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!!! 

Year of Cheer Snowflake Flowers & Stampin Blends Part 2

Following on from yesterday's post with the details... another quick tip for the Stampin Blends (coming soon!) for you...

Want a coloured Foil mat in a colour of your choice? Well now you can... just colour the edge of your Silver Foil mat using your Stampin Blend marker... in my case, dark Bermuda Bay to co-ordinate with my flowers (on yesterday's card!)

Though I will be honest and say that it works well for a thin mat such as used here... but I wouldn't use this technique for a larger area and it goes quite streaky when you have to go over the same area multiple times...

You will also notice that I have a few mats from my one Silver Foil mat. This is one thing I am always frugal with... just line up at 1 cm (or 3/8") on your Stampin Trimmer and cut from 1 cm at the top to 1cm from the bottom, Turn 90 degrees and repeat... and so on until you have cut out a rectangle from the centre. The larger is on today's card whereas the middle one was used on yesterdays...

And another silver embossed Big on Birthdays greeting to set everything off...

Year of Cheer Birthday Flowers with Stampin Blends...

Today's make is a combination of a colour challenge and a few ideas picked up along the way that I wanted to try out...

First up... a Team Color Challenge ... featuring the 2017-19 In Color, Berry Burst...

Oh ... and a mess up on my behalf that I have just realised...as I thought the green to be used was Garden Green!! Oops... please pretend I have used Old Olive... would have been nicer too!

Second up... Year of Cheer snowflake flowers in more typically floral colours... click here for more details on the flowers... Berry Burst sponged all over one of the Pansy Punch flowers...

Third up... the delivery of my new (coming soon!) Stampin Blends alcohol markers... so outlining and colouring with my Bermuda Bay dark & light markers rather than carrying on sponging... I wasn't sure that it would work over the foil detail... but it does! The foil still shines through... And no inky fingers...

And a Clear Faceted Gem quickly coloured using the brush tip end of the dark Rich Razzleberry Stampin Blend for one of the flower centres... just because I could! Though personally I prefer a clear one!

Fourth up... two step Painted Harvest stamped & Leaf Punch punched leaves given dimension with a quick score along the centre using my trusty Bone Folder and thick Stampin Pierce mat... really makes those leaves pop into life...

And Fifth up... oh that can wait till tomorrow!! Though the eagle eyed amongst you have probably already spotted it!

Set off around a silver embossed Big on Birthdays greeting to match the foiling on the snowflake flowers...

A Year of Cheer snowflake is not just for Christmas!

Just had one of those moments!! And loving what it created!!

So I was asked to demo my Year of Cheer Large Square Double Display card in my next class... and I decided it was time I put a Birthday one together... so I didn't want snowflakes...

But the card looked a bit plain on the front... and then it dawned on me...what was to stop me punching out round a snowflake in the Year of Cheer papers with the Pansy Punch... absolutely nothing!! Works SO well...Though you get less pansies than snowflakes for your money...

I daubed Smoky Slate ink around the white pansy... and coloured the second using a sponge and Cajun Craze ink (and a "dauber splodge" in the centre)... finishing off with a quick shape-ing care of my Bone Folder & Thick Mat. Do remember to rub off the excess ink from the foil parts of  a coloured flower with a tissue if you try one at home though!!

A couple of Clear Faceted Gems later... and couple of Leaf Punch punched Champagne Foil Leaves... veined into shape as described in this post... and the decoration was complete...

Happy Birthday die cut from the Champagne Foil mat before assembly... and the silver embossed TO YOU on the front is from Big on Birthdays...punched with the Classic Label Punch and trimmed to size...

Click here for the Christmas version of this card... or here for an Anniversary one (and the links to the Tutorials)

And I know I will be punching snowflake pansies again sometime soon!!

Colorful Seasons Small Square Shadow Box Frame card

Gosh it is years since I made one of my Box Frame cards but I was asked to "show and tell" in one of last month's classes... and even though the class was all prepped and ready to go ... I was very happy to oblige with a simple additional make...

Really simply decorated as can be... using Colorful Seasons and Big on Birthdays

And as it is Fancy Fold Friday... and because I used 1/2" instead of 1cm. for the scoring of the sections... here is a tutorial for you... Note that the steps/photos in this tutorial show I now glue these projects...

