP and position this piece over top of the glimmer paper adjusting to make sure the amount of glimmer paper showing is even and then adhere the strip.  I repeat this for the other side of the DSP.  
6. Adhere the DSP/Glimmer paper strip to the front of the card about 5/8" from the bottom.  TIP: Because this piece needs to bear the weight of the pinwheel I adhere it with a couple of sticky strips along each edge.
7. For the pinwheel, cut two 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 squares of Old Olive Card stock.  Lay one square over the other to achieve a Star of David pattern and adhere together.  TIP:  When I make the first pinwheel I always line up the points on grid paper so it's evenly spaced all around.  Once I've adhered the two pieces together, I draw an outline around it so I have a template.  The template acts as a guide for making more pinwheels.  This is really helpful when you're making a lot of these cards.
8. Once the base for the pin wheel is assembled cut eight 1" by 1" squares using your paper trimmer.  TIP: Cut 1" by 6" strips of DSP and then cut these strips down to 1" squares.  When you're assembling the pinwheel alternate the patterns of the DSP to achieve a patchwork effect.
9. See the pictures below for placement of these squares.  It's important that when you place the first square that you only glue down half of it.  When you place the last square on the pinwheel you'll need to lift up the first one and work the last square under it.  Once the last piece is glued down, then glue down the edge from the first square so it lays flat.  This step will make sense when you make your first pinwheel.
10. Stamp the sentiment in Gumball Green on Whisper White card stock and cut out with the bracket punch.  Glue to the center of the pinwheel with dimensionals and add two basic rhinestones for a little more bling.
11. Attach the pinwheel to the center of the strip with dimensionals.

For the inside of this card I cut out Whisper White card stock with the Apothecary Labels Framelits and then stamped some random snowflakes with Cherry Cobbler ink to add some interest.  You could paper pierce this piece to add more interest.

The inside of this card has a piece of Whisper White card stock but to 51/4 x 4" and again some random snowflakes stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink.

Here's a batch of the cards I completed.  Don't they look cheery and bright? This design can be used for any occasion just change up your paper and sentiments.

Making the Pinwheel:

Cut 2 squares measuring 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" from coordinating card stock.  For this example I am using Island Indigo.

Using grid paper, line up the two corners of your square so the points are resting on a line (top and bottom of square).  Adjust the sides of the square so they are in the middle of a grid line.  Draw a line around the square with a marker pen.

Once you've drawn the first square remove the square and this is what it should look like. 

Line up the second square so it intersects with the first one and again draw a line around it with a marker.

Save this drawing because this will become a template that you can use to line up your squares before gluing them together.

Cut strips of designer paper to measure 1" x 6".  Cut these strips into8 1" squares.  If you move the strip along between the inches, it is easier to cut them.  Don't use a 1" punch because you waste dsp. 

Lay out the squares so you have one of one pattern and then the next in the flip side of the DSP. This just makes it easier to grab the next square for gluing onto the grid.

Glue the first square to the top pointed piece of the pinwheel.  This is your starting piece.

Only put adhesive on the right hand side of the 1" square so you can lift it at the end. You'll see when we get to that picture why you do this.

Once you have the first square in place just continue around overlapping squares and reversing the patterns as you go.

Okay now you need to lift the left hand corner of the first square.

While the corner is lifted fit the last 1" square in place and glue down, then add adhesive to the left had corner of the first square and glue it down. 

When it's all finished your pinwheel will look like this.  Make sure all the squares are glued down so they don't catch and lift.  You're now ready to put whatever embellishment you choose in the center of the square so the construction part is covered. 

To construct the strip on the face of the card cut a piece of DSP from the same paper you chose for the pinwheel to 5 1/2" x 1 1/2".  Also cut two strips of card stock or glimmer paper 1/4" x 5 1/2".  These strips will be mounted on either side of the dsp strip before it's adhered to the card front.

Just put sticky strip on the back of the DSP piece long edges and then add the smaller card stock strips.  Make sure they measure the same when you look at the flip side - see next picture.

I added a snowflake to the front of this card so this picture just shows the Festive Flurry snowflake image cut out in Silver Glimmer paper being added to the front of the pinwheel. 

Here's the finished card with the embellishment added.  I used the Honeysuckle Embossing Folder to dress up the front of the card.  Kind of looks like ice crystals. 

This is the inside of the card.  Both stamp sets used are retired.

Here are some additional pinwheel samples.  You can make these ahead and just add them to your cards when you make them.  They're so much fun to make and so quick once your pieces are cut out.  This is a terrific way to use up scraps.  

