Sprinkles of Life Birthday Card

Samples from pg 189 of the Share the Fun Annual Catalogue

I purchased the Sprinkles of Life stamp set featured on page 189 of Stampin' Ups! new "Share the Fun" 2015-16 catalogue, and I'm having so much fun with it. 

This very special stamp set has 22 images.  It's a two-step Photopolymer stamp set that co-ordinates with the brand new Tree Builder punch seen on page 167 of the catalogue.   Two-step stamping is a really great way to layer your images.

Sprinkles of Life 22 Photopolymer stamps in English (139971) or French. Use clear acrylic blocks - a, c and g.  

Tree Builder Punch Item #7.  Multiple shapes for layering and more.  $22.00

Besides all the great sentiments and images in this set it's very special for another reason.  The purchase of this stamp set can "Make a Difference" to families with children who are receiving medical treatment far from home and supported through Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).  Stampin' Up! donates $3 to RMHC from the purchase price of every Sprinkles of Life stamp set sold.  Todate, Stampin' Up! has donated  over a million dollars to RMHC and their network of local RMHC chapters.  Isn't that awesome?

Whatever your celebration is and whether you want to stamp a tree, an ice cream cone or a cupcake, this stamp set's got it all.  Here are some fun projects I've made with the set.  

My Sprinkles of Life Birthday Card was inspired by Carol Payne's recent post in which she combined this set and the Mini Gift Bag Thinlet to make a gift card holder. Great idea! 

Here's my version:

I made a whole card, using Daffodil Delight for the card base, and I mounted the Mini Gift Bag to the front of the card.   I've added an insert with the gift card.  Here's a view of the outside front of the card.  I luv, luv, luv it! 

And, this is what it looks like opened to the center of the card.  Lots of room for writing a note and birthday wishes.

I used the  Big on You (retired) stamp set for the inside of the card.  Love the Cucumber Crush ink  with the Daffodil Delight

 Here are some more pictures showing the detail:

I love adding the Dazzling Details to these scoops of ice cream.  It just seems to bring them to life.  I also am a fan of the Big Dot Embossing Folder which adds just a subtle hint of texture behind the cone and ties in with the balloons on the designer series paper. 

 The sentiment is from the Sprinkles of Life set.  The tag was cut out with the Banner Triple punch.  The insert for the Gift bag was made with a

The ice cream on the top of the cone is used to pull the gift card from the gift bag, so you need to ensure it's really mounted securely to the top of the white card stock piece. 

Another project I made using the "ice cream cone" images from the stamp set was rosettes for my summer banner.  The ice cream cones just added the perfect touch.  Here are some close-ups:

Well that's it for today, but I'll be back on August 20th along with the other members of the Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop.  We'll each be presenting two projects focusing on the Sprinkles of Life stamp set.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.  Hope you'll bookmark that date and drop by for a visit!

Paper Pumpkin Savings for First Time Subscribers

Want to stamp but aren't sure if you want to make an investment in stamps, ink and paper or more?  Looking for a relaxing hobby but don't know what you want to do?  How about stamping? Stamping for card making, scrapbooking, home decor or 3-D paper creations, is an addictive and fun way to spend your spare time. And, it's so rewarding!

If you're hesitating about commitment, then maybe it's time to think about Paper Pumpkin's monthly paper crafting kits, they may be just the right solution for you.  

How does it work?  Well each month after joining Paper Pumpkin you will receive a kit with everything you need to make a super project.  That's right, ink, embellishments, stamps, whatever.  Your investment will only be $24.95 per month plus sales tax (shipping is included).  

Special Offer for New First Time Subscribers:
Stampin' Up! has just announced that from now until September 10, first-time Paper Pumpkin subscribers can skip to the savings with 50% off their first two months!

This is such a great deal and great way to try out Paper Pumpkin on a trial basis.  If you decide to continue subscribing after this offer expires you can keep your creativity going for the standard $24.95 CAD + tax per month (shipping included). 

All you have to do to take advantage of this offer is to visit PaperPumpkin.com and join! Use promo code: HALFOFF and sign up by Thursday, September 10, 2015, at 11:50 PM (MT).   

Oh and make sure you choose me as your demonstrator, because I'll provide free help if you want it when making your projects. 

That's it ............easy as Pumpkin Pie!  

Happy Stamping! 
Penny Tokens 

WWC#29 - Bev's Special Folds Challenge

When I was looking through this week's challenge blogs, I came across Bev's Special Folds Challenge on the Wacky Watercooler challenge site.  

I love getting creative with fancy card folds, so this challenge was right up my alley and made me want to play along too.  

Here's My Card:
Since I have a whole slew of Fall male birthdays hanging in the wings, I chose to make a fancy fold male birthday card.  Choosing the Guys Greetings stamp set for this card was another easy choice.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Guy Greetings
Ink:  Soft Suede
Card Stock:  Sahara Sand and Soft Suede
Accessories:  Scalloped Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Scalloped Border Punch, Detail Scissors, Woodgrain Embossing Folder (TIEF), Circle Framelits, Big Shot machine, Trimmer, dimensionals and adhesive strip. 

