the CLASSroom

Christmas Gift Border by Kittie Caracciolo

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to the CLASSroom.  I have a clean and simple Christmas card to share with you today using the new Impression Obsession Gift Border die.  My favorite color combination for holiday cards is red, green and white and I thought this border of gifts would be perfect against an all white background. They would look perfectly fine with no embellishments but a little evergreen foliage just kicks it up a notch.

I punched out several pieces of evergreen using my Martha Stewart Branch Punch. I thought while I was at it I would share with you how I maintain my punches to keep them sharp.

Cut a piece of foil about four inches wide, fold it in fourths, smooth it out and insert it into your punch and punch out branches all the way across the strip.  This process will sharpen the punch.

Next cut and fold up a four inch wide piece of waxed paper and repeat the same process.  The waxed paper will wax the punch and help create smooth punching.  I use this process in between every use.

Parts and pieces of the project.

Cut and crimp the white layer and attach it to the red layer using ATG adhesive or double stick tape.

Cut several branch pieces apart into tiny individual sections.

Attach two sprigs to the bow of each gift with glossy accents.

Attach one 1/8” punched circle to the top of each branch section with glossy accents.

Cut the top three sections off of several branches and attach them with glossy accents all the way across the base of the gift border. 

Apply double stick tape to the back of the crimped layer and attach it to the base of the gift border to cover the raw edges of the branches.

Apply mounting tape to the back of the gifts and crimped layer and attach it to the card base.

The gifts would look cute if each were covered with different holiday designer paper.  They could also be cut apart and used individually or layered on a project.

What a perfect die to use to make birthday cards for any age.

Thanks for coming by the CLASSroom today.

Card size:  5.50” x 4.25”

Impression Obsession Dies, Gift Border

Martha Stewart Craft Punch, Branch

Nesting Paper Punch, Circle 1/8"

Fiskars Paper Crimper, Straight

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Sizzix Accessory, Magnetic Platform for Wafer-Thin Dies

Scotch Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape

Ranger Accents, Glossy Accents

ATG Kit, Advanced Tape Glider

ATG Double-Sided Refill Tape, 2 pk, 1/4"

Teflon Bone Folder

Tonic Maxi 12 Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer

EK Tools, Precision 5 Inch Scissors with Sheath

Be Creative Tape, 5mm (1/4")

Be Creative Tape, 3mm (1/8")

Memory Box Dies, Metal Adaptor Plate

Glue Dots, Mini (3/16")

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Heavyweight, Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Caramel Apple, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Peppermint, 25 pk

Christmas Photo Tray by Sharon Harnist

Remember when I made this Fall photo tray project?  I promised a Christmas version and here it is!  When I made the Fall tray, I used repositionable adhesive to hold each panel in the tray.  That made it easy to remove each section and store them until next Fall, enabeling me to change out this tray seasonally!

 

Once you decorate one of these trays, you'll be hooked -- they are so much fun! Here's how I created each section, starting at the top:

 

On the top left is Spellbinders Wreath die, cut from a Memory Box Dill Notecard.  I sanded the embossed areas of the die cut, then added Christmas Red Stickles for berries.  Jillibean Soup Red Twine ties up the the wreath that is adhered with  EK Success 3D Dots.

 

In the center of the wreath, I placed our family monogram using Ellen's Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download -- a red letter H tied up with a bow coordinated perfectly with these gorgeous Webster's Pages Waiting For Santa Petite Papers I used!  The darling Christmas Wish List in the center section is a fabulous Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard piece!  I thought it might be fun to have my girls write their wish list to Santa here!

 

For the top right section, I made a Tim Holtz Paper Rosette and topped it with another piece of the Retro Printed Chipboard.  The Christmas tree is a fabulous dimensional Melissa Frances resin Christmas Tree that I airbrushed with these Copic markers:

 

The YG63 was used to base airbrush coat the tree, then YG97 used to add depth directly with the brush tip.  These colors were still a little too bright for the papers, so I finished the piece with a light airbrushing of E25 to give it a more antiqued look.  The tiny tag in the middle far right side, tied with red twine is another MF chipboard piece!

 

On the bottom left section, I hand trimmed a letter "A" ornament from the Webster's paper (both my girls' names start with an A!) and popped it up with foam squares on top of a Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punched piece of cream Webster's paper.  The center section has another Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard snowman that says "Holiday Memories" and is accented with a Melissa Frances Candy Cane.

 

The photo of my girls was framed with Spellbinders Snowflake Frame, cut from more Webster's Waiting For Santa paper.  The bottom right section has another Retro Printed Chipboard "the Season's Greetings" large postage stamp adorning the Webster's paper.

 

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today -- I hope this Christmas home decor piece puts you in the holiday spirit on this almost first day December!  ~ Sharon

Paper: Webster's Pages Petite Papers-Waiting For Santa, Copic X-Press It Blender Card, Memory Box Dill Notecard,
Dies & Punches: Spellbinders Wreath & Snowflake Frame; Sizzix Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Decorative Strip Die, Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punch,
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: YG63, YG97, Y26, R39, E25
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray, Melissa Frances Christmas Tree Applique, Retro Printed Chipboard & Candy Canes; Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download, Ranger Stickles-Christmas Red, Jillibean Soup Red & Brown Twine, Sanding Block, EK Success 3D Dots, Glue Dots-Mini & 3/8",

October Calendar by Sharon Harnist

 
 
I know October is a third over already, but I'm just now finding time on this school and Columbus Day holiday to finish my October calendar!  So I thought I would share that with you all today.  You may remember when I introduced you to my 2010 calendar for this year, here.  It's a mini-book style, made out of 4-inch square pieces of Ellen's fabulous Craft-A-Board!  You could prep one of these calendar books for next year to give as a gift, leaving space for the recepient to add photos of their own as the year goes along, if you wish!

I started by cutting two pieces of Craft-A-Board 4-inches square and then round the corners with Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper:

 

Next, I chose papers from Cosmo Cricket's Matilda Mini Deck and covered the Craft-a-Board with them, using a glue stick.  Then I stamped Karen Lockhart's sweet new Basket of Leaves with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Copic's new X-Press It Blending Card.  I noticed Ellen has several affordable package options of this fabulous new cardstock available now -- you can find them here!  Your Copic markers will blend wonderfully on this new cardstock and you won't see any feathering of marker color or stamped lines like you might on other cardstocks. 

Here's a quick step-out of the Copic markers I used on the basket image, chosen to match the Matilda papers (click on any photo for a larger view):

 
L - E31 on the basket, YR21 on the basket cross weaves and leaves, pumpkin & apples.  R - E33 & E35 on the basket and fruit stems.

 
L - YR16 on some leaves and pumpkin.  R - YR18 to deepen the pumpking and some leaves.

G82 & G85 on leaves and one apple.

Sorry I didn't get a photo of the last few steps:

R24 on last apple.
E31 & E33 on what I decided would be pods or nuts in the basket and to finish the basket rim, some E37.
YR16 & YR18 on the flowers on each side of the basket.
W1 & W3 to shade under the basket and for the blowing leaf trails.
Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen accents everything.

I cut out the image and popped it up on foam tape.  Now, take a look at my finished colored image next to the papers I chose:

 

I love the bright white of the Copic X-Press It Blending Card -- it produces very crisp and vivid colors.  But notice how different it is (bright white) than the ivory of the patterned papers and Neenah Natural White cardstock that I printed my computer-generated calendar on?  Now this may not bother some people, but it bothers the perfectionist in me, LOL!  So what to do?  Here's where your hand-dandy Copic E50 Egg Shell comes to the rescue!

 

I used it to color any of the remaining white areas of the basket image.  In the photo above, I started on the right side of the image, up to where the tip of the marker is pointing -- the left side of the image still remains white, so you can see the difference the Egg Shell marker makes!

And here's a close-up of the finished image -- hopefully you can see the nice sparkle the glitter pen adds (click for a larger view):

 

I used Martha Stewart's Picket Fence Edger Punch and Maple Leaf Punch to punch more Matilda paper for accents on this page.  The leaves were edged with Copic E35, crumpled and added with Mini Glue Dots.

For the right side of my calendar, I cut the Cosmo Cricket Matilda pumpkin background paper a little smaller than the 4-inch Craft-a-Board and colored the edges of the Craft-a-Board with Copic G85 marker.  Next, I die cut my computer-generated calendar with a Spellbinders Labels Four die and sponged the edges with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink.  It is popped up on foam tape.  

 

Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type Brown sticker letters make the 'october' word on top of my calendar.  Using Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die, I die cut & embossed green plaid Matilda paper, sanded the edges, and then machine stitched it.  Strands of ribbon make "hinges" to hold the two calendar pieces together like a book!

Thanks for joining us today -- Happy Columbus Day!  ~ Sharon

 
Stamps: Lockhart Basket of Leaves
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Matilda Mini Deck & Tiny Type Brown letter stickers, Copic X-Press It Blending Card
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Copic markers: YR21, YR16, YR18, R24, E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, G82, G85, W1; Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen
Accessories: Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board, Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Spellbinders Labels Four & Nested Maple Leaf die sets, Martha Stewart Picket Fence Edger Punch & Maple Leaf Punch, Sanding Block, Mini Glue Dots

Hocus Pocus Test Tube Treat Holder

I keep seeing these test tubes arrive and depart here in the warehouse and have wanted to create using them for over a year! EEK!

How to present these has been part of my fascination... I think. Test tube holders are either really expensive, drab looking and/or way too large or small. Our lunch time conversation yesterday turned to the many different ways to hold these test tubes. The template that I have designed is based on the fabulous advice of all the girls here at work. Have I told you how lucky I am to have such fabulous women to work with?!! So I decided to create a template for all those of you who purchase these from us :-D Simply download and use the dimensions attached below. As well, we will be adding this file to the description of the test tubes in the store so that you can easily find it in the future.

You are going to hear me raving about Craft-a-board again today - LOL! Two days ago I created the Halloween treat box base using it. I absolutely love how this product is sturdy enough to really hold it's shape for making a wide assortment of projects. I shared how you can cut part way through using the Zutter Kutter. WELL...  guess what!!! Most of you don't have Zutter Kutter's BUT you do have an Xacto Knife and steel edge ruler :-D

It dawned on me that if I used my Fiskar's tool together with the Tim Holtz ruler I may have discovered a solution for the others to be able to create the sturdy boxes I have been utilizing. Oh the feeling of jubilation when it worked like a charm! As you can see I held my ruler firmly in place and then gently, yet firmly cut through the first layer of the Craft-a-board surface.

This picture shows the reason I am so very excited about this. By cutting through the top layer only you can create crisp, clean folds!!!

If you find that you have cut too deep you can always use adhesive or tissue tape to reinforce your fold lines, but I did not have to do that at all on this project. In fact it worked better than the Zutter Kutter :-D

This photo shows my test tube holder base with all lines, what I am going to call "deep scored" (the top layer of the Craft-a-board being cut through and the bottom layer remaining intact.)

There are many ways to color the Craft-a-board. One of the quickest and easiest is to use an ink blending tool and dye inks. I love the color palette of the Distress Inks and so they are frequently my first go-to-ink for anything involving the blending tool. I inked the edges of the Craft-a-board and then the portions of the holder that were not going to be covered with decorative paper.

For more ways to use Craft-a-board simply click on the category link on simple dreams, In Touch and here in the CLASSroom.

Another product I cannot remember ever using before is rub-ons :-O Yes, the girl who likes to try everything hasn't tried rub-ons! As we have continued to explore and expand the lines that we carry in the store these have puzzled me.

Decorating a rounded surface can be somewhat tricky for those of us who are stampy stampers and so I stepped off the edge, so to speak, and broke open my first package of "Press Ons."

Sitting at my table puzzling over how I would hold it in place without moving it Cathy came to my rescue. I used basic removable office tape to hold it in place as I worked :-D

Using the Basic Grey Rub-on Roller I carefully applied my first Press-On. Success! I am hooked! Those optical lenses are now calling my name and I think I must find a way to make a few "dangly" Halloween decorations :-D

The next piece to the mental puzzle of creating the perfect test tube holder was creating the hole that would hold the tubes firmly in place. My circle was a little to large and then it dawned on me. I have seen these funky pinked edges on store packaging. I trace the location of my circle on to my decorative paper as shown above, making certain that it would be positioned in just the right spot.

Look at how perfect the Cosmos flower fits this circle! It was meant to be.

Another rub-on was added to the cork and a gemstone to add just that little bit of bling.

A little more bling with a strip of adhesive and Glitter Ritz, as well as the perfect little amber circle bling and now I have a very fun little vessel and holder in which to present my gift. Purple Nerds to the rescue momentarily for this picture, but soon I will have this filled with some crafting goodies to gift to someone very special.

