Chinese New Year and the Watercooler Challenge WCC18

Welcome to the WaterCooler Challenge WCC18 & of course…

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year that is. 😀    Well actually the New Year started February 19 but the celebration extends to March 5th so I don’t think I’m too late do you?   According to various sources it’s either the year of the sheep or the goat or the ram.  As a spinner and weaver I’m pretty much good with all three though sheep’s wool is generally easier to spin by far.

To celebrate the start of a new lunar cycle I jumped into the Watercooler Challenge with the wonderful sketch contributed by another Watercooler Challenge artist Miss Jackie Susnik.   Jackie concocted the sketch using the My Digital Studio program available from Stampin’ Up!   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.

WCC18 Sketch Challenge

As with most sketch challenges the sketch can be turned in any direction as long as it is still recognizably this sketch.  Initially I had thought about standing the sketch on its head but in the end I used it pretty much as shown.  Note…the sketch elements are all we are challenged with…the color choices are completely our own.

The small historic mining town near where I live in Southern Oregon celebrates Chinese New Year with a passion.  At one time many of the towns businesses were owned and run by Chinese families and a tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year was begun in the 1800’s and has continued to the modern era.  A favorite with the tourists and locals alike.  So I took that for my theme as well with lots of bright red, gold and borrowing the honeycomb design of the bee that is a much used symbol in Chinese tradition and imagery.

Supplies:

Stamps: Apothecary Art (birthday sentiment), Sweet Essentials (ret.), Mixed Bunch

Ink: Versamark, Stazon (Black)

Paper: Real Red, Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana Cardstocks

Punches: Blossom, 2-1/2″ Circle, Banner (for the ends of the banners)

Other: Big Shot, Honeycomb Embossing Folder, Hexagon Hive Thinlit, Gold Embossing Powder, Silver Embossing Powder, Sale-a-Bration Best Day Ever Accessory Pack (Coastal Cabana Button), Whisper White Baker’s Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

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I hope you’ll join the challenge and show us your own twist on the sketch.   Something new to note about the Watercooler Challenges… we now have a cool new badge for challenge winners and we’ll be announcing a new winner every two weeks at the start of the following challenge.   But…you have to enter in order to win the badge and you have to follow the rules.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing.

Hugs and Happy New Year whether you’re a person, a sheep, goat or ram!

P.S.  I think I’ll pass on eating goat, lamb or mutton this year!

Creative Blog Hop continuing…one post at a time.

Greetings and welcome to another edition of the ongoing and ever active Creative Blog Hop.

Not your usual blog hop format as each week a blogger posts a project, answers 4 specific questions about their artistic process and has also invited a couple more artists to join in a set of follow on posts a week later.   A sort of creative chain of posts that appear one at a time in a variety of branching chains but without a long menu of participants at any one time.

You can follow the chain back by clicking on each link from the post the week before and discover a wonderful new set of blogs and projects to inspire you.   The hop is not confined to any one companies product though if you know me well you know that I’ll be using my beloved Stampin’ Up! products.  Lots of CASEing possibilities on the hop as you follow along.

My thanks to my dear friend Miss Marsha Reed who hails from Iowa with her Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe Blog.  Here’s the link to her Creative Hop Post that I’m honored to follow.

Here’s my project…a CASE (copy and share everything) from another wonderful stamper Jackie Topa.   You can see Jackie’s original post (and a smashing video that gives all the details) here.

February is the month for hearts and not just because Valentine’s Day falls within its scope. Winter is half done (in most parts of the country – lol) and the fires of life, love and a wish for Spring come springing up (yep…that pun was intentional).  The perfect month for dreams of every sort.   I found the Stampin’ Up! small paper stack “Moonlight” the perfect expression of that feeling with its warm and vibrant colors with coordinating patterns on both sides of the paper sheet.

If you are not feeling quite so “heartfelt” here’s another simpler version.  You can send as is or add a sentiment when the card is ready to send and you have a better handle on the sentiment required.

and the interior still waiting for it’s added sentiment and message:

Supplies:

(combined for both cards but easy to tell which is which…only the punches and roof and heart cardstock are different…the Designer Series Paper is the same paper stack.)

Stamps: Loving Thoughts (ret.)

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Paper: Natural’s Ivory (3-3/4” x 11”), Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive Cardstock (3”x 3”), Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack.

Punches: 1” Circle, Small Heart, Large Heart (ret), Bird Builder, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (ret), Word Window, Modern Label.
You can substitute the newer Sweetheart Punch or the Heart Collection Framelits for the large heart and the current Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pak has a small heart in it.

Other: Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder(ret.), Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Diagonal Scoring Board.
The Woodgrain, Argyle or other folder can be substituted if you don’t have Stripes folder.

I’ve also provided my own set of written instructions that include the following close up pictures to help you see how the folds go together.

Bird House Shaped Card CASE by Jean Fitch

 

And now…to the interview questions…I’ll try to keep it short.  LOL:

1. What are you working on now?

A set of projects for next Saturdays Stamp Camp in Central Point, Oregon that will highlight a variety of specialized stamping tools such as the Gift Box Punch Board and a Ttrifold card with a die cut window to show off my newest stamp set Sheltering Tree from the Occasions Catalog.  A group affair with my upline and Sideline (we run our monthly events in partnership) and our customers – a fun group of ladies (and the occasional gent) who love stamping and fun food (thus our famous potluck!).   A tad tricky to plan since the event is on Valentine’s Day but doesn’t specifically focus on that occasion though we will be making the latest Paper Pumpkin Valentine Treat that should be very fun as one of the bonus projects.

