Merry Monday Brightly Gleaming Pop Out Strip Card ... with Tutorial...

Love it when a few simple ideas come together and produce something a bit different but so simple to make... and so a quick tutorial for you too...

So over the past 5 years I have seen many a card fold with a strip popping out on the inside and 4 panels on each part of the strip...  even pinned a few along the way...

But this year is the year I remembered the concept... and just had to make one of my own...

So here you go...

And the pop out strip is so easy.... so I can't attribute to any tutorial out there as I didn't go and look! As I (usually) find it quicker that way... but for those of you that like the step by step details...

(1) Cut a narrow strip of card the same width as your card blank (mine is about 3/4" or 2 cm high)...

(2) Fold in half ...
(3) Fold each half in half again...
AKA for my A4L A6 card blank... Score LANDSCAPE at 7.4, 14.8 and 22.2cm

(4) Bone Fold as Valley, Mountain, Valley... so you get an M or W shape (depending on which way round you are holding it! But it ends up as a W in the card!)
(5) Stick right hand section to right hand side of card blank (right to the RH edge)
(6) Fold the strip up... apply glue to top section
(7) Fold left hand side of card blank down onto the glued section

And a final tip from me... I meant to stick my strip higher (about half way up my starry sky panel)... but I changed my mind at the last minute... and wish I hadn't... as you can't really see my lovely glittery snow banks! Which is a real shame!

But for those of you that like to see a bit more... just Google or You Tube one of the many names attributed to this card!!!

Such as "Pop Out Strip Card" (which I believe to be the original name back in 2014)...  and for which the earliest sample I saw was by Pia Gerhardt in Germany and that can be found here)

But also "Inside Banner Pop Out Card", "Inside Pop Out Card", Floating Pop Up Card", "W Fold Card", "M Fold Card", "Inside 4 Panel Card" or "4 Panel Pop Out card"

Stampin Up products used
Papers - Brightly Gleaming
Stamps - From Our House to Yours, Greatest Part of Christmas (H), Itty Bitty Christmas*, Lined Alphabet
Dies - Layering Alphabet
Embellishments - Copper Star Elements, Shimmery Crystal Effects & Ice Glitter
Card - Night of Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink Pads - Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Night of Navy, Real Red
Marker Pen - Night of Navy

(H) This is an exclusive Host stamp set... that can be earnt for free with orders from £150...

* I used the "From Our... to Yours"... stamp from the Itty Bitty Christmas set rather than the From Our House to Yours set as I had already used that one on another card... in another colourway... which was therefore at another class stamping station!! But I do also prefer the 2 lines of text instead of the one...

Wishing You an Amazing Christmas...

So whilst I was creating yesterday's card... this idea popped into my head too...

Proving that Everything Amazing is what it says on the tin!! For all year round occasions...

Hope you find this useful in creating a strong festive message this year!

And yes the large greeting stamp is inked up in Versamark then Mossy Meadow... and then embossed with Clear embossing powder...

And be sure to see yesterdays post on how to create poinsettias with your Magnolia Lane papers

Santa's Workshop Class & Card Kit

Here are a few of my card designs from the EASIEST CHRISTMAS CARDS YOU EVER DID MAKE Class and/or Kit-At-Home...

Here is the Signs of Santa cards kit...

20 cards & envelopes... a pack of Memories & More cards including glittered cards and stickers... and a ball of thick Garden Green & White Bakers Twine

Kit available in the mail... or book yourself and some friends in for a class here in Great Ouseburn North Yorkshire (between York & Harrogate)

All for just £24 for a total of 20 finished cards with envelopes... or £32 for a 40 card and envelopes kit... P&P included...

Only available whilst supplies last... contact me by clicking here to reserve yours...

You will also need Tombow glue £3.75 and 3D foam Stampin Dimensionals £3.75 ... or equivalents....

Add £20 if you want the co-ordinating Signs of Santa stamp set, £30 for the Santa's Signpost dies (or £45 for the Stamps & Dies bundle) and £13 for the Santa's Workshop Speciality papers

And ... as an extra special Offer... free Enamel Shapes worth £6.50 if you order over £45s worth of Kit in total...

And finally note that you will be able to produce more cards from the kit as there will be lots of the Memories and More cards left over for you to design to your hearts content!

At Home With You Centre Step Easel Card Tutorial for Fancy Fold Friday

Back to a previously published card and post... for which I didn't post the Tutorial at the time... or even a few days later as planned... when I posted a New Home version... 

