3-in-1 Z Fold Cards - Sweet Soiree for CLAPA

As many of you will be aware... for the last 12 months... our Stampin Up  team have joined together to make Cards for Causes (aka card for charities) every month...

So these are the 25 cards I have made for CLAPA ... which is the only UK-wide voluntary organisation specifically helping those with, and affected by, cleft lip and palate. 

They have asked for Thank You cards so they can thank their volunteers after a large event they are holding in June... what a pleasure to be able to help...

So I was back to my favourite 3-in-1 Z Fold card format... for which the Tutorial was posted here... and almost half a Sweet Soiree paper pack... what a great way for you to see all the different papers in the pack!! Papers retire 31st May (or sooner as only available while supplies last)

Though actually... this colourway was my favourite of them all... bet that has surprised quite a few of you! Did me!!

Thank you greeting from the One Big Meaning stamp set... Stitched Square die cut care of the Stitched Shapes dies...

Flower Shop Small Square Double Z Joy Fold Card with Tutorial

Here is my favourite of the Double Z Fold cards... so you may see a few of these over time... and seeing as it is Fancy Fold Friday... another tutorial for you!

I used the Fresh Florals papers in Tranquil Tide, Flower Shop stamps with co-ordinating Pansy Punch, Stitched Framelits dies and One Big Meaning greeting stamps... just click on the highlighted links if you want to look at those products on-line...

And as I made quite a few of these ... as I had a batch of Thank You cards to make... you can see the effects of different combinations of card panels and papers!!

Larger white panel with smaller Pool Party...

Larger & smaller Pool Party ...

Larger Pool Party & smaller Tranquil Tide... 

And now for the Tutorial... with some added step by step photos of the gluing steps for those of you that want them... 

Note: black type for centimetres using A4 cardstock & blue type for inches using US 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock...

Craft Spa Recipe (A4)

A4 Pool Party/Thick Whisper White 21 x 10.5cm

A4 Pool Party/Tranquil Tide 17.5 x 7cm

A4 Whisper White Front Stitched Framelit Square/6.5cm Square; Small Centre 4.7 x 6.5cm

Paper Left Front 4.7 x 10cm

Paper Right Back 10 cm Square

Paper Small Back 4.7 x 6.5cm

Craft Spa Recipe (US)

US Letter Card Pool Party/Thick Whisper White 8 1/2" x 4 1/4"

US Pool Party/Tranquil Tide 7" x 2 3/4"

US Whisper White Card Front Stitched Framelit/2 1/2" Square; Small Centre 1 7/8" x 2 1/2"

Paper Left Front 1 7/8" x 4"

Paper Right Back 4" Square

Paper Small Back  1 7/8" x 2 1/2"

Craft Spa Directions (A4)
1. Score large Pool Party/Thick Whisper White LANDSCAPE panel at 5.25 & 10.5cm (US 2 1/8" & 4 1/4")
2. Z Bone Fold. Valley for halfway/centre... Peak for quarter-way

3. Score small Pool Party/Tranquil Tide LANDSCAPE panel at 5.25 & 10.5 cm (US 2 1/8" & 4 1/4")
4. Z Bone Fold. Peak halfway-ish (front) fold... Valley for Quarter-ish (back) fold

5. Adhere papers

Now to sticking the two Z Fold parts. Think about what needs to go where!!! Otherwise you will just stick your whole card together and it won't open after all!! Suggest a dry run with no glue the first time... then it should all become obvious... though I have added some photos of how I do it!

6. Adhere back section of smaller Z Fold onto back face of main card. Close the small Z Fold with the square/front face at the top and the Z folds behind... Apply glue to back/narrower face.. 

7. Eyeball the small Z Fold square/front face centrally onto the back panel... and stick...

8. Open out the smaller Z Fold off to the right & close the front folds of the main card

9. Adhere front part of smaller Z Fold onto main card front (think about where NOT to put your glue... I use my fingers to guide me where I have put the pen in the photo...

10. Decorate as desired... and yes this is a full opening version (and there is no partial-opening version!)

Let's look inside a card!

This is the final version of the Pop Out Z Fold cards I made for classes and my customer order-thank you cards this month - for which the tutorial is here

Have to admit that this is my favourite pinks version - the Sahara Sand card blank calms those pinks down well for me!!!

And thought I would share a little addition/tweak added on the spot! 

One of my class ladies was perturbed with writing her personal greeting on coloured cardstock... so I quickly added a 6.7 x 10cm (2 5/8" x 4" for my US readers) piece of Whisper White card on the back panel to "finish" off the card for her... easy!

Right - Blooms done and dusted!!! And a huge creative week ahead of me (which is code for no classes being run so I can create to my hearts content!! YAY!)

So Detailed Thank You

Quick and simple... but so beautiful! 

This die cut is so delicate and stunning... can't wait to work with these dies more as I create my February class projects!