Of course I always have projects from a variety of sources and schemes in progress.  Just hopping from blog to blog seems to add to the inspiration.  Not to mention viewing catalogs, videos and the many inspiring stamping products out there.  In the back of my mind I’ve been working on a new fold idea but that’s still in the trial stage in odd moments.

2.  How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I’m not entirely sure that it does overall.  Though in general I go for simplicity of line and fairly uncluttered in style.   I love to work in so many styles and with so many techniques it’s always a guess what you will find on my work table.   I find inspiration online, in catalogs and just dreaming at night – surely at least one of you reading also dreams stamping and stamp project designs right?  Please tell me I’m not the only obsessed stamper who can’t stop designing when the eyes close and slumber begins.

My friends will tell you that one of my favorite things is to have someone ask…what can I do with….(insert stamp set, die or other stamping equipment)…and I’m off to the races with ideas.  Some practical…some not so much but always a fun endeavor.   Another favorite thing is to see what’s sitting on my table in the way of unused bits and pieces and see what I can create…rather like one of those Craft Wars shows with limited supplies.

At the moment I’m entirely enchanted with folds and different die cutting techniques not to mention trying to see original ways to use every image in a stamp set for any and all occasions.  Trust me…it CAN be done!

3. Why do you create what you do?

Joy.   The joy of the creative process and the rush it brings as well as the joy found in sharing that same creativity with another person.   I’m also a spinner and weaver among many other fiber crafts and the sheer joy of working with color and texture (whether fiber or paper or other medium) makes me happy most days.   I never thought of myself as a creative artistic type person since I can’t paint or draw worth a darn though I do a mean doodle in the margins of many papers if you won’t think I’m bragging.   Writing yes…or music…that makes me feel creative but art…nope that wasn’t me.   Then I discovered my passion for color and texture in the fiber arts and I was on my way.   A troll through a magazine introduced me to Stampin’ Up and the world of paper crafting planted itself in my heart and mind and I’ve never looked back.   I’m still growing in all my creative endeavors and mediums.  If you’d seen my early work compared to today you’d see what I mean and hopefully see the joy involved.  Whether starting out or continuing down the road it all comes back to joy!

4. How does your creative process work?

Very, very messily.  And most often when I’m up against a deadline there is a certain amount of stress involved if I haven’t cleaned up the previous creative mess making session.  That’s the practical side of my process.   The overall process begins with the mind, the eyes and an assortment of inputs whether conversations, dreams, a troll through my shelves of stamps and dies or catalogs and a seed of an idea that I want to accomplish.  A broad outline such as…it’s March…and Easter will be coming up though I’m not ready to part with the Christmas holidays just yet but I must move on.  LOL

If an original idea doesn’t spring to mind I may surf through various online galleries, blogs, Pinterest and so on and see what that sparks.  That may end up with my doing a direct CASE (with a few changes of stamps, punches and so on – or not) or seeing something that sparks an aha moment of original or semi original creativity.

Funny thing is, I’ve discovered over the years that just like knitting where I think I’ve come up with a brilliant (and original) new stitch pattern…I discover it was out there all along I just didn’t know it.   It’s still satisfying to make something to your own design, believe it’s yours, share it with the world and then discover that others had the same thought at the seemingly same moment.  How cool is that…perhaps a collective unconscious that brings it to the top all across the planet?  However you want to explain it…it happens more than you might think and each person has experienced the creative original moment many times with no other inputs than their own imaginings.   In a world of CASE that may not always be easy to verify but I believe it happens…because I’ve experienced it.  In a sense the wheel was always there waiting to be brought forth…whether from a scientists mind or the mind of one who has watched a rock roll end over end and said aha…and it has been created and recreated in one form or another, in one culture or another…over and over again.    Hm…was Eve a CASE of Adam…or a totally original creation…or just descended from a chimp template…you decide.   However it worked…there was a creative impulse that allowed for unique differences and was an expression of Joy!

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I hope you’ll go out today and discover your own creative impulses that lead you to joy.  In whatever medium you choose…remember the fun of those early days when finger painting anything and everything was all about the paint, fingers and a certain amount of creative mess on the paper that could be anything you dreamed.    I don’t know about you…but I still have one of my kindergarten finger paintings (my Mom framed it) and I still see many things in it’s now fading colors and curves and it brings me joy to connect with that younger self who didn’t worry about ART in capital letters but was busy learning the art of creativity and joy at it’s simple best!

The next participants in the hop are my good friends and former hop buddies (anyone else remember the Hanukkah Hop with fondness from a couple of years ago?) Miriam Permut and Andi Potler.

Both will be posting their amazing projects on February 16th.  I can’t wait to see what they have to share.

Here’s where you will find them.

Miriam’s blog – My Ink Pad

Andi’s blog  – Absolute Kreations

Trust me…if you aren’t blog followers now…you will want to sign up with both these talented ladies after perusing their blogs.   Enjoy the rest of the ongoing hop.

Blessings and joy –

The Wacky Watercooler December 2014 Blog Hop: Best of Edition

Welcome everyone to the Wacky Watercooler December Blog Hop: Best of Edition where this month we’re featuring projects that highlight the Best of Stampin’ Up products past and present as well as a CASE of a sister hopper.