And I have already had a few of you ask me this year for a Tutorial... so here it is... the Centre Step Easel Card Tutorial... specifically sized for the At Home door & windows...

Stampin Up Products Used

At Home With You Stamps

At Home dies

Seasonal Layers dies (planter from chair die cut on xmas version)

RETIRED Brick Wall embossing folder (floor tiles on front/base section: Sahara Panel 13.5 x 6.5cm - 5 1/4" x 2 1/2") 

Front Smoky Slate Panel 13.5 x 2cm (5 1/4" x 3/4") 

Go here for an earlier Centre Step Easel Card variant if you need photos to accompany the step by steps... 

Centre Step Easel Card Tutorial (Metric from A4)

1.             Cut PORTRAIT A4 cardstock to 14cm wide

2.             Cut LANDSCAPE A4L panel to 28cm long

3.             PORTRAIT at 4.5cm on Top Bar 

4.             Cut 2.5 to 13cm

5.             PORTRAIT at 9.5cm on Top Bar 

6.             Cut 2.5 to 13cm

7.             LANDSCAPE. With cuts to Left Hand Side…

8.             2.5 cm on Top Bar (LHS) Score  outside(ie top & bottom) sections (ie 0-4.5cm; LIFT; 9.5 to 14cm)

9.             5cm on Top Bar (LHS)  Score  outside sections

10.         13cm on Top Bar (LHS)  Score  outside sections 

11.         LANDSCAPE. With cuts to Left Hand Side…

12.         10.5cm on Top Bar (LHS) Score across middle/central section. (ie 4.5 to 9.5cm)

13.         21cm on Top Bar (LHS) Score across whole card drop (ie 0 to 14cm)

14.         Fold lightly…
Outer Sections – 2.5cm Mountain, 5cm Valley, 13cm Mountain
Middle Section at 10.5cm – Mountain
Whole Section at 21cm – Mountain

Centre Step Easel Card Tutorial (Imperial from US Letter Card)

1.             Cut PORTRAIT 8 ½” x 11” US Letter cardstock to 5 ½” wide

2.             PORTRAIT at 1 3/4” on Top Bar 

3.             Cut 1” to 5 1/8”

4.             PORTRAIT at 3 ¾” on Top Bar 

5.             Cut 1” to 5 1/8”

6.             LANDSCAPE. With cuts to Left Hand Side…

7.             1” on Top Bar (LHS) Score outside(ie top & bottom) sections (ie 0-1 ¾”; LIFT; 3 ¾"-5 1/2”)

8.             2” on Top Bar (LHS) Score  outside sections

9.             5 1/8” on Top Bar (LHS) Score  outside sections

10.         LANDSCAPE. With cuts to Left Hand Side…

11.         4 1/8” on Top Bar (LHS) Score across middle/central section. (ie 1 ¾”- 3 ¾”)

12.         8 ¼” on Top Bar (LHS) Score across whole card drop ( ie 0 to 5 1/2”)

And for those of you loving the Centre Step Easel Card and still having your Hearth & Home (window) dies... here is the version that is a perfect fit with those wonderful (but retired) window dies...

Ah that's better....

 So I admitted that I would make a change when I shared this card earlier...

So here you have the card with just the one bow to finish off... simply much better!

More details here...

Hang Your Christmas Stockings Trio

A clean and simple little trio made whilst I had the Hang Your Stockings and Christmas Stocking dies out the other week...  in soft blues and greys by special request... forgotten how good this set is... glad I thought to get it out again...

A Monthly Round Up of Christmas Projects...

Just out of interest I had a look and thought I would post a quick round up of the most visited christmas projects over the past month as the first one in particular was a bit of a surprise after all this time!! But he still makes me happy...

As does today... as today is the day my boy gets back from University after his first 3 months away... really can't wait!

Just click on the photo to go to the original blog post for more details...

At pole position... it's Wonderful Wreath Santa from 3 years ago!

At no.2... 12 Drinks of Christmas...

At no. 3... Hearts Come Home Bridge U Fold Card... with the Tutorial post here coming in the Top 10 too... 

At no. 4... the Honeycomb Bauble Ornament...

At no 5... The Narnia card... 

At no 6... The Hello Friend Christmas Tags...

At no 7... Hearts Come Home Tea Light Show.. and oh I have just realised I haven't given the game away! Coming soon...

At no 8... A Simple Snowflake card...

