Under the Stars Viewmaster Card

I had my little stamping group make this viewmaster card and every one thought it was cute so

here is the how to:

Take a Cardstock 11x 6 inches and score along the long edge at 3 and 7 1/2 inches. In the center of the middle panel punch out a 1 3/8 circle about 3/4 inch down from the top as shown. It is easier to make a template lilke this and pencil in the circle and the word window onto the real card so less chance of screwing up- Ask me how I know this.

then fold over the right side and punch out the word window about 1 1/2 inch from the top but ONLY HALF WAY as shown!

Cut out large scallop circle from whisper white CS- (I LOVE this die!- I will never have to buy another scallop circle card) Find the center of the scallop and pierce a hole for the brad.
A Good Thing as Martha would say- but since I alway keep this on my desk, I stick the tip in this little cork piece I found to keep the sharp edges away from my toes - when it seems to roll off the desk.
do a trial run as to where the wheel will fit in the card base.
poke a hole into the cardbase as shown from the middle of your scallop- on my card it was about 2 1/2 inch from the top and 1 3/8 inch from the left side edge from the picture shown-
punch out a 1 3/8 circle FIRST from contrasting card stock- here I used kiwi- then punch out a scallop to decorate the circle in front and glue down.

Stamp images as desired- Here I used under the stars in Black- set it and colored in with watercolor crayons- for the tangerine cardfront- I used the watercolor crayon directly on the image then blended it in with aqua painter to get a denser color-

Any stamps with couple of different images that you can wheel around would be cute here- I will show you a sea life variation I got from Mercedes Weber - another talented stamper from my local stamping group later!
Flip card over, place brad through the center of the wheel then through the back of the card- place a sticky strip on the outside edge and glue down.

details of my scallop wheel



deetails of turned image.

My 7 year old's school teacher liked this idea so she asked to use the idea for the apple life cycle card for the class- it showed life of an apple tree from seed to apples-that the kids drew in the pictures- Alll I had to do was cut out the scallops and the card front only! so sweet!

Tyler's viewmaster card

This is the card that Tyler's class made with my viewmaster card idea- I thought it was so sweet I had to share it with you- you can see the seasons he drew in with the turn of the wheel...

I think I screwed up the order by uploading it not in the right order but you get the idea. Thanks for looking!

Three Little Pigs and Hippo Cards

These are the cards that I made with the punched animals that I posted about on 9-22-08. The hippo has a little sign that say Hip-Hippo-ray from the Pun Fun set from Stampin' Up cut out into a little flag with a scissor- the pole is a tiny strip of black CS- all mounted on a blue textured cardstock and mounted on whisper white SU card- inside you could say: I hear it's your birthday! or Quick recovery from your surgery- for someone who had hip surgery maybe?

Where's the Big Bad Wolf ? My kids love the story of the three little pigs- being that themselves at times- Kyle (one of my 3 year old twins) says "that's me in the middle!" The how to for the pigs posted earlier- the barn is from Pink Cat Studios Farm background stamp set- embossed in white after stamping with versamark on rose red CS. I markered in the door and edges with chocolate brown. The cloud is just white CS punched with scallop circle twice and the grass from punch by All Night Media. These would be great card candy for someone although it is a lot of work!

Have a nice weekend!

Thomas the train Birthday Card

My kids love Thomas- what 3 year old doesn't? We went to Roaring Camp in Felton when they had their real Thomas Train rides and promptly ordered the Thomas Train and railway wooden stampset from Gullane Limited. For one of my girlfriend Jane's little boy Max's Thomas the train party I made this card for him and used little alphabet to put his name in the tag in the space below the face- I used cuttlebug to emboss the background in tempting turquoise CS and mounted on whisper white CS base. The little flags and letters are from Papertrey Ink with the line hand drawn on top. Thomas was colored with SU watercolor crayon after I set the basic black ink with embossing gun so it would not run. I was glad to hear from his mom that Max loved it too.

Mom's cards

People have asked my how I got interested in doing crafts. Honestly the person who started all this is my mom- she is really crafty- she crocheted entire bedspreads -some from thicker yarn but some from lace-like ones- she made much of my clothes when I was growing up- out of necessity mostly but still no small feat- trying to raise 4 children and work outside the home trying to support the family-

I showed her some Japanese dolls I was working on for some of my asian cards and this is what she sent me- the student just blew the teacher away- my cards were like these figures just standing under a stamped tree- and she took vellum and made a parasol with punched flowers on it and changed the girl some too- Isn't she adorable?




















I also gave her some embossing plates and origami paper and this is what she sent me- I tell you she just floors me- If only she did not live on the other side of the continent in Florida, where every senior east of Mississipi river seems to retire to, imagine what the two of us could do together.... sigh.