With luck you’ll be able to find any retired product used on the hop in the current Year End Closeout Sale currently found in the Online Store or through your own local demonstrator.   Of course supplies of products featured in the Year End Closeout Sale are limited to supplies on hand.

Our hop crew is an  international one of Stampin’ Up Demonstrators 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.

If you are moving in hop order you’ve arrived from the very talented Kathe D’s  Kathe’s Adventures blog.  Just the name of Kathe’s blog gets my creative juices flowing.   She and I have shared a number of different hops and groups together and she never disappoints.    You’ll definitely want to go back and check her past posts after the hop.   If you are working in reverse order weren’t you dazzled by Gail’s creative projects?  Gail is another of my international friends.  As a Canadian Gail and I don’t quite share a border (I’m in Oregon) but we do share a love of stamping, cats and hanging around virtual watercoolers to chat!

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.

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First up is my Best of…Kathe D.  As part of the Best of December Hop we drew a hop partner to CASE (Copy And Share Everything).  I was fortunate enough to get Kathe!   I love her clean and simple designs from past hops.  It was a tough choice but I realized I could use a few more past as well as present favorites by selecting this card of hers from last March’s hop.

If you know me…you know I love wood & flower themes and am a big fan of the Petite Petal Stamp set.   So…..here’s my interpretation using a retired favorite Woodgrain Background Stamp and going circular instead of oval.   I suppose it’s a bit of a stretch as a CASE goes but it does use flower, leaf and wood themes as well as her Wisteria Wonder principle color so I’m calling it good.  😀    Thanks Kathe for the walk down memory lane as I had a blast flipping through many of what I considered your best.   To see a few others I had considered check these links.  The sunburst.  The weave card & Flower Shop card. And lastly Holiday Home.

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CASEing  Kathe D

I love cards with peek through windows so my scallop circle die from the Circle Flip Card die collection was perfect for that purpose.  Of course it also helps if you remember to stamp the woodgrain background first so you don’t ink through the window!  If you forget…no worries…the large 2-1/2″ Circle punch will come to your rescue and clean up the interior.   It was a sad day for me when Stampin’ Up retired the Woodgrain background though thankfully they gave us a new Hardwood Background like Kathe used!  Sad too was the loss of the Itty Bity Punch Pack.  I know we have a newer version now but I used the old one pretty much every day so you know it’s seen a lot of love!

Supplies:

Stamps: Petite Petals, Trust God, Woodgrain Background (retired)

Ink: Early Espresso, Wisteria Wonder

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Garden Green, Very Vanilla & Daffodil Delight Cardstocks

Punches: Petite Petal, Bird Builder, 2-1/2″ Circle (interior sentiment), Itty Bitty Punch Pak

Other: Big Shot,  Scalloped Circle Framelit from the Circle Thinlit Card die collection, Glue dots and Multipurpose Liquid Tombow

Note: You can fancy up the card with pearls in the flower centers but I wanted this card to be easy to mail…and besides…it’s heading out to a woodworking guy…wasn’t quite sure how he would feel about pearls!

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As a big fan of Stampin’ Up dies and punches I was jazzed to get to bring some oldies but goodies out to play with as part of my Best of presentation.  Always a tricky proposition to declare a favorite don’t you think?  After all if I buy a stamp or die or punch you know I love it!  From En Francais my all time favorite background stamp to the Beautiful Butterflies and Lattice dies it’s so hard to choose.   It was nice to see this year that even Stampin’ Up felt compelled to bring back a Best of favorite stamp set.  Endless Wishes.   Last years phenomenon sell out set made it back into this years 2014 Holiday Catalog.  Bless you Stampin’ Up!  That being the case I knew I had to meld old and new into a fun Christmas Angel card using two retired dies and an angelic choirful of punches.  Beautiful Butterflies and Perfect Pennants are here to stay in my collection that’s for sure and unless they’ve sold out by now both are available in the Year End Closeout Sale.

Butterfly Die Angels

Supplies:

Stamps: Endless Wishes

Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink

Paper:  Soft Sky, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, & Brushed Gold Cardstocks.

Punches: Scallop Border, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, 7/8″ Scallop Circle, Word Window, 1-3/8″ Circle, 1″ Circle, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (retired),

Other: Big Shot, Perfect Pennants Bigz die (retired), Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die (retired), Fancy Fan embossing folder, Argyle embossing folder, Heat Tool, Silver Embossing powder, clear embossing powder, two way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds

NOTE:  Check back next week for a punch chart and a framed project using this Angel idea and more tips on the construction.

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Another great reason to list the Butterfly die as a best of….it makes stencils!   Stampin’ Up a while back shared this fun video and it inspired me to create this card last Spring (yep..I forgot to post it then) using my very own die cut stencil and a few fun stamp sets like En Francais and Happy Watercolor.  The bonus to this video tutorial…it also uses En Francais.   I used that too in my CASE of the video but unfortunately it don’t show up quite as well as I intended in the photo.

How about a quick hint for our upcoming Spring catalog…Beautiful Wings Embosslit (also used in the card above) will have a new die cutting butterfly product to keep it company.   Sh..Shh…..

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Christmas Cactus Box

Last up is my pick for Best of Newer Product from the Annual Catalog.  The Envelope Punch Board!  If you’ve been hopping with us before you know this very cool tool makes more than envelopes!   This project also highlights another of my favorite best of’s from the past.  Core’dinations Paper.  Especially the pack from last years In Colors.  I love that you can sand the paper to reveal another color!   This is also my Christmas tribute to my beloved Mother-in-Law Dorothy Fitch.   I still miss her presence in my life, so every Christmas I try to come up with something that reminds me of her many Christmas traditions.   This year it’s her annual Christmas Cactus that was the inspiration.   Now if only she was still here for me to present her gift in this fun filled box.