At no 9... Baby Wipe Swipe Hearts Come Home card

And at no 10... the Christmas Staircase card with Tutorial from last year...

Handwritten Alphabet Christmas Around the World

Wondering what to do with all your wreaths and bows in the Christmas Around the World paper pack...

Why not try this... bows die cut care of the Christmas Lamppost dies... bit of  fussy cutting of the wreaths to get the solid centre for stamping on with the Hand Lettered Alphabet though...

Finished off with a split greeting from Santa's Sleigh... using marker pens on the words you require... ... or as Amanda has done ...by simply chopping her stamp up into 3 parts!

Though I have to admit...  looking at the photo...  wish I had only put one of the bows on! Funny how things can look very different in a snapshot!

Christmas Cheer Challenge cards for Ronald McDonald House Charities

Edited to add: Free shipping starting 11pm tonight, Sunday 10 December... for 24 hours only... 

Last weekend Stampin' Up! demonstrators around the UK held Christmas Cheer events in a combined challenge to produce over 10, 507 christmas cards over the weekend... to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities who provide free 'home away from home' accommodation to families while their child is in hospital... 

These cards are so that the families have access to beautifully crafted cards in the Houses around the UK which they can send to their loved ones back home... creating a bit of normality in what is a very stressful and alien situation for many...

And together we achieved... an amazing 17,778 christmas cards... WOW! Big well done everyone who took part...

Stampin’ Up! UK held a Christmas Cheer kick-off event at Ronald McDonald House, Manchester on Friday 1 December. Stampin’ Up! with six demonstrator volunteers working hard to make lots of cards. 

And then it was over to the rest of us... Some went solo, some with family & friends and some ran large events for all comers... 

I was running a couple of events... but sadly snow stopped play for one... and no-one had booked into the other! 

So I ended up going solo... and for those of you that know me... you know that I don't take well to mass producing cards... but the cause was greater than my personal foibles... so I carried on... 

Though I do have to admit that I stopped and designed this card mid flow... as my original card choices were based upon most of my ladies already having the Lovely as a Tree stamp set so that production could be to the maximum with a group in the room... but I needed something even cleaner and simpler.. 

So the card is using the Hello Friend wreath in Always Artichoke... plus the berry trio & greeting from Hang Your Stockings  in Real Red... finished off with a Real Red stamped and Holly Berry Builder punched bow from Holly Berry Happiness ... as one of my other crafting foibles is not being good at tying bows!!

And I have to also admit... that I love this card design so much that any cards I have left to make to send this year will be to this design too... 

Oh and for your information... these were my originally intended designs... as these have been so so popular amongst my ladies this year... that I couldn't resist...

Background Stampin' Up! has a long history of supporting philanthropic causes. 'Helping others' and 'making a difference' is part of our mission statement. Over the past two decades, almost three decades in fact, they have seen demonstrators all over the world embrace these words and make a difference in the lives of others.

We are also excited to have celebrated our 10th anniversary in the UK during November, and to mark this special occasion; Stampin' Up! UK set a challenge to make a whopping 20,000 cards across two card-making weekends in 2017, to donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  
Earlier this year we held the first of our card-making weekends ‘Birthday Wishes’ from 23 – 25 June. Demonstrators across the country rallied together to hold their own events and produce an astounding 9,493 cards! 

Cards made will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities who provide free 'home away from home' accommodation to families while their child is in hospital. There are 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK, all located close to specialist children's hospitals. The Houses are open 365 days a year and are equipped with everything you would find in a family home. Families can get a good night's sleep, prepare their own meals and feel at home, knowing that they're only moments away from their child.  See here for more details... http://www.rmhc.org.uk/what-we-do/

Nicola Savage, Fundraising Manager at Ronald McDonald House charities, has written a few words about the importance of the 20,000 Cards Challenge and how it helps the charity:

“The support Stampin’ Up! are providing through these amazing card-making weekends, means that our families have access to beautifully crafted cards which they can send to their loved ones back home – creating a bit of normality in what is a very stressful and alien situation for many. We are so grateful to Stampin’ Up! and their demonstrators for their support.” 

Hang your Very Glittery Gold Stocking...

Just as quick to create as yesterdays silver stocking card... but again very striking and effective in the flesh... 

Garden Green stamped pine boughs and greeting from Christmas Pines... 

Gold Glimmer Christmas Stocking die cut stocking popped up using Stampin Dimensionals... 

Finished off with a holly sprig from the Hang Your Stockings stamps (that co-ordinate with the Stockings dies)