More Easter Bunnies

Hi everyone and happy Monday!!!  Well we did get rain on Friday and at times it was heavy rain but no snow or hail at my house.  We spent a few lovely days in the upper 60's and now we are moving up.  By tomorrow, we are going to be in the mid 80's.  I even saw one report that had us in the low 90's by the end of the week!!  I am so not ready for that.  Reaching the 90's now usually means we are in for a hot hot summer.  Not fun!!  With Easter just around the corner, I pray we can have a little bit lower temperatures for all those Easter egg hunts and family gathering.

Speaking of Easter, today's card is another one themed for that special day.  I used one of the new individual stamps that you can purchase until the end of this month.  It only comes as a clear mount stamp but I love those!!  I also decided to do a shape card today so let me show you the card.  Oh there is also a special trick for this one!!

 

My card for today is oval in shape.  I guess I was thinking about eggs when I made it.  To achieve this, I used the framelits Oval Collection.  The largest oval in the set is scallop and looks wonderful as a card.  I used Pretty in Pink card stock for the base.  I started by cutting this to be 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I placed the framelit on the folded line of the card leaving a little of the folder edge uncut in order to hold the card together.  Now I know if you are looking at the photo, you cannot see the edge of the card which is intact at the top.  The reason you cannot see it is because I cut a single oval out of Pretty in Pink with the scallop oval framelit to layer on top.  While I could attach it to the entire front, I did not.  You will see why in a bit.  The edges of it are sponged with Pretty in Pink ink.

For layer 1, I used Bashful Blue card stock and cut the second largest oval framelit out.  I ran this through the big shot using the Fancy Fan impression folder and brushed the edges with matching ink on a sponge.  I attached it the the pink with runner adhesive.  Layer 2 is a piece of Certainly Celery card stock cut with the third largest oval from the framelits collection.  Once it was cut, it too went through the big shot using the Vine Street impression folder.  The edges were brushed with matching ink and it was attached to the blue with runner adhesive.

 

The name of this stamp is Ears To You.  I thought it was one of the cutest stamps I had ever seen.  It is hard to see the texture look of each rabbit but they all have a different design on them.  In order to have each rabbit be its own color, I used my Stampin' Up! markers.  The colors are Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery.  I used the end that looks like a paint brush.  I took my time covering each image and word.  I gave a little huff on it of warm air to remoisturize it and stamped it onto Whisper White card stock.  I then took the fourth largest oval and cut the image out.  I brushed to edges of the oval with my sponges and all three colors of ink.  I attached this to the green with the same runner adhesive.  

 

This is the special feature of this card - it is a fancy fold card called an easel card.  I like using this technique with oddly shaped card that will not stand up on their own.  To make the easel, I took the base card and opened it up.  On the front flap, I measured and found the half way point.  I made a score line across the card for this  and bent the piece inward.  I then used runner adhesive to attach the single pink oval to this bottom half, carefully lining up the scallops to match.  I wanted a little more design and added the pearls to every other scallop on the edge.  Now I need to make it stand up.

 

To do that, I took out my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and stamped my greeting with Certainly Celery ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I punched this out using my retired small oval punch.  The edges are brushed using a sponge and the celery ink.  I then punched a scallop oval out of Bashful Blue card stock and brushed the edges with the blue ink.  I wanted to add the paper piecing look to this which is why I needed the greeting punched with the retired small oval.  You can use the large oval punch for the greeting piece if you want.  You will just not be able to do the piercing since it will be covered up by it.  To guide my piercing, I used my piercing pad and the Essential Paper Piercing Pack to do this.  There is a template in this pack that lines up perfectly with the scallop oval.  It makes piercing the holes so easy.  I then added the greeting to the scallop using runner adhesive and added a little pink bunny brad I bought at a local craft store to the greeting.  I placed 2 dimensionals onto the back of this.  I pushed the top piece up to where I wanted it to be to stand and attached the greeting piece right in front of it.  This will fold flat for the envelop but is easy for the receiver to stand up once opened.

I think I will do a step by step tutorial on how to make this easel so that you can see in photos what I have described using words.  I want to be sure you can make this if you would like to so I will post that tutorial tomorrow for you.  

Be sure to stop by and see me again.  I appreciate your visits and look forward to seeing you again.  Thanks for stopping by today!!!

Bunny Boxes Revisited

Hi everyone.  I hope your Wednesday is going well.  I wanted to do a special blog today to revisit these cute little boxes I made for Easter treats.  I tend to make these each year to use so I felt they deserved to be shared again.  This will be a short blog as I need to get back to house cleaning.  Am I the only one who thinks the house should just stay clean so that you don't have to do this every week?  I think cleaning is over rated but I guess it is also necessary.  Oh well back to bunny boxes.  Here they are:

 

My original blog featuring these appeared on April 22, 2011.  I am not going to bore you with all the instruction detail again.  To get the instruction on how to make these you can visit the original posting called Here Comes The Easter Bunny by clicking here.  I like to make these in a variety of colors.  I tend to use colors that could represent actual bunnies but get as crazy as you want with these.