The “cactus” flower is made using the Blossom Punch.   Once I punched a few layers I placed them in the Fancy Fan embossing folder and then sanded lightly over the top.  And Voila!   The Fancy Fan image appeared.   Before putting the box itself together I stamped the surface with En Francais to add a bit of depth and texture to the look of the box.  I also made a slit in the top to close the box.  The decorated side panels were also sanded in the Fancy Fan folder and the ends were punched with…can you guess…yep…the heart punch.  Gives a bit of a curve to the ends.

Here’s a side view so you can see how it all went together:

If you’d like directions on how to make the box with the Envelope Punch Board you can find it here  & here.

Supplies:

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, En Francais Background (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Garden Green

Paper: Wild Wasabi,  Razpberry Ripple Cardstocks, Primrose Petals Core’dinations

Punches: Blossom, 1″ Circle, 1-1/4″ Scallop Circle, Heart

Other: Heat Tool, Silver Embossing Powder, Envelope Punch Board, Glue Dots and Dimensionals.

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 That’s it for my post for this December Best of Watercooler Hop.   Hop along now to see the wonderful and talented Gail and the rest of the “Best of” hop entries and look for our Wacky Watercooler crew every month as we create more new hops for your viewing and crafting pleasure in the new year.   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!

Hugs & Holiday Love – Jean

The Wacky Watercooler October Blog Hop: Thanksgiving & Christmas Edition

Welcome everyone to the Wacky Watercooler October Blog Hop where this month we’re featuring projects for Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the days in between.

I’ve been away from the hops and blogging for awhile as many of you know but it’s a joy to be back and hopping again with my favorite wacky watercooler crew of hoppers.

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.   Which reminds me…have you seen the newest Holiday assortment found in the Holiday Supplement?  It just went live this week.

 

Here’s the U.S.  2014 Holiday Supplement (US version) .

 Holiday Supplement (PDF)

HolidaySupplement Stampin’ Supplies  (PDF)

 Spanish Flyer (PDF)

Want to see the variety of stars you can create with the Holiday Supplement Many Merry Stars Kit?  Check out the Stampin’ Up Pinterest Board here!  And the Stampin’ Up Youtube site for related videos.

If you are moving in hop order you’ve arrived from the very talented Kath R’s  All That Scrap blog.   I love the title of her blog…love Kath  too!  Amazing what she gets done with all that reconstruction going on.   You’ll definitely want to go back and check her past posts after the hop especially if you love dragons or are addicted to the new Curvy Keepsake box die.   If you are working in reverse order weren’t your socks knocked off by Deb’s wonderful projects?  Deb has been a regular on our Watercooler Hop schedule and never fails to show me something I have to CASE!  Another dear friend I discovered through stamping and hers is another blog to investigate after the hop for sure EH?  Yep..Deb’s Canadian.  I couldn’t resist. 😀

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.

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As it’s October and Fall is still in full swing here in Southern Oregon (yep my two lonely non-pine trees are now all red though after last nights wind storm only a brave few are left to admire) I thought I’d start off with a Fall inspired card, perfect for gifting those at your Thanksgiving or other fall event table.  My Grandmother used to tell me I was always gilding the lily with my stories and modes of dress so of course I thought of her when I decided to gild the leaves (and every other part of the card) on this one.

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Golden Leaves Fall Card

Supplies:

Stamps: Trust God, Apothecary Art, Pumpkin Welcome Kit stamp (spots – you can also use Gorgeous Grunge), Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Early Espresso, Always Artichoke, Versamark, Encore Gold

Paper: Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory, Crumb Cake, Brushed Gold Cardstock

Punches: Scallop Oval, Decorative Label, Extra Large Oval, Envelope Punch Board

Other: Big Shot, Autumn Accents Bigz die, Bitty Banners Framelit or paper snips to cut the banner, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Big Polka Dots embossing folder,  Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, linen thread

Found this video that showed a cool gilded leaf technique (works on buttons too) and that set me on the path for this card.   Turned out to be a hit at my September Stamp Camp though people kept asking…what do we add gold to next?  {grin}  I decided to draw the line at gilding the linen thread, though to be honest…I did consider it for more than a few seconds. 😀   Tried several different embossing folders too but the Large Polka Dot folder proved to be the most popular.  Adding a single rounded corner to the base and two to the focal piece added to the “mod” look of the piece too.  Of course it all glitters even more in person.

Gilded spots, gilded button, gilded leaves and a bit of brushed gold cardstock (the mat behind the sentiment) makes for a project that’s truly “golden” don’t you think?

Here’s the project PDF if you’d like to recreate it:

Golden Leaves Fall Card – September 2014 Stamp Camp

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Endless Wishes Aurora Card

Endless Wishes is turning out to be one of my favorite stamp sets.  I’m very grateful to Stampin’ Up! for bringing it back for this years Holiday Catalog.  We endlessly wished for its return and…Voila!…here it is!   Last years run of stamp production ran out in two weeks…this year we get it for the whole run of the Holiday Catalog…so if you love it as much as I do…order it before January 5th or you’ll be wishing you had.  This is a set that works all year round with words like joy, cheers and more.