We hope that you enjoy this little treat holder. Think of all the possibilities!!! You could stamp the decorative paper, add a focal image, drop a tag from it and so much more!!! Add an inch or two to the overall width, cut in additional holes, and you can easily hold two or three test tubes. I would also like to encourage you once again to give Craft-a-board a try. It has SO many uses --- I will continue to do my best to share the many ideas I have to help you bring a higher level of quality to the items you create. Thank you for joining me here in the CLASSroom - now go and get creative!

template: Download Test Tube Favor Stand Template

paper: Pink Paislee Hocus Pocus 6x6 Paper Pad

ink: Dusty Concord Distress Ink Pad

accessories: Martha Stewart Test Tube Favors, Craft-a-board, Fiskars Fingertip Knife, Tim Holtz Ruler, Pink Paislee Hocus Pocus Press-ons, Basic Grey Rub-on Roller, Copper Circle Rhinestone Borders, 1/4" Be Creative Tape, Apricot Glitter Ritz, Cosmos Flower Punch

Fall Scrap Page by Sharon Harnist

I decided it was time for another one of my 6-inch scrapbooking-for-the-fridge magnets, especially since Fall, with its changing leaves, is one of my very favorite times of the year!

 

I've had a piece of corregated cardboard box torn up and waiting for a great idea to hit me on how to use it and I wondered if it could be die cut.  The answer -- most definitely yes!

To start, just cut up any regular old cardboard box into pieces that will fit through your die cut machine, and then peel the layers apart, to reveal the corregation on the inside layers.

Next, I inked the ridges of my piece of cardboard with white pigment ink, just to give it some color variation, and let it dry.  Then I tried die cutting it with Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf (largest) die: 

 

At first, I thought the sandwich might be too tight and took out the magnetic spacer (or white cutting plate, depending on your Wizard model) piece of my Wizard sandwich but sure enough, it was needed (but a bit tight).  The result was a wonderfully embossed and very well cut leaf!

 

After die cutting and inking the edges of the cardboard leaf with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, I cut a piece of Basic Grey Pyrus patterned paper with the middle-sized Nested Maple Leaf die to layer on top of the cardboard leaf.  I sanded the embossed edges of the paper leaf, after inking the edges -- I love this look!  A Hero Arts Fancy Felt Flower and a button tied with twine finish the leaf embellishement.

To finish my page (6 inches, cut from olive Basic Grey Pyrus patterned paper), I added a Jenni Bowlin Vintage Mini Bingo Card and FALL letters die cut with the Sizzix Tim Holtz Vintage Market Alpha die from more Pyrus patterned paper. 

 

TIP: Outline your die cuts with a Copic marker -- this will really help define them and make them jump off your page, instead of blending in, unnoticed!  Here, I used 110-Special Black.  Zig 2-Way Fine Tip Glue Pen makes it easy to glue down small die cuts.

Since I've become addicted to glittered embellishments, I added a scalloped edge on the left side that was made by using Martha Stewart's Scallop Dot edger punch to punch a piece of paper covered with Glitter Ritz Opaque Micro Fine Glitter in Spice Brown!  Hopefully you can see the gorgeous coppery color of the glitter here (although there was some glare on the photos!):

 

Oh, and I can't forget the film strip of photos I printed of my sweet (most of the time!) daughters!  By adhering Inchie Arts Inchie Magnets on the back of my 6-inch page, it becomes refrigerator art, holding the school lunch menu or other important school papers we refer to each day!  When the season is over, place the page in a brag book album.

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today ... I hope Fall is on the way to wherever you live! ~ Sharon

 
Paper: Basic Grey Pyrus patterned papers, Jenni Bowlin Mini Bingo Cards-Vintage,
Ink: Ranger Adirondack Snow Cap Pigment ink pad & Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink; Copic 110-Special Black
Accessories: Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die set, Sizzix Tim Holtz Vintage Market Alpha dies, Martha Stewart Scallop Dot edger punch, Hero Arts Fancy Felt Flowers-Neutral, Glitter Ritz Opaque Micro Fine Glitter-Spice Brown, Jillibean Soup Twine-Brown, Zig 2-Way Fine Tip Glue Pen, Inchie Arts Inchie Magnets, Sanding Block, Button,
Other: corregated cardboard box

Glitter + Halloween = Loads of Fun

Time passes SO quickly! It was July when I had the pleasure of a "playdate" with Heather and Lisa. Heather loves Halloween and so we pulled out the Halloween punches I had and Lis shared the Burnished Velvet technique with her. As Lis demonstrated I was the fetcher and clean-up gal because I knew where to find everything and then could put it away again :-D BUT I had an idea I just had to try so my clean-up role was quickly dismissed as I created the glittered piece below - LOL!

To learn more about Burnished Velvet you can read the following posts:

• Puttin' on the Ritz - Creating Glittered Designer Paper
• Puttin' on the Ritz - Creating Glitter Borders
• Puttin' on the Ritz - Glitter Ritz that is! Going Transparent
• Tape and Glitter, Glitter and Tape! by Lisa Strahl

Begin by adhereing Be Creative tape to the Blackbird paper and then cut out the oval using a Nestability. I have found that sometimes (depending on the weight of my designer paper) I have had to run my sandwich through my machine two times before it cuts all the way through the tape and the paper. It works best if I place my die so that it cuts through the tape layer first, with the designer paper on the bottom.

Remove the  tape backing and position your decorative images punched from the tape backing (remember to position it with the words facing up for best results) I have alphabetically listed the order in which I placed my elements down on my sticky tape in hopes of assisting you with the layering.

• a - haunted house
• b - flying witch
• c - circle

TIP: If you want an image to be used as a whole place it on your sticky surface first - that way it will be the last item to be removed and glittered.

I have then numerically listed the order in which I lifted my elements and applied the glitter.

1. warm highlights
2. apricot
3. java bean

TIP: Remember to thoroughly burnish each color of glitter in place before applying the next color to avoid mixing the colors. This is especially important when working from light to dark as I did in this case. If it is not thoroughly burnished some of the dark colors may migrate into the lighter colors. This can be an added effect in some cases, so think about the final look you are trying to create before making your burnishing decision.

Glitter and Halloween... they go together like bread and butter! SO pull out your punches and see what Spooky creation you can create :-D

paper: Memory Box 6x6 Blackbird and Licorice Cardstock

accessories: Martha Stewart Flying Witch and Haunted House, Circle Punch, Oval Nestability, Be Creative Tape 4 1/2" or sheets and 1/4", Glitter Ritz - Warm Highlights, Apricot, Black

Design Adhesives and Glitter Ritz by Susan Roberts

My last visit to Ellen’s studio had me leaving with some of Memory Box’s Design Adhesives and some of the oh so sparkly Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter.  Of course I had to try these two products together.  Here are the results.

First up is a card made with two of Memory Box’s new Halloween images, “Old Fence” and “Crow” and the sentiment “Happpy Halloween”.

One of the Design Adhesives from “Brocade” collection is used with Glitter Ritz “Apricot”.  I wanted to add an additional section to the design under the bird.  Using a Quickie Glue Pen, a small amount of the glue was drawn and then the Glitter Ritz was added over the glue.

The Quickie Glue Pen was also used to added “Warm Highlights” Glitter Ritz to the spider web.

Also used on this card:  May Arts Twill, Memory Box 6x6 "Blackbird" Designer Paper and Vintaj "Flowers" Natural Brass Embellishments.

The second card uses Glitter Ritz on snowflakes from the Design Adhesive “Flurries” collection.  I also used Martha Stewart's Around the Page Snowflake Edger Punch "Aspen" and Memory Box's "Build a Tree" stamp on this card.

Experimenting with the Glitter Ritz, I mixed it with both white embossing powder and clear embossing powder.   Some fun variations in the look were achieved.

Besides using the Design Adhesives and Glitter Ritz on plain cardstock, I also used them together on Memory Box’s Designer Paper “Mistletoe”, on a Twinchie and on the May Arts Silk Ribbon.

Also for this card, the felt on a Prima Flower Center was colored with a Copic Marker.

I found that the Design Adhesives and GlitterRitz were easy to use and worked absolutely perfectly together.

Thanks for dropping by the CLASSroom today.  Happy Crafting!

Use the Martha Stewart Scoreboard to Create Wonderful Texture

Yes, it has been months since I wanted to share this technique with you. Finally... I hope that you enjoy it and that it was worth the wait - LOL!

As you all know I am a true-blue Scor-It girl. When I want a score line to fold a card I believe that there is no better tool than the Scor-It. BUT that is not to say that tools like the new Martha Stewart Scoreboard don't have their place in my workroom - LOL! Yes, the gadget girl does like this gadget! It is perfect for creating texture details on cards, doing accordion folds to create the lovely flowers we are seeing all over the place right now and so much more. Waaaaay back I created a series of embossed cards that made quite a statement. It wasn't nearly as easy as the way that I created the card today. Rather it took some tape on my old Fiskars cutting/scoring tool to get my angles and a lot of determination to stay "in the lines" to create the look on this card.

I love how the texture on the card front emulates the look of the basket. Repeating elements within a focal point can create a stronger look. I know I could have stepped this design up a notch, or perhaps two ;-D if I wanted. The 1/8" incremental difference allows for loads of textural combinations.

 

To create the look simply position the corner angle piece as shown. Then score every 1/2" using an embossing stylus. I prefer to use an embossing stylus with my scoring board as it does not slip outside the lines as I work. It is also so very easy to create the score line right up to the edge of the side rails or corner angle tool.

Change the direction of the card and repeat to create squares.

 

You could stop at this point, but I really loved the look of the grid in the Lockhart stamp basket.

Using a piercing bug run it down the score line. When you work with this tool on the scoring board I would like to recommend that you position your card front away from the rails to more easily run it off both edges of the paper for a more even look. You will also want to practice and hold the tool in an upright, completely vertical, position to minimize the chance of jumping outside the guidelines.

If you like adding texture to your projects this is an awesome tool for that purpose. Thank you for stopping by the CLASSroom today - hopefully I will soon be able to share some of the other patterns and ideas that I have :-D

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company Basket of Leaves

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Neenah Natural White, Memory Box Mango Cardstock, Blackbird 6x6 Paper Pad,

Accessories: Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Embossing Stylus, Piercing Bug, Memory Box Halloween Jewels, Olive Silk Ribbon, Nestabilities Label One

Paper Flowers by Susan Tierney Cockburn and Ellen Hutson

Today's post is going to be a LONG one, but I think you will want to make certain to read all the way to the end as we have some very special blog candy today :-D

First off I would like to remind you to join in the fun of our flower parade by adding a link to your flower creation. Go to Becky's August 2nd post and link us up :-D

One of the greatest blessings of my job is the wonderful women who are a part of my life! It is with both sadness and joy that I share with you that Kim Hughes will be taking on some wonderful new adventures in life. Kim's creativity will be missed here in the CLASSroom, but I am so very supportive of her new ventures and wish her much success as she joins the talented Provocraft team - Congratulations Kim!!! The good news is that our friendship will always remain and I look forward to the times that she will come back as our guest. We love you and will miss you here in the CLASSroom sweet Kim!

As I shared above it is the friendships, that I have developed from being involved in this dream of sharing creativity with others, that are so very precious to me. It has been a couple of years now since Susan and I met. Today was one of THE most special days - creating together with Susan, collaborating on this project, makes me smile inside and out!

Susan Tierney Cockburn has been creating beautiful paper flowers since she was confined indoors during a snow storm many years ago. Gardening and baking are two of her passions and she excels at both! My family gasps with delight each time I come home with that special white box with it's gold seal - they know that something absolutely delicious awaits them. To see more about what I am referring to you MUST visit Susan's culinary blog! We thank you Susan for sharing your love and incredible culinary skills with us! AND today I thank you for sharing your beautiful flower making techniques with me and with all of you.

Susan has developed the art of creating the most exquisite flowers from punched shapes. She has researched in depth each flower variety and then worked until she has perfected the art of that flower. She is the author of multiple books in which she shares the "how-to" create these beauties. We carry her latest book in our store and one VERY lucky person will be the recipient of an autographed version by leaving Susan a comment on this post!!! In my opinion this is a must-have book in your library if you are passionate about gardening. Creating these miniature little versions of the flowers we love is so very rewarding.

Today we are going to share Susan's techniques for creating this beautiful hydrangea grouping!

Begin by punching little natural white hydrangea's using the Martha Stewart 3-in1 Hydrangea punch. Use a pen, such as a Sakura glaze pen, to push down on the center of each flower to shape or create a "cupped" shape. Add color to the centers with a YG00 Copic marker. Once you have completed all of these little blooms create your base.

 

We used the very tip top of a small styrofoam egg. Typically Susan uses a small styrofoam ball as her base, but we made do as I didn't have one. Styrofoam is quite versatile and Susan squished it down slightly to flatten the tip slightly. It is important to cover the styrofoam using a circle of Mulberry paper. This serves two purposes. It gives a nice green base for whatever peeks through the surface and it helps keep the glue from absorbing into the styrofoam.

