Kissing Beautiful Ride Beetles - and a Tutorial

Just realised I haven't yet shared my Quarterly Team Training swap card... perfect for Valentine's Day... or just because!

So without further ado... here it is... and please feel free read on to the end for the long story behind these!

But to be brief... I call this my Kissing Beetles- or Beetles have feelings too- card...

So before I start rambling with the full story... A quick photo tutorial of how to get the Beetle mirrored image..

1. Ink up and stamp  Beetles on vellum using black Staz On

2. Hand cut both

3. Turn one Beetle over...

4. Job done!

Note that you could just do one Beetle on vellum, cut out and flip... but they "match" better if you want them both clean/white in style! A Beetle stamped straight onto the white card panel does look different..

And if you want to colour in...

1. Flip both over so you are looking at the reverse of the images

2. Colour in using Marker pen... I just used Soft Sky, Smoky Slate and Basic Grey..

3. Turn back over...

Note that you can colour in on the front of the image... but it is quicker and neater to do on the reverse..

And so the full story... one in 2 parts...

The idea for the kissing Beetles is triggered from the Mini advert from way back when... remember the strap line... "Minis have feelings too"... For those of you feeling nostalgic... or curious... I quickly found the Christmas advert on You Tube by Googling "Kissing Minis"

Why do I remember this so well!

I used to be a Austin Rover sponsored student and work down in Northfield, Birmingham at the time... where they made the Mini cars...

I met my (now) husband back in those days... as he worked there too... and one of his first jobs... was to go and get a pair of shiny chrome spare bumpers from the production liner for the filming of the advert!

And the second side of the story... well where do I begin...

VW Beetles mean a lot in my family!

My first car... a silver one... nicknamed Chuggle Bug!

My brother's first car... second car...and probably third car!

The only car my father could draw... and he did very good job of it too...

We used to play spot (and count) the Beetle on the drive to school and back everyday... usually getting well over 20s in the count! How times have changed...

My brother (and usually father too!) was constantly in the garage fiddling with something in or under a Beetle!

I used to get messages under the windscreen wiper everytime I borrowed my brother's Beetle... everyone wanted to buy it!

My brother's souped up Beetle won competitions... yes it looked cool! And it was white!

But... my husband HATES VW Beetles!

So be warned.. over the next few months I will make lots of Beautiful Ride Beetle projects!!! Call them close to my heart..

I even have a plan/wish to make 50 projects and ship over to my brother for a surprise for his 50th birthday in September!!! Though if anyone would like to donate any Beetle projects to this cause... I would be forever in your debt!!

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Wisteria Number of Years Duo...

Another one die cut... make two duo!

Though the number is different this time... pretty handy that 6 or 9 option!! 

And of course the 36 has been Wink of Stella'd to an inch of its life... makes a very very simple card look really WOW in the flesh!

Die cut numbers just simply stamped using the leaves (Mint Macaron) and the wisteria buds (Wisteria Wonder) in the Number of Years stamp set...

Further photos and details of the 39th card here...

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6" Square Pop Out Swing Card - and Tutorial

Anyone for ice cream??? 

Time for another version of the Birthday Bouquet Pop Out Swing Card... as seeing as it is Friday... Fancy Fold Friday that is... another tutorial for you!

For some reason I decided to go slightly larger than the original 5 1/2" Square Pop Out Swing Card version posted here... think I must have just found a pack of 12 x 12 card... and reckoned it was time to use it! I will no doubt regret that decision when I am next making mini books for a class!

Anyways it has resulted in a different version/tutorial for you!

All of my Birthday Bouquet Pop Out Swing cards were 6" Square versions... Link to the others here...and I think there even a couple more to come when I finish decorating them... I am so ahead with my personal cards to send this year!

Recipe

Card Blank - Cardstock Pool Party 12"x6"

Inner Panel - Cardstock Pool Party (Whisper White in tutorial photos) 7 ½”x5 3/4" 

Inner Tabs - Cardstock Pool Party 7/8"x5 3/4" (x2)

Card Front Outer Panel - Paper 5 3/4" Square

Card Front - Centre Panel-CS M. Meadow 3 7/16" Square; Paper 3 1/4" Sq. 

Inside Mats -Cardstock Mossy Meadow 2 1/4" x 5 1/2" (x2); 

Inside Panels - Cardstock Whisper White 2"x5 1/4" (x1); Paper 2"x5 1/4" (x1)
Glimmer Paper Blushing Bride 2 3/4" Square

Instructions

1. Score wider 12" x 6" LANDSCAPE Pool Party panel at 6". Bone Fold.

2. Score narrower LANDSCAPE Pool Party panel at 2 ½” & 5” (note white in photos so you can see what is going on!)

3. Bone Fold as concertina/Z-fold ( ie one as mountain & 1 as valley fold)

4. Score 2 narrow Pool Party tab/panels at 2 ½” . Bone Fold (TIP - make sure this is a slightly short 2 1/2" ie so you can see the 2 1/2" line when you line it up to score. This will save you trimming at a later stage!)