This is another CASE of a card I saw last year and couldn’t get out of my mind.  Also another case in point of similar ideas occurring to many minds at the same time .  I had a similar idea but never got around to making it and then found this card on the Iguana stamp blog and loved her version.  To me the colors swirling about remind me of a stylized Aurora Borealis.   We were supposed to be able to see that phenomenon in the lower part of North America last month but I’m afraid it never quite made it far enough south for me to see it.    So instead…I’ve made my own.  LOL

Supplies:

Stamps: Endless Wishes

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black Marker, Project Life Pens, Memento Black or Black Stazon

Paper: Tempting Turquoise (11” x 4-1/4”), Elegant Eggplant 5-1/4” x 4”), Whisper White (5” x 3-3/4”)

Punches: Scalloped Oval, Large Oval

Other: Stampin’ Sponges, basic jewel rhinestones, Post-It’s, Dazzling Diamonds, 2 way glue stick. 1/8” gold or silver ribbon.

One of the very cool things I discovered…punches can cover a number of boo boo’s if your hand with the ink pen is a tiny tad unsteady.  You can also add a bit of extra sparkle quite easily with Dazzling Diamonds and a two-way glue pen if glitter is a must.

Here’s the project PDF if you’d like to recreate it:

Endless Wishes Aurora Card

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Last and perhaps the sparkliest yet (hm…is sparkliest a word?) is my Jingle, Noel, Joy Tree card also known as the Little Letters Form a Tree Card.   Originally I set myself the challenge of creating a fun Christmas card using only items from the Annual Catalog but as you can see…my hand strayed from grabbing the Moonlight Designer Series Stack and instead found the Trim the Tree paper stack.   Everything else you see though can be found in the Annual Catalog (eta: well oops…the frosted snowflake sequins is a holiday catalog item too).   My favorite component being the Little Letter Thinlit dies.  Amazing the words you can spell with die cuts isn’t it?   A tad tricky to get the alignment just right unless you have the magnetic platform to use with your Big Shot…but it can be done!

Little Letters Form a Tree Card

Supplies:

Stamps: none (unless you want to add some to the inside).

Ink: none

Paper: Garden Green Cardstock.   Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack, Red Glimmer Paper.

Other: Whisper White Baker’s Twine, Big Shot, Little Letters Thinlit dies, Star Framelit Collection, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Frosted Sequins (holiday catalog), dimensionals and glue dots.

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The design started when I flipped through the paper stack and wondered what I would do with that almost neon looking lined paper.  Then the light went on as I thought the lines reminded me of learning to write on that big lined paper block my Mom had lots of when I was growing up.    Then my eye lit on the Little Letter dies and a design was born.  Lots of words that describe the Christmas season and experience but I wanted a stacked tree looking set like that of a die from another company that I came across awhile ago so after brainstorming words I settled on Jingle, Noel and Joy.   Happy occurrence since those are three of my favorite Christmas season words and the letters work into just the right lengths to form the tree.  Add a star from my favorite new set of framelits (the Star Collection) and Bob’s your Uncle (or in my case my Brother in Law!).  Of course the little Frosted Sequin snowflakes from the Holiday Catalog came in handy too.  Oops…that’s a second thing I used from the Holiday Catalog.  So cute though…can you blame me?

One design note when working with the Little Letter thinlits.  I think they really pop when you separate the layers with dimensionals so the letters have some visual depth to them.  Then it’s up to you if you want contrast like the glimmer or metallic papers we have or a basic contrasting cardstock paper background behind the die cuts.   Boy do I wish you could see the shimmer and shine of the glimmer paper on the actual card.   While cutting the words is a tad time consuming I think a few people on my card list will definitely be getting this design!

For a few more fun ideas with the Little Letters die take a look at this video from the Stampin’ Up office in the UK (United Kingdom).

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That’s it for my post for this October Watercooler Hop.   Hop along now to see the fabulous and talented Deb Smart 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!

WCC11 – Watercooler CASE of Pinterest Challenge

Happy Sunday my friends.

Time for another Watercooler Challenge (WCC11).   This time around we are supposed to CASE a Pinterest creation.

Did I hear someone ask what a CASE is?   Simple answer…Copy And Share Everything.   Otherwise known in crafting circles as permission to steal someone else’s fun design, add your own tweaks and share the process all over again.   In polite circles we say share…in less exalted places we are a tiny tad more honest and use the term steal.  LOL.

I hope you’ll decide to play along with this latest challenge and add your own creation to the Challenge linky found here.   You’ll also be able to see all of this weeks wonderful team creations at that link.

Here’s mine:

I found my inspiration here.

Nancy Keller’s Quilt Card Sample

Using Nancy Keller’s lovely Christmas card as a starting point I dived into the new Trim the Tree paper stack from the 2014 Holiday Catalog to create my quilt squares with a 1″ punch.  Nancy’s basic directions for forming the pattern worked perfectly!

I had a fun time with this challenge.   As many of you know I have a real thing for inchies so a design that facilitates that obsession will quickly float to the top of my TO CASE list.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Good Greetings (Special Promotion Hostess Set can be seen here)

Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green Cardstocks.  Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack  (2014 Holiday Catalog)

Ink:  Cherry Cobbler

Other: Big Shot,  Bitty Banner Framelits,  Delicate Designs & Polka Dots Embossing Folders, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Paper Snips, Glue dots & Dimensionals.

