Z Fold Fun

Hello all!

I have no idea how many times I put 'fun' in my titles to be honest. But let's face it, paper crafting IS fun! There is something enjoyable about making something beautiful with your hands. It's therapeutic and calming and just....tops!

So this is an older card I made (digging through my archives while working on some cute items using the new products from the new Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalogue).
I gave this one to a co-worker of mine for his birthday. I will admit, it is a bit more 'kid-friendly' but I had this puppy on hand.

 Using the Celebrate Today Stamp and Die Bundle (item #137138 and 137362). I adore the color pallet of Pool party, Bermuda Bay and Smokey Slate (I was so happy when SU! came out with the light grey shade!)

I cut a full piece of 8.5x11 Smokey Slate in half at an angle to make 2 cards of roughly the same size (you may be a quarter of an inch difference on either card -or at least I was). I angled the paper in my trimmer on the 8.5 side. The top left corner (at an angel) at the 5.5 mark and the bottom left at the 3.25 mark and then cutting from there. You should have 2 angled pieces. I haven't been able to perfect this yet- so 1 piece may be about a quarter of an inch shorter.

Then I scored in thirds, 3.75 and 7.5- leaving the back piece about a quarter of an inch shorter as well- but that's fine :) No one will notice ;)

Then I created a back ground by stamping Bermuda Bay ink on Bermuda Bay cardstock with the 'ball' stamp from the set. I didn't reink between stamping so I got a few different tones will I stamped randomly. I cut the Bermuda Bay a quarter of an inch shorter all the way around, creating back ground panels for each of the card 'fronts'. I stamped "birthday" over and over in a row creating a 'banner' for the card front with a piece of Pool Party slightly larger layered behind it.

I loved using the banner stamp and die across the balloons and the card- giving it such dimension. Pairing that with the balloon stars stamp just created a fun visual.

So I hope you enjoyed! Have an awesome day - until next time!

~Brandie~

One Sheet Wonder

Hello stampers!

Brandie is back and fresh from her first ever trip out of Canada. My husband, Chris, and I had our very belated honeymoon (12.5 years in the making) to the Mayan Rivera to Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Absolutely fabulous! One full week without our kids, without having to cook or clean and wonderfully warm weather. We checked out ruins and Chris tried snorkeling (I was too chicken!).
But it was also a week away from my crafty heaven so I am in a little bit of withdrawal. Being back at my desk all refreshed has inspired and motivated me in so many ways!

So our annual catalogue has been out for 2 months now and our Holiday Catalogue is on it's way in about a month's time. To prep for that I am hosting a book party, and thinking of hosting a One Sheet Wonder workshop.
I do love patterned paper and have been known to hoard and resist using it. I also love to smell a freshly opened package of patterned paper *U* But I also absolutely love creating my own patterned paper. I have been pinning new techniques (to come soon!) So many options in doing this :) Layering stamp sets or sponging techniques or masking or using stencils or making stencils or....
I'm getting ahead of myself :) Like I said, inspired.

So I love creating my own backgrounds and patterned paper to customize my projects. Now I don't have any 12x12 paper, which when doing One Sheet Wonders is pretty standard, so I used a basic 8.5x11 sheet of Whisper White and created 8 similar cards in notecard style instead of A2. You have options here, you can purchase Stampin' Up!'s Note Card and Envelope sets (item # 131527- Whisper White or 133766- Crumb Cake) and have 20 pre-scored 5x3.5 cards and matching envelopes, or you can put your Envelope Punch board to use (item# 133744) to create your own.

I used the envelopes from a Notecard set I had but then cut and scored my own cards. I also used my Envelope Punch board and created a fun envelope box to hold them in.


I used Smokey Slate, Melon Mambo, Basic Black and Whisper White to create the color combo.
I stamped my images on a full sheet of 8.5x11 using the Flower Patch (item# 104207) stamp set I was random but did some layering with the sets. That's what I feel made it fun, was just being random :) but you can always create a repetitive pattern if that's more your style. Then I cut my cards into basic card folds and cut various squares and strips and other pieces to create both background and focal pieces. Then highlighting them by layering the pieces on solid colors to accentuate the paper.

Again, so much fun, quick and easy and a way to not only be creative and design a style that works for you, but again with customizing your colors and design to work with your project :)

So give it a try! You may have tried doing the One Page Wonder but give it a go creating your own background.