 

Use a white craft glue such as Flower Soft's glue or Crafter's Pick Ultimate glue. It is easiest to apply the glue using a toothpick and holding the small petal with a self-closing tweezer as shown above.

Place each petal on to your base.

We used a toothpick to hold it our base in position as shown above. This allowed Susan to place the petals down to the bottom part of the base without disturbing the other petals while they were drying. Continue to position petals until the entire surface is covered.

There are many ways to color the hydrangea petals - today we decided to use the Copic airbrush system. You know me - I love to airbrush :-D

As you can see Susan brought a variety of gorgeous hydrangeas from her garden to inspire our color selections. If you look at each picture you will see the fabulous variety that can be created.

I began with B63, then B66, V15, B69, R59 and ended with B39. Use short bursts of air and keep spinning your hydrangea bundle as you work to allow the ink to vary. It looks so much more natural that way.

I began with B63, then B66, V15, B69, R59 and ended with B39. Use short bursts of air and keep slowly turning your hydrangea bundle as you work to allow the ink to vary. It looks so much more natural that way.

Then Susan added Ultrafine Flower Soft to the centers by putting a small dot of glue in the center of each blossom. Again use your toothpick to complete this portion. This was a combination of Sage and Vanilla.
 

Next Susan created the large sized leaves. Susan had some prepunched leaves with her, but we could have used the Martha Stewart Rose Leaf to come close to this shape. Using a stylus Susan creates veins in the leaves.

Next she added depth to the leaves using an ink blending tool and Forest Moss ink.

  

We didn't have the same paper to punch out the Ivy leaves, so we created what turned out to be THE perfect Ivy paper. Tattered Angels English Ivy mist to the rescue. We spritzed it on to Natural White Neenah cardstock, dried it with our Heat It tool and then punched out the little leaves.

Once again we created veins - the first vein runs the length of the leaf, then flip it over and add four additional angled veins.

 

Next Susan holds the leaves with the self-closing tweezers and pinches them to shape them. We decided we needed to add a little more yellow green. To keep these little treasures from blowing away during airbrushing create a circle from the remaining cardstock.

Add color to the ivy vine (OK so it really is a Flower Soft wire :-D) with a Copic marker.

 

Wrap the wire around the bird cage curling the ends by wrapping them around the tip of the stylus. Position the ivy leaves along the wire and allow to dry.

Alter the white mat with distress ink.

 

As you can see these minature versions are incredibly realistic.

Whenever you see delicate paper flowers you can envision Susan working in her garden. Many of us have learned and will continue to learn from this beautiful woman who I am privileged to call my friend. So whenever you see a delicate paper bloom you can think of Susan's garden - she is the mastermind behind this beautiful art form!

Today we are sharing Susan's book, Paper Bouquet with one of you. To participate simply leave a comment on this post before midnight Saturday, August 7th. We will use the random number generator to select our winner. Please note that our winner will not be posted until Tuesday, so please do not worry - we will not forget :-D So please leave some love for Susan and Kim in this post to be entered.

Thank you for joining us again today!

paper: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, Webster's Pages 6x6

ink:Copic Markers (see picture above), Tattered Angels English Ivy Glimmer Mist, Antique Linen, Pumice, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Forest Moss Distress Ink Pads

accessories: Martha Stewart Punches - 3 in 1 Hydrangea, Rose Leaf and Fall Leaves, Craft-a-Board, Real Wood Cherry, Sticky Back Canvas, Tim Holtz Caged Bird Die, Chandelier Crystals, Antique Brass Jump Rings, Teensie Butterfly, Sage and Vanilla Ultrafine Flower Soft

Cute Magnetic Message Station by Kim Hughes

I love hanging pictures on my wall as a kid (and I still do) I hope that this is a project that you can see yourself doing with a special child or two in your life.  I altered a Maya Road embellishment tin...and it was OH SO EASY to do.  Weather your little one would display photos of her and her BFF or that dreamy boy that she oogles at school (along with his phone number possibly), this project can be enjoyed for any child at any age. 
 

supplies:

Zva Creative: Ice and Fire Crystal, Jet

Silk Ribbon, Ivory 1 1/4" wide by the Yard

Chipboard Foundation (any Maya Road tin will work)

Nested Butterfly

Essentials by Ellen: Art Magnetic Masking Material

Jenni Bowlin Memo Book, Orange, Mini Papers, Homespun

Ribbon, Vintage Crochet Trim, Wave, White, Ribbon Lace, Donegal

Martha Stewart Craft Punch, Classic Butterfly, Martha Stewart Craft Punch, 3-in-1 Classic Butterfly

start by punching and die cutting butterflies from a magnetic sheet.  They work beautifully with a metal tin.

I also punched the same shapes from patterned paper.  I thought that black crystals would be fun to add to the butterfly centers, so I cut them from a full flourish.

I cut down 2 journal papers to fit on the inside of the tin and rounded the edges with a corner rounder punch.

The paper butterflies are adhered to the magnetic base in the center only so that the wings will stand out and add dimension.  I then added white lace to the inside walls of the tin with a liquid glue.

I added liquid glue along the outside edge and adhered green lace along the rim.

a little dab of liquid glue once again..to the tip of each lace design is all it takes to adhere them to the inside of the tin.

Here is what it looks like when it's complete.  Covering that metal edge gave it a finished hand made look.

I punched a hole in the bottom so that a tag message could be hung.  You can mass produce possible message tags that can be hung from this magnetic wall hang. Messages like knock first, I am not home, go away or text me maybe?

It's easy to add ribbon to the back to hang on the wall or a door knob. 

Make more than one and arrange them side by side on the wall (some vertical, some horizontal)  Make them into shadow boxes.  Embellish the clear lid and showcase keepsakes in the box and display on your wall.  I hope that I shared enough basics to make this project your own.  Have fun!

June Beach Calendar by Sharon Harnist

 

I haven't shown you all my desk calendar for this year ... so I thought it was time to remedy that!  I've been making it with 4-inch coasters, attached together with ribbon "hinges", so it can stand up like a book on my desk.  Well, I finally ran out of those 4-inch coasters, so Ellen's Craft-A-Board came to my rescue!  I cut two pieces 4" x 4" and rounded the corners with the 1/4-inch side of WRM's Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper.  Then I covered the CAB with Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely 6x6 patterned papers ... so bright, cheerful & summery!

 

I thought Karen Lockhart's Beach Chair image would be perfect for this month starting off the summer season ... I can't wait to be on a beach chair in the sand at the beach somewhere, and will be dreaming of it until the end of the month when I get there!  I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock and colored it with these Copic markers:

 

Next, I trimmed the image to 3.25" x 3.25", punched the corners with Martha Stewart's Sand Dollar Corner Punch and the straight edges with Beach Shells Edger Punch ... I love how this frame turned out!  Then I masked off the shell edges and airbrushed Copic BG11 on the background:

 

The edges of the shell frame and blue paper behind it were inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink and here's the easy way I accomplished this:

 

Here's a great Ranger tip I came up with:  Antique Linen Distress Ink is my favorite Distress Ink color and I use it on the edges of about 80% of my work!  So while browsing Ellen's store, I came across this empty Ranger Standard Foam Pad and I wondered how it would work as pad to ink the edges of my artwork.  So I inked one end of the foam pad with my Antique Linen Distress Reinker and now I have a quick and easy pad to grab and ink the edges of anything!  This foam pad is soft and gives a softer look to inked edges than the standard felt pad of the Distress Ink pads.  Now I certainly may not be the first person to think of this, but I certainly was bouncing in my chair when I discovered it worked so well!

 

One hint: It won't take as much reinker as you might think to soak the pad, so go lightly at first, letting the ink gradually absorb into the pad and testing it after each addition -- until you have it inked as you'd like.  I made the mistake of putting way too much reinker on the first time and ended up blotting off quite a lot of the ink because it swiped onto the edges of cardstock darker than I usually prefer.  I also have room on the other end of the pad to for a different color -- I hope you have fun with this idea!

 

Next, I printed my computer-generated calendar onto Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock, trimmed it to 3.25" wide, and used the same Martha Stewart punches on the lower edge of this piece and the Corner Chomper on the top corners.  The month name of "June" was spelled out with Cosmo Cricket's Cream Tiny Type Letters ("dream" on the beach chair image is also from this set of stickers) and Copic BG11 airbrushed lightly on this background, too. 

 

The finishing touch is a top border of Neenah Natural White cardstock punched with the border punch again, inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink, and then the whiter star-shaped punched-out pieces of cardstock glued back onto the border for some contrast and texture!

I hope this June calender gives you a few helpful hints for your summer papercrafting and helps to put you in the spirit of summer!

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company-Beach Chair
Paper: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely 6x6, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Antique Linen Distress Reinker; Copic markers: E30, E33, BG11, BG72, RV14, Y15, W1
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System-1, Essentials by Ellen Craft-A-Board, WRM Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Ranger Standard Foam Pad, Martha Stewart Sand Dollar Corner Punch & Beach Shells Edger Punch, Cosmo Cricket Cream Tiny Type Letters

Colorful Butterflies by Sharon Harnist

 

Can you get any more colorful than this?  I don't think so!  I LOVE these gorgeous bright summery colors in Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely Mini Deck!  To start this card, I used the May 15th Inchie INKlings Inchie card sketch #6 for inspiration. 

My card base is the DeLovely paper with rounded corners, adhered to a Memory Box Currant notecard.  The yellow base for my Inchies was created with Spellbinders Labels Four, by first die cutting & embossing the yellow paper, trimming off all the embossed edges, and then adhering it to a pink mat cut with the same die.

The butterfly Inchies were created by punching Eclipse Masking Tape with Martha Stewart's Monarch Butterfly punch.  To achieve successful results, apply the masking tape on printer paper, turn the paper over so the masking tape is on the bottom side of the paper, turn the punch over so you can see the metal underside and punch the paper.  I found punching this way (two butterflies on the left in the photo below) gave cleaner results than punching from the Eclipse side of the paper (right butterfly).  When the punch pushes the Eclipse tape into the paper, it doesn't cut as cleanly and you'll be left with some of the inside areas (that are supposed to punch out) still attached.

 

NOTE: This punch is one of Martha Stewart's collection considered to be a "double punch", as it punches a shape with "holes" in it. This punch will not punch the butterfly out all the way. Your shape should remain attached to the paper with two little "tabs" which you will need to cut (you can probably see where the butterfly is still attached at the tops of the wings. This will prevent the punchout from getting stuck in the punch. Simply use your paper snip scissors or an X-acto knife to free your beautiful Monarch butterfly!

 

Next, I placed the butterfly masks onto my Inchie Arts White Inchie Squares and sprayed them with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (this one is Viva Pink):

 

I didn't have a shade of green Glimmer Mist to match my papers, so I airbrushed Copic YG23 onto this Inchie Square and then made it shimmer with Old Lace Glimmer Mist:

 

Caribbean Blue Glimmer Mist was used on the other Inchie -- hopefully you can see all that pretty sparkle in the photo below!

 

I was very pleased with how well the Inchie Squares "hold" the Glimmer Mist and didn't warp from even the heaviest of applications of the colorant!

To finished my card, I used Copic markers B02, R85 and YG23 to color the edges of the corresponding Inchies and I stamped Hero Arts ClearDesigns All Occasion Messages with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink onto each of the Inchie Squares.  The yellow popped-up diecut is accented with Zva clear crystals and May Arts Fuchsia wide silk ribbon ties it up!

The bonus to this technique is that you can also use those butterfly masks you made and turn them into another similar card, or break them up and use them on smaller note/gift cards!

 

This is a Memory Box Key Lime notecard trimmed to 3.50" square. Inchie is accented with Spellbinders Big Scalloped Square-Sm Nestabilities diecut.

Thanks for being with us on our colorful journey here in the CLASSroom!

 
Stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesigns All Occasion Messages
Paper: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely Mini Deck, Memory Box Currant & Key Lime notecards
Ink: Ranger Jet Black Archival, Copic markers B02, R85, YG23
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, Inchie Arts White Inchie Squares; Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly punch, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Caribbean Blue, Viva Pink & Old Lace, Eclipse Masking Tape, Spellbinders Labels Four & Big Scalloped Square-Sm Nestabilities dies, WRM Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, May Arts Fuchsia wide silk ribbon, Zva clear crystals

Thank You Blocks by Kim Hughes

Color blocking is a timeless look that I took advantage of today when creating my card.  