Nancy’s tips for perfect Inchie placement everytime:

1) Inchies are best when punched or cut from paper with small patterns.

2) When assembling the card, start by placing the inchie at the top center onto your card first! Then place the other inchies around it, to complete the pattern.

Some additional notes from my own version:

 I embossed the top quilt portion of the card with the polka dot folder then leaving a space I embossed the lower portion with the Delicate Designs folder.  A strip of the Trim the Tree paper united the two sections nicely.   I discovered that pretty much all of the Good Greetings sayings will fit in the larger Bitty Banner framelit so I had a lot of scope for expression.  I then tacked the die cut sentiment to a strip of Garden Green cardstock and using my Paper Snips trimmed out a slightly larger matted piece for a little contrast.  Then I floated the sentiment piece with dimensionals over top of the quilted inchies.  Add a seam binding bow for a pop of texture and color and the card was done.  Once my paper was punched it took about 10 minutes all told from start to finish to create the card.  Pop in a movie and you can punch up a stack of inchies then get a start on your Christmas card production.

 ***

If you have a quilter in your life this may be the perfect card for you to CASE.  Whether for Christmas or a general occasion the cozy factor of a quilt inspired card can’t be beat.   Working on these types of cards always brings to mind my beloved Mother in Law Dorothy.  She was a master quilter and every year I would look for a new design to celebrate her own obsession.   I love to picture her heavenly quilt room (after all…even Heaven needs a bit of cozy right?) filled with any pattern she can think of and fingers that never fumble with age or infirmity when hand quilting.

So Mom…this one’s for you!

I hope you are having a blessed weekend and finding time to stamp.   Check out Pinterest…consult your imagination and head to your stamping corner and don’t forget to post your own CASE on the Challenge Blog.  Oh and if you post…don’t forget to invite the original poster of your inspiration to see what you’ve created and join the challenge!

If you are looking for any of the ingredients to this fun design check out my online store, select me as your demonstrator and don’t forget to use my current hostess code for a chance to win the Good Greetings hostess set (assuming we get group orders totaling $300 to qualify).

This month’s hostess code: 95YRUXFE

Hugs, love and blessings to all of you –

August Stamp Camp is coming…hope to see you there!

Looking to beat the heat and have some fun at the same time?

Create your very own Work of Art (today’s featured project) as well as three other projects at a fun stamping get together in Central Point, Oregon.

Stamp Camp is coming…August 9th at 10am.    How does that beat the heat I hear you asking…simple…the Church hall where we meet is air conditioned!   Besides…stamping fun always  takes ones mind off what the weather is doing.   And our famous and fun potlucks always add to the fun.   Margaret if you are reading this I hope you are bringing your super delish homemade pickles!

Here’s one of the projects we’ll be making.   You can see a second in this post here.  So many saw these samples in June and asked for them that I just had to add them to the lineup.   As you can see I’m still playing around with Stampin’ Up’s  latest set of In Colors.   I love them so much…and I hope you do to.

Supplies:

Stamps: Work of Art, Petite Petals

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Blackberry Bliss Cardstocks, Champagne Glimmer Paper

Ink: Mossy Meadow & Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink Pads, Versamark, Mossy Meadow Marker

Other: 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Petite Petal Punch, 1-1/4″ Scallop Circle Punch, Envelope Punch Board (corner rounder punch), Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Linen Thread, adhesives.

Keeping it pretty simple here to show once again how versatile Work of Art as a stamp set is.  Quick and simple I think this card took all of 10-15  minutes to make including warming up the heat tool for the gold embossing.  This card really sparkles in person with gold and glimmer paper.   Of course if you want to add a bit more bling you can scatter gold sequins and basic jewel rhinestones as well across the card.   Since I’m focusing this time on an easy to mail mostly one layer type card I decided to pass on too much bling and kept it simple.  Of course I’ll have the bling on hand August 9th if you want to step it up a bit more.

Hope to see you August 9th.  If you need more information or directions please email me at jlfstudio@live.com

Linda and Cheryl (my fellow Stampin’ Up demonstrator partners) will each have a project to present as well.   Cost is $15 for the 4 projects and we should be done by 2pm (includes the break for a potluck lunch on site).

Of course if you live out of the area I’d be happy to send you the step by step directions with a few tips for using this fun new set when you place an order before July 31st.

I  have an open Hostess Code for orders that will be closing July 31st.   To place an order go to the Stampin’ Up Online Store (calls and emails to me directly with the needed order information will also work) and select me as your demonstrator.

Insert the hostess code:   2FGT2VV4  

And then add the rest of your order.

Of course if your order is more than the $150 for hostess benefits you are welcome to ignore the hostess code so you can scoop the hostess rewards.   If your order is less than the benefit level I’ll put you in the drawing for all or a portion of the hostess rewards ordered if the total orders combined reach that level.   If there are less than 3 orders I generally split the benefits and order fun things like ribbon, candy dots and so on that can be easily shared.  If there are more than 3 then I do a drawing for the lot and notify the winner.  Of course to participate you have to order right?    Please consider doing so as it will help me remain a demonstrator and able to serve your creative needs.    Summer has found my order levels dropping this quarter and SU is reminding me that to stay a demonstrator I have to up my game before August 1.

Hugs and love and hoping to see you in Central Point….

 

 

WCC05 – Watercooler Color Challenge – New and Old Meet in the Middle

Happy Sunday my friends.

Time for another Watercooler Challenge (WCC05).   This time around our illustrious leader Terri A. has given us the following color set to work with.