Have fun and Happy Stamping!

~Brandie~

Floral Grunge

Hello Friends!

Once again I apologize for not being 'on it' in the blogosphere. Life, as we all know, can be hectic, harried and before you know it days turn into weeks turn into months.
So even with work and kids and homelife, I have still been crafting up a storm for Stampin' Up! and creating products for my hand crafted items, The Paper Gift Boutique.

I just finished whipping up stacks of all occasion cards using my new favourite stamp sets. I will admit, when I first saw Gorgeous Grunge, I thought it was not very attractive. I ADMIT IT! I could not see the point of a stamp set that just had splatters. But oh Pinterest, you wicked beast. I caught a glimpse of some of the amazing projects others had used with it and then I had to get it for myself. And now I am hooked! I can't believe how versatile it is. I especially love using it with the Petite Petals and Flower Shop stamp sets. I also splurged and got the Hardwood background stamp set and that just brought it up a notch.

So trying to use some more vintage colors, as opposed to bright pops of color, I used Blushing Bride with Calypso Coral and Island Indigo with Pool Party. Adding either of those comos to Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake gave it that old school feel I was going for. Topped with Linen Thread (or thicker Twine if you can find it) and Basic Pearls, I found that these cards had a simple elegance to them. I tried doing different folding techniques to make them pop in a different way. So check these out.

 So I did a traditional gatefold card, but using the blooms to create a 'closure' for the tag (oh- and I am also a bit obsessed with the font from the various "Endless" sentiment sets. I have Birthday, Thanks and Wishes (a holiday one which works great with the others, but is retired unfortunately). Creating my own sentiments and then using the Tags and Labels Framelits really brings the look together.

I had so much fun with these sets!

I have no idea what these ones are called, to be honest, but the one on the left is a Joy Fold Card.

The ones on the right were inspired by pinterest as well. I really love cutting 'chunks' out and creating a 3D feel with the negative space.

The bottom card has become a go-to unique cut as well- as I used this particular design on plenty of holiday cards last year. (I'll have some of those to show at a later date!)

Cardmaking for the past decade has taught me a lot, as has being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

 I used to go all out and think cards needed a big splash to be great. I love this simple approach with minimizing and creating uniqueness using different card cuts and layering. The bonus is that you're spending LESS on materials, but still maintain a wow factor.

Anyways, that's all I have for now. Thanks for stopping by!

~Brandie~

3D Landscape Card

Need to give my hubby props. I showed him the card that I came up with (at least, I hadn't seen it before so if you came up with a similar card- great minds my friend!) and it needed a name. So he named it a 3D Landscape card.
I likes it :D

 So I used the new Sleigh Ride Edgelits and Jingle all the Way stamp set available in the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalogue. I have to say, the idea is INGENIOUS! I am in love! So much versatility.
Anyways, it's 3 layers, though I am sure you can make more. Being as I have NO CLUE how to do a video, y'all are going to have to bear with me and my multitude of photos. (also- playing around with my light box and settings so some pics will look different as I am trying to find the 'best' way).

 So Step 1. you'll want some layered thinlit dies. You could use the same size, but using different layering sizes, you can create more depth. The world's your oyster- whatever works!
I used some retired label dies I have- they are like potato chips for sure- can't just have one!
You can also use a variety of colors- either go monochromatic, or mix it up.

 So I cut 3 pieces of cardstock at 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. The top layer uses the largest die. So after cutting that in the centre (you could even cut them off centre for a unique outlook.) To make sure they are centred, I placed the already cut piece on top of the next as a sort of 'template'. You can do that off centre as well- just moving your cardstock over.

The I used the Sleigh Ride Edgelits. Thing is, they don't really work for this type of card as-is, BUT after a happy accident, I cut another set as a replacement but decided to work with both.

 Awe :( I cut a house off. So I just trimmed it off. How it got trimmed off was my lining up of the die. If you look at the next 2 photos, you'll notice that the die for the middle panel of the card is too far to one side for it to work. I wanted the houses more centred. So I cut it far on the one side, and tried to line up the die with the cut on the other side and cut it out again so it would work for my card. When I cut the 2nd set of houses out, I decided to glue them and create a bit more of a scene.

