Fiftieth Birthday Conservatory card...

So an up-graded card to last week's Greenhouse card (for which the Tutorial was posted here) for a fellow demo friend... on her special birthday...

I added a bit more furniture... a couple of chairs using the Seasonal Layers dies & the Wood Textures papers... and a Big On Birthdays greeting on the table top...

And a tip... I had to give my chairs legs so that they were the right height! Easy to create from the left over bits from the tables... about 2 cm/3/4" in height...

And then I added the sentiments for the 50th special birthday... from Milestone Moments (Retiring!!)... on both the front of the windows and the flower pots... though you will have to look closely at the flowerpots to see it!

But that is where I came unstuck... as OMG.... I was a whole year early!!! Oh my... what am I like... Luckily she loved it.... and reckons it is even better in the flesh than these photos portray... 

And more importantly in the circumstances... it has thoroughly amused both of us... though I get the feeling that I will NEVER EVER live it down!!! 

Fancy Fold Friday - The Greenhouse Card Tutorial

Otherwise known as the Conservatory card... OR the New Extension card!! And great for a New Home card too...

Well this one proved very popular when I shared it here last weekend... so... by popular request... here is the Tutorial as promised...

Craft Spa Recipe
Thick Whisper White 20 cm x 10 3/8" (7 7/8" x 10 3/8")
Window Sheet 20 cm x 6" (7 7/8" x 6") NOTE - this works best if slightly shy of 6" H
Sahara Sand 14cm x 1 1/2" (5 1/2" x 1 1/2")
Embossing Paste & Soft Suede ink refill
(D) Thick Whisper White 7.4cm x 21 cm (x3) for the windows
(St) Thick Whisper White 6 x 18cm for the 3D'd hanging baskets & plant-pots
where (D) is for die-cutting and (St) is for stamping

Stampin Up Products used
Hearth & Home dies
Hanging Garden stamps
Bookcase Builder stamps
Barn Door stamps

Pattern Party Masks
Embossing Paste & Palette Knives
Wood Textures papers
Window Sheets
A4 Thick Whisper White card
Inks - Memento Black ink; Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Always Artichoke
And Stampin Blends or Many Marvellous Markers for colouring


Craft Spa Tutorial

1.       Mix a few Soft Suede ink drops with the Embossing Paste

2.       Mask & apply the embossing paste to form the bricks

3.       Remove the mask (and quickly clean everything up!)

4.       Leave to dry (I reckoned they were touch dry after 30-40 minutes or so –maybe sooner)

5.       Score large Whisper White panel LANDSCAPE (long side across top) at 1 ½”, 2 ¾”, 4” & 10”

6.       Turn scored card over (so mountain fold to top) and lay down PORTRAIT (short side across top) with the thin/1cm score line to the top

7.       Ink up & stamp the 3 hanging baskets (Memento Black) down from the top score line

TIP: mark along top score line at 7, 10 & 16cm if you want to stamp the baskets equidistant (1 ½”, 3 15/16” & 8 7/8”)… though I have my stamps all lined up on my Stamparatus tool so that it is a quick job for my ladies in class

8.       Optional –for 3D baskets…  Ink up and Memento stamp the 3 hanging baskets again on scrap Thick Whisper White & colour as necessary with Stampin Blends – and fussy cut!! Does look really nice…

9.       OPTIONAL : for 3D pots on the table… Ink up and stamp Cajun Craze pots and Old Olive/Always Artichoke grasses… and fussy cut!

10.   Ink up & stamp Early Espresso Barn Door on a piece of Wood Textures paper

11.   Cut Table as shown below

12.   Die cut 6 Thick Whisper White windows

13.   Make up a door (Quick pictures for you here… but click here for the full door tutorial)
And sorry - I do not know why they have turned on their sides!! But it is the same pic after all...

14.   Make up 2 windows (Again pictures here…but click here for more step by step  - though note that I used a double joining “slat” for this one)

15.   Trim the brick wall piece to 7 cm (2 ¾”)wide (x2)

16.   Grab all your decorative parts… and lets make the card!!

17.   Bone Fold main card -  Bottom Front= Valley, then Peak, then Valley and last one/thin Top Front section = Peak

18.   Pencil mark centre of Bottom Front section 3 cm (1 ¼”) down… and then at 7 and 13cm (2 ¾” & 5 1/8”) across at 3 cm (1 ¼”) down. Cut out notch

19.   Apply Tear & Tape adhesive to back of Top Front/narrow section  & back of Bottom Front ( ie at the top edge to either side of the notch)

20.   Stick in the acetate to top and bottom ( I didn’t but… you may find you need to trim a sliver off the height to get it all to lay flat… depends on your prepping/scoring… )

21. Finish internal decoration... there are also the terracotta pots on the table... but these are missing from this shot as I have made another as a surprise for someone... and they would give the game away...

22.   Stick brick panels to the Bottom Front sides
23.   Stick in windows to left and right hand side

TIPS:-

(a)the tops line up with the top of the card and the bottoms just cover the bricks….. AND
(b) the outside edge of the window moulding (top and bottom) is lined up to the outside edge of the card…so you can see the acetate to the side of the main part of the window… you can trim this if you like…I didn’t bother… keeps the card stronger that way

24.   Stick in door so that it covers the windows very slightly to left & right (well that’s the plan!!)

And the eagle eyed will have noticed a slight addition to the internal decoration in this tutorial... but more on that another day... again a surprise... 