 

Here is a closer look at one of the rabbits.  They are just too cute for words.

 

Last is a side view.  The box is not huge which is good because it will allow you to add a few fun items and treats but you will not over do it.  I always add a cotton ball for the tail.  I think it makes the whole bunny complete.

As I said it is a short blog but the house with all its dust will wait no more to be cleaned!!  I sound a little too happy about that.  Oh well.  Thanks for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow.

Hopping into March!!!

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday.  I am amazed at how fast the year is going so far.  I also thought Easter was in April this year so imagine my surprise when I realized it is actually March 31.  I prefer holidays that always fall on the same date.  It is so much easier for me to keep track of and to plan for decorating and all kinds of activities.  Oh well.  No one asked me how the calendar should be so I guess I will just have to look every year.  Anyway, I realized I have not spent any time at all on Easter cards.  So I decided to sit down and make one to share with you today. 

 

Now I will admit this is probably not my best bunny ever but she is cute.  I started with a base card of Baja Breeze cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  Next I cut a layer of Pink Pirouette at 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran this through my big shot using the Framed Tulip impression folder.  I attached it to the base card using runner adhesive.  It is a simple back drop for the card but works well.

 

I punched out 3 full hearts to use as balloons.  Of course you cannot really see the strings because my bunny hides them.  Two of the balloons are punched from designer series paper I bought at the local craft store.  The third on is punched out of Wisteria Wonder.  Before punching it out, I stamped my greeting onto it used a stamp set called Well Scripted.  This is a retired set but I love the lettering.  I stamped it by first inking it with VersaMark ink and then with Wisteria Wonder.  After it was stamped, I sprinkled clear embossing powder onto it and heat embossed it.  This way the greeting stands out more.   They are attached with dimensionals.

 

I had this small open area on the card front that looked a little funny so I decided to make a flower bouquet to fill it in.  I did this by first punching out green leaves from Garden Green card stock using my 2 step bird punch.  I punched 4 of the leaves and attached them to the card using my 2 way glue pen.  Next I used the scallop flower punch from the itty bitty punch pack.  I punched 5 of these out of Elegant Eggplant.  I attached these to the leaves using the liquid glue and added a small pearl to the center of each one. 

 

Finally we get to the star of out card - the bunny!!! I chose to make a white bunny by using Whisper White card stock.  I used Pretty in Pink card stock for the pink highlights and Basic Black for the eyes.  The dress is a piece of designer paper I happen to have in my stash.  The bow is made from Melon Mambo.  Now here is a list of punches to use for her:

Outer Ears - large oval punch

Inner Ears - Retired small oval punch; I brushed the edges with Pretty in Pink ink

Bow - small heart from the Retired heart to heart punch and the scallop flower from the itty bitty punch pack

Head - ornament punch

Eyes - wings from the 2 step bird punch; I brushed the edges of them with Bashful Blue ink 

Black of eyes - medium circle from the owl builder punch

Nose - circle from the itty bitty punch pack

Tongue - 1/4" circle

Cheeks - current small oval punch

Body -  owl builder punch; trim ears and feet off of the owl

Arms/Feet - small oval punch (current one); trim down for the arms and flatten one side for feet

Dress - 1 1/4" scallop circle trimmed 

For finishing touches, I added pearls to the bow and white gel pen to the eyes and nose.  I drew on whiskers and toes with a fine tip black marker.  I put a piece of white ribbon across the bottom of the dress and added dazzling details glitter glue to the dress as buttons.

I am pretty sure I have covered everything but if I left something out let me know.  I am glad you stopped by today.  I hope you come back by tomorrow to see what I have next.  Thanks again and see you all soon.

Another Easter Iris Fold

Hi everyone.  It's wonderful Wednesday!  I hope your week is going well so far.  I have a fairly busy day today and tomorrow.  I am attending a meeting for my husband's charity this morning and have a couple of errands to run after that.  Tomorrow I am going to spend the day with my aunt.  I am really looking forward to seeing her.  We always have a lot of fun together.

Today I am going to share another Iris Fold technique card with you.  This one is also themed for Easter and is one of my favorites.  Let's get started.

 

Much of how I made this card is the same as yesterday so I will try not to bore you with the details.  I started with a 7" x 10" card , scored at 5" out of Whisper White card stock.  I added a 4 3/4" x 6 3/4" layer of designer paper I bought at a local craft store to this using my runner adhesive.  The final layer is another white piece cut to be 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  This piece is what the Iris Fold would be done on and then added to the base card when complete.