 

Supplies:

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Butterscotch

Hero Arts: Cling Messages, Set of 3, Gemstones, Small Blossom, Fancy Felt, Buttons,Spring, Gemstones, Smooth Clear Round, Art Flowers, White & Cream, Card Buttons, Flowers

Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Garden Variety, Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Delovely, Cosmo Cricket Buttons, Garden Variety

Inchie + Squares, White

Dew Drops Bottle, Plumeria

Maya Road: Ribbon, Ruffle Edge Trim, Cream, Mini Chipboard Set, Houses

Vintaj: Bead Cap, Blossom 6mm

Basic Grey Woolies, Sugar Rush

inchies are so perfect for this.  Cover them with paper, paint on them, stamp on them...have fun!

 

Use the squares as temporary building blocks to work around
 

punch a butterfly, embellish a cute metal flower and cover a house chipboard shape with paper to represent an arrow
 

cut down a clear clock and tuck into a corner
 

embellish the yellow square with a clear flower button...and the flower with a sweet dew drop

change up the colors...or create a monochromatic look!

Have a BLAST!!

Sweet 16 - Be Creative Glitter Stickers

There is a VERY special young lady in our household and she has a big day coming up this week! Yesterday as I stood besider her in the bathroom I looked in the mirror only to realize that she is now taller than I am. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but her beauty radiates from within. As a mom it brings tears to my eyes when her teachers, and other parents, tell me what a kind and thoughtful daughter we have. But what surprises me is when her friends tell me that someday, when they are all grown up, they hope that their daughters will be like Maddi. My children are such a huge blessing in my life and I cannot begin to imagine my life without them. Each and every day I watch them grow into the young women they will become and feel grateful for being given the opportunity to be their mom. So without further ado - I love you my sweet Maddi and I am so very proud of the adult you are growing into. Nothing can state better the sentiment of this card - Happy Birthday my sweet 16-yr-old. Thank you for being you!

Now enough of the proud mom stuff - LOL! Nothing speaks "sweet 16" better than bold, bright, fun colors and a little glitter :-D It is amazing to me that when I put boundaries on what it is that I am going to create how easily it all comes together. This week the challenge I gave myself was to use the same products that our team will be using here in the CLASSroom - Hero Arts, Inchie Arts and Cosmo Cricket. I immediately knew what I wanted to use - Delovely, it is so very lovely. Combine it with some of the bold Hero Arts stamp designs and a few Inchie squares and you will have a perfect card for your teen.

A very hot trend is to use glitter letters and numbers on our cards. Today I am going to share a little secret with you - you can easily make your own custom glitter sticker letters/numbers in any color you would like using Be Creative Tape and any color of glitter. We are going to be carrying some Ultrafine glitter shortly that will coordinate with the paper colors we carry, but for now I used some of the fabulous, regular Martha Stewart glitter we carry.

To begin I cut squares from the Be Creative sheets using the Tim Holtz Sizzlits Alpha Vintage Market Die. The sheets are so easy to use because they come already backed. I haven't tested to see if I can adhere the regular tape to a different surface before cutting, but it is something I will be experimenting with. For now I just went with what I guessed would work. You know me - always testing and experimenting - LOL!

First remove the portion of the tape that the adhesive is not sticking too. I played around with trying to figure out which side the adhesive would stay adhered to and it appears to me that it is the side I have facing up when I punch - but I'm just not certain yet. You may need to experiment with this depending on what type of die you are using.

I removed the white backing and using a tweezer located the number in position. Next burnish the number in place using a teflon bone folder. As you can see on the number "1" I did not get a clean cut - this worked to my advantage. As I removed the backing, the adhesive stayed on the number one and not the surrounding area. If it had I would have snipped around the number, but as it was I was able to easily use the extra paper like a little "handle."

 

Sprinkle glitter over the adhesive and then burnish in place with the teflon bone folder. Use a soft brush to remove the excess.

WARNING: This is section is NOT a recommended technique - so proceed at your own risk - you may destroy your punch! BUT I just couldn't help myself and had to give it a try - LOL! Guess what it worked :-D

Curiosity killed the cat you know and being a curious one myself I just had to try this next technique. It is not recommended that you punch through the tape with regular punches, never mind highly detailed ones like the Deep Garden Trellis! BUT I had to test it for myself and found the results to be simply breathtaking.

Once again I used the Be Creative Tape sheets due to the backing being in place. I punched my design in the tape being very careful to remove any excess bits of paper or adhesive that appeared on the underside of my punch with each pass through. One of the incredible things I discovered about these punches is the amazing detail in the way that the punch is designed. The engineering is so well thought out. These detailed punches do not punch through your paper in all one area. The punch is designed so that there are peaks and valleys to allow the punch to pass through only small portions of the design at one time. I would like to suggest that you take a look at the bottom of your punches - it really was an eye-opener for me. So cool!

Once I had my design the width I felt worked best I removed the backing. What I found was that this time the brown backing needed to be removed (just the opposite of my Sizzlet punched image) and the adhesive remained on the white portion as shown above.

I positioned my design and then once again burnished it in place. I followed the same procedure with the glitter - applying it and burnishing it in place, then using a soft brush to remove the excess.

As you can see the detail of the punched designs is incredible! Following are some cutting techniques I have tried, or plan to try:

• Sizzix, Sizzlet and other steel blade dies,
• Low profile dies such as the Nestabilities,
• Punches - these are ones I canNOT fully endorse because of the possibility of ruining your punches, but...my oh my are these every cool,
• Cricut or Silhouette electronic cutters - I'm going to be giving this a try soon. I can hardly wait to see what the results will be.

The other experiment that needs to occur is what types of media I can apply once I remove the second side of the adhesive. Following are just a few of the products worth experimenting with:

• Glitter (of course)
• Fun Flock (I punched out a little bunny and applied white fun flock, adding a little pom pom tail - OH SO CUTE!)
• Perfect Pearls
• Dried, crushed flowers and leaves
• Flower Soft - Ultrafine may be way cool - I can hardly wait to try!
• Gold Leaf - wowsers this will be gorgeous!

So many ideas - so little time :-D You all have to help me out here by playing with these ideas and giving me your feedback - LOL!

Next, was the selection of my image. One of the beautiful things about the 6x6 pads is the wonderful scale of the images on these papers. I selected a Hero Arts image that was bold and beautiful. I love the fact that the images come mounted on a storage sheet that I can also use to locate the perfect portion of paper to stamp my image. 

 
Stamping the image three times on different papers made for the perfect layered flower! I LOVE the design of this Hero Arts image for paper piecing!

Using a 2-way glitter pen I added details to the leaves and top flower. Sprinkling the same turquoise glitter as used on the numbers and trellis. I allowed the adhesive to dry and then once again used a soft brush to remove the excess glitter.

Tip: When threading buttons I keep a needle threader handy and simply insert my DMC Embroidery floss using this handy, dandy tool. 

The final details include Black Inchie+ Squares covered in decorative paper, a Tiny Type sticker (these are fabulous stickers and such a great value!) and a silk ribbon tab.
 

stamps: Hero Arts Big Flower Pattern

paper: Cosmo Cricket Delovely 6x6 Paper Pad, Memory Box Sunflower Cardstock

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

accessories: Be Creative Tape Sheets, Tim Holtz Alpha Vintage Market Sizzlet Die, Martha Stewart Turquoise Glitter, Pink Tiny Type Stickers, Black Inchie Square, Black Inchie+ Squares, 2-way Glue Pen, Teflon Bone Folder, Fuschia Silk Ribbon

Be certain to visit our "*Weekly Special" section and use promo code HAIACC upon checkout when purchasing any of the Cosmo Cricket, Hero Arts and Inchie Arts products we have used in this weeks posts!

Congrats, Graduate by Sharon Harnist

 

My 4th grade daughter is graduating from Elementary school to Intermediate and a whole new school in a few weeks, so I thought Kim Hughes' U R A Hoot stamp set would make a cute graduation card for her ... I love this sweet owl!  I stamped her onto some Basic Grey Sugar Rush solid light pink paper and accented her a little with these Copic markers:

 

Next, I die cut a green patterned circle of more Sugar Rush paper and layered that onto a 5" orange mat I created using Martha Stewart's Punch Around The Page Set-Crown.  These Punch Around The Page punch sets are a great way to make pretty-edged layers.  You can refer to this post for more instructions on how to use these punches.

The secret to getting a perfectly punched border or mat with Punch Around The Page punches: you will need to start with any combination of these sizes of paper: 3.25", 5.00", 6.75", 8.50" 10.25" or 12".  So you could make a photo mat that is 5" x 6.75" or a square page or card embellishment that is 3.25" square or 5" square (like I did here), etc, or edge your 12" scrapbook page!

To finish my card, I layered the punched orange mat onto dark pink (although it appears red in these photos!) Sugar Rush paper (a little over 5" square) and a 5.25" Natural White card base.  I stamped the tree limb on the BACK side of the striped Sugar Rush paper, just to use the stamped lines as a cutting guide, since I wanted my tree limb to be the striped paper:

I stamped the solid graduation cap with Versamark onto the solid dark gray Sugar Rush paper and heat embossed it with Ranger's clear embossing powder & Heat It Craft tool.  Then I cut it out and popped it up with foam tape:

You can also use the "leftover" punched-out pieces to decorate with: 

 

For this birthday/celebration card, I used some lime green punched pieces leftover from another project (using the same Crown Punch Around The Page punch set) and adhered them to a 3" square bright pink card base I cut from a Memory Box Currant notecard:

 

I started with the corner pieces and then filled in with the straight scallops.  Next, I cut a light pink piece of Sugar Rush paper with Spellbinders Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities-Lg die and stamped it with the "let's celebrate" sentiment from U R A Hoot stamp set.  Using Martha Stewart's Punch & Stamp Set-Cupcake, I punched two cupcakes from two different patterns of Sugar Rush paper, cut the top off of one and layered it with foam tape to the striped base.  It made for a very quick and easy little notecard!

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!

 
Stamps: CHF Kim Hughes U R A Hoot 
Paper: Basic Grey Sugar Rush, Memory Box Currant notecard, Neenah Natural White cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark ink pad
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Circle Nestabilities-Lg & Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities-Lg; Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page Set-Crown & Punch & Stamp-Cupcake; Ranger clear embossing powder & Heat It Craft tool

congrats GRAD card by Kim Hughes

Graduation time is right around the corner...time flies.  Whether you have a loved one graduating from Pre-K or celebrating a masters degree, grad cards are fun but can be oh' so challenging at times.  I thought of a cute way to toss that hat in the air!

supplies:

Martha Stewart Punch and Stamp, Cupcake

Zva Creative: Ice and Fire Crystal, Jet

Nestability Dies - Labels Three

Memory Box 6x6 Cardstock, Spearmint

Basic Grey 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad, Green at Heart, Basic Grey Brads, Cappella, Basic Grey 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad, Kioshi

It's easy to print your sentiment onto a smaller piece of paper when you simply don't have an 8 1/2 x 11 piece.  Print text onto printer paper.

 

and use a tape gun to adhere the paper over he printed sentiment.  This will work for even the thinnest sentiments as well.  Re-positionable tape is best but not necessary.
 

print the sentiment once again and it appears onto your small 6 x 6 page
 

send the sentiment and a blue patterned paper through the die cutting machine at the same time and add the blue paper along the left side of the main sentiment shape.
 

machine sew it with a zig zag stitch onto a peach patterned paper.
 

Use a cupcake punch to create the grad cap. 
 

trim off the curves in the "frosting"

trace the pointing top onto the back of black card stock and cut a diamond shape, to b placed on top of the cap base.  Pop up diamond with a dimensional square

 

cut 6 strips of floss to create a tassel.
 

tie a knot in the center with a separate string
 

wrap one side of the string around and tie a knot.
 

pull tight and cut off excess string, fun, right?
 

poke a hole in the top of the cap with scissors because a paper piercer hole won't be big enough
 

push the string through the hole and attach to the backside of the cap.
 

add brad to the hole...done :)
 

send the card front through the die cutting machine, gicing it a little more design elements.
 

mat onto striped paper, then purple, then black.  Complete with a black crystal flourish to help the eye see movement of the tossed cap.

play around with school colors and possibly include a gift card holder inside.  Grad cards don't need to be so scary, especially if you have a cupcake punch a brad and some string.

Tri-fold Mom by Kim Hughes

Square cards are very pleasing to the eye, but ones that open like a tri-fold are just plain FUN! They make great center pieces and provide little "nooks" to add a pocket or pull out message...add some photos maybe?  You have 6 sides to work with, so be creative and use some or all sides.  Tri-folds (and accordions) make super easy mini album bases as well (wink)

Supplies:

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pitch Black, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Espresso

Art Institute Glitter stamp: Butterfly, Medium

Copic: COPIC Sketch Marker R27, Cadmium Red, COPIC Sketch Marker YR24, Pale Sepia

Memory Box: First Flight stamp. Notecard Collection, Indian Summer

Art Flowers, White & Cream

Basic Grey Opaline Half Pearls, Platinum/Pearl

Jenni Bowlin: Banner Alpha Sticker, Brown, Mini Die Cut Circle Label Papers, Rhinestone Buttons, Black, Stick Pins, Pewter, Mini Papers, Vintage Red Line, Mini Papers, Brown, Mini Papers, Vintage Black Line

Martha Stewart Craft Punch, Classic Butterfly

Maya Road: Trinket Pins, Hearts

Cosmo Cricket: Buck Naked Alpha-Buttons

Making a tri-fold card is as easy as combining 2 cards together.