 

The sentiment is from the Chalk Talk stamp set and is mounted on a Red Glimmer paper scallop circle.  Silver glimmer paper replaces 4 of the 1" squares to add some bling. 

This one features Red Glimmer Paper matched up with Cherry Cobbler card stock and Season of Style Designer Series of Paper.  The stamp is from the Tags 4 You stamp set.

Here's one for Thanks Giving that was made for the Pals Paper Challenge #175 this week.  I made the designer paper as part of a One Sheet Wonder using the Wonderfall Stamp set and Gorgeous Grunge.  The patterns are stamped in Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso inks.  I added Champagne Glimmer Paper for some bling.  The sentiment is punched out with the Bracket punch and then I punched out two more bracket labels, cut them in half and fitted them to the back of the sentiment.  Easy peasy!

Here's one I made last year using the Ornaments Stamp set and Framelits.  It was mounted on a quilt base that was achieved with strips of dsp on adhesive sheets. 

And that's it for this tutorial and post.  Hope you enjoyed it.  I'd love to have your comments and if you make one using this tutorial please link back to me.  Appreciated.

LNS Treasure Hunt - Canadian Clue Hunters!!!!

Where are the Canadian Clue Hunters?

Where are you?  The LNS Fall Treasure Hunt will be coming to an end on October 24th and I haven't received a single CANADIAN entry? I've received entries from  Americans and I've sent those off to American demos so they can be entered in the contest - but, and this is heartbreaking - not a single Canadian entry.  Where are you? 

Have you forgotten that you can win some great prizes? I'm hoping to get some action because I'm counting down the days until I submit Canadian entries to Deb Smart for the big draw on October28th and I need you to participate!  

Don't know what to do?  Okay here are some "clues " I mean tips on how to play along:

1. Anyone can play but Canadians need to submit their clue lists to Canadian demos and I'm one of them.  Note:  Americans, Australians and players from the UK need to submit your clue lists to a rep from your own country, so you can be entered for those prize draws. 

2.  To find the clues just go to the LNS Fall Treasure Hunt Blog Hop menu at the top of the page, click on it and then just select and click on any of the links (doesn't matter if the demo you click on is from the US, Canada, Australia or the UK).  You'll know these demos are playing because they'll have the LNS Treasure Hunt badge on their blogs.  

3.Find the clues - there will be a picture of a Stampin Up! product with a caption that says something like "This is My Clue".  Sometimes you have to hunt, but that's the fun of it.  There are so many awesome blogs and so many great projects featured on them.  Leave them some love.  Some of the sites are offering "blog candy" too just for playing along, so you might win twice (but make sure you read the fine print because you may only be eligible for Canadian blog candy).

4.  List the name of the blog owner and the Treasure Hunt clue.  When you have 50 clues on your list submit it to me by email at:  pennyhanuszak@telus.net.

5.  If you can't submit your list to me by October 19th then submit it to one of the other Canadian demonstrators by the 23rd of October so you can make sure your entry is in the draw.  

See, simple!  Hope you're a winner!  Go grab a coffee and visit my LNS Fall Treasure Hunt list at the top of the page.  Here's my clue to start you off:

Best of 25 Years - Christmas Theme

Released October 1st. 

Stampin' Up! released the Best of the Christmas Theme stamp sets on October 1st, just in time for those Christmas card making sessions everyone's planning.  

They've added a new stamp (highlighted in yellow) to these favourites.  I love the Dasher stamp, it's one of my all time favourites.

Check out the my "Best of 25" page at the top of my home page for all the details on how you can earn a free stamp set, simple by purchasing six of the Best of Series of stamps.  All the details and links to the previous months of stamp sets are there. 

Christmas Collectibles:

If you like the Merry Christmas Ornament stamp's design featured in the Best of 25, but would like more then check out the "Christmas Collectibles" stamp set and coordinating Christmas Ornament Punch featured on page 35 of the Holiday catalogue.  

This set features five stamps, each one sporting a different interior design.  Just imagine the fun you can have with these stamps. You can even bundle the Christmas Collectibles and Christmas Ornament Punch and save 15%, so check it out today. 

Monstermaniacs

Monstermaniacs Clear-Mount Stamp Set     134972 
Preferred Price: $14.95

Monstermaniacs, by Doris D., is the second winning stamp set from In With You, Stampin Ups! new stamp set design challenge beta program.

In July, art enthusiasts were given the challenge to create a monster themed stamp set. Voters fell in love with her design and voted the set to victory!

Stampin' Up! will be running ongoing contests and would love your participation! Join the fun at http://inwithyou.ideascale.com

Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags and Stamps - New Release

Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags and Stamps
October 4, 2013 

Stampin' Up! has just released information about their new Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags.  These pre-printed gift tags come in a booklet of 70+ tags in five different designs. 