 

This pattern is one of an Easter basket.  Now the handle of the basket is just a scrap of dsp and the eggs were cut out free hand.  The only part that is actually folded is the basket.  I started by placing the pattern onto my light box and tracing it onto the white card stock using a pencil.  I cut this out on my self healing mat using my craft knife.  I found 3 coordinating pieces of dsp to use for this particular pattern.  Once the basket was completed, I attached the handle and eggs to the top, carefully trimming off any excess.  Once the basket was completed I was ready to prepare it to attach to the card.

 

This time I added cut little butterfly brads to the corners of the folded design.  I used sticky strip on the back of the design and added a glue dot on top of the back of each brad.  This was then attached to the base card and was ready to send to someone special.

I know this seems like a quick post but I still have more tax stuff to go through.  Right now I am looking forward to Friday when I can have a day to myself and get some rest!!

I do hope you will stop by tomorrow to see what I have for you.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you tomorrow!

Revisiting the Iris Fold Technique

Hello to all and happy Tuesday!!!  I hope your week is off to a great start.  I have to spend part of this week getting all of our tax stuff gathered so we can go visit the accountant.  Not looking forward to that.  I guess we all have to do taxes though don't we?

Knowing I have such a task ahead of me, I decided to do a little organizing in my craft room today.  I happen to come across a couple of cards that I made for Easter.  I am not sure if I have posted these before so forgive me if I have.  I just thought they were cute and deserved to be seen again (or for the first time if I have not posted them priorly).  One will be shown today and the other one I will share tomorrow.  They both use the iris fold technique to make them and I knew I had not shared a card made this way in a while.  Anyway, let me show you the first one and we will get started!

 

I had to make this card larger than normal to provide room for the bunny.  It does fit on the regular size I make but it is edge to edge.  I started with a base card of Whisper White card stock cut at 7" x 10", scored at 5".  I added a piece of designer paper I bought at a local craft store that was cut to be 4 3/4" x 6 3/4" with runner adhesive.  The final layer for the front is the Whisper White that the bunny is created on.  It measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  

 

To create the bunny you need your piece of white card stock, a pattern, a craft knife and several designer papers that coordinate together well.  A light box is helpful too if you have it.  I use one all the time.  I place the pattern on the box and place the white card stock over it.  Using a pencil, I trace the image onto the white.  Once completed, I place the white card stock on a self healing mat and use my craft knife to cut the image (bunny) out.  You can set the cut out bunny aside and use it later but all you need for this is the negative piece.  Then you follow the pattern of layering that is on your bunny pattern to do the fold.  I search for iris fold patterns on the internet all the time and that is where I have found most of mine.  Once the pattern is complete I try to make sure the paper is covered with tape so the pieces do not fall off or slip.  I use sticky strip to attach the finished bunny to the card after the brads are on the corners.

 

I had to show you a close up of the brads I used.  They are little bunny heads.  Aren't they cute?!!!!  I bought these at a convention years ago and love them.  They do not attach the bunny to the dsp but are really just for decoration.  Even thought I use sticky strip to attach the bunny piece, I also put a glue dot over the back of each brad for more security.

That's it for today.  I am so glad you stopped by.  Please come back tomorrow to see my other cute Easter card.  Until they, thanks for dropping in and have a wonderful rest of your day!!!!

Jumping Holidays

Happy Monday to you all.  Last week, I tried to share lots of Valentine cards as that holiday will be here before we know it.  However, when I sat down to craft this weekend, I found myself skipping a few months down the road to Easter.  I know.  I have totally missed St. Patrick's Day but I promise I will make something for it too.  Anyway, I just could not help myself and want to share with you the card I made.

 

I started with a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Daffodil Delight and scored it at 4 1/4".  I used a retired stamp set called Easter Blossom and stamped the flowers across the bottom of the Daffodil.  I did this with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I added a layer of Whisper White to this.  I cut it to be 4" x 5 1/2".  I will go over the details done to the white in just a few minutes.

 

The cross I chose to use is from a stamp set I bought at a stamp convention a few years ago.  I stamped it using Garden Green ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I then used my Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight markers to color in the stems and center of the lilies.  Using my scissors, I carefully cut out the cross to place on my card.  With my 2 way glue pen, I added glue to the petals of the lilies and added Dazzling Diamond glitter to them.  The cross is attached to the card using dimensionals.  