I hope you’ll decide to play along and add your own creation to the Challenge linky found here.   You’ll also be able to see all of this weeks wonderful team creations at that link.

 

Here’s mine:

Supplies:

Stamps:  Work of Art, Happy Watercolor (retired from Occasions 2014 catalog)

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla Cardstocks.   Epic Day Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight

Other: Big Shot,  Hearts Collection Framelits,  Adorning Accents Edgelit (retired) ,  Adorning Accents Embossing Folder (retired), Large Heart Punch (retired), Small Heart Punch (retired), Basics Jewels Rhinestones, 3/8″ Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon (retired).

 

I had a fun time with this challenge.   Especially because, as luck would have it, I had many scraps and project pieces littering my work space in exactly these colors.   That’s my excuse for using several retired items too!   Gotta clean up the work space right?  No matter the dates of the materials?  LOL

At some point in the last year or so I had created the Rich Razzleberry card base.   I was experimenting with edgelits and embossing folders that were new to me at the time but never got around to creating a fully finished card.   This was pre the Big Shot Magnetic platform and I probably thought that trying to create this with customers would be a bit of a challenge to get it all lined up and cut straight.   The two hearts were scraps from one of last years favorite DSP’s – Epic Day.   The perfect Daffodil Delight accent and I used last years large heart punch to create a layering piece in Rich Razzleberry.    Since the card base already had the little embossed hearts it seemed the perfect lead in to a heart theme which of course led me to use Thank You as a sentiment and create my own heart themed background.   And wouldn’t you know…last Spring’s Occasions set Happy Watercolor has the perfect sized Thank You and was sitting out just waiting to be added to that visible section of the inside of the card (I think my young nephew would call this a peekaboo card since some of the inside peeks through).     Don’t you love happenstance when you are creating on a deadline?   The eye settles here and there and it all just happens to go together!  SWEET!

Of course my latest favorite stamp set Work of Art was also already on the desk.  That set is sure turning out to be a work horse for me given it’s terrific versatility.  I wasn’t sure the two stamps that make up the Thank You would fit on the die cut heart I had already cut, but as luck (and happenstance) would have it, it did.   The bow even tied correctly the second time around (now that’s a first for me).  Somehow I have a feeling my much loved husband Steve was looking over my shoulder from Heaven and egging me on.  Placing everything I needed ready to hand.   Wouldn’t be the first time and Friday (when I was working on this) would have been our 33rd wedding anniversary.  So…yep…I’ll take all the angelic help I can get…especially when half my current supplies are still packed from my last event!

On another subject….I came across the following on Pinterest the other day.  Looks like a good set of points  to ponder for a weekend.    Of course doing would be even better right?    LOL

I hope you are having a blessed weekend too and finding time to stamp.   Grab your colors and your scraps and join in.

Hugs, love and blessings to all of you –

Christmas in July…Christmas Challenge Card – SCCC #32

Yep…it may be July…but it’s also time for Christmas!   As all crafters know,  July is the time to get a jump on the upcoming holidays.   Of course maybe we are all just trying to beat the heat by convincing ourselves that paper snow and thinking cool thoughts will cool us off just as well as the real thing.

Then again…my friend Darrah Hopper in Northern California assures me that where she lives in the mountains they have on occasion seen snow in July, just after the Fourth, so she doesn’t always have to rely on papercrafting head games to cool off.   She’s also the one who introduced me to the concept of a snow rake (and yes I thought she was kidding until she sent me a picture of her raking snow off her house’s roof).   One of these days I’ll have to create a punch art card with snow being raked in her honor.

In the mean time my friend Marsha’s induction into the Design Team for this Challenge group (congratulations Miss Marsha!) has inspired me to jump in and start participating and getting ahead of the holiday rush.

Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar Cardstock. Champagne Glimmer Paper

Punches: Hexagon, Mosaic, Itty Bitty Accent pack (star)

Other: Big Shot, Mosaic Embossing Folder, Gold Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

 

Technically the challenge was for a tag but I’m afraid I forgot that in the excitement of getting started on my Christmas projects.   Luckily there is always the alternate of any kind of Christmas card just to get ourselves started!   And of course this use of the punch to create a tree can be downsized a bit to create the perfect tag for that special gift bag!

Given our very hot July weather (104º so far is the max) and the general madness it’s creating in a stamper no longer used to heat, the use of Mosaic Madness seemed a natural to start this Challenge.   Since this set was introduced a year ago I’ve been seeing a variety of Christmas uses including a punched tree so decided to give it a go with a CASE in our newest In Colors.    Another great benefit to this stamp set?   There is a coordinating punch and embossing folder that continues the very Moorish looking Mosaic design.   Gotta love that famous Stampin’ Up coordination!

Details and Tips:

I found the card quick and easy once the design and its components were decided on. The trickiest part was deciding which stamp images to use (there are so many cool ones in the set) and how many to use to create the pattern.   Loving the ornament looking patterns, I went with the small and large versions.  Then of course how many colors to mix…what pattern to lay them out in…and what pieces to pop up on dimensionals.   After a few false starts I ended up with what you see. Along the way I discovered a few cool tips.

Tip 1: Mossy Meadow stamped off once looks an awful lot like Old Olive…so if you want to save yourself some trouble and want all your stamp offs to have the same amount of ink…why not save yourself some trouble and grab the Old Olive if you want a tree all in shades of green.