Spot the fabulous Sale A Bration ribbon too... yours for free with a £45 order! Ribbon duo - one spool in silver, other in gold

Greeting care of the One Big Meaning stamp set...

Vertical Greetings Topiary #3

Same design... Same way of inking... but with a different stamp from the collection... 

And big shame I forgot the gemstone on the bow before I took the photos!!

More Vertical Greetings Topiary....

Well you didn't expect me to only make the one did you!!?

This was actually my favourite... but then I realised how much time I would need to spend getting those three words on each topiary ball... so hence yesterday's bulk make...

I was also asked how I did the envelope... I just inked up the bottom ball and pot in the same way... 

3 ways to do that... but do make sure that your stamp is nice and clean before you start... you don't want any image ghosting from a dirty stamp...

(1) Eyeball it like I did! I found there was enough of a gap between the parts of the image to do so with my inkpads with success...

(2) Cover up the 2 top balls and stalks with a post it note, ink up as required, remove the post it note   - and then stamp...

(3) Ink up the required part of the stamps with marker pens rather than ink pads

And a quick update on the Staircase Card Tutorial that SO SO many of you have asked for... I really was surprised & humbled by it's popularity!

I hope it will be my Fancy Fold Friday post this week... I am REALLY sorry to have kept you waiting - but I am running 4 different classes over the next 4 days... so I have been very busy creating!!! And this week my feet won't touch the ground...

Vertical Greetings Thanks Topiary

Well after my busiest Stampin' Up! month ever during September... I am very thankful and blessed to have a lot of Thank You cards and gifts to pop in the post...

Want your own card and gift from The Craft Spa... see bottom of this blog post and/or go here for my Rewards Club details...

I picked up some Whisper White notecards and my new Vertical Greetings stamp set  - which had arrived with my Autumn Winter catalogue pre-orders in August  - and had thus being feeling neglected!

And came up with this small little cutie! Love these... and I hope that my ladies will too... And I also know a couple of people that will be very happy with a batch of these for their Chrismas pressy!

So the how to.... 

(1) Grab the Topiary Trio rubber stamp

(2) Ink up foliage area with Mint Macaron ink pad then randomly "thump" with Garden Green marker pen... 

(3) Ink up pot area with Soft Suede ink pad then  over-ink stalks with Soft Suede marker pen. 

(4) And now you can stamp...

(5) Ink up "Thanks" from the One Big Meaning small "A Little Thanks" stamp... with Garden Green marker pen 

(6) Stamp over top of pot

(7) Die cut a Clear Glimmer bow ( I had the Hang Your Stockings dies out!)

(8) Adhere bow and a jewel too

Affectionately Yours Small Square Double Z Fold Panel Card

Another one of these cards using different colourways of the Affectionately Yours papers... 

But with an even simpler Mint Macaron Pansy Punch flower finish!  Just decorated with a copper embossed Love & Affection flower centre and a larger Layering Circles die cut scallop/circle panel.

Greeting care of the One Big Meaning stamp set

Apologies again for the short post ... but Jon's hospital visit took up rather a lot of today! He is back in a pot and on crutches... and will now be at home for at least the next month... so my August is about to be re-planned!

And don't forget to come back tomorrow for the Monthly Jems Blog Hop... you will be in for a treat (or two!!)

Floral Affection Embossed CAS Duo

Sometimes really simple just does it for me! And these 2 small square cards are a case in point...

The depth using these Floral Affection embossing folders is just wow... I don't think anything else (apart from a Night of Navy mat and few gems) is needed...

Greetings from Floral Affection (sending a smile...) or One Big Meaning (Thank You...)

Botanical Builder Blooms meet Butterfly Basics

Just showcasing my favourite ribbon!! Sheer Linen Mint Macaron... Sheer Bliss!

Along with sponged white Botanical Blooms in Sweet Sugar Plum & Rich Razzleberry... Rich Razzleberry butterfly, Mint Macaron foliage and card blank, Sahara Sand honeycomb and Tip Top Taupe postmark, greeting & mat...

Die cut Botanical Builder flowers, greeting from One Big Meaning , rest from Butterfly Basics...

And some of you may be thinking that this card looks familiar... but not sure why.... well it is a remake of the following fabulous card we made at Julie's monthly training more than a year ago... 

Another stepped up CAS Watercolour Wings

 So this is the other card I kept back from my training makes for a slight tweak....

Slightly more subtle this time....

Just inked direct with an ink pad around the mat and banner edges...and used the debossed butterflies side rather than the embossed side.

 Debossed Embossed 

And here they are side by side.... 

And here are my set of 4 cards... although I am now laughing at myself  - the 2nd set of butterflies were meant to be in blues... Pool Party, Bermuda Bay and Island Indigo - so how come I ended up with Mint Macaron & Lost Lagoon butterflies!! 

Oops - they were meant for another 2 cards we made....  oh well off to stamp more butterflies then!!!