 

Prior to attaching the white to the daffodil, I ran it through my big shot using the adorning accents edgelits to cut the edge that you see here.  Next I used the essentials paper piercing pack to pierce the matching design right above the scallops.  Using the Garden Green ink, I stamped the greeting onto the card with another stamp from the retired Easter Blossoms stamp set.  I then sponged the edges with Daffodil Delight ink and attached it to the card with runner adhesive.

 

To complete the background of my card, I stamped the little butterfly which is from the set I bought at the convention.  I randomly stamped it around the cross with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder.  

I wanted to keep the card fairly simple and make the cross the focal point.  I think I achieved that.  Overall, I am happy with the look of it.  Next time I might use an impression folder on the white also but we will have to see.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back tomorrow.  I look forward to seeing you then!!

An Egg-stra Special Card

I am hoping I do not miss any days of posting this week but I will tell you we have been having problems with our internet connection.  One minute it works and the next it doesn't.  Our internet company see no history of broken service so it seems it may be our router.  We have reset it and so far so good.  But who knows what will happen next.  I am so technologically challenged that I am glad my husband is here to help with this one. 

Today I wanted to work with the Iris Fold technique.  It is a paper folding technique and the results are beautiful I think.  So let me share the card I made with you today. 

 

Isn't this a neat looking Easter egg?  I chose to use Lucky Limeade as my base card color.  It is cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I then took a piece of Basic Black and cut it at 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  The Whisper White I used for the egg is cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  Now before you can start adding layers to the base card, you must make the egg.  So let me show you a close up of it and tell you a little about how to make it.  

 

I took a pattern I had found on the internet of the egg and placed it on my light box so I could trace it onto the Whisper White.  Using a craft knife, I carefully cut out the shape from the white.  I set the cut out egg aside and was ready to start my folding.  On my pattern, it told me I would need 4 colors of paper and the pattern is numbered so you know where to place each color.  I always leave my cut out piece on top of the pattern so that it shows through.  This allows me to see where to place each color.  I used some leftover DSP I had from a long time ago.  I like using DSP (designer series paper) because it is coordinated to work well together.  The center of the egg is actually left open but I like to put a piece of dsp over the hole to make it all closed.  The gem in the center of it is something I picked up at my local craft store.  I adhered it on using a glue dot.  I applied glue dots all over the back of the egg to adhere it to the piece of black card stock.  I took out 3 of my pastel colored Stickles glitter glues and added dots all around the egg.  

 

Using my paper piercer, I poked a hole in each corner of the egg/black card stock so I could  use brads.  I added a bunny and a butterfly to both the top and bottom of my egg.  Once these were in place, I put a glue dot on the back in each corner and runner adhesive all over the black card stock.  I then attached it to the Lucky Limeade card stock.  

I did not get a picture of the inside of the card but I want to tell you my plan for it.  I will take the egg shape I cut out to do the Iris Fold and will stamp an Easter greeting onto it.  I will add dots of the same glitter glues to decorate it so it coordinates with card front.  

I seem to feel a little scattered today so if you have any questions about this card please feel free to ask.  I would be happy to answer them.  I hope you will come back by tomorrow to see if my internet is still working and if I come up with a card to share.  Thank you so much for dropping by today.

 

 

It's Easter Time!

Hey everyone.  Happy Monday.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I want to thank all of you who attended my punch class and/or crop this past Saturday.  We had a lot of fun and made some really neat things.  I taught 4 spring critters - a bunny, a duck, a dragonfly, and a butterfly.  Everyone seems to enjoy learning how to make them.  As always, my mind goes a mile a minute as I am teaching and I seem to always get inspired to make another card.  So the one I am going to share with you today is one I thought of as my students were making one of the critters.  It involved using the owl builder punch.  This card just popped into my head as I was looking at the punch.  Ready to start?

 

I started by using Daffodil Delight card stock to make my base card.  It is cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then took a piece of  Whisper White card stock and cut it to be 4" x 5 1/4".  Using my pastels (chalks) I created a sky background.  Then I grabbed a scrap piece of Wild Wasabi card stock and tore pieces off.  I attached them to the sky background using runner adhesive.  I then attached the white to the daffodil using the same adhesive.  Using a glue pen, I added glue to the edges of the "grass" and sprinkled them with Dazzling Diamond glitter.  I love the sparkle.  I turned to my handy Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set for the greeting on this one.  I stamped it using Melon Mambo ink onto white card stock and punched it out using the retired small oval punch.  I then punched a large oval out of Basic Black card stock and layered the white onto it with adhesive.  Finally, I used a scrap of Melon Mambo card stock and punched a scallop oval to make the bottom layer of the greeting.  Once it was finished, I took some pink rhinestones I had and added one to each side of the greeting.   It is attached to the card using dimensionals.  Now let's see how the animals are made.