My Punch Zoo Book

The other day my local stamp and chat group got together and made some samples of animals made out of paper punches- each person brought 2 animals and proceeded to swap- What a bunch of talented women they are! This is the book that I made to put all my samples into. Basically some chipboard to make the album, cut and covered with Stampin' Up DS paper Summer Picnic- love those little cherries- holes punches with Japanese Screw punch and screw posts added. Real Red Ribbon around the front cover only- tacked down with sticky strip tape.
The cover is decorated with a punched cherry which I thought was appropriate given the content- basically 5/8 ich circle punched twice with real red CS and 1 1/4 inch kiwi card stock punched in the center with the circle punch again to get the curved strips for the stem and left over punched with the circle punch again at the corner to get the leaf and then scored to make leaf veins. A little white gel pen to get the highlights and done! Inside is a stack of clear translucent envelopes with the foldover on the inside which was punched ligned up with the screw posts to make an album where the samples can be slipped in and out in case I need to add more in the future.
This was one of my samples for the swap - the little pig is made from pretty in pink CS 1 3/4 " circle punch for the body, 1 3/8"punch for the head and My way punch for the little arrows to make the ears, the word window punch made the two legs which you just cut and color in with black marker - the eyes and mouth are 1/4 inch punch and nostrils 1/8 inch. the snout was pixie pink CS. Tail is handcut from 5/8 inch circle as shown.

My second animal was the hippo- I saw a sample on line but did not have awide oval punch to make it like they did so I had to make some adjustments in the middle of the night when I had to make this. The body is cut out from Coluzzle circle cutter from pretty in pink CS as I did not have a circle punch big enough.


1 1/4" circle punch for the face and 3/4 " and 5/8" circle punch for the ears- inside ear was pixie pink CS. Large Oval punch for the
mouth and Key tag punch for the legs. The scallop Edge punch to make the little scallops for the toes- again the 1/4 " circle for the nostril and the eyes in black and white CS and then 1/8" circle punch for the black of the eyes- Word window cut in half for the teeth. Isn't she sweet?
These are some of the samples that I received from the talented ladies- this one is from Marisa--
This one from her sister Janet- such a great stamper- although I kinda screwed up my sample- one of the 1/2 circle brown spots jumped off the paper and I for the life of me could not find it- later to find it stuck on the butt of my pants..LOL - Lovd this owl too-
and the bear is so adorable---- There were many more but can't include them all.....

I plan to totally copy these for one of my next stamp camps- can't even say CASE since you actually have to change something to say that....

Thanks for looking!

Scallop Envelope Big Die

Did I tell you I LOVE my bigshot? Stampin'Up introduced it at Convention this year as they are working with Sizzix to make their own custom dies and although I already- yes, own the original sizzix, the wizard, AND the Cuttlebug, once I tried it I HAD to have it. Of course I already own the regular envelope from Sizzix but this scallop edge is just so sweet!

I had this card as my make and take at a recent stamp camp at my house. Red Ridinghood base cardstock with a 1" strip of kiwi across the bottom then Bella DS paper on the left and the flowers. The little bling is circle ice rhinestone brad with the crystal popped out of the metal surround- easy to do with a little jewerly plier and plopped on with a mini glue dot. The envelope is pink pirouette CS with a 2x3 inch white CS stamped with pocket silhouettes in rose red and celery. Envelope image in rose red ink.

I guess you could put a littel folded check for a birthday card or wedding as well in the envelope

Punched flower heart enveolope card

This was a special birthday card for someone. It uses the cuttle bug happy birthday embossing folder with whisper white on river rock CS and pomegranate base card from last year's SU in-colors and now retired designer paper. Tie double stitched pomegrate ribbon and tie a knot as shown. The colors were drawn from the paper itself. Because it already had flower pattern on it I did not have to make so many flowers and it still looks really full. The heart is made from a flower petal envelop template. Just fold over the 2 half circles and leave the other 2 open to make a heart envelope. Put 2 crystal brads for closure.

The flowers were punched using the SU Boho flower punch and the three for you punch in variety of colors. The center 8 petal flower is punched using a $1 punch from Michaels-my favorite but so un-ergonomic- it's really hard on the hand- I wish they would come out with a hand punch version and star is a fiskars hand punch. A little stickles in the center in gold and red. I even put little flowers inside the centers of the flowers printed on the paper as well to complete the illusion- details to the right.

Let me know what you think!

Lynda

Ubuntu in Napa

One of my husband's favorite restaurant is Manresa in Los Gatos. For his birthday every year we have been trekking there for their incredible tasting menu which is like a party in your mouth with every delicious morsel where you wish you could have just one more lick. Well, when his brother came to visit from New York he had one request- to go to Ubuntu, a vegetarian restaurant cum yoga studio in Napa. It was rated as second best restaurants in America by the New York Times and he really wanted to go. Reservations were made and arrangements for babysitting and we were all set to go. Mind you I had some severe doubts- a vegetarian restaurant? yoga studio? You've got to be kidding me!

I tried to be a vegetarian once and I know the health benefits
but made it only a week before I gave in to my midwest girl cravings. The restaurant sits kinda quietly on a street just next door to a steakhouse which I thought was really funny. The day we were there we all decided to have the tasting menu. We started out with these really tasty lavender almonds which reminded me a little bit of potpourri but after that my doubts were given way to visual and taste delights that blows your mind and makes you think you really COULD be a vegetarian!



