This newsletter issue’s card is this fun, bright card featuring the Sweet and Sour Specialty DP. The layout comes from the front cover of the Paper Crafter’s Card Creations Vol. 8 special issue. When I saw the layout and that yummy flower, I immediately knew I just HAD to make one too!

 Here’s how I made the card:

1.  Sponge a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Crumb Cake CS with a stamping sponge and the tea stain distress ink.
2. Die cut a Top Note die out of Sweet and Sour DP, cut it in half and then stick it along the top half of the Crumb Cake CS piece with SNAIL adhesive.
3. Lay a 6″ piece of Whisper White grosgrain ribbon across the Crumb Cake CS so that it covers the cut edge of the Top Note. Bring the ends of the ribbon around to the back of the CS and stick them down.
4. Center and stamp the “hi” greeting below the ribbon,  and stamp the “friend” greeting towards the bottom right of the Crumb Cake CS.  Use Early Espresso Classic ink and a Stamp-a-ma-jig if necessary.
5. Create the ribbon flower with the ribbon leaf as directed in the free video tutorial (see intro paragraph) and stick it to the left side of the ribbon with a liquid glue (I used Fabritac).
6. Ink the chipboard letters with Pumpkin Pie Craft ink, sprinkle on Heat and Stick powder and heat with a heat tool. Sprinkle on orange glitter and then heat once again to set. Stick the letters directly over the ribbon, to the right of the “hi” greeting, with mini glue dots.
7. Add some orange peel-and stick rhinestone brads to either side of the “friend” greeting. You’re done!

I hope you enjoyed today’s card

Mini Backpack Scrapbook Album Tutorial
Learn how to make this one-of-a-kind  mini backpack-shaped scrapbook album. This 6″ x 8″ album was designed with a unique binder ring system to emulate the look of a binder.  With both a boy and girl version, the 18 page layouts and custom-designed, coordinating page elements allow you to capture a snap shot of a child’s life. To purchase the tutorial click HERE.

Calendar & Note Pad Tin – Kit, Tutorial or Calendar & Note Pad refills
Do you ever find yourself scrambling to find something to write on and write with?  I sure do…whether I’m home on the phone trying to take a message, or out and about trying to make a note to myself or wanting to check my calendar. If you’re like me then you’ll love my new Calendar & Note Pad tin…it’s portable, durable, small and of course pretty.  This project is available in several formats: as a digital tutorial, a class kit by mail, or if you are a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and want to offer it as a class, you can purchase just the custom-designed calendars and note pads.  For more info click here.

Today I wanted to share a card with you that is a bit of a departure from my normal style. Although overall, my style tends towards clean and simple, you’ve probably noticed over the years (if you’ve followed my blog for that long) that I love to dabble in different styles, and when a particular style or product or technique grabs by interest, you start to see a lot of that integrated into my projects.  So today’s card is a bit “frillier” and “fussier” than normal for me. But at the same time I quite like it. 

This is one of those cards that just kind of came together – going with the creative muse I guess you could say. I had pulled out the Elegant Soiree Designer Paper (one of the new designs in the 2010-2011 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalogue) and had my heart set on using it.  Once I had chosen my pattern, and matted it onto a coordinating color of CS, I just kind of sat there staring at it, trying to figure out where I wanted to go next. A scrap of a DP circle (from the same collection) that was sitting on my table, left over from a page I was working on happened to catch my eye.  So I put it on the DP and started playing with it’s positioning until I settled on the one I liked best.  And so the rest of the card developed in the same way.  The funny thing about this card is that so often I choose my focal image or element first.  This time, the focal element (the glittered word “Love”) was the very last thing I decided on.  So a real backwards way of stamping I guess you could say.  Anyways, here’s how I made today’s card:

1. Cut a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Baja Breeze CS and fold it in half using your bone folder to create a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card.
2. Center and stick a 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ piece of DP from the Elegant Soiree collection onto a 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Soft Suede CS.
3. Cut a 4″ diameter circle out of Elegant Soiree DP using your Circle Scissors Plus and the glass mat.
4. Cut the circle, not quite in half – the widest dimension on the cut circle is 3 7/8″.
5. Place a strip of Sticky Strip horizontally across the DP (extending from the left to the right edge) about 1 1/4″ up from the bottom of the DP. Before peeling the backing off of the Sticky Strip, lay your circle onto the DP, centered and with the left edges aligned (do not stick it down yet). make a very tiny pencil mark, just above the DP strip, and just to the right of the right edge of the circle.  This mark will tell you where the ribbon ruching needs to begin.  The pencil mark will be covered by the ribbon.
6. Remove the DP circle.  Peel the red backing off of the Sticky Strip. Keeping your Very Vanilla satin ribbon on the roll, stick the end of the ribbon to the Sticky Strip and begin pleating and “ruching” your ribbon across the Sticky Strip, all the way to the right edge.  Make sure that the first pleat starts at the pencil mark. 
7. Leave about 1″ of the ribbon overhanging the right edge, and cut it so that it is no longer attached to the roll.
8. Bring the end of the ribbon around to the back of the CS and stick it down.
9. Center and stick the DP partial circle along the left edge of the DP mat. It will cover the end of the ribbon.
10. Pierce a hole just to the left of where the ribbon ruching begins, using a paper-piercing tool and foam mat. Insert an Antique Brad.
11. Choose some chipboard letters to spell out the word love (you could also use die cut letters). Ink up the chipboard letters with Baja Breeze Craft ink.  Sprinkle on Heat and Stick powder and heat until it melts.  Sprinkle some Dazzling Diamonds glitter onto the melted Heat and Stick and then re-heat to set the glitter.
12. Stick the letters above the ribbon with mini glue dots.
13. Stick on some cream half-back pearls to the DP with mini glue dots (see the picture for placement). I used two medium sized pearls and four small ones.  These were from the retired Pretties Kit. 
14. Center and stick the decoroated and matted DP piece to the Baja Breeze card front.  You’re done!

I hope you enjoyed today’s card.

Click Here to Order your Stampin’ Up! Products Online 24/7! (Canada Only)

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted.

Ink: Baja Breeze Craft ink
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Baja Breeze CS, Elegant Soiree DP
Accessories: SNAIL adhesive, mini glue dots, Sticky Strip, Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Antique Brads, heat tool, heat and stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, cream half-back pearls

Check out our current and upcoming Classes:

Discover your creativity with the “Artist in You” Online Class. Featuring 20 lessons/tasks/inspiration based around four core themes, this online class will help you take your creativity to the next level. For more details and to register, click HERE.
Date: Sept. 1st – 30th
Early Bird Price: $49.95

 Bright colors, bold patterns & a vintage texture create an eye-catching combination that is sure to elicit a “wow” from everyone who sees it. In the Greenhouse Gala Class your customers will create these four gorgeous cards along with a coordinating window card box to gift them in. To purchase the class planner version for Stampin’ Up! demonstrators please click HERE. For the Stamp Class by Email click HERE. You can find more great class planners at thethe Demo to Demo store.

 Not sure how to run a workshop, needing a boost or just running out of time? With the Artistic Etchings workshop planner, we take all the tears and fears out of workshop’s for you. To purchase the workshop planner please click HERE. You can find more great workshop planners at thethe Demo to Demo store.
 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I had actually meant to post a card for you Friday since I actually did have one made, but time just got away from me.  This week Soph and I (and our families) are visiting our parents. While it’s good to be “home” and wonderful to see our parents, going away is always a challenge.  There’s just so much packing and preparation, not just for going away, but in prepping to take what work we can with us.  These are the times that Soph and I wish we could hitch up our stamp studios to our vehicles. 

Anyways, we did pre-make all our projects for the blog this week so we will have a project to share with you every day. 

Today’s card is a bright and colorful birthday card made with the Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Paper.  I have to tell you I just love the bright bold colors and patterns of this paper, in particular the dotted pattern I chose for this card.  It’s at times like this that I wish I could buy singles of our papers, because if I could, I’d for sure stock up on these two patterns.

1. Take a 5 1/4″ x 10 1/2″ piece of textured Very Vanilla CS and fold it in half with a bone folder to create a 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ card.
2. Cut two 2″ x 2″ squares of the orange dotted DP and two 2″ x 2″ squares of the Rose Red DP.  Stick the DP squares to the card front, leaving about a 1/8″ space in between the DP squares.
3. Cut a 1 3/4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of textured Pink Pirouette DP and stamp the greeting “birthday” in the bottom right corner of the CS in Basic Black Classic ink.
4. Center and stick the Pink Pirouette CS strip to the card front with SNAIL adhesive.
5. Punch a scrap of Pumpkin Pie CS with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch.  Stick the punched border to the Pink Pirouette CS strip just above the greeting using Tombow Multi-purpose adhesive.
6. Gather up some chipboard letters that spell the word “happy”.  Ink them up with Pumpkin Pie Craft ink.  Sprinkle on Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat with your heat tool.
7. Stick the letters onto the Pink Pirouette CS strip with Tombow adhesive.
8. “Thread” two Pumpkin Pie buttons with small sliver of Pumpkin Pie CS.  Stick the buttons to the card front with mini glue dots.  You’re done!

Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s card, and we’ll be back tomorrow!

Click Here to Order your Stampin’ Up! Products Online 24/7! (Canada Only)

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Fundamental Phrases
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie Craft ink
Paper: textured Very Vanilla CS and Pink Pirouette CS; Pumpkin Pie CS, Sweet & Sour Specialty DP
Accessories: SNAIL adhesive, mini glue dots, Tombow Multi-purpose adhesive, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Brights Designer Buttons, heat tool, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, chipboard letters

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I wanted to share with you a card I made for the Embellish Magazine Color Challenge.  I stumbled upon Embellish Magazine one day when I was blog hopping, and immediately fell in love.  Remember last Thursday when I was talking about ways to keep up on trends?  Well I’ve added the Embellish Magazine to my arsenal.

You can read all about the details of this challenge HERE. As part of the challenge you had to use the colors shown in the Polaroid swatches, and you had to incorporate some form of embossing whether heat embossing or dry embossing.

When I created my card I decided to kill two birds with one stone.  I decided to make a card for my youngest son’s birthday (he’ll be turning two in July), while following along with the challenge.  I did use all four colors for my card, but also added in orange. As the challenge didn’t say anything about not adding in extra colors I figured it should be okay. The other thing is that it also didn’t say anything about using the exact same shades they did, so hopefully that’s okay too.  For the embossing, I dry embossed the card front with the Polka Dot Textured Impressions folder and I used heat embossing with craft ink, heat & stick powder, and aqua glitter on the chipboard number.

You can download a pdf handout for this card HERE.  The handout gives you a full supply list, dimensions and written directions on how this card was made.

Well I hope you enjoyed today’s card.  And now, as promised, I’m announcing some Secret Comment Patrol winners.  If you’re new to my blog you may be wondering what the Secret Comment Patrol is.  It’s our way of saying thank you to those of you that not only stop by the blog for a visit, but take the time to leave a comment.  On the last Friday of the month we are going to pick 2 names from those that have left comments the preceding month. If your name is picked you get to pick a digital product of your choice from the Sunny Stampin’ Store.  What that means is that the more often you comment the more likely you are to win.  Soph and I read each and every comment, so when we see the same name in the comment section of each post, you can bet you’ll be seeing that name announced as a winner. 

Drumroll please……..and the winners are:

1. Alita Long
April 30th, 2010 at 4:00 am  
Hi Andrea and Sophia!
Wow – this is one LOVELY Box!
Thank you for sharing.
Alita

2. Isabel Z
April 28th, 2010 at 11:27 pm  
This is stunning. The attention to detail is fabulous.

3. Stephanie Pézolet
April 27th, 2010 at 11:15 am  
What an inspiring picture! You created a fantastic card. TFS!

4. Roberta Smith
April 27th, 2010 at 12:05 pm 
Very pretty card! I have this DSP but haven’t quite figured out how to use it. It is very bright and busy. This is a great way to tone it down. Thanks for the inspiration!

5. Desirée
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:03 pm 
How cool! I will DEFINITELY check out that website – gotta stay current 

To claim your prize please email me at andrea@sunnystampin.com.  In the subject line please put “Secret Comment Patrol Winner”.  In the body of the email please let me know what you would like as your prize.  Remember, you can pick any digital product from the Sunny Stampin’ Store or a registration to an online class.

Have a great weekend!

All Supplies are Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted.  The * denotes retired items, however they can be substituted with Old Olive products.

Stamps: Look Who’s Turning, Animal Stories,  Hoppy for You
Ink: Basic Black, Crushed Curry, Tempting Turquoise, Kiwi Kiss*, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo Classic inks, Tempting Turquoise Craft ink
Paper:  Whisper White CS, Tempting Turquoise CS, Pumpkin Pie CS, Melon Mambo CS, Kiwi Kiss CS*
Accessories: Snail adhesive, Dotto adhesive,  Stampin’ Dimensionals, paper snips, Stamping Sponges, Big Shot, Polka Dot Textured Impressions folder, Heat tool, Heat & Stick powder, Fine Supernova glitter, Polka Dot Melon Mambo & Crushed Curry ribbon, ¼” Tempting Turquoise & Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain ribbon, Kiwi Kiss Striped ribbon*, Kiwi Kiss Corduroy Buttons*, On Board Lots of Letters