 

Here is my cute little chick.  The body, eyes, and beak come from the owl builder punch.  I used Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock for this little guy.  To make his hair, I turned to the Boho Blossom punch and used the 6 petal flower from it.  Only 3 of the petals stick up for you to see.  For the wings, I punched a 1 3/4" scallop circle and cut it in half.  I then cut the half in half again and trimmed off the scallop piece I cut in half to do this.  Add a piece to each side and there you have him.  I added some white gel pen to highlight his various features and give him a little character.  I attached him to the card using dimensionals.

 

For the bunny, I used the owl builder punch once again for the body and eyes.  I then punched the nose using the circle from the itty bitty punch pack.  His ears are made using petals from the blossom petals builder punch.  I used  Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock for his color scheme.  I added white gel pen to highlight his features and drew on whiskers using a fine tip black marker.  You could also draw a mouth on this guy if you would like to.  He is also attached to the card with dimensionals. 

 

I wanted to add an Easter Basket to this card so I decided to start by punching a white tag using the  large tag punch (it use to be called the small tag in past catalogs).  I cut the tag in half so my basket would look like a basket and ran it through the big shot using the square lattice impression folder.  I then punched a small oval using the retired small oval punch.  I took the  large oval punch and punched it around the hole of the small on creating the handle for the basket.  Now my basket would not be complete without some eggs so I had to make some.  I started with a strip of silver glimmer card stock.  I took my Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Marina Mist, and Wild Wasabi ink pads and using my sponges I colored the silver card stock.  Next, I turned it upside down and drew freehand my eggs (that's why they all look different).  Once drawn, I cut them apart and attached the basket and eggs to the card using a liquid glue.  I love love love the sparkle on this card.

Well, that's all I have for today.  I hope you are inspired to make a card of your own with lots of sparkle.  I will be back tomorrow with another card to share.  Until then, thanks for dropping by today!

 

Egg Pick-up

It's is once again fabulous Friday.  This week has just flown by.  I was pretty busy with a few appointments, errands and taking care of ill family.  Still it just seemed to go by so fast.  Maybe that is just a side effect of getting older.  Who knows.  It is just nice when things seem to slow down and you feel you have more time to enjoy them.

For today's share, I decided to do one of my favorite things - work with glitter!!  I love that sparkle you see when something is all glittered and shiny!  In choosing my topic for my card I decided to go with an Easter theme today.  So let's get started.

 

As you can see, I chose to use lots of pastels on this card.  I personally always associate these colors with Easter so they were a natural selection for me.  I started with a base card of Bashful Blue card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I used my Sprinkles stamp set to stamp small flowers onto the outer edges of the Bashful Blue using VersaMark ink.  I then sprinkled clear embossing powder onto the flowers and heat embossed them.   Next, I pulled out scrap pieces of Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White.  Using my big shot and the new Framelits Labels Collection from the Occasions Mini Catalog, I decided on the order of my colors and cut the labels to suit my needs.  I love these framelits.  They make decorating a lot of fun.  I wanted to add a little texture to each layer so I once again turned to the big shot for help.  The Pretty in Pink was run through the big shot using an impression folder called Plaid.  For the So Saffron, I ran it through using the impression folder called Houndstooth.  My Certainly Celery piece was also put through the big shot but instead of using an impression folder I used a texture plate called Harlequin.  These work very similarly to the impression folder.  For the Whisper White, I used my pastels to chalk a sky.  You cannot really see it in this picture but I promise it is there.  The layers were each sprayed using the Color Spritzer Tool and coordinating markers (again it is hard to see).  I adhered each layer to each other as well as to the base card using glue dots. 

 

When it came to the greeting, I used a stamp from the Loads of Love Accessories Stamp Set.  I stamped it using StazOn ink onto Whisper White and punched it out using the 1" square punch.  I then edged it using Perfect Plum ink.  Next I took a piece of scrap Perfect Plum card stock and punched it using the Postage Stamp punch.  I layered the two together and adhered it using dimensionals. 

 

For the center piece of the card, I used the Loads of Love stamp set for the truck and the Loads of Love Accessories stamp set for the eggs.  I stamped these on acetate using StazOn ink.  I first stamped the truck and then added the eggs using my stamp-a-ma-jig as a guide.  Next comes the glitter.  This is a stain glass truck so it was colored in the same manner as any other stain glass creation.  I started with my lighter glitter colors and worked towards the dark ones.  I added glue to the area I wanted a color in and then added the glitter.  Let it sit for a minute then you can add glue to the next area for your next color.  Continue this pattern until your image is completely glittered.  Let it dry completely.  I tend to leave mine to dry over night.  You do not want any part of it wet when you attach it.  I then used my small paper snips to cut the truck out.  You adhere it, glitter side down, using glue dots.  Just be patient.  I know it takes time to make these but the finished product is just gorgeous.  