 

 
 
 So you can see the 2 different cut outs and then I just adhered the small one under the larger one. You could go ahead and ink the edges to create dimension. I dabbed it with some Whisper White Ink and then put some Dazzling Details on a sponge and dabbed it over top. You can't really see the 'glitter' effect, but it's there!

 This is the 2nd panel all finished. You can't really see- but I stamped some snowflakes in Whisper White and embossed with Irredecant Ice Embossing Powder. I also stamped very lightly in Marina Mist (Soft Sky was just too light). I'd suggest a wee bit darker color to make it 'pop'.




So once I played around and created the other 2 layers, setting them on the others to make sure that it was the visual appeal that I wanted. The top is also stamped with the same snowflakes from Last Year's Endless Wishes stamp set. I added my sentiment from Jingle all the way after I cut out the die from the Edgelits. You can't see it, but I dabbed Dazzling Details on the bottom part to look like 'snow' and added some old Soft Sky ribbon I had.

Once all 3 panels are done, you'll want 2 pieces of 4 1/4x2 1/2 cardstock. Score at 1/2 inch intervals 4 times (adding more width and scorelines if you've made more than 3 panels). It's blurry, but you can kind of see it on my Stampin' Score Board.

You then mountain/valley fold the small pieces. This is the tricky part, play around to make sure that the panels will be adhered to the correct edges so there is a bit of a gap between each panel. If you adhere them incorrectly, then the panels are just one on top of another and you lose the effect. When I look at my card from the side, it looks like a "W" with an extra flap. The idea is you want to put your sticky strip on the BACK of each panel (start with one side, don't try to adhere each panel to both accordian sides at once).

 You can see here that the adhesive is on the back of the panel. If you put the adhesive on the back of the top panel and adhere it to first valley fold of the accordian flap, skip the mountain, adhere the 2nd panel from the back to the 2nd valley fold and carry on, you should have the desired effect.

 As with anything handmade, there can  be 'oopses' in measurements. As I squished my card, you can see that there is a bit of 'excess' on the right hand side. So trim it off right? So I have to hold the card closed, trim the excess, and pinch the flaps from the left side so I can trim as closely as possible.
I don't have 3 hands.


VOILA! Yay paper clip! Lol. That was a handy-dandy way to close it so I can trim the edges!

  

What I did next is just the same thing as the left side. I adhered the accordian panel on the back of each panel, on the valley of the accordian panel. I did the top panel first, leaving the other panels 'open' so it was easier to adhere. Do this carefully, especially if using sticky strip as that stuff STICKS. You could just use repositionable adhesive, but I would worry about the panels eventually coming off.













So here is the finished product! The final panel doesn't need to be too fancy as it's 'far in the back' but definitely add some dimension with an edgelit or die cuts.

So much fun to make! I have a couple other examples using non-SU! items- but same idea :)

 Now that SU! is working on their Blendabilities (C'MON SU!) lol I did not get any replacement because they can be costly, but I did grab some Crayola's after seeing a really cool tutorial on how to blend with Colored Pencils. So SO cool.  So the stamps aren't SU! but the dies and paper are :) I created my own flowers with the Petite Petal punch, layering it and using Gold Dazzling Details and mini brads. The single layered flowers are just embossed with versa-mark and Irredecent Ice powder. The top princess one used
another retired Label Die from SU! and if you look closely, you can see that they are listing to the left. I put the princess on the front panel, Prince Charming on the 2nd and the castle on the last. I was channeling Aurora and Prince Phillip. I love how it turned out. When the Princess Set came with a single braided princess and a double braided princess, I IMMEDIATELY thought of Ana and Elsa. I used last year's retired Snow Flake Dies and used them and the Floral Frames Collect for Ana's 'flower' centre panel.

So there you can see it's pretty versatile and so much fun.

I hope you enjoyed and have fun with your own creations!

