Fun Fold Friday - Welcoming Window Bridge Fold Card

So as I was typing up the tutorials for the Welcoming Window class... I realised that I could make a few things easier to do on the Bridge Fold card... and so needed to take some step by step photos again...

So I made another card up... and added a bit of variety to my lovely flowers.... much more Spring like... just care of a few Marker Pens direct onto those lovely buds... Gorgeous!

The Tutorial PDF is now available... ending up as a whopping 19 pages worth... as lots of step by step photos... covering these 10 different cards and the different decorative elements...

Just click here to order via a Paypal button (though note that you don't actually need a Paypal account to use this). 

Available as  a PDF Tutorial only purchase - or for free with a Class at Home Kit in the UK if you order the Welcoming Window bundle through me... Close date 23rd March. 

I would recommend ordering the Welcoming Window Bundle on line with direct shipment to you to make sure you have the bundle asap... And remember to add the current Host Code P6SNXX3F so that I can then send off the Class At Home Kit to you in approx 5 days.  

And here the old and new together... click here to go to the details for the original Bridge Fold card...

Fancy Fold Friday - Bridge Fold Card - Welcoming Windows #7

Ideas abound for Fun & Fancy Fold cards with the Welcoming Windows bundle... 

So I have produced a series of fancy fold cards to share over the next week or so... starting off today with a Bridge Fold card...

And now I can go and use something else for a little while!

And the very observant of you may notice that the image for my Class Kit has changed as 3 of the fancy fold cards are now included in the 8 cards in the kit... 

Don't forget that you can make these "with me" too... whether its a class in the mail (UK only) or the Tutorials in pdf format... click here for more information...

Though I should point out (for you fancy fold card haters!) that you can make another 3 or 4 more of the simple card designs (instead of the 3 fancy fold designs) with the kit if you prefer to do so instead... I like to give you all a bit of flexibility...

Welcoming Window #6

Another in the second Welcoming Window series... the stamped ones...

A second simple stamped small square aperture card... even more of a tongue twister!

With a different flower arrangement... in a jug standing on a shelf on...

Don't forget that you can make these "with me" too... whether its a class in the mail (UK only) or the Tutorials in pdf format... click here for more information...

Wednesday Welcoming Window #5

 Start of another Welcoming Window series... The stamped ones!

A simple stamped small square aperture card... try saying that in a hurry! Three times...

Don't forget that you can make these "with me" too... whether its a class in the mail (UK only) or the Tutorials in pdf format... click here for more information...

Tuesday Tips - Blending Brushes & Welcoming Windows #4

Fourth and last in this Welcoming Windows mini series... 

Though there are a few mini more Welcoming Windows series to share... but what do you think so far?

Anyways today... we have curtains at the window instead... again care of the Sale A Bration free Paper Blooms papers

And the embossed brick walls are roughly brushed with Sahara Sand... using the new and amazing Blending Brushes... which are amazing... and keep going in and out of low stock as they are proving popular... so don't delay in buying these...

And a few tips for you when using the Blending Brushes... which have the finest of white bristles to blend with

(1) apply quite a lot of ink as then the blending is much easier and smoother

(2) dont "pounce" the brush direct onto the panel.... move it from the edge onto the panel instead... and using a craft mat under your panel (aka cheap oven liner in my craft room!) really helps smooth the ink onto your panel

(3) Contrary to some rumours!!!!... you don't need a brush for every colour... lol...  but you will soon make use of the 3 in the pack... I will keep one each for blues, greens and neutrals (eg Sahara Sand)... as I use all those a lot... Then I'll just get another set of 3... as they can be cleaned by rubbing/swooshing on a dry microfibre cloth... but they  are washable too!

Don't forget that you can make these "with me" too... whether its a class in the mail (UK only) or the Tutorials in pdf format... click here for more information...

Retail Therapy anyone? Best Dressed Bench Fold Shop Window Card

Love these new girlie Best Dressed papers, Dressed to Impress stamp set and the whole Best Dressed Suite... not like anything that I have had before!

And love the new Bench Fold Card design that they inspired... call this one the Shop Window!

Been wanting to make a window for a while! And these images just gave me the perfect excuse... I can see a few variants of these over the months and years ahead!

And yes it does fold up flat to go in an envelope... though I think I will have to pop this one in an extra large square one to fit the canopy in...

Want the know how? Click HERE to order the tutorial...

Only been three years since the first series!

And I wonder where that list I wrote 3 years ago is... of nearly 100 different projects for my Bench Fold design! And I have to admit that I have thought of more to add recently!

Bike Ride Shadow Box Frames for 3D Thursday

Had to share these Bike Ride Shadow Box Frames as they are just stunning... but Kate does not have a blog set up to share with you... so I am honoured she is letting me do so ....

These are a set and match to this birthday card I was sent by the lovely Kate...  the first one is in a large 12" or so Box Frame... whereas the second one for Amelia is in a smaller 9" one.

Which I am sharing again so you can see the close up picture that I took later of the lovely glittery Pattern Party Mask wall Kate created using Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the Embossing Paste... as well as a little Sahara Sand re-inker... 

Thanks for letting me share these Kate...

And I love the use of the Playful Pennants banner... quick but magic finishing touch...

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...