I certainly hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I am looking forward to one with everyone well.  I will be back on Monday with another card to share with you.  Be sure to stop and see what I come up with.  See you on Monday and thanks for stopping by today!!

Short Post Again

Happy Monday everyone!  I am going to do an extremely short post today as I have a doctor's appointment to get to.  My doctor is one of those where I am always early and he usually runs late.  So it leaves me with little time to blog.

Today's card used a set I used on this one was one of my favorite sets out in the Occasions Mini last year.  It is called Easter Blossoms.  There were so many stamps in this set I loved I knew I just had to have it. 

 

My base card for this one is Pretty in Pink card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  .  I then added a layer of Crumb Cake on top of that cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  For the final layer, I cut a piece of Perfect Plum at 3 3/4" x 5".  I added all stamps before I attached it to the card.  For the little girl, I stamped her with VersaMark ink  on the plum and then heat embossed her with white embossing powder.  I did add a rhinestone to her bow.  I used the blossoming branch stamp for the background for this.  I stamped the image on with VersaMark ink and let it dry.  You want to make sure you do the girl first since she will be heat embossed and the branches will not.  If you stamp the branches first, you run the risk of embossing powder sticking to them too.  I added white gel pen to a few of the flowers for visual effect.  Then I edged the plum piece with plum ink and adhered it to the other layers.  

I wish I had more photos to show you.  I had taken this one and loaded it on my computer.   I usually take a few more before I blog but since my husband has the camera today I am out of luck!!   

I will be back tomorrow with a longer blog that has more than 1 picture.  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  See you tomorrow and thanks for dropping in today!!

Bouncing Bunny

I want to start today's blog a little different.  I received a comment on one of my posts the other day from a fellow card maker who asked that I mention her blog and name when I use an idea of hers on one of my cards.  I really do try to keep a record of ideas, the blog where I see it, and the name of the person who made it as best as I can.  If I ever do post something you know you have made please feel free to tell me.  I will say that I visit a lot of blogs every day and do not track every idea I see.  I only track ones I definitely plan to revisit or possibly use.    In this case, I did not write the information down so when I sat to design a card, this little picture of the focus animal on the card popped into my mind.  I could not remember where or when I has seen it so I could not reference the designer.  I really would have referenced the other designer if I had remembered as I feel it is very important to give credit to others for their hard work.  So thank you for reaching out and letting me know.  In the future I will try to be more diligent in referencing others blogs.  I am not perfect but I will give it my best effort.

That being said, I do want to start today by letting you know I saw a similar design to the bunny on my card at another card maker's blog.  Her name is Juliana (there was no last name listed that I saw) and you can see her bunny here if you would like to see her design.  I changed the color of the bunny and the way the ears were on the rabbit.  I also changed my background.  Only the basic idea of the rabbit was cased.  Now that I have taken care of that (I did not want to forget today : ) ) let me show you my card.

 

The reason this bunny caught my eye is I love how he looks like he is hopping down the hill.  I started with a Pink Pirouette base card cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I then added a layer of Basic Gray measuring 4" x 5 1/4" which I had run through the big shot using the Houndstooth impression folder.  Now you really cannot see the texture on this so it us up to you if you want to do this step.   Next I took a piece of Whisper White card stock cut at 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and using my pastels (chalks) I created the sky background on it.  I then took a scrap of Wild Wasabi card stock and tore strips of it to make the hill.  I added Dazzling Diamond glitter to the edges of the grass for added effect.  Next I used the scallop flower from the itty bitty punch pack and punched flowers in Perfect Plum, Rose Red, and So Saffron.  I scattered these around my hill and then added a dot of Stickles glitter glue to the center of each flower.  While this dried, I started building my bunny.

 

I will give you a run down of the punches I used to make him.  I chose the colors for this guy to be Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, and Basic Black.  The ears are comprised of 2 punches - the large oval punch and the retired small oval punch.  His body is a 1 3/4" circle punch.  For the head, I used the ornament punch.  I cut off the hook and rounded the tip for his chin.  The cheeks and tale are from the 3/4" punch.  I drew the whiskers on the cheeks with a fine tip black pen and added Dazzling Diamond glitter to the tail.  The nose and white of the eyes are from the 1/2" circle punch.  The black of the eyes is the circle from the itty bitty punch pack.  For his little feet, I punched a modern label and cut it in half.  I added white gel pen to the eyes, nose and ears for enhancement.  All in all he is pretty easy to make.  

 

Here is a closer look at the face and at the hills and flowers.  I just wanted to be sure you could really see all the details of the background.  