These tags are perfect for this season, especially for those of you who may not know which punch or die shapes you're interested in buying to make your own tags.  

They also make perfect hostess gifts - "think for the hostess who has everything", or how about ordering two sets of tags, because the basics will last for a long time, but the tag sets will only last until December 31st, 2013 and then they are gone forever.  

So here are a few options you can choose from depending on your needs: 

Item #	Description	Price
134975	Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Book (70+tags)	$11.95
134623	Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp Set	$16.95
135921	Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Bundle includes: ·    Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Book ·    Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp Set	$22.95
135290	Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Starter Bundle (for beginner stampers or those who want it all!): ·   Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags Book ·   Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp Set ·   Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Spot ·   Clear Block C	$27.95

World Card Making Day - Cards Two, Three and Four

For this post I'm going to share three Christmas themed cards that I made with my downline Sheri during our "Stampin' On Tuesday" session this week.  What a fun and productive day we had - so many laughs! 

1.  Poinsettia Card

My version of Tanya's card

While checking out clues on the LNS Fall Treasure Hunt blog list I visited Tanya Stottlemire's "Scramptastic" blog and I found some cards that really inspired me. Tanya had created a poinsettia flower using the Mosaic Madness stamp set and I just knew I had to CAS her layout.  You can check out Tanya's original card here:   

To make this card more my own, I changed up the direction of the card, added some Champagne Glimmer Paper and changed the sentiment.  Here are the supplies I used:

Supplies and Method:
Stamp sets:  Mosaic Madness and Greetings of the Season (retired)
Card Stock:  Riding Hood Red (retired), Whisper White, Champagne Glimmer Paper, and Old Olive
Ink:  Red Riding Hood (retired), Old Olive
Accessories:  Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder, Mosaic punch, 1/2" and 1" circle punches, 7/8" scalloped circle punch, Decorative Label punch.

1. Cut 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" base from Riding Hood Red card stock and score at center.
2. Cut a piece of Whisper White to 5 1/4 x 4" and dry emboss with the Mosaic Embossing folder.
3. For the flower stamp 5 mosaic tiles with the floral design in Red Riding Hood red ink on matching card stock and punch out with Mosaic punch.
4. Stamp 3 striped mosaic tiles onto scrap of Old Olive card stock and punch out with Mosaic punch.
5. Punch a 1" circle in scrap card stock and use this for the base of the flower petals.  Arrange flower petals around it and adhere with glue dots once you've positioned them properly.  Then add the three leaves.
6. Punch out a 7/8" scallop circle from Champagne Glimmer Paper for the center of the flower.
7. Stamp a small center design from Mosaic stamp set in Riding Hood Red on Whisper White card stock scrap and punch out with 1/2" circle.  Add with dimensional to center of flower.
8. Put dimensionals on the back of the flower design and leaves and add to the card face positioning it where you like it.  I chose to do my card with a side fold so positioned the flower to the top left of the card leaving room at the bottom for my sentiment.
9. Stamp the Noel sentiment in Old Olive on scrap of Whisper White and punch out with Decorative Label punch.  Punch out another label in Red Riding hood and cut in half, position it on the back of the Whisper White label so the red shows on either side of the sentiment.  Attach to card front with dimensionals.

2.  Santa Suit Card
I've seen several versions of a Santa Suit card over the past year or so but never tried making one until I came upon Tanya's blog post.  I just loved her version and was inspired to try my hand at making one.  Here's Tanya's card and also a link to Tracy Bradley's "Stamping With Tracy Blog where Tanya first saw it.  I love this sharing! 

For my version of this card I added some paper piercing around the beard and the cute little "Ho, Ho,Ho" sentiment from the Oh Goodie stamp set in the holiday catalogue. To line up the wording I stamped using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure everything was evenly spaced.  The beard was cut out of Whisper White card stock with the Apothecary Framelits and then paper pierced using the coordinating Essentials #126187 Paper-Piercing Pack. 

The inside is pretty simple.  I cut an additional image in Whisper White with the Apothecary framelits die, paper pierced it around the edges and adhered this piece to the inside wall of the card.

This is Sheri's version.  She changed up the beard by dry embossing it with the Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder and changing the sentiment setup.  I really like Sheri's version. 