~Brandie~

Back in the Saddle

Welcome back everyone! I (again) am hoping that this is the start of a new and improved Crafter's Eden. Full time work is hard, but I have ignored my passions for crafting and writing for far too long. That, friends, is my advice. Don't starve your passions. I saw a great 'meme' on Facebook the other day- ignoring your passion is a slow suicide. Noting that, my hubby is on board and 'riding my tushie' to make sure I make time to craft and write. And, I have never shared how much I enjoyed my passions with my husband before and how far I really wanted to take them. And to have his support and encouragement just lights that fire even hotter. So this past week (on staycation- WOO HOO!) I have placed a not-so-pre-order for Stampin' Up! holiday goodies, stocked up on paper, created a light box (seriously, where WAS this thing the whole time?- and for 3 bucks!), and set goals and started crafting again.
I feel great :) It'll be hard once I go back to work tomorrow, but with Chris by my side and my goal list in hand- I know I can do this.
So first thing first- I created this bad boy after doing quite a bit of research on how to take better pics of my cards. It's hard- especially trying to sell my cards online- to showcase the amount of detail or work that goes into them. I find myself saying "Oh they look better in person" to people. A lot.
Etsy was a great resource, but for the most part they called for natural light. GREAT! But I live in a trailer and get very little natural light. Plus, very soon, the sun will be limited up here in the great white North so I am doomed with my florescent kitchen light? Back to the drawing board!
So I, in my pintrest and Google hazed state, found something called a light box.
Great. I really REALLY don't want to spend another small fortune on my business.
Oh pintrest. I really do love you.
A few other snazzy folks had created one with just a few odds and ends around the house. I don't remember which blogs were most helpful (like I said- haze) but the jist of it all was cardboard box, white tissue paper and poster board - oh and tape! All of which are found at my local Dollar Store.
That plus borrowing my daughter's desk lamp and using my own floor lamp my camera, plus a decent software program, created high quality photos for said blog and better advertising for my business to do some selling.
Check this space out! So you can see the box and my daughter's desk lamp propped up on some boxes to give it more height so I can have the light come down from the top. I still need to play around with lighting and my editing software, a photographer I ain't,  but so far it's been awesome.




Check out the difference: The first photo is how I used to take photos. (usually I'd drape a sheet on a chair- but this time I used a cleared spot on my desk- but still same idea. Flash on a white background with my phone camera):

I had  no idea how to utilize my software - so I didn't edit any of my photos other than cropping them if needed and rotating them. So it's not bad. Show cases what the card looks like- but...dulls it. You can't really see the glitter or the color. This was the 'old' way.

So now the photo with the 2 corsets (tutorial to come!) is in the light box with my camera flash off and the exposure value at the highest level (2 from 0- I have no idea what the means lol) but it brought in more light and according to the photo blogs, it's easier to fix that way. Again, this is me just learning. There is an autofix feature on my soft ware, so let's put that to good use!

So here it is! Cropped, watermarked, and autofixed. I am not sure if it's 'perfect', but I am happy with it :) I find the colors more vibrant and just looking 'side by side' the first photo looks 'passport quality' and I like to think the last one is more 'magazine quality'.
I know I have a lot to learn and will continue to hone and play around - I want to get better color quality so they look truer to Stampin' Up!'s color pallet.















So that's all that's new with me here. Excited to carry on, use my light box and new goodies and dive right back in with both feet.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Brandie~

Intro to Blendabilities Class

Hello and happy New Year!

So with Sale-A-Bration well under way, it's a great way to re-introduce the amazing and versatile Blendabilities alcohol makers from Stampin' Up! If you didn't know already- you can get a set ($15.95 CND value) FREE by spending $60 during SAB. I had always wanted to try the 'other' markers- but they did seem so difficult, not to mention expensive. Not knowing the colour theory and having to purchase individual markers at $7 a pop up here where I live (or going on line) just made it a pipe dream. I am very thankful to Stampin' Up! for coming out with their own version. Not only are they less expensive, but they bundle the colours by shade so getting the correct tones is so much easier than I thought it would be. Needless to say- almost all of the holiday cards I sold this season had Blendabilities all over them.

Now with Sale-A-Bration offering free sets, I figured it was a great time to start an intro class now that I think I have somewhat of a handle on these fine pens. Doesn't honestly take that much time to get the hang of them- but the more you use them the more fun and creative you find yourself being.

SO one of the cards I am doing is an easle card and I got this idea off Pintrest. It was done in black instead of Crumb Cake and the colours popped more vibrantly on the white ink. I was just seeing what it would do on Crumb Cake and I have to say, I absolutely love the outcome. Yes, it isn't 'perfect' when you look closely- but it didn't take a lot work and I didn't use any shading or anything. Just brushed it over the images. Well- here take a look!