 

Last but not least is the greeting.  I used a stamp from the retired stamp set Well Scripted.  I stamped it in Pacific Point ink directly onto the card.  As I was looking at this, I decided a more appropriate title might be "hoppy Easter" so I took out my rhinestones, chose a pretty pink one, and covered up the "a" to make it an "o".  Hopefully that will come across to the recipient of the card.  I do apologize for the blurriness in the picture.  I took several shots but this was the best.  Apparently, I need to work on my photography skills!

We have once again reached the end of another week.  Take time this weekend and do something fun.  Spend time with family and friends if you have the chance.  I will be back on Monday with another card to share with you.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday!!

 

Splish Splash

I am working on several Easter cards right now hoping to teach a punch art class featuring these.  So I will have at least two more to share with you this week.  Hopefully I will be able to schedule a class in March.  It has been a while since I had one here and I am looking forward to doing it again. 

Today's card features a critter who would love to go Splish Splash.  This design actually came to me in the shower so I guess it really fits the title.  This is also a card that could be for Easter or just for a spring time card for a birthday or whatever.  So let's get started.

 

Now I hope you can recognize that this is a duck.  I could not help myself with this little guy.  He is just too cute to me.  My base card is Tangerine Tango card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".   The first layer on top of that is a Basic Black piece of card stock cut at 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".   Next I cut a piece of Whisper White at 4" x 5 1/4".  I used my pastels to chalk a sky with a gray chalk.  Using a scrap piece of Soft Suede and tore a couple of pieces to use as the ground.  I attached them using runner adhesive and then added dazzling diamond glitter to the edges.  For my puddles, I used a scrap of Pacific Point card stock and punched out 2 wide ovals.  I trimmed them to a shape I like, adhered them with runner adhesive and of course added some glitter.  To make my water drops, I turned to the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch.  When you punch out the flower, you get these perfect tear drop shaped pieces that work wonderfully for the drops of water.  I saved the flowers for another time.  These were made out of Pacific Point.  I used a liquid glue to adhere them and again turned to my glitter to embellish them.  

 

I turned to my handy big shot and my Billboard sizzlit decorative strip die.  I cut these out of Basic Black card stock, adhered them with liquid adhesive and then added black glitter to them.  Next time I would add the glitter to the letters first.  I feel it would have a much cleaner look.

 

Now for the duck.  I used Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Whisper White, and Pacific Point card stock on him.  His head and body are made using the ornament punch.  His hair is the small flower from the boho blossom punch.  His bill is a large oval punch and his eyes come from the owl builder punch.  I used the largest circles from it for the white and used the medium ones for the blue and black part of the eyes.  For the tail, I attached the medium heart from the heart to heart punch.  His wings are a 1 3/4" scallop circle punch cut in half.  For his little feet, I started by punching 1 3/4" scallop circles.  I then used a large oval punch and traced it to get the size foot I wanted.  I cut them out and added them to him.  I also cut an extra one to use as a template in the future.  White gel pen was used to highlight certain areas.

Well we have once again made it to Wednesday.  I wish all of you a wonderful day and thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you come back tomorrow.  See you then.

 

Some Bunny Is Coming!!

Woo hoo!!  We have made it to Wednesday.  When I was teaching elementary school I use to call it Wacky Wednesday.  It was the middle of the week and the kids were already looking forward to the weekend.  Well so was I.  It just seemed appropriate to act a little wacky and believe it or not, it was a good release of energy for them too.

None of that information has anything to do with our card for today.  I guess I am still wacky.  Anyway, my card for today is absolutely adorable if I do say so myself.  I but you know just from the title of this blog that this guy shows up every Easter.  Yes it is the Easter bunny or at least one of the ones I make.  Let's get started shall we.

 

Is he not one of the cutest bunnies you have ever seen?  But as always we need to begin at the beginning.  My base card for this one is Bashful Blue cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next came a layer of Basic Black measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8",  The top layer is a piece of Whisper White cut at 4" x 5 1/4" which I colored using my pastels to make a sky background.   To make the fence, I took a piece of Soft Suede card stock and stamped it with the Woodgrain stamp using Chocolate Chip ink.  I cut a strip measuring 3/4" x 4" for the rail across the card.  I used the jewel tag punch to make the posts of the fence.  I cut 2 for each post.  Place one near the bottom edge and the other just above it.  The rail will go over the 2 pieces where they meet so that area is covered up.  For the grass, I used the 2 step bird builder punch.  I punched the leaves of the branch only in Garden Green and layered them for my grass.  The greeting comes from a retired stamp set called Well Scripted.  It is stamped using Pacific Point ink and then punched out using the scallop oval punch.  I layered it on a wide oval of Pacific Point (use the wide oval punch).  