Measurements:

• 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" piece of Soft Suede for card base
• 5 1/4" x 9 1/2" piece of Sahara Sand card stock scored at 2 1/2" and 51/2"
• 5 1/4" x 1" strip of Soft Suede for Scalloped Border layer
• 1/8" x 5 1/4" strip of Soft Suede for inside border
• Additional Sahara Sand for stamping two sets of hats

Special Fold Design:
The design of this card is called an Altered Z fold.  I first saw this design in a video posted by Dawn Griffiths (see link at the end of this post), and later on Pinterest.  This is a very fast and easy fun fold card and can be adapted for any occasion. 

I placed a small pencil mark on the inside of the top and bottom of the circle inside the card so my "guy" image would show well through the opening.

Add caption

I used my 2 1/2" Circle Framelits to cut the whole through the two layers of card stock.  The "guy" and the sentiment "To A Classic" were stamped in Soft Suede ink. 

Don't you just love these hats?  I stamped them once in a continuous line on the right edge of the inside of the card.  Using a separate piece of Sahara Sand card stock, I punched them again and then fussy cut and adhered the individual hats with small pieces of dimensionals, to the first stamped images. I also added a 1/8" strip of Soft Suede card stock above the hats, to give some separation between the writing space and the hats.

Note:  If you look at the picture of the stamp set above you'll see there are two sets of hats in the Photopolymer image.  From past experience, I found it really difficult to stamp the hats in a line without getting a halo on my work, so I chose to separate the solid stamp into two stamps by very carefully cutting in between the images.  

I love the old fashioned font they've used for the sentiments in the Guy Greeting stamp set.  I used Soft Suede ink for the "Happy Birthday" greeting and the sponging around the oval and mounted this piece with dimensionals to the background oval. The background layer was punched out with the Scalloped  Edge Oval punch.  Note:  When mounting the greeting layer on the card front make sure the glue only goes half way on the oval so it doesn't show from the inside of the card.  The scalloped edge on the left of the card front was punched from a 5 1/4 by 1" strip of Soft Suede card stock using the Scalloped Edge Border Punch.  Once this piece is in place, the front flap is secured with adhesive. 

The Woodgrain TIEF adds a nice manly texture to the front of the card.  I have to say I found it difficult to emboss this part of the card, it wouldn't fit sideways in the embossing folder. To compensate for this I had to emboss one side of the circle, remove and reposition the embossing folder and run the second side through the Big Shot.  This actually worked out okay and it's difficult to see where the join is. 

 I love these little hats!  I think this grouping added a nice finishing touch to the card front. They were fussy cut and mounted with dimensionals.

So that's it for my challenge card this week. I hope you liked my special fold technique.  If you want more specific information on how to make this Altered Z Fold card just take a look at this card I made last Easter and use the links to see a video by Dawn Griffith.

You can find this card here and a link to Dawn Griffith's  video showing how to make it.  Enjoy!  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens

I Missed the Weekly Deal

I want to share what happened to me this week.  It's not a pretty story.  It left me feeling weak in the knees, trembling, and if that's not enough feeling sorry for myself.

What could have caused this terrible mixture of feelings? Missing this week's Weekly Deal of my dreams, that's what!  

On Tuesday this week, when I posted the Weekly Deals I confidently told you I'd be ordering the Little Numbers Thinlet Dies that were on sale for $18.75 a savings of $6.25.   So I did what I usually do, wait until the weekend to order.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the screen and the dies weren't there.  They were da, da, da........

 

I almost did the Meme SCREAM!!!!!

So the moral of this sad tale is that if you really, really, want something for your stamping collection and you see it on sale for a really good price, don't delay like I did or you might miss out. The bonus deals sale is only in effect until August 3rd, 2015. 

Check out the Weekly Deals & Clearance Rack on my blog every Tuesday.  They're easy to find on the Weekly Deals tab of my home page, either in the side bar or on the top menu bar.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens 

Small Gift Box Tutorial Using Gift Box Punch Board

It seems everyone really liked the small gift box I posted in the Wacky Watercooler July Blog Hop post this past weekend, so as promised here are the instructions on how I made it. 

I can't take all the credit for this tutorial however, as my friend Sandy showed me how to make my first box with the Gift Bag Punch board.  Her example was based on a video by a UK demo named  Linda Parker.  Linda's version is made with 12" x 12" card stock and she shows some really cute samples on her video to give you an idea of how versatile this punch can be. 

What You Need to Make It:

• 8 1/2 x 11 Card Stock for box base
• Coordinating DSP
• Simply Scored Score Board
• Gift Bag Punch Board
• Trimmer
• Bow Builder Punch 
• Adhesive - Sticky Strip or Tom Bow Glue and Glue Dots

Assembly:
1.  Cut the card base to measure 6 3/8 x 10 7/8".

2.  Use your Simply Scored score board to score at:

• on the short side score at 1 3/8" and at 5", turn
• on the long side score at 1 3/8", 3 1/4", 6 1/8" and 8"
  

3. Using the Gift Bag Punch Board:

If you haven't used the Gift Bag Punch Board yet, here is Stampin' Ups! introductory video which demonstrates how to use the punch and the various elements of it. It will help you understand how this wonderful tool works.