I planned out colors and products each square before I began

I started with the stamping...and added flying butterflies to the letter "o"

and placed it onto a large cut butterfly and added cool pins for the antennas.  The patterned paper in the center of the letter helps it stamp out from it's butterfly base.

I stamped a butterfly pattern to the "w" that I turned upside down to use as the second letter "m"

I added it to a circle jurnal spot and embellished it with a flower accent with a fashionable pin

I went with the circular theme and added round letter stickers to the top.  I wanted to add a little more color, so I added some accent hearts with 2 Copic markers.  I used 2 to blend a color that I was aiming for

 

lastly I embellished with a punched butterfly with a pearl in the center

Think of other 3 and 5 letter words to create your own unique tri-fold project.  They really are a blast to create!  Thanks for stopping by.

Doorway to Discovery by Lisa Strahl

Good Monday morning friends.  It's a pleasure to share a card today featuring Webster's Pages paper and Cornish Heritage Farms rubber stamps.

Webster's Pages papers are simply enchanting.  I remember when they arrived on the scene a few years ago - I was simply in love.  I had never seen designs that use images and patterns in such an interesting way.  I would argue that each release has been an improvement on the last.  Let me share a few details about this card, but first I want to give you a detailed supply list.

6x6 Petite Paper Pad - Garden Gala/Seaside Retreat (Webster's Pages)

Encouragement Expressions Stamp Set (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Pearl Glimmer Mist Spray (Tattered Angels)

Non-Stick Craft Sheet (Ranger)

Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger)

Sparrow Punch (Martha Stewart)

Crystals Trinket Pins (Maya Road)

Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins (Maya Road)

Ivory Mini Gypso Flowers(Prima)

Sage and Sand Ultra Fine, Baby Blue (Flower Soft)

Flower Soft Glue (Flower Soft)

White Crochet Ribbon (May Arts)

Brown Vintage Scallop Crochet Ribbon (Maya Road)

Clear Spica Glitter Pen(Copic)

3/8 inch Memory Glue Dots (Glue Dots)

1/8 inch Scor Tape(Scor Pal)

Mist the sparrow the punch with Pearl Glimmer Mist and allow to dry.  It's important not SHAKE your Glimmer Mist as it will clog the pump.  Instead TWIRL the bottle upright in a circular motion.

Mist the Gypso Flowers as well and allow to dry.  Be sure to spray on a surface that can be easily cleaned up such as the Non-Stick Craft Sheet.

 

Use the wire stem of the stem to wrap the other two pins together.

Snip the pins at the base of the wire wrap with wire cutters.

Stamp "Mistakes are doorways to discovery." sentiment with Coffee Archival Ink.

A few other design notes:

1.  Embellish flowers and leaves with flower soft.  2.  Add Clear Spica Glitter Pen to the lightest stripes on the lower half of the card.  3.  Use Memory Glue Dots to adhere the pin bouquet to the card.  4.  Use Scor Tape to adhere the crochet ribbon.

Hope this little card got your week off to a good start!  Thanks so much for joining us in the CLASSroom today.  Lisa

7 Gypsies Hybrid Tag

Hybrid.  Digital.  Those words can strike fear into the heart of some stampy stampers.  But fear not my friends.  These words simply represent another tool in your paper crafting arsenal!

By now Ellen has given you her vision for the world of hybrid crafting and I want to kick things off with a simple, "get you started" kind of project.  Please read her Newsletter here and the FAQ section if you have not already.

I have had great admiration for 7 Gypsies product, but mostly from afar because most of my local scrapbook stores don't carry very much.  No longer a problem!  I now have access to a library of 7 Gypsies product AND am able to customize it to my liking and my project needs.

To gain access to the information I am sharing today simply click on this link or the preceding graphic and it will take you to the Ellen Hutson, LLC and ScrapHD builder.

 

These adorable tags are found in the Embellishment section of the program.  I created a blank 8x8 page and "dragged and dropped" the images onto the page.  Arrange them to get the most possible images on a single sheet and color print onto 8.5 x 11 Sticky Back Canvas.

Here are a few screen shots to walk you through how to navigate this process:

1.  Click on the Create a Scrapbook Button and Log In.

2.  Select "Start with a blank page"

 

3.  Click on 8x8 Scrapbook.

4.  Click on the tab with the yellow star, which is the embellishment menu.  Click on the green + button to see the selection of embellishments.

5.  Click on Manufacturer > 7 Gypsies > then search for tags.

6.  Choose the tags you want by clicking on them.  They will appear in the left column.  You can then drag them onto the 8x8 blank page.  Images can be resized by simply using your mouse to drag the corner.

 
  
7.  The final step is to choose the option to "Print From Home".  The high resolution file will be emailed to you.

Once again here are my printed tags and embellishments, all from 7 Gypsies.  I am not going to use all of these today, but didn't want to waste extra space on my page.

8.  Cut out the printed canvas tag and stamp the word "Art" from Wendy Vecchi's Just Word Art stamp set with Pitch Black Paint Dabber.

9. Embellish the flourishes on the tag with Clear Spica Glitter Pen.

10.  Apply a narrow layer of 1/8 inch double sided tape to the bottom of the tag and use it to secure the Cynthia Ribbon Lace.

11. Add the word "Expression" from the Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Black Stickers set.

12.  Punch the Glassene Butterflyfrom the houndstooth pattern in the Red/Black Line Extension Mini PapersPackage by Jenni Bowlin.

 

13.  Embellish the butterfly with pearls.

 

14. Embellish the ribbon lace with black pearls.

15.  I am always looking for new and interesting ways to incorporate pins and metal trinkets into my work.  Rather than tying the Cream Stick Pin by Jenni Bowlin to the Sprocket Gear, I used the brad to secure the pin to the piece.

 

 

16.  Finally, use the brad to hold the entire piece to the tag.

Thank you so much for joining us here on the CLASSroom today!

Cheers, Lisa

Snowpuffs to Blossoms by Susan Roberts

The cherry blossoms are everywhere.  Spring is here!!!  And just as the snow melts on the trees and the blossoms appear, this stamp by Memory Box called “Snowpuff Branch” has easily transformed from a lovely winter image to a branch of pink blooms.

 

These little blossoms were made by coloring a coffee filter with Copics and punching out the tiny flowers with  Martha Stewart’s “3-in-1 Hydrangea” punch.

 

 

After making a small hole in the center of each flower (I used the Ornare paper piercer and pad), I used an embossing stylus moving it in a circular motion at the center of the blossom while still on the soft piercing pad.  This “trained” it to fold inward.

 

 

Next each blossom was put on a short piece of wire from Flower Soft, and glue and Ultra Fine Flower Soft in “Raspberry Fizz” was applied.

 

 

The blossom was then pushed up to meet the glue/Flower Soft and the petals were gently shaped.  (This is made easier if the blossom has been trained to curl with the embossing tool.)

 

I think these are so sweet!

 

The stems were placed in a block of floral foam to dry.

 

After the glue had dried, the wires/stems were cut shorter and bent at a 90 degree angle as close to the blossom as possible.

 

The image was stamped and colored and holes were made to insert the stems.  Once all the blossoms were inserted onto the cardstock, I taped the stem ends to hold them in place on the back of the image.  When taping the stems, I made sure to arrange them so that dimensionals could be placed directly on the cardstock around the outside of the oval.  By using dimensionals, there are no visible lumps or bumps on the front of the image once it is adhered to the larger oval base.

 

These little blossoms were really fun to make.  It may look complicated or time consuming, but it really wasn’t.  By making several at once, I had a branch bursting with cherry blossoms in no time at all!

Happy Spring!!

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Memory Box “Snowpuff Branch”, “Swallow” and “Happy Spring”

Papers: Memory Box “Vanilla Bean”, “Frond” and “Gossamer”; Neenah “Solar White”; Coffee Filter

Inks: Memento “Rich Cocoa”; Copics:

    Flowers: RV000, RV11, R30, 0

    Snowpuffs: RV11, R14

    Bird: BG02, BG05, BG09

Accessories: Flower Soft Ultra Fine “Raspberry Fizz”, Wires and Glue; Martha Stewart “3-in-1 Hydrangea” and “Around the Page Crown” Punches; Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Oval Dies; May Arts Silk Ribbon; ¾” and 1’ Circle Punches; Embossing Stylus; Paper Piercer

Button Tree & Butterfly by Sharon Harnist

What a happy coincidence -- I had these button projects planned out a few weeks ago, before seeing Becky's Trend Watch Tuesday post this week about buttons!  I guess it's safe to say we all like our buttons, don't we?!!

I thought Memory Box's Twizzle Tree would be a great stamp to embellish with buttons.  And since the tree is a classic basic tree, you can change the colors of the buttons to suit the season or holiday!  I chose to celebrate Spring by using Memory Box's Frond 6x6 patterned paper as a base for my tree.  I machine zig-zag stitched two different patterns to the bottom of my card base made out of Memory Box Kraft cardstock.

The tree was stamped with Ranger Adirondack Espresso dye ink.  I used Hero Arts Clear Card Buttons, punched more coordinating patterned papers from the Frond collection and then adhered the two together with Glossy Accents:

 

There are three different sizes of these clear buttons in each package, so you can find just about any size you need.  On the tree, I used all three sizes.  It's quick and easy to adhere the patterned paper to the button, by using Glossy Accents -- it dries clear and quickly, to give you a perfectly-matched button for your project!  These buttons can also be stamped on, for another unique look.

 

A tip for sewing buttons on your project easily . . . use a Piercing Tool on a Piercing Pad to poke the holes for the buttons exactly where you want them.  This makes sewing the buttons to the cardstock easier and quicker, especially if you are trying to sew through more than one layer of cardstock, like I did with my butterfly card below:

 

The inside of my button tree card was finished with a little more patterned Frond paper, cut with pinking shears and Memory Box's Happy Spring sentiment:

 

I just recently discovered in the store these adorable Butterfly Cards & Envelopes by Memory Box:

 
While they make cute, quick & easy notecards as is, I thought it would be fun to use the butterflies like a die cut.  I cut one butterfly notecard apart where it was hinged together at the left wing and positioned it on a Memory Box Hyacinth Notecard that I punched the right edge with Martha Stewart's Scalloped Dot Edger Punch:

 

I machine stitched around the butterfly and then used buttons in the same manner as above, for the butterfly's body.  The butterfly antennae was created with thread, after sewing the buttons on the card.

 

The Happy Spring sentiment was stamped with Hero Arts Iris Chalk Ink.  I hope these Spring cards give you some more ideas of ways to use buttons!

 
Stamps: Memory Box Twizzle Tree & Happy Spring
Paper: Memory Box Frond 6x6 patterned, Kraft cardstock, Butterfly Cards & Envelopes-Cool, Hyacinth Notecard
Ink: Ranger Adirondack Espresso dye ink pad, Hero Arts Iris Chalk Ink
Accessories: Hero Arts Clear Card Buttons, Ranger Glossy Accents, Ornare Piercing Tool & Piercing Pad. EK Success 5/8" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch & 3/4" circle punch.  Martha Stewart Edger Punch-Scalloped Dot
Other: sewing machine

Graphic 45-Hero Floral Door Hanger by Sharon Harnist

I seem to be into door hangers lately -- I like that they can be hung from a door or decorative hook and also used as a piece of wall art!  This one was made using Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestabilities die that measures approximately 5.50" x 4".  I die-cut my base out of good 'ole Craft-A-Board -- I love this stuff!  Then I cut this beautiful Graphic 45-Le Romantique 8x8 paper with the same die and adhered the two together.

The Hero Arts Big & Small flower was stamped onto more coordinating peach & green Le Romantique papers (twice) and then easily & quickly cut out using my pinking shears:

A few more straight snips with scissors between the petals and this big flower was done!  I colored the flower center with Copic E35 marker and put a large Glue Dot in the center and covered it with Martha Stewart's copper glitter.  The petals of both flowers were curled with my fingernail and layered together.

This great Hero Arts sentiment (from the Life Is Not Perfect set) was stamped with Adirondack Espresso ink onto an Inchie Arts Wheat Twinchie Square -- these squares are the same wonderful museum-quality matboard as Inchie Squares, but are 2-inches! 