5. Temporarily adhere paper central to the front of your 6" card blank ( TIP - note your paper orientation if there is a pattern!)

6. Die cut Square Aperture in card blank front and keep the die cut square of card… the paper is excess...

7. Adhere the paper frame to the card frame (TIP - do this now...as the 2 frames will be as you have cut them...so the apertures will be the same way around/in the same place and they will fit neatly! If you put the paper to one side and stick later - you will spend many a happy 5 minutes working out which way round to stick it!)

8. Adhere Z folded panel to RHS of open card blank (note: valley fold of Z Fold panel to LHS when stuck )

9. Fold over front of card blank. (with Z folded panel folded)

10. Apply glue through aperture to top of Z fold panel ( ie to RHS of aperture) Note I have only used Sticky Strip just so you can see where the glue needs to be…..

11. Adhere die-cut square (making sure the Square can swing through the aperture)

 

But when you open this card…that Square section doesn’t pop out or swing… it just … well sits there!

 

So now for the Tabs to attach it all together….. and allow it all to pop out and swing…

12. Open up Card blank. Open out Z folded panel to the right.

 

13. Apply glue to narrower side of the 2 Tabs (again I have only used Sticky Strip so you can see it!)

14. With folded edge of Tabs to outer/RH edge of Z panel - adhere narrower side of Tabs to top and bottom (ie above and below the square panel) ensuring that these tabs clear the square and Z folded panel LHS score line. (Trim if necessary)

 

15. Fold top layer of Z Fold panel back over & open the Tabs out.

  

Check that the Tabs will clear the central score line of the Card Blank.

Trim if necessary

16. With the Tabs opened out, apply glue to top side

17. Fold front of card blank shut to close down onto tabs

And there you have it…one safely attached swing out card mechanism….

Now  - if you have done a version using white card as per these photos... some of you won’t like the fact that you can see the Tab on the back of the white Z folded panel…

2 ways to work round that …

(1) make your card blank and Z folded panel all in the same colour as I have done with this version of the card

(2) cut 2 x  7/8" x 2 1/2” White Tabs…and just stick over the top!

Look vanished!

So there you have it… add a decorated panel to the front Square section… and you have a simple looking card with a WOW on opening… and it is simple to make too…

Now enjoy playing with the swing thing!! It is hard to resist!!

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Number of Years Wisteria All Around...

 

Another card from my Birthday Bouquet meets Number of Years 54321 class... and one I couldn't wait to do!! As I immediately thought of wisteria as soon as I first stamped these little flowers buds in the Number of Years stamp set... 

This one was REALLY popular!  Obviously we all have a thing about Wisteria! Whether we like purple or not... 

Though incredibly I did refrain from using my Wink of Stella pen on this card!! Bet it gets "winked" in due course!!!

Project Life - Sale A Bration Memories in the Making speciality card collection

I was asked what the cards look like in the Memories in the Making Project Life speciality card collection that is free (with  every £45 ordered ) in the Sale A Bration promotion...

There is one thing I will first point out... that I didn't see at all at first glance... the gold foiling you see on the acetate cards when you open the pack... is not just gold... but it is silver on the other side...

How cool is that!!  Unless of course you open the pack the other way round... then you will just see silver... and yes... the gold is then on the flip side!!

Now if you are local to me in the Yorkshire area you are always welcome to come and have a look at them in the flesh....

But I happened upon this video by Stampin Up! which shows you nicely if you are not! Click on the picture to go straight to the video...

So enjoy...it only takes a few minutes... And you get to see all the cards, some layout ideas and a useful technique - or two - too

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Something pink with sprinkles on top...

Birthday Bouquet meets Honeycomb Embellishments meets Sale A Bration stamp set Honeycomb Happiness... 

A card to make you think of summer...or parties.. or anything involving ice cream with sprinkles on top...

And a Tuesday Tip for you... I have to share fellow team member Barbara's idea  - as amended by a very knowledgeable email update from Helen over in Australia (thank you so much Helen!!) - with the Honeycomb embellishments... just pull off the protective paper backing on the embellishment & adhere one side and leave the other side as is... then you can post the card easily! And you can decide whether to add an instructional note for the recipient on the paper of the unpeeled side ....eg Peel & Stick!

Much better than squashing the honeycomb like I did with mine... though  - I hasten to add - that was in a tight plastic wallet rather than in an envelope!

Love the greeting from Remembering Your Birthday for this ice cream ensemble.... perfect!

Apologies for the rubbish photos... it was obviously late at night!

PS I used the Circle Framelits but I forgot to add them to the Supplies List... also Honeycomb Happiness is available in wood mount too ( but I couldn't find it on the lists!)

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Two Cards in One!

Now this caused so much excitement in the room... at both classes ...and Team Training too...

Not twins as such... but just one die cut... and you have the key element of 2 cards...

The die cut (Blushing Bride) numbers for a a Fancy Fold card... more details here...

And the negative number panel for a CAS card... or for use on a matching gift tag... that works well too!

Simples! And waste not..want not! I am cutting all my card for numbers like this now!

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