And click here for the centimetre version that ends up at a larger 13cm square with 1cm sections... or here for the inches version at 5 1/4" square with 3/8" sections ... with my older method of gluing showing!!

Shadow Box Frame Card Tutorial – 11 cm (approx 4 1/4" Square) with 1/2" Box Sides and Top

Craft Spa Recipe

Box Frame - Thick Whisper White cardstock 21cm (8 1/4") square 

Front Cover - Thick Whisper White cardstock 12.2 x 10.8 cm (4 13/16" x 4 1/4") 

Mats - Cardstock 8 cm Square; Paper 7.5cm Square

Craft Spa Directions

1. Score at 1/2", 1", 1 1/2" and 2" on all 4 sides

2. Make an “extra short score” at 2 1/2" & 5 3/4" from top to 2^nd score-line down. (note my photo is only from the bottom up to the 2nd scoreline as that way you can see the score line!!!)

 

3. Turn 180 degrees (so you are working on the opposing side) and repeat (2)

4. Cut up the extra short score lines and diagonally across to the 3^rd score line at each corner

5. Cut out the “16-part” squares at each corner

6. Bone fold all score-lines

7. Recommend sticking any paper/photo in first before assembling if you want as an edge to edge back!

Assemble straight sides first.  

8. Apply glue onto outer sections. (I use Tombow multi purpose glue and have only used Sticky Strip so you can see glue placement in the photos!) 

9. Line up outer edge to inner score-line at that side & press down flat to stick.

10. Now your box section should pop up … nice and square and straight!!

11. Repeat for other straight edge

Now onto the 2 notched ends ….

12. Apply Glue Dot (or Tear & Tape) onto back of 4 diagonal sections

13. Repeat process for the 2 straight sides BUT…. apply your Tombow to the base not the outer section you are about to roll up...less messy that way! 

14. Fold the outer edge down as before & glue into place with the diagonal sides up & over the square/box side sections to get the mitres/diagonals 

15. Repeat for the other notched side. 

And there you have it…one 1/2" section Shadow Box Frame from an A4 Wide (ie 21cm - 8 1/4") Square of card with perfect mitred corners!

Ends up as a 11cm (c. 4 1/4") Square  box frame card.

And to finish it off as a card with a front cover so that it opens and closes  – add the 12.2 x 10.8 cm (4 13/16" x 4 1/4")  Whisper White panel scored at 1/2" LANDSCAPE (ie with long side at top) - to the left hand side.

Mixed Drinks In the Bar... Cheers! Bench Fold Card #4

A simpler dressing of the Tool Bench card that I shared here

Click HERE to go and order the tutorial (s)... !

Back to today's card.... suitable for the man in your life that is "drinki-dextrous" and likes a pint (or two) of beer and is rather partial to Champagne (or Prosecco) too... or for a couple of friends that you just like a drink with!

This was a quick make with a re-made Tool Bench card for the Tutorial photos.... I am sure you will see an alternative (prettier and more dressed) version at some point....

Things to spot....

(1) Reversed pint of beer to the left...

I just grabbed a larger-than-the-glass photopolymer stamp... and placed it upside down in front of me (so looking at the flat back of the stamp)...

I inked up the glass stamp using Memento Black (Archival Black didn't work interestingly! and don't use Staz On...) and stamped on the reverse of the larger upside-down stamp and then quickly stamped the "flat back stamp" onto my white card...Eureka!

I did however then have to re-stamp my right hand beer glass in Basic Grey... as there was too much difference compared to the originally stamped Memento Black version....

(2) The previous workbench top has become a table.... just sticking my panels in a different order... front sides then top in this case...

(3) Bubbles coming out of the Champagne flutes... again care of the Playful Backgrounds stamp set that I didn't know what to do with originally... I have to thank the very talented Shannon Lane in Canada for this clever idea... pop over to see her gorgeous card using this concept and the Mixed Drinks set...

(4) Champagne is stamped with Gold Wink of Stella (sadly not available in Europe anymore!).... I brushed the Gold WOS onto the stamp and stamped....

(5) The Gold WOS was also used over the beer to make it all shimmer... and then the Clear Wink of Stella over the glass areas of the 4 glasses...

So Cheers! And remember that the step by step Tutorial(s) are now available here for these Bench Fold Cards... with the full lowdown on how to make the Kitchen Range (AGA), BBQ and Tool Bench designs...