 

I topped the Twinchie with another piece of the Le Romantique paper that was punched with Martha Stewart Arch Lattice Edger Punch.  I also rounded the corners of the Twinchie easily with the 1/2" Corner Chomper.  I was about to call this project "done" but then spotted these beautiful Zva crystals in my drawer and they just begged to be used!  Good news is that Ellen will be carrying Zva's beautimous bling in the store but the sort of bad news is that they haven't quite arrived yet!  So please keep checking back!

To finish this door hanger, I punched holes in the top and tied up some pretty lace.

 
Stamps: Hero Arts Big & Small, Life Is Not Perfect
Paper: Graphic 45-Le Romantique 8x8
Ink: Ranger-Adirondack Espresso dye ink, Copic marker-E35
Accessories: Spellbinders-Labels Eight Nestabilities dies, Essentials by Ellen-Craft-A-Board, Inchie Arts Assorted Twinchie Squares (Wheat), Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Prima-Jaqueline Lace, Martha Stewart Edger Punch-Arch Lattice, Glue Dots, Martha Stewart Essential Colors Glitter Set-Copper, Zva Crystals (arriving soon!)

 

Pumped About Embossing by Susan Roberts

Today I want to shoe you something really fun, making your own embossing template.  It’s easy peasy and can add an interesting detail to your creations.

I chose the “Party Shoe” stamp by Karen Lockhart for the template.

The image was stamped on Ellen’s “Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board” and then cut out.  This Craft-a-Board is sturdy but very manageable to cut fairly small details.  A small border should be left around the image when cutting.

 

I passed the card stock through my embosser with the shoe template.  One layer of Craft-a-Board was enough to leave a perfect embossed image.

To center the image for stamping, I used a “Stamp-a-ma-Jig” over the embossed area.

 

I LOVE the resulting look!

 

Shoes were colored with Copics.  Basic Grey designer paper was used to cut several coordinating pieces to paper piece onto the shoe.  These pieces were quick and easy cutting.  Consequently, I cut out so many of these!  I will store them with my stamp, along with the template, for future creations.

 

Before adhering the paper pieces to the card stock, I embossed some of them.

 

This was a blast!  As I was going through the different designer papers trying to decide which papers to use and once several were cut out, it felt like I was trying on different shoes as I placed the little cutouts on the different colored shoe images.  But, I finally made my decisions.  Below are larger pictures of each of the four cards in the set.

The sentiments are all part of the Cornish Heritage Farms “The Shoe Boutique” set.

Each card has a corresponding sentiment stamped on the inside as well.  These are shown directly below the card.  Also listed are all supplies used on that particular card.

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Blueberry" and Basic Grey "Sugar Rush"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Martha Stewart Edger Punch "Threader"; May Arts 1/4" White Silk Ribbon; Hero Arts Button "Summer"

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Key Lime"; Basic Grey "Origins"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: May Arts 1-1/4" Black Silk Ribbon; Kaiser Black Pearl

------------------------------

 

 

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Key Lime"; Basic Grey "Sugar Rush"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Hero Arts, Neutral Art Flower; Prima Marketing White Flower Centers

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Blueberry" and Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page "Eyelet Lace"; Prima Marketing Creme Ribbon Lace; Hero Arts Neutral Fancy Felt Flowers; Hero Arts Art Flowers Neutral; Kaiser Black Pearls

------------------------------

Happy Crafting!

Stuck on You Part Four - Dry Adhesive Ideas by Julia Stainton

Adhering your project together well is an integral part of a good design. Over the past four weeks I've been showcasing different adhesives and some ideas on how you might use them in your projects. I think my favorite adhesives have to be the so-called "dry" adhesives. This means that the adhesives is not in a liquid or wet form. This usually includes glue dots, adhesive squares and tape dispensing style adhesive cartridges.

I love dry adhesives as they are very easy to apply, there is little mess and there is no drying time involved. For me the higher cost of dry adhesives is off-set by how well they work and how quickly things go together. All dry adhesives are not equal though. Some are much stickier than others and hold up better over time. After years of experimenting and trying different  kinds, I now have my favorites. I encourage you to do the same and see what works for you.

Since I first tried out the Glue Glider Pro, I've been hooked. Seriously...I don't think I've created a project in months without it. I love how much adhesive there is on a roll, how easy it is to switch out the cartridges, how easy it is on my wrist but most of all, how well it sticks. After all, an adhesive is only as good as its staying power.

 

For this project I used the Glue Glider Pro to adhere my paper and photos and some of the embellishments as well. Here's a look at the start of my project.

I started off with a 12x12 piece of white cardstock. This layout could easily be adapted for an 8x8 size or even an 8.5x11 layout. I want my layouts to last for years and years to pass down to my family so using an adhesive that is acid free and also will work well is important to me. The Glue Glide works great for this and doesn't ripple the photos. For this project I've adhered two 3.5" square photos and a piece of 6x6 paper by Webster's Pages.

 

Next I wanted to add a fun embellishment technique using adhesive glue strips. You can use slim or wide strips of adhesive for this but for this project, I chose the 1/4" size. Making sure to apply the adhesive in a straight line, I applied it to my paper and then pressed well.

 

After the backing is removed, sprinkle glitter over the surface and coat well. Shake to remove excess.

 

Repeat along bottom of layout. To get a perfectly straight line that is exactly on grid, I used the Basic Grey Precision Mat. I love this product for getting things lined up each and every time. The magnets are great for keeping the layout in place as well making it an ideal work surface. Repeat until you have the amount of  glitter strips you wish for on your project. For this layout, I've used the Martha Stewart Glitter in the Golden Beryl, Turquoise and Verdilite shades.

You can also use this technique to attach embossing powder, beads, flocking and other small items to your projects.

The Invisibles Alphabet Stickers are a fun product to work with. I love the pre-embossed pattern and they can be customized to any shade you wish by sponging on ink. I used Shabby Shutters, Worn Lipstick and Broken China Distress Inks to create my "always" title.

 

To create straight lines for my journaling, once again the Magnetic Mat comes in handy. The magnetic ruler that comes with it makes it easy to line up and draw parallel lines in pencil.

 

The journaling was written with a Copic Multiliner and then I erased the lines.

Glue Dots can also but used to add glitter accents to your project. You can add them one at a time or as for this project, add them in a line. To get the spacing and application in a perfect row, simply tear off the length of strip you need to cover and apply them to the paper. Press well before removing backing.

 

Here's what the glue dots look like and then you cover them with glitter.

 

Because this layout was about the passage of time, I added in some supporting embellishments. Maya Road Black and White Clocks and Days of the Week Cards by Webster's Pages are a fun addition. I've also added in some Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Buttons, and flowers for extra detail.

The pretty vintage button is also by Jenni Bowlin and accents the title. You may notice that while stamping is not the key focus on this design, I've tucked in some sweet sentiments and images from the Wedding Centers and Botanical Bliss stamp sets by Cornish Heritage Farms.

This has been part four of the Stuck on You series on adhesives. If you're looking for the previous tutorials you can find them at part one, part two and part three. While there are many ways to use adhesives and adhere layers to your designs, I hope this has given you a few ideas on different methods you can try.

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and happy creating!

Cupcake Flowers by Kim Hughes

I love thinking of creative uses for products that were intended for something specific, where in this case, is a cupcake.  Why not make a fun flower with that delicious whipped cupcake top?

Supplies:

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pitch Black

Martha Stewart Craft Punch, Classic Butterfly, Martha Stewart Punch and Stamp, Cupcake

Cosmo Cricket Paper Crafting Kit, Joy Ride

Silk Ribbon, Ivory 1 1/4" wide by the Yard

Basic Grey Brads, Indian Summer

Cosmo Cricket Buttons, Material Girl

Memory Box : B7 Cardstock, Boysenberry, F2 Cardstock, Ocean

Karen Lockhart: Water...Weed...Wait... stamp

other: kraft card stock

Start by punching out 14 cupcakes.

Then adhere them to your card base as if you were laying a 5 petal flower.  Gently crumple the tops, upwards.

Place the next layer of cupcakes closer together,on top of the base flower and crinkle those edges as well.

 

The final layer consists of 4 "petals" which are overlapped and also have crumpled edges.  Find the perfect button center and adorn it with a large brad.  Add interest by bending the brad prongs backwards.
 

Once your center is in place, continue to fold and crumple the flower petals to add even more dimension.
 

Create fun "hills" with striped patterned paper
 

Stemp the sentiment onto teal card stock and cut along the words to create a playful flower stem.
 

Add the flower to the hills and cover the bottom with a third hill.
 

Complete the card with a cut leaf that's bent in the center to add dimension.
 

Create a coordinating key chain with ease.  Punch 2 butterflies from striped paper, cut the teal card stock to a 1 x 1 inch square (add onto an inchie block if desired),
 

start by punching the cmallest circle and then place the larger hole punch over that and punch a custom tag topper

 

Poke a hole in the front butterfly and add a large yellow brad in the center
 

adhere the second butterfly to the back side with a sturdy liquid glue
 

Lastly, tie some fun silk ribbon to your key chain.  I know that my daughter will love this tiny treat!

I apologize that some of the photos are a bit blurry, my camera had a heck of a time with those light pastel colors.

Thanks for joining me today :)

ATC Home Decor by Sharon Harnist

 

If you don't know people interested in swapping ATCs, or if you're like me and just can't bear to part with some of your creations (!) -- why not make them into home decor items?  Here, I simply made my Valentine-themed ATC and then placed it on a plaque.  There's another suggestion for ATC swaps ... you can make them seasonal and then use all the cards you've swapped in a grouping for your seasonal home decor.

Here's what the plaque looked like when I found it on clearance at the craft store -- I knew it had good potential for altering!

Basic Grey's Sugar Rush paper matched the colors of the plaque perfectly, so I just decoupaged the paper to it and then added some of Maya Road's pearl trinket pins to the beads, to make them a little more special:

 

Again, I gave my ATC some shape by die cutting some of the pink solid Sugar Rush paper with a Labels Four Nestabilities die -- the second to the largest die in the set measures almost exactly 2.50" x 3.50" (ATC size).  Then I stamped Karen Lockhart's wonderful new Love Angel with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored her with the Copic markers pictured below. 

 

TIP: I like to use the Cocoa ink as opposed to black whenever I want to keep my final colored image a little on the softer side -- to match the softer pastel colors of the paper I'm working with.

To achieve a nicely graduated shading like I did on the Angel's dress, start with a base coat of your lightest Copic color (BV0000).  Doing this first will "prime" the paper and make the next colors blend easier:

 

Then add the middle shade of your 3-color grouping of markers (BV000) to the bottom two-thirds of the dress:

 

Next, add the darkest color in your grouping (BV02) to the very bottom of the dress:

 

The last step is to go back with your first lightest color and blend everything together.  You can then add back in a little bit of the darker color at the bottom of the dress, if it needs more definition.  Sometimes I repeat the last two colors another time, just to get a little deeper color saturation.

I cut out and mounted the angel with foam tape to the Nestie die cut, which is also on foam tape:

 

To give the die cut stability, I backed it with some of Ellen's fabulous Craft-a-Board.  I love that it is a beautiful shade of cream and cuts easily most of the time with Spellbinder's dies -- see it peeking out of the edges of the pink Labels die cut?  Much nicer than traditional chipboard!  The more open kind of die like the Labels Four I used here usually cut very easily all the way through the board on a first pass through your die cutting machine (mine did here).  More detailed dies may take a few more passes through your machine or require a little snipping of the Craft-a-Board in spots where it may not have cut all the way through -- but that's just the nature of low-profile dies. 

TIP: If a die isn't cutting through the Craft-a-Board (or ANY thicker material, such as GrungePaper) all the way, use this sandwich in the Wizard die cutting machine to help get a better cut (from the bottom, up):

-Spellbinders White Master cutting mat
-Die, cutting side up
-Material to cut
-Eyelet Setting Plate (copper colored metal plate that comes with your Wizard)
-White Master Mat

 

I used Glossy Accents to adhere the die cut paper to the die cut Craft-a-Board -- it gives a good, quick bond.  The tiny hearts the Angel is dropping are the punched-out centers from Martha Stewart's Lace Heart Edger Punch, attached with Quickie Glue Pen and shimmered with Copic's Clear Spica Glitter Pen.  The Angel's wings and hearts on her dress were also covered with Clear Spica and Pink Spica was added to the heart she is carrying (hopefully you can see all that shimmer if you click on this photo to make it larger):

 

I think I know two little girls who will love to have this revamped plaque hanging in their room (if they can get it away from Mom)!  It will be good for Valentine's Day or any day you want to spread a little love!

 
Stamps: Lockhart Love Angel
Paper: Basic Grey Sugar Rush, Neenah Natural White
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad, Copic markers, Copic Clear & Pink Spica Glitter Pens
Accessories: Craft-a-Board, Labels 4 Nestabilities dies, Martha Stewart Lace Heart Edger Punch, Maya Road Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins, Royal Coat Decoupage Finish, Ranger Glossy Accents, Quickie Glue Pen

Valentines Tag #4 - Sugary Love Tag by Lisa Strahl

What fun this little Love Themed Tag feature has been!  It's a joy to work with my friend Bek and to see how we can use the same supplies and come up with completely different projects.  Very cool methinks.