The tasting menu started with an amuse bouche- a cool carrotty soup with a beautiful edible johnny jump up on top. Then "leaves and things with burrata" grown in they own biodynamic garden. The "english peas in shell consomme" was so delicious with macadamia, white chocolate! and mint.

One of our favorites were the tasting of courgettes and succulents with little cubes of polenta squares that were so good that I forgot to take a picture before I dug in to its hot melt in your mouth taste explosion.

There was toasted dumplings with morels in their natural broth with something called milk skin that was really like tasting a fresh forest at its best- I would have picked it up and licked the bowl if I could have.


Next was a deep fried domaine de la chance egg with rice grits and okra - so delicious- I can still taste it-mmmmmm.

Then the desserts started with raspberry sorbet with watermelon granite and rose geranium.

It was followed by Brioche French toast with roasted apricot and blueberry ice cream, peach and honey.

The meal finished with vegetable petit fours and this tiny carrot cupcake that redefines cupcake. I think my kids would have really liked it would we have not eaten every last crumb.

Jeremy Fox the chef and Deanie Fox the pastry chef worked at Manresa before their venture into Napa and David Kinch's influence is evident. And to disappoint the nay sayers there was no sight of tofu or brown rice any where to be seen...... Two thumbs way WAY up!

Tyler's birthday card for Uncle Rodney

Tyler is my 7 year old- he loves water - here he is a few weeks ago at our 7am walk on the beach at Capitola where we went for their Begonia Festival and spent the whole weekend hanging out at the beach and he was in the water from dawn to dusk every day that we were there. Once when he was four years old, he told me that when he grows up he wanted to live in Capitola- and you know, I've gotta believe him!

This is a card he made for his uncle who will be turning fifty this week- He came into my room and asked if he can use my "paper" and proceeded to take out my shimmery white CS- that I save for special occasions- and grabbed my markers and went on to draw the volacano and the little huts and the palm trees. He then told me he wanted lava to flow from it.

Unfortunately he had cut the card to a weird dimension, it's about 7 by 4 1/2 or so, so I had to make a back and do the slide out card with the stampin'Up bag cut into a small strip as a mechanism to make it work.

and here it is!

He wrote the pull here on the bottom and Happy Birthday uncle Rodney on the lava he cut out.

Mommy stamper is so proud of her little stamper boy! Maybe he will want all the thousands of stamps and supplies his mom has amassed over the years? Not!

I just love the way that he just grabs things and plays with it instead of hoarding like some of us- and you know who you are.....- much to learn from the 7 years olds.

Have a nice week!


The title picture of my blog is a picture that I took at the Venetian Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Capitola. I usually get up really early to have some time to myself and this was what I was looking at with the cool salty ocean breeze on my face while I was working on my christmas cards - and yes I am one of those people- this year's card is a little complicated and I will need all the time in the world to get it done by christmas- I usually make about a hundred or so for all my friends and family with whom I am not so good about staying in touch the way I want to due to family and work demands on my time. I thought- Gosh, this is how I want to grow old, just sitting right here- my family sleeping all sleeping peacefully in the room and me quietly stamping....

Eastern Blooms Kimono Bookmark Card

What a mouthful! This is a CASE from Patti Lee's gold embossed card from SCS- I changed the dimenstions and stamped things a little differently and had it at the stamp camp yestereday and everyone seemed to have fun making it- you can change what you slide in- folded money, a check, a surprise message- lots of opportunities to CASE!

Take a 4 1/4x 11 whisper white CS and fold in half- It really helps to have a cutter/scorer here- with the card folded in half slide both thicknesses into the cutter and cut 1 1/16" from both sides about 2 inches from the folded edge to get the sleeves then cut the neck at the fold from 1 1/16 to 3 3/16-(which is where the sleeves ended)- the unfold the card and cut down from the neck maybe 1 3/4 inches or so above the sleeves- you can eyeball it .

Fold the back and the front part below the sleeves forward- tape the back fold s to the card front so that the bookmark with slide in easy without getting stuck - score and fold the collar out as shown.

Stamp Eastern Blooms after marking with rose red and celery markers. This takes the longest time. Wrap 1"x 5 1/2 red ridinghood red CS in the middle and tape down in back- then 3/4" x 5 1/2 pink pirouette CS- if you mount the pink onto red before you wrap it will buckle- ask me how I know this- see how I work out all the kinks before my stamp camp? - Stamp the flowers in rose red, cut out and mount with dimensional- take 2x 5 1/2 ridinghood red CS - take 1 3/4x 5 1/2 whisper white CS stamped with flowers in pink pirouette and sentiment from elegant cheer in rose red- puch hole at top and crop-a -dial silver eyelet and tie celery ribbon- consider larger eyelet as some had a heck of a time gettig the grosgrain through but it does work with some nail strength. This is what it looks like with the bookmark inside.

This is final card with bookmark outside. Enjoy! and thanks for looking...