Tip 2: Always Artichoke makes a nice third to the triad. Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and Always Artichoke give you some nice shade differences to work with all together.   Of course you’ll have to take my word for this since I didn’t end up combining all three in this particular card.

Tip 3: The Hexagon punch trimmed in half makes a great pot or tree base.   I’ll have to remember this when I try my hand at a topiary design closer to Christmas.

Now that I’ve got the pattern down an assembly of dozens of cards will be easy.
Stamp 6 images in Mossy Meadow, 5 in Blackberry Bliss then start punching.   Simplest way was to use 1-1/2” (narrower if you are good at placement) strips of Very Vanilla…stamp a strip…then punch.   Run a 4” x 5-1/4” sheet of Mossy Meadow through the Mosaic Embossing Folder and adhere to the Naturals Ivory card base ( 4-1/4” x 11”).   Arrange your punch pieces as you can see in the picture placing the Blackberry Bliss pieces up on dimensionals.   Work row by row building as you go.   Punch a few stars, add some Baker’s Twine and you’re done.   Of course you’ll want a Christmas greeting for the inside and Mosaic Madness has a few lovely border type stamps that will also add to the interior design not to mention your envelope.

One other note about this very cool stamp set.  You can create your own background papers for use in One Sheet Wonder designs by stamping combinations of images and colors.   Go random or get your stamp a ma jig out and do fussy aligned rows.  What ever strikes your fancy.

Hopefully this will inspire you to join in the Christmas Challenge.  You can see the weekly challenge here or follow along on the link I gave to Marsha’s blog.   A new challenge goes up every Sunday.   A card a week all year long and you’ll have 52 ready to go for Christmas.   A card a day and you’ll have 365!

Merry Christmas everyone!

A CASE of flags

CASE = Copy and Share Everything  (as Pinterest can attest…we stampers excel in this art form).

Still on a flag kick here.

Independence day was a blast.   A day (and night) spent with people friends… furry friends (love playing with 6 week old kittens and their mom…hm…do the family dogs count as siblings too?)… food (yummy homemade ice cream among other goodies)… fireworks from several cities watched from the deck… and after all that it was time to stamp!   An all night stamping gig with a sister demo and SU partner that was a fun time playing with new toys from the new catalog.   With all that excitement I had to end the weekend with a quiet CASE of a flag.    One that has special meaning.

 

A very dear friend of mine has been sharing over the years her stories about her brother Larry.  A brother who served and was killed in Vietnam.    They had a special bond that could not be broken.    When I saw the original of this card (with a few variations) here  Marsha and her brother Larry came immediately to mind.    I remembered the gold star flags displayed by family members of a fallen service person and decided to add my own variation or rather nod to that tradition.   Using Kim’s basic design with a few alterations in color I add the Champagne (Gold) star to represent Larry and the traditional white star for Marsha.   The sentiment to me applies to them both.   One who showed courage and strength in his life and service and one who has shown courage and strength living with this great loss.     Some days we need a reminder that yes indeed we do have that courage and strength.   So that’s the point of the card.

Here are the basic details.   If you get a chance…enjoy the video and create your own CASE of a flag.

Supplies:

Stamps: Work of Art, Something to Say (both in the new annual catalog)

Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red classic inks

Paper: Basic Gray, Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White Cardstocks.  Champagne Glimmer Paper.

Other: Big Shot, Circle Card Thinlit die (star), Rhinestone Basic Jewels, 1/8″ Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon,

 

Hoping your Independence weekend was filled with fun,  memories, hope and blessings of strength and courage in the measure required.

Celebrating Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

 

Just a quick post to share a couple of fun cards that celebrate the day and add a bit of thanks to all who have gone before.   Those who created, sustained and have protected our freedoms and way of life.

Thank You!

 

What’s a celebration without a few candles right?  Or perhaps they are fireworks just before the big bang.  I’ll leave that to your imagination. 😀

 

Using the contents of the June 2014 Paper Pumpkin Kit (thanks Linda for sharing!) and a few other bits and pieces from the stash this fun and festive card came together quickly.

Supplies:

Stamps: Paper Pumpkin June 2014 stamps (stars and celebrate)

Ink: Silver Encore, Night of Navy

Paper: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy Cardstock and the papers from the June 2014 Paper Pumpkin Kit.

Other: Whisper White Baker’s Twine, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Bird Builder Punch (wing creates the candle flame), glue dots, sticky strip and other adhesive.

The candles were easy to create.  Cut the tube (used with the pinwheels in the kit) into thirds.  Place a small bit of the Baker’s Twine in the tube with a glue dot and mash the tube flat.  A bit of sticky strip holds them nicely in place.   One other note…if you want your silver Encore ink to dry in a hurry without smearing then use a heat tool to heat set it.

 

And of course…Independence Day also means flags to celebrate the symbol of our nation.

Another one of the many flags being created with the new Work of Art Stamp set.  So many variations have been crossing my screen on Pinterest that I just had to try one or two.  Here’s today’s example.    A perfect thank you for a veteran or soldier or perhaps even your local Congressman.

Supplies:

Stamps: Work of Art

Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White & Naturals White Cardstock

Other:  Big Shot, Card Thinlit Die (star die cuts), Rhinestone Basic Jewels, adhesives.

Heading out shortly for a  picnic, fireworks and a night of stamping with a friend.  Hope your Fourth is filled with fun, family, friends and thoughts of where we’ve been and where we’re going as a nation.

Hugs and Blessings to you all –