Watercooler Challenge – WCC31 – Hello Winter

WCC31 – Heidi’s Sketch Challenge

Hello Winter

(yep…I’m hot and wanting the weather to cool off)

Yikes!   I saw that sketch and my mind went blank.  I panic when something looks complicated or I can’t easily see the layers.    Then I realized I just needed to break down the parts into it’s layers and suddenly it all made sense.   It actually helped to take some of the scraps I had sitting on my desk and replicated the layering and positions.   Being a visual person in many ways I’ve learned coping mechanisms that help in my crafting.  How about you?   Did you panic…does it look complicated to you?  Really it’s easy peasy as you’ll see when you check out the Challenge Artists various takes on the sketch.

Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner and have the option to place the winner’s badge on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

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Here’s my Hello Winter interpretation of Heidi’s sketch.

With it as hot as it’s been the last few days…105º, 102º and so on I’m longing for cooler winter temperatures.  So yes…I’m ready to say…Hello Winter.   Of course once it actually comes I may be singing another tune.   I’m really a Fall and Spring girl though this year we had very little Spring and Fall is promising to be as hot as Summer.   Predictions are for a heavy winter though so I better enjoy the sunshine while I can and dream of winter in an idealized way now that new Holiday Catalog product is in my hot little hands.   September 1st is just around the corner when you’ll be able to order as well.   Trust me when I say…you are going to love it…and you are going to want it all!

Did you see the new Holiday Catalog sneak peeks?  Here’s a hint…think shapes and papers and glue.  I had so much fun with papers and embellishments that I almost forgot to add stamping to the card.  Then I realized that it might be good to identify who I was saying hello to so my friends I’m sending this too won’t be too confused when they see snowflakes in August.  I searched my stamps and found a text from the new Happy Scenes stamp set that said Happy Winter so I selectively stamped the Winter part of the text and gold embossed it.   Gold seemed to fit the theme I have going with the new and gorgeous Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum Stack.   If you’ve always wanted to play with vellum…this stack is the perfect way to get going.  You get 36 sheets with 3 each of 6 gold foil & 6black designs.  I also made liberal use of the new wood Snowflake Elements.   As for the glue hint…we have a new fine tipped glue pen/dispenser.  It’s very useful for those skinny mini spaces, sequins and other embellishments.  Just don’t use it on ribbon since it’s quite liquid.  It’s quite strong though it does take a bit to set up and finish it’s bonding.   A tad different from some of our other adhesives but once you learn its ways you are going to love having this in your arsenal of crafting tools.

 Supplies:

Stamps:  Happy Scenes – Winter text image  (2015 Holiday Catalog)

Ink:  Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Basic Black Cardstock.  Gold Foil.  Pretty Petals Designer Series Paper Stack, Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum Stack (2015 Holiday Catalog)

Punches: 1″ circle, Banner Triple (new – creates the flag/banner ends)

Other:  Big Shot, Greetings Thinlet dies, Metallics Sequin Assortment, Paper Snips,  Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Dimensional, SNAIL

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 That’s it for this challenge.  I hope you’ll join the Watercooler challenge and show us your own sketch inspired project and link up to us.  We didn’t have sufficient linky posts to declare a winner for the last challenge but I hope you’ll check this post out so you can see the wonderful additions by Susie & Kathe. Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Blessings to all my challenge friends and readers.

June Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop: Celebrating the New Annual Catalog

Welcome to the blog hop.

Welcome to the new catalog!

Hopefully you’ve arrived from Stefanie’s wonderful Crafty Medic blog.  Stef is indeed one crafty medic.  She’s also one of our Canadian contributors.  Her blog is definitely one I turn to when I need to jump start my mojo.  She has some wonderful videos too!  As usual you can follow this hop in a circle going either direction.  Of course you can also return to the home hop site if you ever get lost along the way.

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When there is a special event we dress up right?  So today’s celebration of the new 2015-2016 Annual Catalog seemed the appropriate time to dress up with a vest and bow tie.  After all…Father’s Day is just around the corner too.   Thankfully these bow ties are made from paper with a punch.  If you’ve ever seen me try to tie a real bow tie you’ll understand my relief.  😀

Take Out Box Vest

Hard to tell it’s a box from the top isn’t it?  Here’s a side view:

And here are all the pieces.  I left the inside sentiment blank so I can customize it when I’m ready to use it.

tip:  To make your own template:  First put the box together and then flip the box upside down with the top flaps folded out and draw around them on a piece of copy paper.  Then cut out, place on top of your designer paper, trace and cut   The perfect tool to use to fit your paper to the box. Easy peasy.

I’ll save the template pieces for future box decorations.  Did you spot the new product?  My favorite new paper stack…Pretty Petals.  Trust me…you’ll be buying lots of this stack!   And the Just Because sentiment is from the new stamp set Tin of Cards (this is one set you will find yourself using for just about everything!).  The tag ends used the new Triple Banner Punch.  The Note Tag and Bow Builder Punches are carryovers from the previous seasonal catalogs but new to the Annual Catalog.

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Card Vest

Here’s all the pieces:

This card doesn’t unfold (unlike the take out box version).  The inner card just slips out and you can write on the front or the back.  You can also glue down or add a pocket for a gift card.

Can you spot the new products?  Greetings Thinlit die (yep…a favorite already), Go Wild paper Stack and the sorta new punches I noted above.  I love that the bow tie was created from the flip side of the vest paper.  Way to go Stampin’ Up on coordination yet again.

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Both versions of the vest have a pull out card where you can stamp or write your heartfelt sentiments.  And the Take Out Box also opens (without destroying the card) to hold a lovely treat for the man in your life (though of course some of us women also like vests, ties and treats too!).

Supplies:

Stamps: Tin of Cards

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede

Paper: Kraft 12×12, Basic Black, Pacific Point, Pretty Petals Stack, Go Wild Stack, copy paper for template for box

Punches: Note Tag, 7/8″ Scallop Circle, Itty Bitty Accents Pack (star), Bow Builder, Envelope Punch Board

Other: Big Shot, Greetings Thinlits, Silver Basic Metal Buttons, Take Out Boxes, Stampin’ Trimmer, Craft Knife, SNAIL or Tombow multipurpose adhesive glue.  Glue dots

Hopefully it’s clear which supplies apply to which version.  The box uses the blue theme from a Pretty Petals page and the card uses the neutrals from the Go Wild stack along with coordinating cardstock papers.  As I mentioned before I was jazzed that the flip side of the vest was perfect for the bow tie.  Meant I used up most of one 6×6 page for the entire card.   I don’t know about you…but I’m loving the new 6″x6″ paper stacks.  So many projects only need one page where before they needed close to two!   Perfect for some of the punch board projects too that start with that size!

The take out box version was inspired by our Demonstrator only, Stampin’ Success Magazine from May/June.   Took a bit of figuring how those wonderful Stampin’ Up Artists put it all together but it didn’t take long.  Of course other crafty demos quickly figured out how to turn this into a fun card as well.  I CASE’d my version (with a tweak or two)  from Sharon Armstrong, a sister demo.

Since I created these projects for a recent event as well as the hop I thought I’d simplify things for you by sharing the directions from the event as well as a link to a video that explained how the card version was created using the Envelope Punch Board.

Directions from Stamp Camp for both Vest projects: Sweater Vest Card or Box Directions by Jean Fitch

Video and post by Sharon: http://txstampinsharon.blogspot.com/2015/05/ics-blog-hop-celebrate-dad.html

That’s it for my share of the hop.  Time to move on over to Miss Buffy’s wonderful post sharing her always creative outlook and gorgeous projects fashioned from new and old products from the new catalog.

To follow the hop click on the link below:

Watercooler Challenge – WCC25 – Mandarin Wetlands

WCC25 – Mandarin Wetlands

also known as Kath’s Challenge Photo

For this challenge my fellow artist Kath provided us with a beautiful photo of what I think is a Mandarin duck.   Beautiful isn’t it? I kept coming back to the photo (I finally put it on my desktop) trying to decide on the colors I wanted to use.  Using feathers or a bird image or the idea of water was a given for me.  It was the colors that kept my brain running in circles.  There are so many wonderful ones to choose from don’t you think?  And surprisingly some have an almost neon look too.  How does Mother Nature do that? Got me thinking that Stampin’ Up needs a copper metallic paper…don’t you agree?

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Here’s what I finally came up with:

Now if only my camera could have shown the right shade for the Crisp Cantaloupe! (ARGHH).   With the retirement of so many favorite products only days away I took the opportunity to bring out some of the ones I will miss featuring the most for another playtime.   I was late to the party in loving Crisp Cantaloupe…I know…dumb huh?   But now I can’t stop picking it up and working it into any number of designs including this one.  Until this week I hadn’t even realized how beautifully it pairs with Cajun Craze.  In looking at our inspiration photo at first I was caught by the darker and brighter colors…then I looked a bit more closely and what do you know…there were a few almost pastel shades to offset the deeper, darker colors.  Can you see the Cantaloupe color in the small section of the neck?  The Cajun Craze & Early Espresso were a no brainer for me and the Night of Navy was a nod to the slightly more neon blue that shades to a deep purple.

Then I scratched my head about how to show the feathery texture and the edging of cream color that seemed to outline so many colorful sections of this beautiful bird.  Then my eyes lit on my Sahara Sand Lace from the soon to be gone Occasions Catalog.  Perfect!  After all sand and water birds go together right?  That outlining as well as the water ripples was also the inspiration for the scored lines at the top of the Crisp Cantaloupe layer.  I’ve seen quite a few cards on Pinterest that use the scoring technique as an accent and it was fun to give it a try for myself.  Especially since I didn’t want the lace edging overwhelmed by an overall embossed layer.

The use of the Wetlands stamp set (thankfully not retiring) was a tough choice in some ways.  I wanted to play with the retiring Four Feathers but decided in the end that ducks had a lot in common with other shore birds and I wanted something a bit delicate to go with the lace.  I heat embossed two stampings of the single long image from the set with Whisper White Craft Ink and then Whisper White embossing powder on my Early Espresso paper then punched sections from both stamped images with the 1″ square punch.   The mat layer was a nod to the new catalog using Tip Top Taupe with the retiring Postage Punch.   Why oh why did Stampin’ Up have to choose that punch when looking to make room for new ones.   Sigh…it was the perfect layer for the 1″ Square punch don’t you think?   And you know how much I love creating layered inchies.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Wetlands, Label Love (retiring)

Ink:  Whisper White Craft Ink, Night of Navy Classic Ink

Paper: Cajun Craze, Crisp Cantaloupe (retiring), Early Espresso, Night of Navy, Tip Top Taupe (new In Color) Cardstock

Punches: Artisan Label (retiring), 1″ Square, Postage (retiring)

Other:  Heat Tool, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Sahara Sand Lace (Occasions Catalog and thankfully carrying over to the annual), Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, SNAIL

Tool tips:

1) To create a grouping of scored lines you need to take your courage in hand and allow yourself to freehand the look.  Start at your desired point and then draw lines of varying lengths 1/8″ apart.  The Simply Scored Board is perfect for this technique since the entire board is sectioned in 1/8″ lines. 

2) To create the mat for the sentiment – punch another Artisan Label shape in a contrasting color.  Cut the piece in half across the middle, snip the bottom corners and adhere each section to the back of the stamped punch piece.

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Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner and have the option to place the winner’s badge on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

That’s it for this challenge.   Don’t forget to check the Watercooler Challenge Blog post here to see who was the winner of the last challenge submissions by linky artists.    Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Blessings to all my friends and readers.

Watercooler Challenge – WCC24 – Red Letter Birthday

WCC24 – Stefanie’s Sketch resulted in…

a Red Letter Birthday Card

For this challenge Stef provided us with a sketch that sent many of us in different directions (up, down and sideways).   I think you’ll notice a bit of a theme that emerged…many of us received out sneak peek products from the new annual catalog that launches June 2 and of course…we just had to play with them!

Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner and have the option to place the winner’s badge on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

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Here’s my interpretation of Stef’s sketch flipped In a different direction.   It’s a red letter birthday card ( I know..bad image pun in the card, but I have lots of friends with significant milestone birthdays this year) using one of my favorite non catalog stamp sets from the Photopolymer Collection.  Lovely Amazing You provided one of  the sentiments, the feather background and the stamped red letter envelope.  This stamp set covers it all that’s for sure.

Did you see the new catalog sneak peeks?  They’re subtle…here’s a hint…think shapes.  Punches and dies.

 Supplies:

Stamps:  Lovely Amazing You, Crazy About You (Birthday).

Ink:  Marina Mist, Real Red, Night of Navy & Project Life Journaling Pen (Black)

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Night of Navy

Punches: Tree Builder (new – bitty bird), Boho Blossom (retiring), Banner Triple (new – creates the flag/banner ends and side indent)

Other:  Big Shot, Mini Treat Bag Thinlit Die (bow is one of the accessories), Flower Frenzy die (leaf bough), Sale-a-Bration In Color buttons (no longer available), Paper Snips,  Two Way glue pen, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, SNAIL

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When I saw the new Banner Triple punch my heart went into triple time hammering!   I know…crazy right…over a punch?    But it did.  I saw the same bypass channel (yep…another bad pun) that the Scallop Tag Topper punch has and I knew I could slide the side of a card in and punch an indent!   I love alternate uses.  Of course the original intention of punching a perfect banner end to a strip of paper is pretty cool too!  This punch does it all…and for three different sizes of strips.   Of course I’m sure those crafty crafters out there will find other and cooler uses as well.

So that was new product #1.  Have you guessed what #2 is?  The little birds come from the Tree Builder Punch that coordinates with the new Ronald McDonald House Charity set Sprinkles of Life.   Not only do I love this new stamp set…but I love that with my purchase I just donated $3 (courtesy of Stampin’ Up!) to the RMHC fund.  They do amazing work and help patient’s families be present for their loved ones who are hospitalized.  Stampin’ Up demonstrators help in many of the houses too, providing a bit of distraction through crafting as well as donating supplies and ready made cards as needed.

And product #3…it’s not exactly new but the Mini Treat Bag Thinlit die from the 2015 Occasions catalog has moved into the new annual catalog.  Yay!!   While the bag is fun to make, the accessory dies have even more use for cards and other project types.  My “label” and the “skinny” bow for today’s project came from that die set.

Here are a few more pictures to give you a better look at the elements and products used.

To get the layered indent look that I had envisioned, I punched (sliding the cardstock into the bypass channel of the punch)  both the Naturals Ivory card base and the Marina Mist layer.  I had to remove a skosh off the unpunched side of the layer so that all the edges lined up correctly when the mat was placed on the base.  Note to self…put those corrected measurements in a document or other set of notes for future reference.  The leftover punch piece as stamped and added to the inside of the card base.

Here’s the link to a flyer for the stamp set as well so you can see all it’s cool images:

Click to access Flyer_photopolymer_LovelyAmazingYou_02.10_US.pdf

It’s only guaranteed available for another month or two (after that it’s while supplies last) so if you want it…buy it now!

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That’s it for this challenge.  I hope you’ll join the Watercooler challenge and show us your own sketch inspired project and link up to us.  We didn’t have sufficient linky posts to declare a winner for the last challenge but I hope you’ll check this post out so you can see the wonderful additions by Susie & Sheri. Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Blessings to all my challenge friends and readers.

Retirement Blues Watercooler Blog Hop

Welcome to the hop.

I’m typing one handed so keeping it short and simple today.

Moonlight Silhouette

Moonlight Silhouette 2

Moonlight Designer Series Stack has been one of my all time favorite papers so I had to give it a Retirement Blues Hop send off.  After all…Lost Lagoon is a sorta blue right?   Luckily the rest of the products on these cards are staying, so my mourning period should be short.

The new catalog is coming and I’ve had a sneak peek.  I’ll be able to reproduce this quick and simple design (one I’ve CASE’d from my dear friend Linda Aarhus) with new and wonderful papers.   You didn’t hear it from me…but the new catalog has 3 new paper stacks and they’ve been upgraded to 6″ x  6″ in size – perfect for small envelopes, small boxes and of course cards and scrapbooking.

Supplies:

Stamps: Trust God (staying) & Really Good Greetings (retiring)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Basic Black, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White (all staying) & Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack (retiring)

Punches: Bird Builder, Owl Builder (circles) – both staying

Other: Sticky Strip (retiring but a new replacement will be loved by us all) , SNAIL or Tombow multipurpose adhesive glue.  Glue dots

 

To follow the hop click on the link below:

Watercooler Challenge – WCC23 – Mother’s Day Flowers Inspiration

WCC23 – Mother’s Day Flowers Inspiration

For this challenge Marsha provided us with a beautiful photo of a flower bouquet for a Mother’s Day (or other occasion) Inspiration.  Beautiful isn’t it?  My own Mom is no longer here to receive a bouquet but I hope she would like the paper version I’ve placed on a card for her and all my “other” mothers.  If you have a Mom or an “other” mother (a friend or person who you look up to and learn from and love as you would a mother) maybe this would be a good time to create your own card to let them know you are thinking of them.  Other mothers are wonderful to have in your life don’t you agree?

Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner and have the option to place the winner’s badge on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

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Here’s my interpretation of Marsha’s lovely inspiration piece using one of my favorite stamp sets from the 2015 Occasions Catalog.  Build a Bouquet provided the sentiment, bamboo looking background and the stamped elements on the flower.  This stamp set has it all that’s for sure.

 Supplies:

Stamps:  Build a Bouquet, Butterfly Basics (butterfly image).

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar, So Saffron

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi

Punches: Petite Petal, Pansy, Bitty Butterfly

Other:  Big Shot, Labels Framelit Collection, Flower Frenzy die (leaf bough), Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Wild Wasabi Twine from the Painted Blooms Cotton Twine Collection (Occasions Catalog), Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker’s Twine, Two Way glue pen, Sticky Strip, SNAIL

I also just happen to have project directions in a PDF format in case you want to make one of your own.   There is one direction I realized after rereading that I left off.  You can take a stylus and add lines to the the leaves on the bough to give a more natural and textured look.

Build a Bouquet Card

One quick note:  The Label’s Collection Framelits and the Flower Frenzy die are on the retiring product list and even better…are 50% off.  Cool!  Some of the items used are also in the Occasions Catalog which ends June 2.  Check with your demonstrator for details.

Some parts of the card are my own idea but the basic layout came from a number of Pinterest posts that came up when I did a quick Google search for inspiration using Build a Bouquet.  The primary being a post from Nicole Tugrul for a Connie and Mary Spring Collection Blog Hop.  You can see that card here.

That’s it for this challenge.  I hope you’ll join the Watercooler challenge and show us your own Flower Inspiration project and link up to us.  Don’t forget to check the Watercooler Challenge Blog post here to see who was the winner of the last challenge submissions by linky artists.    Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Blessings to all my other mothers out there, friends and readers.

Honey Bunny and a bunch of paper bunny friends.

Happy Earth Day everyone!  Time for the planet to celebrate right?  So grab your tie dye and granny glasses or just a trash bag and head for the beach, the mountains or just your park down the road and give Mother Nature a hand in whatever way you can.   There are lots of links online to what’s happening in your own communities.   Using Google just enter Earth Day in (insert town and state) to find ways to help and ways to party.

Since bunnies are a creature of the earth I thought is was more than time to share a few more bunny box pictures and my own tip sheet.

Today is also my own honey bunnies birthday (would be his 60th if he wasn’t already in Heaven).  Do they celebrate birthdays in Heaven?  I’ve always wondered.

If you haven’t seen the other bunny boxes I’ve made and posted here is a refresher:

click here to see the post

click here to see the post

 I just noticed that James must have been on a dangerous assignment (getting between me and the chocolate kisses possibly?) recently…one of his toe pads has gone walkabout.  Sigh…even a tuxedo is no guarantee of safety these days. 😀

I do have a close up of his sign so you can see the pretty All is Calm paper.  The lettering was done with the Rotary Alphabet stamp (it’s bigger than the sign for sure).  I cut a rectangle and rounded the corners then added the “stake”.  Pretty paper on the front and reinforced on the back with a strip of Basic Black cardstock.

(Yeah…the placement could have been a bit better. :D)

Stay tuned for a bride for the tuxedo bunny…sans sign of course. I’m still trying to decide on the dress.  Isn’t that just like a bunny bride…slow to decide instead of hopping to it?

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Here are a couple more fun bunnies.  At Easter time I made some for the neighbors and of course they said Happy Easter.  Now that Easter is past I’ve swapped out for Hello Spring!  Assuming Spring is planning on visiting for more than a day or two here and there.  No pressure Spring…I just want to say Hello.

Does it look to you as if Cabana Boy stole a kiss (chocolate of course) from Pretty in Pink Chick?

The supplies and directions links from the earlier posts have the basics.  These two were done in Pretty in Pink (retired color) and Coastal Cabana (about to retire In Color).  I used the Sale-a-Bration Coastal Cabana ribbon and button and the flower centers for Cabana boy are Bermuda Bay.  Doesn’t it just seem as if those two names and colors are meant to be together?

Here’s a tip and tricks sheet with various links and more in the way of directions:

Bunny Boxes – A Linda Parker CASE with info & tips sheet

And here’s Linda Parker’s Video that gave me the idea for the CASE (copy and share everything):

That’s it for the bunnies.  Can’t wait to see what you create for yourself (I’d love a link to your creation).  I just know there are other famous bunnies waiting to come to life as a bunny box.

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As a reminder:

Not only are the retiring products going fast Stampin’ Up has also added new items to the Clearance Rack.  Most from the 2014 Holiday Catalog.

Take a peek and don’t forget to use the hostess code: EAE3TYVU

To start your shopping click here.

Cool way to recycle right?   From the warehouse to your craft room and then using it all up to spread joy to others!

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 Since the Watercooler Challenge gang just had a Watercolor (and silhouette) challenge last Sunday I thought it appropriate to close with a fun watercolor Earth Day image.

Hope your Earth day was a happy one.

Hugs and Blessings,

Watercooler Challenge – WCC22 – Adventures in Silhouette

 Adventures in Silhouette

For this challenge Heidi  has provided us with a wonderful combination challenge to play with and create projects.

Challenge: Create with watercolors and a silhouette

Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.

I once knew a lady who using a pair of small sharp and pointed scissors (her “snippity snips”), could cut the most amazing silhouettes of people, animals, plants and even complicated lace patterns.  Not being quite that talented with scissors (my paper snips from Stampin’ Up), I resorted to Stampin’ Up punches and dies.

Here’s my entry…no bunnies today but it is another 3D.  Have I mentioned lately that I’m hooked on 3D and punch and die related projects?   With Father’s Day on the horizon (okay…this basket would work for Mom too) I wanted something in what I considered guy colors.   I know…all our colors work for anyone (though good luck with Pink Pirouette or Blushing Bride for any guy who knows the names of our colors…or just has an aversion to pink) but you have to admit some can be a challenge (hm…maybe I should have given some thought to adding to my Father’s Day challenge coming up just to make it tough on all concerned) more than others.   My late husband was a fan of tans, blues and browns (a big fan of birds and other natural wonders too) so keeping all of that in mind here’s what I came up with.

and a corner view so you can see the handle and a bit more of the lining.

I’m still deciding what to put inside this fun basket.  Maybe little 3″ x3″ why I love you cards or coupons for chores or dinners out or whatever your heart desires.  Of course…Hershey’s kisses and other treats are always a great pleaser as well.   And if your imagination fails you…Dad can always use another tie wrapped up and placed inside this much more imaginative basket!

 Supplies:

Stamps:  None so far

Ink:  Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Lost Lagoon (does water count as an ink?)

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Early Espresso, Basic Black Cardstock, Festive Designer Kraft Paper (Clearance Rack), Watercolor Paper

Punches: Bird Builder, What’s Up, Owl Builder (circle for the birdhouse door)

Other:  Big Shot, Circles Framelit Collection, Flower Frenzy die (leaf bough), Two Way glue pen, Sticky Strip, SNAIL

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Not too bad for my first Berry Basket attempt.  Of course I had a bit of help.  My friend Patti Leeke created this gorgeous basket that was my starting point along with Heidi’s wonderful (and brain teasing challenge). I saw that and knew I had to incorporate the bird and bird house into my design. I learned a few things along the way.  One…I love this Berry Basket die!  And I bet you will too.   Here’s another fun project by my friend Deb that will give you a few more ideas on using with a card.  Deb posted it on our last Challenge in the linky doodad.  Nice when you can do cards and other things with a die than just it’s intended use.

Other tips from my friend Patti Leeke who has done quite a few of these.  1) Always line your basket with a fun paper.  That’s Patti’s firm and fast rule.  2) Put your cardstock basket together first (except for the rim and handle) and then add the liner -matching up the holes at bottom of basket and adding glue in between the holes as well as other areas (Patti’s favorite glue for this is the Tombow multipurpose liquid glue in the green capped bottle).  Once that’s done then add the scalloped or straight rim by placing the completed rim on the table and then squeezing the basket sides and move the rim up into position.  3) If you have a slightly imperfect side…hide it with a doily!  Boy do I wish I’d remembered that rule!

My tip…don’t stress about how it all goes together.  These baskets are going to be stinking cute no matter how it goes together.   I’m looking forward to making one with copper flashing.   Then I can put it on my desk to hold various doodads.   That’s the genius of a Bigz die.  It can cut 5o materials – see the list here:

Big Shot Materials List for use with Bigz and Originals dies

Here’s a quick look at the liner – do you remember that paper from the 2014 Holiday Catalog?  It’s now on the Clearance Rack at a killer price.   And a close up of the flowers I used to cover up the handle attachment:

Can you guess where I found the tiny heart?  It’s from a fairly new photopolymer monthly stamp set that doesn’t appear in the catalog – Lovely Amazing You.

In case you are still wondering about the basics of the Berry Basket die from the Occasions Catalog here’s a video from Stampin’ Up showing their tips:

I hope you’ll join the Watercooler challenge and show us your own watercolor and silhouette project and link up to us.  Don’t forget to check the Watercooler Challenge Blog post here to see who was the winner of the last challenge submissions by linky artists.    Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Blessings!

The Wacky Watercooler April Blog Hop: April Fool’s is still waiting around the corner!

 Welcome everyone to the Wacky Watercooler April (Fool) Blog Hop where this month we’ve gotten wackier than ever with an April Fool’s blog…just a tad after the 1st.   You might guess that means we’ve been fooling and being wacky for half a month.  Hm…you might not be far wrong from that. {grin}

We’re an international crew so don’t be surprised if you see a few different spellings and price guides along the way.  Links to Catalogs will vary by country as well.

How ever you are viewing the hop, we’ve built it in a circle so you can join and hop on and off at will.   If you get lost just click the hop banner or the home watercooler button to get back to our hop home site with the list of participants.    You may want to keep an eye on that site in between blog hops as we are trying to post members without blogs projects there somewhat regularly as well.

If you are moving in hop order you’ve arrived from the very talented Marie Green.   I love the title of her blog it just makes me want to settle in for some crafting in a cozy atmosphere!   If you are working in reverse order weren’t your socks knocked off by Kath’s wonderful projects?   Another dear friend I discovered through stamping and hers is another blog to investigate after the hop for sure.

Here’s my first (and somewhat wacky) project:

Hello Spring!

Uh…where are you?

Supplies:

Stamps: Crazy About You (Hello Spring)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Very Vanilla, Basic Black

Punches:  Extra Large Oval

Other: Big Shot, Word Bubble Framelits, Spring Flowers embossing folder, Northern Flurry embossing folder, Snowflake  Card thinlit die (clearance rack), Lost Lagoon 3/8″ Silky Taffeta Ribbon (clearance rack)

Mother Nature is a tad confused about what season it is.  We’ve alternated between spring temps and lilacs in bloom and hard frosts and sleet!  Just a bit higher up the hill from me there has even be snow!   So that was my starting point for something that isn’t what it is supposed to be (our directions from hop master Heidi).   A Spring card…that isn’t quite that!   Notice the dual or dueling embossing folders.  One with snowflakes and one with spring flowers.  And the greeting that’s edged in black.  Not sure if I’m mourning the loss of winter or the almost missing spring.

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This one is almost as wacky in it’s own way and I have a couple of people to thank.   Linda Parker who created the idea of a bunny box and kindly shared her project how to’s in a video.  And my friend and fellow Wacky Watercooler bud Patti Leeke for suggesting the Bond theme for the Tuxedo Bunny…she also insisted on the cummerbund to match my bow tie idea.  This one’s for you Miss Patti!

James “Bunny” Bond

Yep…that James Bond!   Ahem…that’s why the kisses are in the box/basket…not sure which one of the silver screen Bond’s I most want to kiss…I rather think there are several!  LOL   Of course  Sean Connery will always be first in my heart!

Edited to add: I just noticed that James must have been on a dangerous assignment (getting between me and the chocolate kisses possibly?) recently…one of his toe pads has gone walkabout.  Sigh…even a tuxedo is no guarantee of safety these days. 😀

Supplies:

Stamps: Rotary Alphabet Stamp

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Smoky Slate Cardstock, All is Calm Designer Series Paper ( bow tie and cummerbund – Clearance Rack)

Punches: Extra Large Oval (formerly Wide Oval), Large Oval, 2-1/2″ Circle, 1/2″ Circle, Scalloped Oval, 7/8″ Scalloped Circle, Owl Builder (small circles on feet), Bow Builder, Corner Rounder, Small heart from Itty Bitty Accents punch pak.

Other: Envelope Punch Board, Paper Snips scissors, Black Baker’s Twine.

If you’d like to make your own here’s the link to fellow demo Linda Parker’s excellent video tutorial.  She’s a demo in the United Kingdom.  As far as I can tell she’s the originator of this design.  Thank you Linda for sharing your most excellent project and generous free tutorial.

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Now for a more serious (and seriously cool) project.  Nothing wacky about this one at all, except possibly the name of the stamp set.  Try typing flowering and flourishes and spell them correctly the first time when the words are right next to each other!  I wonder if Stampin’ Up was having their own wacky day when they named this fabulous stamp set?

Flowering Flourishes Card Box and Card

Last Tuesday I followed along on a very fun Livestream class (free) from Glenda Calkins another fellow Stampin’ Up demonstrator.  I was so enchanted with Glenda’s Book Box Card Box I had to make one of my own.   The box holds 8 (or so) cards and envelopes and once you get the steps down it’s not to hard.  I see I forgot to show an open picture of the box holder.   Sigh…something else to add to the to do list for another day.

Supplies:

Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, Wetlands (greetings)

Ink: Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake

Punches: none

Other: Big Shot, Spring Flowers embossing folder, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Basic Jewels Pearls, Simply Score, Sticky Strip

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That’s it for my post for this April Fool’s Watercooler Hop.   Hop along now to see the fabulous and talented Kath and the rest of the holiday hop entries and look for our Wacky Watercooler crew every month as we create more new hops for your viewing and crafting pleasure.   Click the appropriate watercooler buttons to find your way.   And if you would like to view past hops…check out our hop home page and scroll to see links to other hops and hoppers.   Always a creative treat!