 

In this view you can see that I have punched out on the score lines and at the edges of the card stock on both sides.

• On the long side of card stock line up the 1 3/8" score line with the starting line on the gift bag punch board and punch.  Move the card stock to the next score line (3 1/4") and punch, move to the next score line (6 1/8") and punch, and then move to the last score line (8") and punch. 

• Line up the very right edge of the card stock on the start line and punch. 
• Flip the card stock and repeat the process in the previous step.  

4.  Use your bone folder to burnish all the score lines.

5.  Put glue strips on the tabs or use Tom Bow glue as indicated in this photo and then assemble box. Make sure that the sides are even and square before you press down on the sticky strip to secure it.  This last step is essential for getting your box to sit squarely. 

 6.  Once the box is assembled you'll want to decorate it.  I've listed the card stock and DSP sizes below for layering mats and dsp.  You could eliminate either of these steps dependent on the look you are going for. 

Decorating the Front, Back and Sides of the Box:  

I like to decorate my boxes with card stock mats layered with a coordinating designer series paper. The photos below show where the mats would be added to the box. 

 

Cut Card Stock Panel mats as follows:

• 1" x 3 1/4" cut one for front lid panel
• 1 1/2" x 3 1/4" cut one for top lid panel
• 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" cut two for front and back panels
• 1 3/8" x 2 5/8" cut two for bottom side panel 
• 1 1/8" x 1 3/8" cut two for side top lid 

Cut DSP panel mats as follows:

• 7/8 x 3 1/8" cut one for front lid panel
• 1 3/8" x 3 1/8" cut one for top lid panel
• 2 1/4" x 3 " cut two for front and back panels 
• 1 2/8 x 2 1/2" cut two for bottom side panel
• 1" x 1 1/4" cut two for side top lid

Use Tom Bow adhesive to glue the mats together then glue to the box. 

For Banner on Lid:

The Banner Triple Punch gives you triple the banner options in one punch. You can make banners in three widths--1", 1-1/2", and 2"--in any length. Just slide the paper in, punch, and get perfectly notched banners (or gift tags, bookmarks, belly bands) every time.  Here I've used it to make the banner on the lid of the box:

1.  To make the banner: 

• Cut a 2" x 4 1/4" piece of card stock and punch out banner shape
• Cut a 1 1/2" x 4" piece of coordinating dsp and punch out banner shape
• If you want a third banner cut a 1" x 3 3/4" piece of card stock and punch out same as above.

2.  Adhere the 2 or 3 banners together with sticky strip.  Line up the back edge of the banners with the back edge of the box lid and gently press the front edge of the banner over the front end of the lid.  Turn the banner over and using the Simply Scored score board make a crease where you see the fold line. On my box the crease line was approximately 2".  

Here you can see the three banners that were stacked and adhered to the top of the lid with sticky strip.  The part that extends over the top to the front of the box lid was glued down with a small piece of sticky strip to hold it in place. 

This is what the box lid looks like from the inside once the banner has been added.

 3.  If you want to secure the box lid to the box base you can add a Velcro sticky back fastener.  This is optional.  See photo for placement.

Here's My Finished Gift Box:
I didn't particularly care for the plain card stock banner on the top of the box and so I added some cherries to it, to match the smaller ones in the Cherry on Top Designer Series paper used for the panels.  The large cherries were from a stamp image in the Button Buddies (retired) stamp set.  I fussy cut them out and glued them on with Tom Bow glue.  

I added a small  Watermelon Wonder bow that was punched out with the Bow Builder punch.  It's assembled with glue dots and was adhered to the front of the lid banner.

More Samples:

Here are some additional samples of gift boxes and bags that I've made over the past few weeks, with the help of my friend.  A big hats off to Sandy Stoyanowski who first showed me how to use the Gift Bag Punch and then loaned it to me for my Open House and subsequent classes, while mine has been on back order. Can't thank you enough Sandy! 

This little cutie is made with the same dimensions but I didn't layer the card stock and DSP panels, I only adhered DSP. This box base is Island Indigo card stock and the beautiful paper is from the Bohemian DSP collection.

The card base for this box is Crisp Cantaloupe (retired In Colour 2015).  The panels are made with Strawberry Slush card stock and All Abloom Designer Series Paper (retired).  The bow was cut out of Pistachio Pudding DSP from the All Abloom Collection.

Well that's it for today.  I'll have some other gift bags and boxes to show you once I have my very own Gift Bag Punch Board and can play with it at my leisure.  I think this is one of the best tools that I've used in a while not only because it was so useful, but because it was a lot of fun.  

Before I go I'd just like to add that I think it's important if you're going to make bags and boxes that you keep templates that you can use for reference.  I have several now and it makes life so  easier when you don't have to re-create the wheel every time or look for videos and tutorials on line. Here's the template I made for this box and it has all the measurements all in one glance.

If you enjoyed this tutorial or had difficulty with it please let me know, I'd love to hear about your experiences with the Gift Bag Punch Board and this little gift box.  Any tips you can share are also appreciated.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens