Thanks Coach

This is for My Favorite Things challenge #134.  I decided to use my new Jersey Die-namics set to make a thank you for my daughter's lacrosse coach. 

The base is retired SU Yo Yo Yellow with layers of Basic Black and designer paper I printed myself.  I wanted to use the school mascot so I found an image online, then shrunk it down and pasted it multiple times on the word doc before printing.  I also used a doily and some leftover emboss resist banners from Heidi Swapp, sprayed with Tinsel then embellishing with mini nail heads.  The jersey is paper pieced in the school colors and embossed in yellow, before being popped up with dimensionals.  Super simple and really fast to assemble.  Thanks for looking!  April

snowman ornament

This is for Tiddly Inks Design Team Call.  I used the snowman freebie image (found here) that was recently posted and colored it with copic.  I played around with my photo program and flipped the image so that I could use this as a two-sided ornament.  I also wanted a lot of dimension, so I reproduced the image several times so I could cut it into layers.  In total, each side has four layers.  Finished, there are four carrot layers, three head layers, two scarf layers, and one base.  It is all layered with dimensionals.  I also added a little sheen with the Spica Stardust pen on the scarf and the Sukura Stardust gel pen on the carrot nose.  The image is mounted on a Nestabilities circle that is mounted on the lacy circle.  I cut the cardstock base three layers thick to give it some stability.  The sentiment is from SU's Petite Pairs and is stamped in Jet Black Staz-On. 


angled to show layers



angled to show layers on both sides




image on reverse side

Be sure to drop by the Tiddly Inks site to check out the other DT entries.  Thanks for looking!  April

Teacher mini-treat

So my youngest had extended school year to help him with his delays.  His teacher is fabulous and took the kids on several outings because they were lucky to be a very small group.  I wanted to give her and the helpers a little treat so I found these really cute treat totes on Becky's Inking Idaho blog.  She has a link to Dawn's DO stamping blog where there is a fantastic video with directions. 

I made these from Island Indigo and Calypso Coral.  The totes are inked the same colors with an Artful Inkables swirl stamp that is part of the Fictionally Yours set.  I didn't have the small oval so I used the word window punch for the handle.  I then used some spare kraft to stamp the chocolate (from SU's retired Eat Chocolate) in Crumb Cake then punched with the decorative label punch.  I also stamped the Thank You from the 25th Anniversary Favorite Sentiments set in the matching ink, then punching with the word window punch and adding it to the label.  I used the smallest punch from the crop-a-dile and used jute twine to wrap around the handles and tie off with the label.  Each tote holds four squares of chocolate. 

Be sure to visit Becky and Dawn's blogs to see what they did with the totes and thanks for looking!  April

Green Sn@p Album

So I made this as a gift for friends of ours who were travelling by car across the country, camping and visiting friends and family.  I split the album into three sections..."See" people, "Camp", and "Go" along the way.  Each section used a different Simple Stories paper.  The first section used the Yearology papers, the Camp was Take a Hike papers, and the Go section is Urban Traveller papers.  I have a lot of pics, so bear with me!

Thanks for looking!  April

R2D2 birthday

So my BIL likes Star Wars and I found several different characters to make on Pinterest.  I settled on this awesome R2D2.

The base is from a premade set I got on clearance.  I used a Sizzix embossing folder for the base as well as the design already there.  Next, I cut a piece of Not Quite Navy from a Nestabilities Deckled Rectangle before spritzing with Vanilla Shimmer and Silver Foil Smooch Spritz.  R2D2 is Basic Grey, Whisper White, and Not Quite Navy and is punched from the 1 3/8" square, 1 3/8" circle, 1/4" circle, the word window punch, and hand cut pieces.  The octagons are the smallest Nestabilities octagon that I traced the inside and hand cut.  His eye is a faux diamond that is colored with copic 100 black marker.  A little gel pen was used to highlight R2.  The sentiment is from SU's retired Grunge Rock and is stamped in Dove Grey Staz-On.  I used a square punch to make the notches.  Both R2D2 and the sentiment are mounted with dimesionals. 

magnet inside card

Inside I added a magnet I made from My Favorite Things Die-namics set.  I cut it on light-weight cardboard, then again on black, before running them both through my Xyron sticker maker so they would stick well.  I also inked the edges of the cardboard with black ink.  I stamped the coordinating sentiment in Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder.  I added a magnet and used a couple of glue dots to place in card. 
Thanks for looking!  April

Monochromatic Sympathy card

I really hate making sympathy cards.  I never am sure if something seems too perky or if it is just right.  I wanted it to be somewhat flat for shipping but still have a bit of layers to it.  I also planned on using a butterfly, but mine was too whimsical to look nice.  Even my cricut ones look cartoon-ish or happy for such a card.  I dove into my less-often used Cuttlebug dies and found a crown (it's actually a Disney one, but I don't think it's too obvious).  I tried to cut it from several different patterned papers, but ended up going with black.  

So, the card is a stock Michael's base white that comes with evelopes.  I cut black cardstock, then used the Nestabilities Labels One to cut out the center.  I marked the white base where the opening was, then used Artful Inkables Fictionally Yours swirls stamp in Dove Grey Staz-On.  I set that aside and used the same stamp in Whisper White craft ink on the black.  I also stamped the sentiment from one of SU's 25th Anniversary sets, embossing with white powder.  Attach that to the base.  Next, I cut the crowns from the middles of the Labels One die, then ran through the Cuttlebug again in the matching embossing folder, before I sprayed with Heidi Swapp's Tinsel and Smooch in Silver Foil.  (Heidi's spray has a bit of a blue tint and the smooch is darker and mutes the blue.)  I used a heat gun to set.  I added it to the base before adding three different sizes of faux pearls.  (The big one at the top covers up a heart in the embossing.)  Thanks for looking!  April

close up of crown

Punch art class

I have been going to stamp classes offered by my local SU demonstrator, just to get out of the house and be social with other adults.  This month was a punch art class and these are the cards we made. 
First up is a super cute frog made of circles, ovals and flower punches.  We inked all the parts before assembling and the sentiment was embossed with Whisper White craft and white powder.  The flower is inked in Wisteria Wonder and we used our fingernails to flick up the petals a bit for dimension. 
Second, we made a lion birthday card.  The mane is made from a flower punch and the face is all circles and the heart is from SU's owl punch.  The feet are the same punch as the mane, but cutting two pieces off.  I think he needs a tail sticking up in the background.  The banner is using the SU pennant punch.  How about those googlie eyes?  The sentiment is in Pumpkin Pie.
Next, is the flower get well card.  Can you believe all the flowers are made from the owl wings of the SU owl punch?  Just punch three of them and stack them.  The vine is hand-cut and the pink is the new SU Strawberry Slush. 
Last, but not least is the purse card.  It's the curvy label punch, oval punches, and circle punch.  How cute is that?  The flowers are from a retired punch that has three identical flowers across it (I got mine from a kit in a tin).  Did you see the ribbon? 
I know the ideas were found on Splitcoast's gallery but don't know who to credit for each card.  I am sure you can find them and the directions with a little browsing.  Thanks for looking!  April


 

Archiver's Everyday Occassions kit

During my last trip to Archiver's, I found this kit on sale and decided to pick it up.  It features Tim Holtz stamps and included pretty much everything (including a stardust gel pen and metal embellishments) except the ink and adhesive.  It says it makes three each of the three cards in the kit but it only had enough cardstock to make two.  It did have an entire 6x6 paper pack of 36 sheets and there was plenty leftover to made envelopes.  The finished cards are only 3x4 so they are more designed to be gift cards or hand-delivered.  Also, the directions were ok, but did not follow the included pic.  I had to tweak the sizes of the papers I cut and I had charcoal cats eye chalk to ink the pieces.  The stampin is done in Jet Black Staz-On.  I like the quirkiness of the cards...I wouldn't regularly pair flowers and mechanicals together so it does draw the eye.  As much as I liked how quickly the cards came together, I don't think I would regularly purchase Archiver's kits.  You do get plenty of paper and some extra leftover goodies for future projects, so I am pleased with that aspect.  Besides, who can resist Tim Holtz stamps?  Thanks for looking!  April