Watercooler Challenge WCC21 – Happy Easter!

And welcome to the WaterCooler Challenge WCC21

For this challenge Susan Horr has provided us with a wonderful set of colors to play with and create projects.

Join the rest of the design team over at the Challenge blog website here to see the rest of the teams designs and to add your own with the linky doodad.

Here’s my entry…can you see all five colors?  I couldn’t resist making a 3D Easter bunny project.

With the challenge going live on Easter Sunday I felt I had to create something fun and just a bit sweet (yeah I know…bad pun with all those chocolate kisses on view).  I’ll also admit I’ve gotten addicted to these bunny boxes.  I’ve made quite a few as gifts the last week or so.    I’ll share pics of those others next week.  Along with their stories and a handy cheat sheet for making the bunny boxes.

The basic box uses my favorite Envelope Punch Board tool.  The rest is all punches, glue dots and sticky strip.  Can you see the bitty touches of Calypso Coral and So Saffron?  The whiskers are Calypso Coral Baker’s Twine that is sadly now retired but the paper is still current and available to punch with the Itty Bitty Accents Punch.  Only two dots of So Saffron but Susan only gave us the colors and didn’t say how much of each we had to use.  LOL   This really is a paper and glue project with almost no ink and only a couple of stamps from the Crazy About You, a 2015 Occasions catalog stamp set.

If you’d like to make your own here’s the link to fellow demo Linda Parker’s excellent video tutorial.  She’s a demo in the United Kingdom.  As far as I can tell she’s the originator of this design.  Thank you Linda for sharing your most excellent project and generous free tutorial.

 Supplies:

Stamps: Crazy About You (Happy Easter) from the 2015 Occasions Catalog

Ink:  Bermuda Bay

Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, So Saffron, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Calypso Coral Cardstocks.

Punches: Extra Large Oval (formerly Wide Oval), Large Oval, 2-1/2″ Circle, 1/2″ Circle, Scalloped Oval, 7/8″ Scalloped Circle, Owl Builder (small circles on feet), Cupcake Builder (smallest So Saffron circles), Itty Bitty Accent pak (heart and flower), Curvy Label

Other:  Envelope Punch Board, Calypso Coral Baker’s Twine (retired), Venetian Crochet Trim, Calypso Coral Subtles Designer Buttons, Glue dots, Sticky Strip, Two-Way Glue Pen

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I’m also submitting this project for the Friday Mashup Challenge – FM203 –  here.

This is the first time I’ve entered the Friday Mashup and I’m not entirely sure if it’s okay to add additional colors (besides neutrals) or not.  If so then this is both the color challenge and the Easter Critters challenge all mashed up.  If not then I guess it’s only the Easter Critters.  I was so excited to see that their colors matched mostly with our Watercooler Challenge colors.  Great minds think alike right?   Check out the Mashup I linked above and join in that challenge as well.

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One more WCC21 Entry

Since Easter is for me, primarily a religious celebration I thought I’d make a second card to add to the WCC21 Linky.

Supplies:

Stamps: Crazy About You (Happy Easter) from the 2015 Occasions Catalog

Ink:  Bermuda Bay

Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, So Saffron, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Calypso Coral Cardstocks.  Best Day Ever Designer Series Paper (2015 Sale-a-Bration retired) Calypso Coral sheet.

Punches: Modern Label, Itty Bitty Accents Pak, Cupcake Builder (small circles)

Other:  Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer, Glue dots, Snail, Basic Jewels rhinestones, ruler, pencil

Quick and simple, easy to make and mail out to friends.  I think this one will be going out to a community of nun friends in my old stomping grounds of the Santa Ynez Valley.  They have a wonderful farm and a mixed community of nuns and laity living on the property.  All committed to a simple way of life and celebrating our Lord Jesus in the context of the Divine Mercy.   I hope they will approve of the simplicity of this card and the joyful colors of Susan’s color challenge.  Lucky for me the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Easter for more than just a day…so when they get it next week…it won’t we late!  😀

The basic shape of the cross uses Brenda Quintana’s brilliant Modern Label Cross Tutorial.  Brenda is also known as Qbee and and she’s famous for Hershey Treat folded 3D projects of all kinds.  To me she is simply the queen of simple and fun and she freely shares so many of her wonderful projects.  Check her out.  I’ve got an entire Pinterest board dedicated to her brilliance!

I hope you’ll join the Watercooler color challenge and show us your own interpretation of the picture and link up to us.  Don’t forget to check the Watercooler Challenge Blog post here to see who was the winner of the last challenge submissions by linky artists.    Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Hugs and Happy Easter!