White Picket Fence

Today I made a card for the SCS Color Challenge (CC373 - wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, bashful blue).  I had a lot of fun with these colors!  I created an outdoor scene with a tree swing, picket fence, grass and flowers, using a step card so that I could have lots of depth between layers.  My jumping off point was the picket fence die that I just got from Poppy Stamps - love their dies!!  This card was not hard to make, but it was a little time consuming making all the flowers.

I have been following Pam Sparks' blog "Expressions with Heart" for a little while now and just love her style and how she creates fun scenes.  I'm learning a lot from her and she inspired me to make today's card - thanks Pam!!  Hope you like.

"White Picket Fence"

Stamps:  Tree Swing (Stampendous); Happy Moments - sentiment (SU!)

Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake (SU!)

Ink:  StazOn Black, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede, Basic Black (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Picket Fence and Wildflower Patch dies (Poppy Stamps), Grass die (Cheery Lynn), Hydrangea punch (Martha Stewart), medium oval punch, blender pen, sponges, mat pack, stylus, paper piercing tool, Forest Branches embossing folder (Cuttlebug), mini half-pearls, Tombow glue, and adhesives

I made a step card base with Wild Wasabi cardstock (4 1/4" square with the folds at the front being 1" deep) - start with a piece of 4 1/4" x 10 1/2" cardstock.

I stamped the tree and swing in StazOn black onto Whisper White cardstock.  I made a randomly scalloped border (hand-cut) and used it to sponge clouds in the sky with Bashful Blue ink.

I used my blender pen to color in the tree trunk with Soft Suede ink and the leaves and grassy hill with Wild Wasabi ink.  I cut the main panel to a 4 1/4" square and then glued a strip of Wild Wasabi grass along the bottom.  I mounted the main panel onto the card base.

I cut a strip of Whisper White cardstock 4 1/4" x 2" and sponged it with Wild Wasabi ink and then scored a line down the center and creased it.  I placed that over top of the step at the front of the card and glued it down with Tombow glue.

I cut out the picket fence with Whisper White cardstock using my Big Shot.  I glued two strips of Wild Wasabi grass (cut out with the big shot) to the front of the picket fence, attaching them at the bottom only.

I cut out a set of Wildflowers dies with Wild Wasabi cardstock and then trimmed down the "heads" of the flowers, leaving just a small circle to attached my Pumpkin Pie flower heads to.  I punched out the Pumpkin Pie flower heads using the hydrangea punch and shaping them using my mat pack and stylus.  I placed a mini half-pearl in the center of each flower.  I made eight flowers and then attached them to the picket fence, gluing them just at the bottom.

I cut out another set of Wildflowers dies using Bashful Blue cardstock.  This time I cut off the stems, just keeping the small flower heads.  I shaped each flower with my mat pack and stylus and then glued the small blue flowers all along the bottom of the fence.

I had a piece of Crumb Cake embossed with the Forest Branches lying in my scrap pile, so used it for the sentiment.  I stamped "happy birthday" in Basic Black ink, punched out a medium oval and then sponged Soft Suede ink on top to highlight the embossing.  I added a dot of Early Espresso at each end of the oval to represent "nail heads" and then secured the sign to the picket fence.

Lastly, I glued the picket fence on top of my card base at the very front.

For the inside, I used a Whisper White card panel, sponging Wild Wasabi at the bottom.  I mounted a picket fence die-cut on top and added a grass die-cut on top of the fence, at the very bottom.

Here's a couple of more pictures taken from a different angle so (hopefully) you can see the layers.



Little Black Dress-er

Today I'm showing you a Step Card that I made for the first time last summer.  I CASE'd the dresser idea from Jackie Topa (check out her blog at jackie.topa.typepad.com).  I just loved the look of the dresser and thought it would be great to make a "Little Black Dress" card for a special birthday for a girlfriend.  Inside the card I put the following sentiment that I printed onto Whisper White cardstock with my computer ... "Time to break out the Little Black Dress and celebrate!  Happy Birthday!".

I have written up Step Card General Instructions which shows how to construct the base of the card.

Here's a picture of the card and the details on how to make the Little Black dress version.  Hope you like.

"Little Black Dress"

Stamps: Celebrate - sentiment (unknown)

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Real Red, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Real Red, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories & Tools:  3 antique brads, small red brad, white 1/2 pearl, Real Red 1/2" satin ribbon (approx. 6" - divided), Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (approx. 4"), 3" wire, Word Window punch, hole punch, sticky strips, adhesives, and Big Shot (optional), Flourish Texturz plate (optional),

* * * * *

First, made the card base from Crumb Cake cardstock as per instructions included above.  For the "cut-outs" at the bottom of the dresser, I made a small pencil mark in the middle of each section at the very bottom.  I centered my Word Window punch, using the pencil mark as a guide, and lining up the bottom about half-way up the punch (I did this for both sections and it ends up looking like the dresser has legs).  Then I sponged the edges of ALL Crumb Cake pieces ... all of them :) using Chocolate Chip ink.

