Gift Certificate Holder

I have been playing with MDS for some time now and this was a gift certificate I made for a client that simple to do. Just open a new document, pick out the background paper you want, choose the square punch and change it to the size you want to create the center blank, added text, then added little buttons to each corner with a drop shadow. I have never had a program that was easier to use than MDS- and I have and tried to use Corel, and photoshop with a lot of frustration. This program is really intuitive and simple to use.

This is a holder I made for a gift certificate for a client who needed one for a friend's birthday. It is easy to make with one sheet of Cardstock.

I folded a sheet of pretty in pink CS and scored it at 3 5/8 and 7 3/8" on the long side then cut off about 1 1/2 inches from the last third. I wheeled It's beautiful wheel with versamark on the front then put iridescent ice embossing powder for a subtle shine. I added a length of ribbon down the center (used sticky tape to secure it in the front and back )then a strip of sending love DSP on the cover and the inside that I had left over from my heart project then punched half of a circle as shown to make it easier to pull out the certificate the sticky taped it down on the inside on the sides to create a pocket. Well scripted was used for the sentiment on the inside but that could be changed to whatever sentiment you need and color could be changed to whatever color scheme you like.

Lynda

Scallop Circle 3D flower- 1 layer spiral rose

This is another 3D flower I have been playing with. The colors look a little off here but is really pretty in person.

Rose red CS base with barely banana CS embossed with perfect polkadots embossing folder over the bottom half then scored to create a line as you can see. I stamped the sentiment with an old olive pad then used a blender pen to take off the olive ink and used a rose red stampin' marker to selectively add color (another one of my favorite techniques) .

The leaves are diecut with Little Leaves using the big shot.

The focus this time is on these little flowers, which are super easy to do with just one punched scallop and a pair of scissors.

Take a scallop in a color of your choice and cut out a spiral from between one of the scallops until you reach the center as shown. You could draw it out first if you wanted and it would still be fine.

Start with the center and spiral it around as shown as tight as you can and that is all there is.

This is the final card with 3 flowers (I find tombow multimono, crystal effects, tacky glue et to work better than tape for this though.

closer up view of the 3 flowers - all looking a little different and the side view that shows them just siting down on the card.

I am SO ready for warmer weather!

Lynda

scallop circle 3D flower- 6 layers

There are lots of scallop flower instructions out there- most of them tell you to punch 9 scallops, wet the cardstock, wrinkle it up one at a time, then stack the wrinkles flowers up, make a hold in each, put the brad in then unfold blah, blah blah. You know me- impatient as all get out. I can't wait for anything if I don't have to. Life is too short. So this is my version.

I saw a lot of 9 scallop versions- but if you are using stampin' up CS it is really pretty sturdy and I found 6 scallops to be much easier on my hand. Besides, for my classes, one quarter sheet punches out 6 scallops so it was easier math then to try to figure out a third sheet per person.

The look of punched book or manuscript is also widely popular so here is my version using the Define life stampset. No one really looks at the words so I just stamped one definition a bunch of times on a sheet -like a brick wall -as shown on left.

Punch out six scallops.

I've done it with flowers all wrinkled up before hand one by one like people said and just crisp cardstock straight from the punch, stacked up, pierced and brad placed in center- and you know what?- It is not enough of a difference that I care to wet it and wait for it to dry. It seems to work just fine either way.

When I did it just straight, just pierce the hole, add the brad and just really scrunch it up into a ball. A lot of people in my class were so gentle- I say - just scrunch it up. Don't be so gentle. It can take it.

Then do the next layer and the next.

Until you get this kind of an ugly little ball of layers.

Then you loosen it up a bit, and it's as pretty as it gets, with 6 little pieces of punched up paper.

I've used glue dots and dimensionals to stick it and both work fine.

This is what it looks like when you use only 3 layers with a button from Button Latte Designer buttons tied wtih a hemp twine.

You can sneak a look at the brad holding it in, but if you scrunch it well or use 9 layers, it is much harder to see it. If you wanted it to show you could use a rhinestone brad or a halfback pearl from the pretties kit, some seed beads etc. Imagine how it would look in orangish paper with black or brown center like a poppy.

Sponge the edges or spray with shimmer paint diluted with alcohol, so many possibilities.

This is a card CASE'd from Dawn McVey using Stampin'Up instead of Papertr*y products and still oh so pretty.....

The motif is stamped repeatedly using an image from Tiny Tags.

Rose red CS and DSP with 1/2 inch strip of paper stamped with a note of thanks from Thank you Kindly set. I like to have the ribbon effect of the strip raised slightly and tacked down like a real banner- see some of the pictures above.

Try it out

Lynda

Sweetheart Blooming Card

This is the blooming card we did for our class using the new chocolate chip brads that I just adore....

It is pretty simple.
Take a Soft suede CS and run it through the big shot with the perfect polkadot embossing folder. Cut a Blush blossom CS 3 1/4 x 4 1/2 or so and stamp the leaf base in soft suede ink from Sweetheart stamp set- I ADORE this set but really bought it because I love this stem and leaf stamp- I have used it in so many ways.....

Stamp the flower center from With all my heart -from Occasions mini catalogue- in real red ink onto pretty in pink CS. Punch it out using the Extra large fancy flower punch, and another time with the regal rose CS. Secure the flower with the chocolate chip epoxy brad (I did lift up the flowers with dimensionals). Add a 1" strip of sending Love DSP on the bottom as shown and easy peasy- all done with the outside.