 I used the Corner Garden Clear mount Stamp (134048) and stamped on Crumb Cake in Whisper White Craft Ink and embossed with white embossing powder. I used the darker hues of
Costal Cabana (131000)
Rich Razzelberry (131003)
Old Olive (130999)

All I did was brush the large tip over and colour in the lines best I could. I used some silk ribbon and Soft Sky and Island Indigo layers. I absolutely love the colour combo! You can also use Soft Suede as a base instead and have an equally dramatic effect.
To finish it off, I used the Blendabilities on the Basic Pearl Embellishments (119247). Another selling feature of the markers is that you can colour the rhinestones or pearls, buttons or ribbons and being alcohol based they aren't going to rub off.

The 2nd card we are making is just a basic layered card (no insert- just flat) using Basic Gray, Smokey Slate and Rich Razzelberry. I did the rock and roll technique on the top layer of flowers and added some Dazzling Details (LOVE THOSE) for the centers.

I used a few different techniques on the Secret Garden set (now retired- insert sad face here- that set is AMAZING for these markers!) I tried blending Rich Razzleberry with Wisteria Wonder, I did dark to medium to light on a few and then light to medium to dark on one flower. I even tried dark-medium-dark on the bottom large flower in the corner. 

SO basically I adored trying different techniques and playing with these markers to get different effects. I believe that these markers have even more potential depending on how creative you want to be. 

So that's it for me! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Brandie

Christmas

Not a very original title, I know. I also know it's been well over a year since I have blogged. I have been meaning to, desiring to, it's just I never seem to have the time. Since last year I have ventured from dayhome provider to part time worker, to 2 part time jobs to full time employee. Trying to adjust to that after a decade of being a homemaker only and still trying to make my little home business a priority plus everything that needs to be done on the home front leaves precious little time for my hobby of writing.

But that's not to say I have not been busy crafting up a storm! I have dabbled in the trade show circut and have decided it's just not for me. I loved meeting new people and have had fun networking, but the payout from table fees to making sure I have items to sell with what I earn from them is just unbalanced. I sold 2 packs of cards in 4 hours at the most recent, but was able to post the left overs on line and sell out in mere hours. Mostly from friends and family- so that's okay :) A lot of my friends are other direct sellers with various companies so it's a great way to expand and get my name out there to other markets I hadn't considered.

So here are some samples of things I whipped up just for the show.

 All of the stamps I used ARE older and retired (mostly). It's been a tough year getting back into my Stampin' Up! but after this season I really want to make 2015 more of an SU! focused year. I am so proud of my little business and this coming April will mark 4 years as a demonstrator. It's been tough and I haven't yet reached goals that I have wanted to reach- but I am getting there!

 I did want to stray away from typical fold cards so most of the ones I did were a real hit as they were folded or cut in unique ways. I loved using the SU! labels collection to create this swing card. The paper is old stock from last year- I can't remember what it was called but it was postage themed. I loved the colours and thought they could be very festive. Another thing I have enjoyed doing is using double stick adhesive strips in lines on my projects and rubbing glitter over it.

  

No despite what it may look like- the little Gingerbread men cards are NOT side step cards (though I am thinking I am going to have to try it!) I just scored a 5.5x4.25 piece of paper in half and then added blocks up from the bottom to create a neat visual effect. The little man is from Pink Cat Studio and I had so much fun using my SU! Blendabilities creating the coloring. In fact, I used those puppies so much this season that I am now in need of a new Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler set!
On the note of Blendabilities, I simply cannot WAIT for SaleABration- but that's all I am going to say about that ;)
The last card was created using vellum for the front. Now, I tell all my customers how much I love Stampin' Up! cardstock compared to big box store CS. The difference in quality is obvious- SU! card stock is tougher (in a good way) and able to uphold in different card forms as well as being used for 3D projects. It's never let me down! The reason I am stating that is that I have recently bought vellum from Stampin' Up! and it's the same thing. Stronger, better quality. I am proud to be part of a company that has such quality products. Anyways- using vellum for my card fronts and finishing them off with an old Stampin' Around Wheel (wish they'd bring those puppies back!), Adorning  Edgelits dies, ribbon and Scentsational Season stamps and dies finish off this card in a fun, yummy way.

So that's what I have been up to recently. Hoping to keep up on this thing is another goal (I know I know- I have said THAT before) but being part of my business it is a valuable tool to reach out to all the other stampers out there!

Thanks for visiting,

Brandie