Supplies and Method:

1. Cut a piece of Real Red card stock to 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 and score at center.  This will be a side fold card.
2. Cut strip of Basic Black card stock to 1 1/4" x 4 1/4" for belt and a 1 1/4" square* for buckle. Adhere this strip about 3/4" from the bottom edge of the card.  Trim off any overlap on the edges. *Note:  I punched mine out using the 1/14" punch but if you don't have that punch just use your trimmer.
3. Cut a scrap piece of Silver Glimmer Paper to 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" and adhere with sticky strip in the center of the black belt strip.  Add the 1 1/4 inch Basic Black square with dimensionals to the center of the Silver Glimmer part.  Now you have a great Santa belt! 
4. To finish the suit punch out two Silver Glimmer Paper buttons using the 1/2" circle punch and adhere them to the center of the card with dimensionals.
5. For the Beard and the inside of the card cut two of the 4 7/8" x 2 3/4" shape Apothecary Framelits from Whisper White card stock. For the beard you will need to cut a piece that measures 2 1/4" from the top point of the accent piece to the end. Make sure this piece is cut straight as it needs to be adhered to the edge of the red card base. Hang on to the piece you cut off because I know you're going to want to make more of these darling cards.  Okay glue the second Apothecary piece to the inside of the card for your messaging.  
6. Before gluing the beard and the messaging piece onto the card make sure you read my notes above regarding the different finishes Sheri and I used for the sentiment, decorating the beard, i.e. paper piercing or dry embossing and the messaging piece of the card.

3.  The Mosaic Christmas Tree 
I'm not sure who to give credit to for this next card, because I misplaced the name, but I know I found it on one of the LNS Fall Treasure Hunt blogs when I was clue hunting and I actually thought Tanya had made it.  Anyway if you made it and want credit, just drop me a line. 

This is my version and unfortunately I don't have a picture of Sheri's card which looked more like the original and sported a Merry Christmas sentiment below the tree base that was cut out with the word window. So, you have to trust me when I say her card was awesome! 

Essentially this is a very quick card to make. The most time consuming part of the assembly is getting the mosaic tiles to line up straight.  For my card I started at the bottom by adding the tree stump and building the tree from the bottom up. Sheri on the other hand felt more comfortable starting at the top layer of the mosaics and working her way down.  You choose which method works best for you.  The originator of the design actually made a template of dots, that looked something like this: 

 
Supplies and Method:

Stamp Sets:  Mosaic Madness and Tag It for the sentiment


Card stock:  Riding Hood Red (retired)**, Whisper White, Early Espresso (scrap) and Red Glimmer Paper (scrap)


Ink:  Riding Hood Red (retired), Wild Wassabi, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive

Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones, Mosaic Punch, Bracket Punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Northern Flurry Embossing folder, and Big Shot machine.  

1. Cut card base at 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" from Riding Hood Red card stock and score and fold at center.  This will be a side fold card.
2. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to 4 x 5 1/4" and dry emboss with the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  I chose to emboss the full image of the snowflakes on the embossing folder, but when Sheri made her card she positioned her card stock so that only the small embossed snowflakes showed at the top.  This looked really cool too. Adhere this piece to the card base using snail or sticky strip. 
3. Stamp Tag It sentiment in Riding Hood Red ink on a scrap of Whisper White card stock and cut it out with the Bracket punch.  Cool punch!  Using dimensionals, mount the sentiment in the upper left corner of the card.
4. For the tree base, I used the Cup Cake Builder punch to cut the scrap of Early Espresso into a small tree stump or pot. Then,  I temporarily positioned this piece at the bottom of the card, leaving about 1/4" between the tree base and the bottom of the Whisper White layer, until I had my first row of mosaic tiles adhered.  I wanted to make sure the tree aligned correctly then I repositioned it so it was centered for the tree.  I glued this piece with sticky strip to the Whisper White layer.
5. For the tree you need to stamp the following and punch them out with the Mosaic Punch:
1. 4 mosaic tiles in Wild Wasabi that have a center pattern.  Adhere a basic rhinestone to the center of each design.
2. 3 striped pattern mosaic tiles in Pear Pizzazz
3. 3 solid pattern mosaic tiles in Old Olive
6. Following my card layout and starting at the bottom of the tree lay out four mosaic tiles - two patterned on the ends and a stripe and solid on the center.  I glued the patterned tiles on with dimensionals and the others with snail.  Overlap the tile pieces if it makes your layout look better, but only by a smidge.
7. Repeat for the next line, but reduce to 3 tiles and keep the patterned one in the center, again mounted with a dimensional.
8. Repeat once again dropping down to two tiles - one striped and one solid.  Then finish the tree with the patterned tile at the top mounted with dimensionals.
9. For the tree topper, I punched out a small star from Red Glimmer Paper and added a basic rhinestone to the center, then mounted it with a dimensional.   

And that's all there is to my three fun Christmas/seasonal themed cards.  I hope you enjoyed them.  Leave me a note if you did, I love getting your comments, it makes my day!  

Penny