The inside is the blooming part.

This is how it looks open using the With images from all my heart stamped in red and pretty in pink and Happy mother's day sentiment from All Holidays set.

I don't think my mom looks at my blog so I think it is safe to post it here before I mail it to her.

Instructions follows with another sample.

Blooming/exploding Card -Step by Step

This is a card I made a long time ago using a now retired set called Neverending joy. It is one of my favorites for many reasons. It was a card I used at my workshop so it was not very difficult. Stamping sentiment in regal nose, on regal rose CS, barely banana CS for the accent piece with whisper white on top. The image is stamped with versamark pad then using a dauber and stampin' pastels added the color (popping pastel technique), corner punched then the white CS slipped in, tied with celery grosgrain and mounted on base CS. Simple.

The center was the exploding or blooming card and I have been asked how to fold this so here is the step by step.

Take a sheet of paper (I prefer to use really high quality copy paper - it folds better than cardstock ) and cut it into a square shape- for most cards 8 inch square would be best but you can make it any size as long as it is square.

The size you need is the smallest width of your card dimension minus about a quarter inch for a small margin then doubled. Example- I have a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card. so I need 4 inch doubled and that is how I got to 8 inches square. If you had a 3x3 gift card, you could do one that is 5 1/2 inch square.

Start by folding the square in half. It is important to be as precise as you can. I like to get a crisp fold using my bone folder but your fingernail will do.

You then flip it down and make 2 diagonal folds.

This is what it should look like after the second diagonal is folded.

When you open it up it will have a natural folding pattern if you hold it as shown.

Bring the 2 sides in and this is what it should look like.

Now this is where I have departed from my previous training. I had been folding the edges differently but found crease lines that I did not like and by doing it the following way you will not have that.

Just fold the outer edges into the center as shown on all 4 sides

It should look like this when you are done.

Then, open the edge back up then tuck it to the inside.

as is shown on the left.

When you are done with all 4 sides this is how it will look and this is the completed blooming center.

You want to stamp any sentiment or message before you glue it down.

This is a side opening card with the fold going vertically so the center fold will also go vertically when you open it up.

just like this.

If it is top opening, the center line fold on the blooming card will be horizontal just like the fold on the card.

If you don't have this oriented properly and stamp the sentiment then you could have it going sideways- as I have often happen because I did not check before I taped it down......

I think the edges on the blooming centers are perfect for showing wheels. You can round it off and I like to use the wheel guide as I am often straigh line challenged and this makes it really easy. The wheel is my favorite "watercolor joy"- retired with pretty in pink.

Again I always try to orient the opening bloom before I stamp the sentiment to make sure it is going in proper direction and then tape it down.

I tape one side lining the corner to the fold.

Then I tape the other side so it lays flat.

This is how the card will look as it opens.

and fully open.

This works well for so many different ideas. It just looks so simple on the outside and it is always such a surprise for the recipient.

With 3D effects impacting our movies, scrapbooks, and now even cards, I am finding it difficult to send something in the mail that lays flat but still has a 3D effect and I think this fits the bill. I hope you do too. Try it for a kid's birthday with trains, cars or tracks all around or candles all around for a birthday card, the possibilities are endless!

Lynda

Milk Carton Bride and Groom

I saw this little darling milkcarton on the splitcoast website: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1610798?&cat=all&si=milk%20carton and CASE'd it to make these.

The tuxedo is just black cardstock shaped into the milk carton. For the collar, just cut out another black piece to fit over the side, split it down the middle But not all the way and fold over to make the collar and slide a smaller piece of white underneath to mimic the shirt. Add black brads, black 1/4 " grosgrain for the bowtie.

For the bride, I did wheel the Love wheel onto the white CS with versamark and used iridescent ice to emboss it to create a subtle sparkle. I closed it with a library clip and tied the organza ribbon and a string of pearls (I got this at J*anne's in the dollar bin many years ago) and secured it onto the library clip using a gluedot. Any body planning a wedding any time soon? What an adorable way to serve up almonds or other candies or birdseed to sprinkle at the wedding!

Lynda

I swear I did not CASE it- sigh!

After I posted my card here, I try to post it on Stampin Up website and then on SCS so I uploaded it onto SCS for the CAS challenge and I was web surfing, I found another leaf card that looks almost exactly like it posted before although hers was leaf diecut in white and put on top of the green but looks really similar .

I will have to do better. Next time I will have to post it as soon as I make it so you know I did come up with the idea on my own. I guess it is bound to happen when we share the same color pallette but it still makes me feel icky inside- at least using the normally wasted negative diecut image and being frugal idea is mine. SIGH!

The frugal stamper- Little Leaves negative card, CAS58

Do you remember the project that I posted yesterday with the pretty roses with the leaves on either side? Well, this is the left overs from my class and you know I can't throw anything out that I think may be useful. Here is my frugal stamper persona coming out. (In times like this who can afford not to be- eh? ) I really looked to see what I can do with it and doing a challenge on splitcoast for and this is what came out.

I layered the negative diecut on a very vanilla piece of cardstock using a bunch of tiny pieces of stampin dimnesionals to lift it up.

I took a chocolate chip cardstock and embossed with finial press impressions folder, tied a olive satin ribbon to have the edges fall under the leaves accent piece and used sticky tape to secure the leaves accent on top.

it is very simple but pretty. Stamp any sentiment you want on the right side above the ribbon in vanilla craft or inside - emboss or let dry natural for all occasions.

Happy stamping!

Lynda