MAKE MERRY

It's been awhile since I participated in one of the CAS(e) This Sketch challenges. But when I saw their Challenge #86 this week, I just had to give it a try.

My first impulse was to REALLY CASE the sketch. It is so cute, and I really wanted to use a bumblebee and the honeycomb embossing folder, etc. Since that was just a bit obvious (although I LOVE the idea!), I decided I could quickly squeeze in another Christmas In July card if I hurried. And I would use this darling sketch for my inspiration.

At my August Stamp-In Workshop, I had wanted to have a card for the girls to make utilizing the same technique as I'd introduced in my previous post (Marble-ous Ornaments). So, I decided to change my original design up a bit to make it more workshop-friendly.

Don't you just love the Decorative Dots embossing folder that I used in the background? Doesn't it look like either snowballs or really big snow(flakes) falling?

Here's the sketch that was my inspiration:

http://casethissketch.blogspot.com/2014/07/case-this-sketch-86.html

Merry

Smiles.

MARBLE-OUS ORNAMENTS

Here it is, almost the end of July, and I have yet to share with you a CHRISTMAS IN JULY card! What with the Paper Pumpkin boot camp, these past six weeks seem to have just flown.

So, here you go: my MARBLE-OUS ORNAMENTS:

I had checked on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website for the list of Christmas stamp sets that will still be available; in other words, current. My beloved Ornament Keepsakes was still on the list, so I pulled it out and went to work. You see, I had discovered a cool technique that I thought would work perfectly on solid stamps like the ornaments in this set.

As is obvious from looking at the close-ups of the two ornaments on the card, no two pieces using this technique will ever look the same. In that sense, they are similar to a monoprint. In another sense, they are always a surprise, albeit not always a good one. Since the technique is easy enough to do though, you can redo it until you are happy with the results.

Since I want to offer a card similar to this one, using this technique, at my next Stamp-In, I would really rather not reveal anything about the technique until after the workshop. Feel free, however, to speculate on how you think it might have been done. Who knows? From your ideas, new little Paper Seedlings may be planted in our creative brains. Share any ideas you have in the comments section.

The embossing folder I used for my background was intentional in that I thought it strongly resembled regimented branches of an evergreen tree on which to hang the ornaments. Unfortunately, this darling embossing folder is now retired, but still available, here on the CLEARANCE RACK.

I wish July wasn't almost ended. I am just getting into the Christmas card mood. Oh well. You will probably just have to put up with a few Christmas in August cards. 

Ornamental

Smiles.

SHOWER OF GIFTS

I am always so excited when someone asks me to create a card for a special occasion. The other day I was commissioned to make cards for a bridal shower and a wedding. Without hesitating, I agreed. I've made many wedding cards, but, to tell the truth, I don't think I've ever made a bridal shower card.

Wow! Talk about planting LOTS of little Paper Seedlings! I had ideas flurrying around in my brain like crazy!

Of course, my first thought was to use a cute Stampin' Up! umbrella stamp from a set I'd had forever. It was large enough that it would have served perfectly as the focal point of the card. Unfortunately, after digging through my huge stash of stamps, I failed to find it. As you know, I had done major purging a few months ago, and I would be willing to bet it was among the 80+ Stampin' Up! sets I sold. Great great great.

I just had umbrellas in my head, so I searched for something else that would suffice. I even would have ordered a set if I'd found the perfect one in the new catalog. But nothing in there either. Umbrellas. Umbrellas.

Hey! How about MDS (My Digital Studio)??? Surely there would be an umbrella image in all my downloads stash. Search. Search. Nope. What now???

OK. I could make an umbrella shape -- from DSP maybe? I spent lots of time digging through my DSP for something that would make a cute umbrella. I finally found one from a retired pack. It would make a CUTE umbrella! I browsed through all my Framelit sets, hoping to discover something that would give the impression of an umbrella.

Aha! Eureka! The two larger Framelits from the Floral Frames Collection look like modified umbrellas. Don't they?? So I cut a half flower with the second largest Framelit from my chosen DSP. An umbrella? Nope. A half-flower. So, I scored along the "ribs" of the would-be umbrella, and creased along these ribs. Now, we're getting somewhere.

Hmmm. Adhere the "umbrella" to the top of the card and . . . have RAIN falling from it?? Uh. No. How about GIFTS??!?

Back to MDS -- because I knew there were several cute little giftie packages in there, and I could make them in various sizes. Perfect!

I got all my little gifts in place, resized and tilted the way I liked them. Ugh. It still looked empty. Something was missing. So I added MDS confetti! Perfect! Then I went to work "coloring" all the gifts and confetti in Melon Mambo, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight, to match the flowers in my "umbrella".

After printing this out, I went to work putting the card together. I used more Framelits, including the new Project Life Cards & Labels (page 230), and the Ovals Collection. To mimic the confetti, I embossed the white background with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (page 226). I rounded the corners of the card with the new Project Life Corner punch (page 222).

At this point, I was ready to add the umbrella.

Gulp. Is THIS the look I was actually going for? Busy busy busy. 

The other side of the DSP umbrella was a bit less busy. How about reversing the creasing and trying that?

Um. NO. Definitely NO. 

PLEASE NOTE: We must keep in mind that, at this point, the sentiment was not on the card. I just temporarily added these "umbrellas" after the card was finished for illustration purposes, to demonstrate how even the most carefully planted Paper Seedlings can go very awry. You know, they always say, "Less is more." 

You will be relieved to know that I rolled up that ol' umbrella, stashed it away, and this is what I decided to go with:

I must admit that without the sentiment, the card still looked bare and unfinished. I was glad that I decided to finish it off like this:

Whew! What a journey! I hope you enjoyed taking it with me. Thanks for tagging along!

Umbrella

Smiles.

ZIGZAG BIRTHDAY

The final challenge of the Paper Pumpkin Boot Camp that I am participating in is to have four new people sign up for Paper Pumpkin. If you would like to help me to meet that challenge, you can subscribe HERE for any length of time to receive Paper Pumpkin. Please name me as your demonstrator so I can use your sign-up in achieving my goal. You need to sign up and activate your code no later than Sunday, July 27, in order for it to count for this Boot Camp. Thanks!! I appreciate it more than I can say!

The card below was 98.23% created with components of the May Paper Pumpkin kit. 

As a reminder, this is what the cards in the kit should have looked like as per the instructions included.

As you can see, I've changed it up somewhat. I had already made a Father's Day card and a birthday card from the kit. I still had some of the components left, so I opted to go for another birthday card.

In this card, I was extra-ecologically sensitive in that I even used the SCRAPS that were left over after I removed the stickers! These green strips are not all that special, but . . . 

how do you like my ZIGZAGS?? One edge of each zigzag was the diecut bottom edges of the blue pieces. I then used scissors to cut the other side of the zigzags away from the white paper, and added two of them to my project. 

Another major change was the addition of the stamped stars. This row of five cute little stars is one of the stamps from the June Paper Pumpkin kit.

I guess my real purpose in writing this post is to encourage you to look at EVERYTHING you have available as potential card crafting supplies. EVEN THE SCRAPS that you would normally feed to the garbage can. 

Seriously, imagine this card without the green strips and the blue zigzags. Pretty plain, eh?

Zig
Zag
Smiles.

LET'S ALL SAY "CELEBRATE"!