I cut out a "little black dress" from a template I found on-line.  If I EVER get a scanner at home, I'll starting adding templates to my website :)  I ran the dress through my Big Shot with the Flourish Texturz plate.  This just make the dress look a little "fancier" (sorry, hard to tell in the photo above).  I cut the 1/2" red satin ribbon into two pieces (2" and 4" long).  I folded the 2" piece in half lengthwise and wrapped it around the waist of the dress, adhering the ends to the back.  I place a half pearl on the red "sash" to add a little bling.
I punched Word Window two times in Chocolate chip and glued them together to make a very sturdy valet.  I then adhered the valet to the right side of the card (middle of that section), to it sits above the fold by about 1".  I added a brad to the valet so that I could "hang" the dress from it.  The hanger is made with a piece of bent wire (shaped like the number "2" and adhered inside a small piece of cardstock).  Check out Jackie Topa's website for a video tutorial on how to make these adorable hangers.  I then glued the shoulders of the dress onto the hanger.

For the drawer fronts, I punched a small hole in the middle of each one and added an antique brad.  I took the remaining 1/2" red satin ribbon (approx. 4" long) and adhered to the back of one the drawers and then brought it to the front, glued it down and then flipped the remaining tail back behind the drawer and glued the end down.  It then looks like there's a garment hanging out of a drawer - super cute!!  The three drawers are then adhered to the left-hand side of the "dresser" (evenly spaced).

For the sentiment,  I attached the Crumb Cake piece of cardstock (with sponged edge) to the Basic Black, punched a hole on the left-hand side and threaded through the 1/4" red grosgrain ribbon and just tied it in a half knot (trim ends).  I stamped "celebrate!" in Real Red Ink onto Whisper White cardstock and attached to the frame.

To finish, I attached the inside verse to the Crumb Cake frame (again, sponged edges) and then layered it onto the Basic Black cardstock and adhered the whole thing inside the card.

Bendy Fold - Welcome to the Neighborhood

I had an idea the other day for using my Neighborhood jumbo wheel and spent a few hours this morning trying it out.  I bought it a few weeks back but hadn't had a chance to use it yet.  Thought it would be perfect used on a bendy fold card ... I know, I just can't get enough of these cards ... they are so adorable!  Click here for instructions on how to construct this card.

This card can be used for so many occasions ... birthday (of course), welcome to the neighborhood, congrats on a new home ... etc.  Hope you like.

"Bendy Fold "Welcome to the Neighborhood"

 

 

Stamps:  Neighborhood Jumbo Wheel, Valentine Defined, Pendant Park, Pocket Silhouettes (sentiment) (Stampin' Up)

Paper:  Old Olive, Whisper White, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Grass

Ink:  Early Espresso ink pad; Stampin' Write Markers:  Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, More Mustard, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, River Rock, Daffodil Delight, Cajun Craze, Real Red, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories & Tools:  Making Memories Slot punch (optional) or Exacto knife, clear embossing powder, heat tool, sticky strips and adhesives

* * * * *

I started by inking the Neighborhood Jumbo Wheel with Early Espresso and running it across the top of the large piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I then embossed the image in clear.  I colored in the houses and sky using my Stampin' Write markers.  I attached the 5 1/4" x 2" piece of grass paper to fill in the white space just below the row of houses.  You make need to trim your grass paper to fit (depends on how high on the page you stamped your houses).  Mount the colored image panel onto the large panel of Old Olive.
 
I attached the 5" x 2 1/2" piece of grass paper to the left-hand side piece of Old Olive (not covering the 1/2" margin that is used to attach it to the main panel of the card (see construction instructions above).  I attached the 5" x 1 3/4" piece of grass paper to the right-hand piece of Old Olive (again, not covering the 1/2" margin that is used to attach it to the main panel of the card).
 
I used sticky strips to attach both side pieces to the main panel of the card.
 
Using scraps of Whisper White, I stamped the tree three times and cut out.  I stamped the bench onto Whisper White and cut out.  Using sticky strips (you need to use a strong adhesive because of the bend in the card), I attached the trees, bench and the sentiment which was stamped in Old Olive ink onto Whisper White and mounted on a piece of Real Red cardstock.