My tag today features the Valentines line by Basic Grey called Sugar Rush (the 6x6 inch paper pad), a stamp set that Becky designed when her and I worked for CHF called Domestic Love and LOTS of other extra goodies.  :)

I decided to work with the Clear Paintables, Frames 2 sheet from Prima.  The artwork for these paintable transparencies is absolutely gorgeous.

I trimmed the paintable to the size of my tag. 

Once again the red that I needed did not quite match the paint I had, so I mixed Dash of Red and Painterly Pink Studio Paint by Claudine Hellmuth.  I have said it before and need to say it again, this paint is a joy to work with.  It makes me look like I know what I am doing!  Next, turn the transparency over and paint the rose.

 

Paint the leaves with Landscape Green.

Fill in the frame with Pastel Raspberry Liquid Pearls and allow all of the these to dry and set. 

Stamp the man and woman with Jet Black Archival Ink on the back side of the paper called Pulled Taffy.  It stands as a one sided sheet in the Sugar Rush 6x6 paper pack.

Trim the image and secure it behind the transparency with 1/8 inch Scor-Tape.  

Trim the paper called Cinnamon Bear to match the tag, make sure that you adhere from the top of the tag toward the bottom as the tag is longer than 6 inches.  We will cover that open portion later. 

 

Apply more double-sided tape to the bottom edge of the tag to secure the transparency.

Apply the 1/2 inch double sided tape to the bottom edge of the tag over the transparency. 

Apply the green crochet trim from the Webster's Pages Classic Trim Collection. 

...and then the pink trim from the same package. 

I couldn't help but add one of these heart shaped pearls as an earring. 

Punch a crown from the reverse side of the paper called Fireball (again, this is a single sided sheet in the 6x6 Sugar Rush paper pad.)

 

Add single jewels to each of the spikes on the crown.

 

And a row of jewels to the pink trim.

Cut the word "amour" from the Fireball paper and adhere with double sided tape as shown.

I created my own jewel flourishes to suit my project from a regular package of jewels where the lines are straight.  I also added a Sugar Rush Stitched Brad in the center of the rose. 

I hope you get to do something romantic with that special someone in your life this Valentines Day.  I must tell you that my hubby purposely does NOT give me anything on the 14th.  Wait, wait!  Don't get upset just yet...he always surprises me at least a week early.  The card usually says something like, "I don't need a special holiday to tell you how much you mean to me".   Awwww.  And every year I am surprised!

I am so excited that I get to see Bek and Ellen on Saturday, as we all meet in Anaheim at CHA Winter.  Can't wait!  Thanks for sharing these few days with us CLASSroomies!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 12: Twelve Stampin' Treasures by Kim Hughes

Note from Ellen:

Thank you for joining us for our 12 days of Christmas event! We are thrilled that you have enjoyed yourselves and have learned from the wonderful posts the girls have put together. Remember that today is the last day for you to leave a comment on each of the 12 posts---links are provided below. There is some awesome "candy" awaiting those who come and share their thoughts.

 

sometimes Birthday's can be a "royal pain" but they can also be a super fun topic to create for.

supplies:

Tinsel Glitter, 12 pk

Rummage Bin, A Royal Birthday

Twill, White

Basic Grey Bling It Rhinestones Lotus, Tangerine

Quickie Glue Pen

Creative Candy Twinkle Stickers, Mini Dot

Cardstock, Neenah Classic Solar White

COPIC Sketch Marker G28, Ocean Green

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Butterscotch, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pitch Black

Start by stamping the crown onto smooth white card stock

 

and then stamp the sentiment on top
 

cut down to a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card base and set aside.

Stamp the elegant woman onto another piece of smooth white card stock and cut a box around her.  Use a glue pen to add glitter to different elements

 

allow the glitter to pool instead of adding it back into the jars and mix the colors together.

Apply glue to a scrap paper in a line

and dip the card base edges into the glue and immediately into the glitter xture and allow to dry.

color a yellow bling with a green Copic to change the color to coordinate.

wrap white twill around the card and tie a knot under the sentiment.  Use a glue dot to adhere the twill in place

add gems to sentiment.  And then add the accent panel to the left side of the card with foam dots underneath to add dimension.

TWELFTH DAY BLOG CANDY

On the twelfth day of Christmas by goodie box could be:

• twelve stampin' treasures (it's the grand finale; the mother lode :D --- Hero Arts Heart Trio Cling Set, Martha Stewart Fleur De Lis Punch, Maya Road Crystal Trinket Pins, 1 yard Mauve Silk Ribbon, CHF Domestic Love PRECUT Stamp Set, Hero Accent Pearl Hearts, Basic Grey Bling, Memory Box Lovey Dovey Tree, Maya Road Hearts and Wings Mini Chipboard Set, Stamper's Anonymous Urban Tapestry Stamp Set, Martha Stewart Scallop Clutch Favor Boxes, Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page Crown Punch Set)

 
To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight (That's tonight so don't wait one more minute!) We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

Don't forget the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to answer the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• Favorite Scoring Tools
• Two Soldeirng Starters
• Three Inchie Art Packets
• Four Cournish Stamps
• Five Fab Fine Art Fixings
• Six Dies for Cutting
• Seven Alterable Items
• Eight Copics for Coloring
• Nine Packs of Paper
• Ten Toys from Tim's World
• Eleven Latest Lovely Lockharts

We need to put together a customer recommendation page. You send us the sweetest notes and we appreciate them so very much! We need to compile information to share with new customers, we need them to know what it is that you have to say about what we do. We also need to hear if there are things you would like for us to work on. I fully realize that our webstore can use VAST improvements and I'm hoping you know that I am doing my very best. I have done all the work on the website myself (with no training --- can you imagine - LOL!) and unfortunately the $$$ just haven't been there to hire the pro's, so please be gentle on the recommendations as to site improvements - LOL! Never-the-less I do want to hear precisely what you think. So my request on the final 12 Days of Christmas is to leave a comment that shares your love for us, that suggests improvements we can make, that just shares your true opinion of what we do and how we do it. Please share your thoughts regarding the service we provide, the product we carry, etc. Your opinion truly does matter to me, to us!

We want you to know that we appreciate you! We appreciate your support! Thank you for shopping with us, learning with us and contributing to our little corner of the world here on the internet. Happy New Year everyone - wishing you all a healthy, happy year ahead; one filled with little things that bring joy to your days! Now go and leave your comments to the questions on each post :D --- Ellen

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6: Six Dies To Cut With by Sharon Harnist

 

The countdown begins in just a few hours ... to a new year and a new decade!  Are you ready for it?!!  On the Sixth Day of Christmas we have a set of six dies to cut with and here, I've used two out of the same set of Labels Four Nestabilities to make a glittery frame for my New Year countdown clock!

To make the frame, I used Ellen's Art Magnetic Masking Material to hold the two metal dies securely in place while running them through my die cutting machine:

 

I ran the paper frame through my Xyron machine and then sprinkled Martha Stewart's chunky tinsel glitter in Copper all over. We can't have a New Year's celebration without a little glitz and glimmer, now can we?!!  I thought this wonderful tinsel glitter was just the right "confetti" feeling I was looking for!  The glittered frame is popped up on foam tape.

TIP: Choose a piece of similarly colored paper to use with this chunky glitter. The larger glitter usually won't totally cover the paper so if some of the paper color shows through, it will compliment the glitter color nicely.

 

Next, Maya Road's Clock Sheer was adhered using a large glue dot to a piece of gray paper that was also cut with the Labels Four die.  Mini Glue Dots were the perfect size to adhere the clock hands (also from the Maya Road Clock Sheers) and golden Dew Drop.  The Happy New Year sentiment and numbers were made with my label maker.  My card measures 5.50" square.

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful evening ringing in the New Year! 

 
Paper: Basic Grey-Ambrosia 6x6 pad, Memory Box Licorice cardstock
Accessories: Art Magnetic Masking Material, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestabilities dies, Maya Road Sheers-Black & White Clocks, Martha Stewart Tinsel Glitter-Copper, Mini Glue Dots and Large Glue Dots, Golden Berry Dew Drops,
Other: Xyron, Dymo Label Maker, foam tape

SIXTH DAY BLOG CANDY

On the sixth day of Christmas my goodie box could be:

• six dies to cut with

To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

What products would you like to see us carry in our store? We are always trying to meet your needs and if there is anything that you would like to purchase through us please let us know. If we do carry the supplies you love then leave us a "love note" here - LOL! We appreciate your kindness and comments so very much and I just wanted you to know that there are many times when your thoughts brighten my days :D Thank you for supporting us! ---Ellen

Don't forget the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to answer the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• Favorite Scoring Tools
• Two Soldeirng Starters
• Three Inchie Art Packets
• Four Cournish Stamps
• Five Fab Fine Art Fixings

 

Christmas Cookies & Punch-Around-The-Page by Sharon Harnist

Hello and a very Merry Christmas Eve to you all!  Since it's Christmas Eve, I thought I would share a Christmas cookie card with you today!  Along with a tutorial on how to use Martha Stewart's Punch-Around-The-Page punches!

 

Karen Lockhart's darling Cookies for the Neighbors image was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Neenah Natural White cardstock and colored with the Copic markers pictured below and Spica Glitter Pens in Gold, Melon & Pink:

 

For a perfect Punch Around The Page border or mat, you will need to start with any combination of these sizes of paper: 3.25", 5.00", 6.75", 8.50" 10.25" or 12".  So you could make a photo mat that is 5" x 6.75" or a square page or card embellishment that is 3.25" square or 5" square, etc, or edge your 12" scrapbook page.

After cutting your paper or cardstock to the selected size (here, I used 3.25" square), begin by punching the corners first.  Be sure to flip the corner holder "wings" on the punch out -- the punch arrives to you with them folded in, for more compact storage:

 

The edger punch will also arrive to you with its sides folded up (a great space-saving attribute for compact storage!), so you'll need to fold those down first.  Next, slide your paper into the edger punch and align the punched corner with the special marking on the edger punch that is right next to the lever/punch housing (you can use either the left or right side -- whichever is most comfortable to you):

 

Continue punching the straight edge by sliding your paper over and aligning your first punched images with the markings on the flat edge of the punch.  With this size of paper, though, I only had to punch the edge once to complete the pattern:

 

Repeat on all sides of your paper and you'll have a beautifully edged paper!

To finish my card, I trimmed a Memory Box Sugar Plum notecard base to 4.25" square and put a 4" piece of patterned paper on top of that.  I cut out the cookie image and layered it onto my "crown" mat with foam tape.  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas holiday with your loved ones ... thank you for visiting today! ~ Sharon

 
Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company-Cookies for the Neighbors
Paper: Neenah Natural White cardstock, Memory Box-Spiceberry 6x6 & Sugar Plum notecard
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Copic markers (pictured above) & Spica Glitter Pens
Accessories: Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page Set-Crown, Zutter 1/2" Corner Rounder, foam tape

Last Minute Gift Bags by Ellen Hutson

It is so fun to see you all enjoying the projects, games and tutorials that we have been presenting. We appreciate that you continue to join us here in the CLASSroom during this busy time and hope that your holiday season has been filled with happiness!!!

It always seems that I need last minute gift bags and so I thought I would share one of my little "quick" creations with you.

Start with a simple 9" x 12" office envelope. I purchased a whole box of white ones just for making gift bags - LOL! You could also use manila ones if you want a more "natural look. Cut the top flap off so that you have an even edge with no glue or clasp.

Then use a decorative punch to create a pretty "top" on your envelope. For this bag I used one of the Deep Edger punches, Floral Vine. I must admit that I am absolutely addicted to some of these beautiful new punches and the new "eyelet" looks are some of my favorites. Eyelet, a trend I have been predicting for some time, is being seen on so many levels right now and I am loving it! The new "doiley" stamps from Hero Arts, as well as these awesome punches, were greeted with glee - LOL!

Next score the bottom and sides an equal distance from the edge. For my gift bags today I scored one inch up from the bottom and one each from each side. Using my teflon bone folder I then folded the envelope along these score lines and creased it in back and forth. This helps make it easier to "ease" your bag into shape.

It is so very easy to create different proportion bags. The key is to measuring the distance from the bottom and sides and score the lines consistently in both of these areas. For example, if you select 1 1/2" for the bottom, then the sides should be 1 1/2" from each edge; or 2" on the bottom and 2" on each side.

Next I scored the lower corner "squares" diagonally.  This score line helps me create a more perfect bottom - LOL!

I then pop out the envelope into a bag shape and create the little "ears" on the bottom of the bag.