The Impossible- Home Life Shed- Card

Very quick share today... as I am a woman on a bit of a mission!!

A Father's Day card for you today... be it a garage or a garden shed...or just a man cave...

Click here for the tailor made destructions as I like to call them (aka Tutorial).... and a New Home Congratulations version...

In the meantime... have to say... what a great card format!! The Impossible Card (that very definitely isn't! Impossible that is... ) But more on that later...

And... I was quite amazed that so many people hadn't noticed this wonderful house shaped die & set in the retiring Home Life bundle... so felt obliged to point it out to you asap... only available while supplies last...

PS Talking of houses.... By very popular request... come back tomorrow (later than usual mind!) when I should have a certain Greenhouse (aka Conservatory) card Tutorial ready for you!!! Just need to take a quick photo or two in the morning...

Stampin Up Products Used
Papers - Naturally Eclectic, Wood Textures
Stamps - Guy Greetings, Home Life
Dies - Home Life, Barn Door
Card & Ink - A4 Mint Macaron card, Memento Ink, Mint Macaron Ink,
Others - Soft Suede & sponge, Basic Black Marker pen

And yes it folds flat too...

The Garage Card Part 2

So this is how I finished off the Garage card that I started and shared here last Friday...

Loving the Barn Door doors and wrought iron hardware! So glad I purchased this bundle... especially as the stamps and the dies are carrying over to the new 2018-19 Annual Catalogue... though remember that the current 10% bundle discounts do not carry over... so purchase now if you want any of the current stamp & die/punch bundles with 10% discount...

Back to the card... just an added trimmed Soft Suede panel (14.8W x 15.8cmH) to the back.... so the final card fits in a 16.5cm square envelope... plus an extra trimmed Hardwood stamped panel (14 x 5cm) on top of that... They end up sitting really flush... so it is a very neat finished project... This method will be used again...

I left the inside the same... ie really simple... as I want everyone to be able to finish off the decoration with their husband/father/son ... or even daughter in mind (as I know one will be used as a Driving Test congratulations card)... and I know there will be a few Sheds, Potting Sheds, Man Caves... and even Craft Sheds too!

Mine will either have a super sporty car front with a car registration number personalised for my Dad... or a photo of one of his first cars... which will be a difficult choice as he is  - and has always been- a car-loving-man... I could even do a car collage stretching over all 3 inside faces!!

Trimming the extra panels to the apex shape is easy enough... just mark the centre point of the larger panel (at the top) at 7.4cm...lay your gatefold card blank on top...and draw in the 2 lines from either top edge of the gatefold up to the centre mark... and then cut...

Then you can use this to draw and then cut the smaller stamped panel shape...

Though it is even easier for my ladies... as they have a couple of templates to work with....

So the base card is just a 10.5cm x A4L piece of Soft Suede card scored LANDSCAPE at 7.4cm from either side (and I think 4" x 11", scored at 2 3/4" LANDSCAPE from either side from US Letter would be closest - with extra 5 1/2" W x 6 1/4" H  plus 5 1/4" W x 2" H panels... and mark the centre/top at 2 3/4" for your apex)

And the Basic Black panel is 8.5 x 13.2cm ( US Letter 4 3/4" x 3 1/4") to line up with the Barn Door size...

Barn Doors all stamped using Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede cardstock... and then sponged around the edges to add more definition... Though I could have used Wood Textures papers as they were part of the class kit!! I just (stupidly) completely forgot as the creative moment took me... doh...

And a Basic Black stamped greeting from retiring Guy Greetings finishes the card off... still the best male sentiments stamp set ever...

The Greenhouse Card... aka Hearth & Home final outing..?

A quick share from me today as I try to catch up with a few things over our Bank Holiday weekend in the UK...

But this card made us all very happy in class today... so I wanted to share with you straightaway...

Originally intended as a Greenhouse Card... hence the simplicity of the decoration.. but also suitable as a Conservatory Card too... 

Edited to Add... click here for the Tutorial

In the meantime... I used...
Hearth & Home dies
Hanging Garden stamps
Bookcase Builder stamps
Barn Door stamps

Pattern Party Masks
Embossing Paste & Palette Knives
Wood Textures papers
Window Sheets
A4 Thick Whisper White card
And Stampin Blends or Many Marvellous Markers for colouring

Can this really be the final class outing for my lovely Hearth & Home dies... definitely my "saddest to see these go" product on the retiring list! Enough so... I could actually cry!!!!

I just don't think you can beat these for making special  - and fancy - and clever - decorative cards... as well as simple ones too!

And have to admit that I loved using the Embossing Paste again... so you may see more of that in the not too distant future... 

Barn Door Simple Gatefold Garage Card

Well this was a simple little gatefold Garage card I was plotting for my Men in May classes... but then I had a change of heart.... and carried on a little more... though my ladies may indeed do both versions...

So thought I would share this initial prototype... and as I copied the photos on here.... I have just spotted my door setting boo boo!!! Oops... luckily rectified for the final full card...

Using the Barn Door bundle... available in Wood and Clear Mount...

And I will leave the background to... and plans for final decoration for... this card until another day...

But in the meantime... it is just a 10.5cm x A4L piece of Soft Suede card scored LANDSCAPE at 7.4cm from either side (and I think 4" x 11", scored at 2 3/4" from either side from US Letter would be closest)

Doors also stamped and sponged using Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede card...