Stampin Up! Products Used

Stamps - Mixed Drinks, Hardwood, Big on Birthdays, Playful Backgrounds

Papers - Urban Underground (not available)

Card - Crumb Cake, Thin Whisper White

Inks - Memento Black, Delightful Dijon 

Other - Gold Wink of Stella (not available), Clear Wink of Stella

The BBQ card... Part 2 of the series with Nailed It!

Now this is the card my ladies were supposed to be making for their menfolk in my classes this week!! But hey yesterday's AGA option just turned their heads on the day!

And WOW! I think I can safely say it did worldwide too... yesterday's post set a few records for me and one of my makes!! Thank you for each and everyone of your lovely comments... here on the blog or on the Facebook Groups.... I was amazed, humbled and somewhat blown away! And a tad busy trying to keep up & respond!!

Click HERE to go and order the tutorial (s)... 

I will be providing "Class in the Mail kits of the Trio including tutorial " - so please email me here asap but by the end of Tuesday 16th May latest if you are interested in one of these... as the Urban Underground papers are out of stock in the UK so I will only be able to provide from the packs I have ... nice to share! But a complication for me to work through/price up depending on how many people are interested... It may end up as a First Come, First Served... I also don't know if I can supply outside of UK!?

I will be making a tutorial available to purchase for the 3 cards in this series... hopefully by the end of next week...

Though for UK only... the Trio tutorial will be sent automatically to my downline team members and can be obtained for free for May class attendees... OR ... for everyone else...  free with an online order of £20+  ........ click here for my Online Shop. Make sure you can see my name (Amanda Bates) at the top right of the screen... and enter the current Host Code VQTSBUDV where prompted... 

Frustratingly Perfect Mix is not available... but today's main feature Nailed It! is... (though the dies aren't) But hey this card is more about cutting by hand in any case...

Back to today's card... I am glad to say that the barbecue was made by some of my ladies... so some of the menfolk will feel special... as I am sure they will be told more than once by their good wives of the forfeit they made at the class!

As yes this is exactly the same card as the Aga... just different in the details...

And be aware that it is modelled on a £2500 ($3300) Weber barbecue image that I found on the internet.... only the best for you!!

And my favourite details on this one... oh the BBQ grill and the smoke (both care of Playful Backgrounds which was a Stampin' Up! event giveaway that I just could not work out!! Until now... how amazing!!!)

The BBQ tools... mainly care of Nailed It!... with a bit of help from Perfect Mix (not available anymore) and the long retired hostess set, Love Me Sew

And the knobs... punched out 1/4" circles from the silver foiled paper in Urban Underground... plus the Urban Underground embellishments (also gone but again I have a few spare for the kits) for the on/off switch on the right (next to the fish slice!) 

And the wheels! Though I have another great option for the wheel spokes using the Festive Flower Builder Punch!! Which is retiring & reduced down to £12.80.... (and key for the Aga!) But more on that another day...

And yes the card folds flat for posting... though - with those wheels - it wouldn't fit through the thin slot at the Post Office!!

Again sorry for not providing full chapter and verse... but time is not mine today (or whole weekend actually!) ... but I couldn't wait to share... 

Stampin Up! Products Used

Stamps - Nailed It (retiring), Perfect Mix (not available!), Love Me Sew (retired); Big on Birthdays

Punches - 3/4" Circle, 1/2" Circle, 1/4" or Owl Punch (retired)

Papers - Serene Scenery (retiring), Urban Underground(not available)

Card - Thick Whisper White, Basic Grey, Silver Foil, Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake

Inks - Memento Black, Smoky Slate

Marker Pens - Basic Black

Embellishments - Urban Underground (not available)

Really love this make too!!

Irresistibly Floral Star Blast U Fold Card... for the Girls!

This is kind of a When Worlds Collide card... made up from parts that were left over from a few different cards we made in last fortnights' classes...

So it is this card fold... with the Star Blast die cut front piece...

Covered with Irresistibly Floral flowers used here... perfect sized stars...

And Irresistibly Floral papers as used here and here!!

And finished off with a greeting from Big on Birthdays... the greeting words being stamped in 2 parts side by side instead of on top of one another as originally designed...  Perfect fit!