Turn the bag over and apply adhesive to the bottom sides of these "ears" and then firmly press them back against the bottom of the bag.

To finish these off I created simple gift tags using the Eskimo Kisses Woolies together with simple diecut tags and gorgeous silk ribbon. 

This little white basic can be finished in so many different ways. I look forward to sharing some of those ideas with you in the future. One can never have too many simple gift bag ideas!!! So grab those office envelopes and see what you can create ;)
   

Hero Arts Preview Party Day 3 by Sharon Harnist

 
Hello -- we are thrilled you are here again today with us for Hero Arts' 2010 catalog preview party!  Most of us naturally think of cards when we think of stamps, but I'd like reiterate today how well stamps can work with your scrapbooking, too!  I used Hero Arts Clings-Heart Flourishes background stamp and a ClearDesign-Truly Appreciated sentiment to create this 6-inch scrapbook page. 

This sentiment originally read "Sending you lots of hugs" but I just inked the "lots of hugs" part and used that.  This way, the sentiment feels a little less like it should be on a card and a little more appropriate for a scrap page. 

I like to use some of my 6-inch pages as a magnet for my refrigerator, so I backed my page with Ellen's Craft-A-Board and Inchie Magnets, so I can put these sweet faces on my fridge to look at every day!  Here's how the rest of this project came together:

I have a nice selection of Memory Box notecards and wanted to share how I utilize these for larger projects.  I opened up the lighter pink Begonia notecard and stamped it with the Heart Flourishes background, using Adirondack Mountain Rose ink (which matches the darker pink Begonia notecard!).  Then I trimmed it to 4.75" square.

I also opened up the Begonia notecard and punched it along the 8.50" edges with Martha Stewart's Simple Scallop.  This allowed me to trim the scalloped pieces to 1-inch wide and 6-inches long. Then I placed the scalloped strips on the edges of the 6-inch piece of Craft-A-Board and mitered the corners where the scalloped pieces meet.

Next, I used Copic marker R20 to color in the hearts on the background stamp.  I printed my photo in sepia tones and trimmed it to 3.50" x 4".  I rounded the corners with Zutter's 1/2" corner rounder and layered the photo onto more of the Begonia notecard.  The edges were inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

The sentiment was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto more Begonia notecard and die cut with Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio Two die.  Then beautiful light pink May Arts 1-1/4" silk ribbon was run through the ribbon slots.  Some Hero Arts pearls were added to the corners, to finish it all off.

I think I might know what Grandma will be getting for Christmas <wink>!!  We hope you've enjoyed all the new Hero Arts previews here on the CLASSroom!  ~Sharon

 
Stamps: Hero Arts Clings-Heart Flourishes, ClearDesign-Truly Appreciated,
Paper: Memory Box Begonia & Peony notecards,
Ink: Ranger Adirondack Mountain Rose dye ink pad & Brushed Corduroy Distress ink pad, Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad, R20 Copic marker
Accessories: Craft-A-Board, Inchie Arts Inchie Magnets, Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio Two die, Hero Arts Small Accent Pearls, Martha Stewart Simple Scallop Edger Punch, Zutter Round It All 1/2" Corner Rounder, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, May Arts Pink 1-1/4" wide satin ribbon

Tag 5 - Eskimo Kisses Inspired By Lisa Strahl

Are we having fun yet or what?! 

I have seen the preview for tomorrow's tag and once again Bek and I are channeling each other by creating some sugary sweet cutesy projects.  My version was inspired by the Eskimo Kissesline by Basic Grey which is so stinkin' cute I can barely stand it!  Purple and pink and green and burgundy....yum.  Here we go....

 

For those of you who have never experienced the Studio Line of paint, let me give you a very brief endorsement - this stuff ROCKS.  It's the most buttery smooth paint I have ever worked with an when it's applied it gives such a richness and depth of color that I never have to add a second layer.  Just loverly.

Begin by adding some Perfect Pearls "Pearl"to the paint and mix it in well.  I wanted to create a shimmer paint because it 'Tis the Season to bling.  Perfect Pearls are permanent once wet so the Painterly Pink Studio Paint becomes a shimmer paint when the powder is added.  Cool beans right?  P.S.  I added some Blank Canvas white paint to the mixture as well so I could match the paper we are using perfectly.

Go forth and paint TWO tags.

Spritz with a Mini Mister filled with 3/4 water and two scoops using the end of your paint brush of Perfect Pearl.

 

Heat set with the Ranger Heat Tool - also known as the greatest heat tool on the planet.  (and no, I am not being cheeky)

Now loosen up the paint a little by spritzing more.  You don't want the paint to be to heavy when you paint this Heidi Swapp flower. 

 

Leave some open areas of white so we can ink them later.  This is so shimmery and pretty, even though the camera can't pick it up.

 

Flick some Patina Perfect Pearls onto the wet flower and allow to dry.

 

Stamp this image from the Mini Holidays stamp set(NOW available in the store!) with permanent burgundy ink such as Archival or StazOn.

 

Add Clear Glossy Accents to a Charm Fragment.

Press the fragment to the image ensuring full coverage of the Glossy Accents between the plastic and the paper and then set something on top of it while it dries.

 

Trim around the backside once it's dry and set aside.

 

Using the brown Martha Stewart Twine, secure the Swivel Clasp to the back of the Eskimo Kisses button and remove the clasp part (you can bend open the jump ring with your fingers.)  Keep the  jump ring.

Ink your flower with Aged Mahogany Distress using Cut 'n Dry Foam.

 
 
Stamp the calendar image also from the Mini Holidaysset with permanent brown ink on your second painted tag and cut out.

 

Ink around the edges the same way as the flower, with Aged Mahogany Distress.

 

Tear the edges of the Eskimo Kisses paper from their 6x6 pad - the images are the perfect scale for smaller projects.  Use your Tonic Scissors to cut into the edge until it curls.

 

Adhere to your tag.  Sponge around the edges of the painted tag and lightly in the center to highlight the blotches of shimmer paint.

Create a circle of fibers from this green Botanicals paper by Prima.

 

Apply Glossy Accents to the flower.

 

..and press the Botanicals into the glue to dry.

 

Attach the charm fragment onto the chain/jump ring.  Add more Glossy Accents and adhere the button into the center of the flower.

 

Time to assemble the tag!  

-stamp the snowflakes image (yet another from the Mini Holidays set) with the same permanent burgundy ink, adorn your snowflakes with bling and pearls when everything else is put together

-a strip of paper as a border from the Eskimo Kisses Pad, add dots of Glossy Accents once everything is put together

-adhere the calendar image with foam tape, add a big dot of Glossy Accents over the "25th"

-loop wide Burgundy and Celery silk ribbon through the tag

 

I feel like I have been kissed by a pretty cute Eskimo, don't you?  :^)

Wishing you a WONDERFUL Saturday friends!

Tag 3 - Botanical Merry Christmas By Lisa Strahl

Well, Ms. Becky certainly rocked the house yesterday didn't she?  :^)  Go Bek!

Today's tag is definately a non-traditional Christmas Tag.  Let's begin trimming a Webster's Pages Vellum Journaling Card with detail scissors. It's always good to leave a small amount white space around the edge of the image rather than trimming right next to the line.

 

This white paper may not look like much but it's an amazing product line by Heidi Swapp called "Invisibles".  Basically they are 12 x12 pre-embossed pages with absolutely gorgeous designs.  They allow you to apply resist techniques, but you get to skip the heat embossing step.  The pattern is very visible in real life but hard to discern in the photo.  Let's add some ink so you can see what I am talking about.  This piece is from the Classic Vintage Page.

 

Using Cut 'n Dry Foam, I sponged Shabby Shutters Distress Ink onto the Invisible.  Please see the Tag 1 post for more information about adding ink to a project with Cut 'N Dry Foam.

 

Add Antique Linen Distress Ink in the same fashion.  I used the images on the sheet to determine where to add color.

 

The last color added was Brushed Corduroy.  It is the most "red" brown of the 5 Distress browns, but still didn't quite match the color in the vellum overlay I wanted to use, so I added a little Aged Mahogany Distress Ink over the Brushed Corduroy until I achieved the desired color. 

 

Stamp the Reindeer (Mini Holidays stamp set by Tim Holtz) with a permanent ink such as Archival or StazOn.

 

Now you might find this next step interesting.  How shall we attach the vellum to the tag?  There are vellum tape runners or you can use brads or eyelets, but I chose to paint so that the vellum basically became part of the tag.  Simply paint a relatively large portion of the back side of the vellum with Blank Canvas Studio Paint and press to the tag.  I really wanted this beautiful flower to "pop" so I painted that portion to secure the vellum.  You will need to smooth it a little as it sets and dries.  Claudine's Paint Brush Set is an amazing value with all of the different sizes and cuts of brushes.

Once this portion was smooth and dry, there were a few areas around the edge I wanted to be a little more secure, so I just added some Glossy Accents and pressed the seam flat.

 

Trim around the tag with Tonic Non-Stick Scissors.  These work great to cut through any of the extra glue that has seeped out around the edges. 

 

Add Rock Candy Distress Sticklesto some of the ornamental areas.  This product literally dries like sugar on your project, giving it a fascinating texture.

 

Stamp the Reindeer image again on a clean tag and cut out, minus the antlers.

 

Those non-stick scissors came in handy again when I needed to cut my foam tape to fit my deer.

 

Apply Vintage Photo Distress Stickles to the antlers.  If you apply more than you wanted, just use a piercing tool or the tip of your scissors to redirect the glitter glue or even to remove some of it. 

 

Sand a piece of Translucent Lucky Squirell Shrink Film in both directions, but make sure you don't do it on the craft sheet, it will damage it!  I used the Sanding Grip, but Lucky Squirell actually makes great sanding blocks with a very fine grain, for this very purpose.

 

Stamp the Merry Christmas from the Santa's Wish stamp set with a permanent brown ink (I know this looks red, but trust me, it's brown) and gently heat set to dry the ink with the Ranger Craft tool.  Make sure you don't heat it too much or it will start to shrink.  Cut around the the sentiment and shrink based on the manufacturer's instructions.

 

 

When I was pulling the ribbons I wanted to use for this tag together, I realized that I really needed a red/brown and didn't have anything quite right.  Copic Markers to the rescue!  Use the chisel tip to color this 1/4 inch white silk ribbon and allow to dry.  I used Leather Copic as you can see.

 

Being the piercing junkie that I am, I did some decorating around the leaves.

 

There are a few extra details that I added near the end of the project, but forgot to snap photos!  I got so carried away in my creative head, please let me describe them for you...

-Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink was sponge around the entire edge of the tag with Cut 'n Dry Foam

-the Celery 1 1/4 inch Silk, White 1/4 inchand my Copic colored ribbons were wrapped around the bronze Sprocket Gear and tied with some Martha Stewart Baker's Twine

-Nikki Lace Trim was secured to the bottom of the tag with the Tiny Attacher Stapler

-Design Ruler used to pierce a line of holes down the right side of the tag

-Glossy Accents applied to the "shrunk" sentiment

Thank you so much for visiting us again today and happy 12 tags of Christmas to you!

Glittery Bird Holiday by Sharon Harnist

A very happy Thanksgiving Day to our US friends!  Since today officially begins the holiday season, I thought I would share a very elegant but quick and easy-to-recreate holiday decoration!  It seems glitter is a hot trend right now and thank goodness Martha Stewart makes it super easy with her assortment packs of glitter, to have just the right color on hand for whatever project you'd like to add it!

 
This is a 6-inch square door hanger or wall hanging ... I think this one will find a place in my guest powder room this holiday season!  Webster's gorgeous Petite Papers and designer trim make a very easy job of pulling together a project nicely.  Their rich, eclectic collage papers are a style I love!

I just adhered the paper onto a 6-inch piece of Craft-A-Board and then adhered this beautiful burgundy pleated Webster's trim to the back, looping it at the top to create a hanger.  The edges of the paper were sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink.  The bird was die cut from Neenah Classic Cream cardstock and then run through my Xyron machine, so it would hold onto all that lovely Cinnabar Martha Stewart glitter! 

 
Glitter Birdie was popped up on foam tape and the sentiment stamped, cut into a banner shape and tucked underneath the bird's beak (it is also on foam tape). Tied buttons finish it off and there you have a quick holiday decoration for yourself or gift for someone else!

We hope you enjoy the holiday today with your family and we thank you for taking the time to visit us!   
Stamps: CHF-Mona Lisa Moments Vintage Christmas Expressions
Paper: Webster's Pages Petite Papers-Home/Holidays & Winter's Wings, Neenah Classic Cream 
Ink: Ranger Adirondack Cranberry dye ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink
Accessories: Craft-A-Board, Spellbinders Nested Bird die set, Martha Stewart Essential Colors Glitter Set (Cinnabar), buttons