 

For my bunny, I used the following punches:  the retired small oval for the inner ear and feet; the large oval is for the outer ears; the ornament punch makes the bunny head; the small oval in the current catalog is used for the cheeks, arms, and egg; the owl builder punch makes the body (cut off ears and feet) and the black part of the eyes; the 2 step bird builder punch is used for the eyes (use the bird wing); the small circle from the itty bitty punch pack makes the nose; and finally, a 1/4" circle is used for the mouth.  The card stock used for the bunny is Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White and Very Vanilla.  I edged the chocolate pieces with Whisper White craft ink and edged the pink and vanilla of the bunny with Chocolate Chip ink.  The white eyes are edged with Tempting Turquoise ink.  You do not need to edge the egg oval unless you want to.

 

For the egg, I used a retired stamp set called The Good Egg to get the design stamp from.  It is stamped using StazOn ink.  I colored the flowers in using my Stampin' Up! markers.  Once it was all colored, I put a layer of Crystal Effects on it.  Once it drys, it gives your egg a nice shiny look.  I hope you can see it in this shot.  

I am not sure what my card for tomorrow will be but I will have something.  I hope you liked today's bunny.  Please note that I used my fine tip black marker and my white gel pen to add highlights to them.  

Please come back tomorrow.  I do so appreciate you stopping by.  I will see you Thursday!!  Thanks for dropping by.

Here Comes the Easter Bunny

First and foremost, I wish all of you a glorious Good Friday.  I know for myself and my family, this is a day of reflection and of honoring Jesus for the sacrifice that was made to pave the way for all of us.  Be sure to spend time with your family and to be thankful for all you have.  I know I will.

With Easter just a few days away, I thought I would share with you the cute Bunny Boxes I made this year.

 

As you can see, I made 4 different ones: Basic Grey, Whisper White, Soft Suede and Basic Black.  The Bunny face and back were made using the Top Note Die for my Big Shot.  They are attached to a Bigz XL Fancy Favor box.  That is another die for the big shot for those who are not familiar with all the dies.  What is nice about this box is not only does the big shot cut out the box, it also scores all the lines which will need to be folded making assembly super easy.   Now onto the Bunny itself.

 

The ears and feet are the Wide Oval punch.  You need two for the ears.  Then punch 2 large ovals (1 3/4" x 7/8") out of Pretty in Pink for the inside of the ears.  I chose to make each rabbit have colored eyes.  These are made from the 1" circle punch.  The black of the eyes is a 3/4" circle punch.  The cheeks are 1 1/4" circles, dotted using a black fine tip marker.  Now on the black one, I dotted the cheeks with the white gel pen.  The nose is the Small Heart punch in Melon Mambo.  I drew a little mouth on (see it just under the green from the carrot) with the black pen.  Again, use the white gel for the black bunny.  The "hands" were made using a scallop circle, then using the 1" circle punch to punch out 3 scallops to for hands.  1 scallop circle will do both hands.  On his little feet, I used the 3/4" circle punch and 3 circles from the itty bitty punch pack to make the toes.  The carrot is a small oval   (1 3/8" x 5/8") in Pumpkin Pie.  I drew the rings on using the Pumpkin Pie marker.  The leaves are from the Snowflake punch.  One snowflake in Garden Green can be cut in half to make leaves for 2 carrots.   Of course there is one more things this little guy needs:

 

That's right - a cotton tail.  Pretty simple to make.  They go together quickly.  You may find it hard to believe, but these are actually for my girls and their beaus.  Even though the ages range from 19 - 24, who would not want to get a bunny filled with goodies.  Oh well, I like them.  

I want to wish all of you an Easter full of God's grace and blessings.  Remember to let go of the past and always look to God for the future.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will be back Monday.  HAPPY EASTER!

Lattice Cross

As I was looking through my favorite blogs the other day, I happened upon a card that I thought was fabulous.  It was made by Dawn Olchefske.  She used the lattice die for the big shot and made a cross out of it.  I was amazed.  That meant I had to try it. 

 

What amazed me the most was how simple it was.  After you cut out the lattice you turn it so it looks like a diamond shape facing you.  You find the cross in it (very easy to see), and you trim off the excess pieces you will not need.  Simple but elegant and perfect for Easter.  I also use crosses on sympathy cards so it was nice to learn a new technique to create one.  I chose to make this one for Easter and created several, all being different colors.  Let me show you.

The background on each was made with my handy big shot.  I used several impression folders so that each color had its own background.  I used colors that pair together well.  In fact my Color Coach helped me since on the back of each color card it shows a Dynamic Duo.  It made it so easy for me to pair the colors.

For the inside, I used a saying from a retired stamp set called Abundant Hope.  I wanted it to be simple so not much else was added.

There you have it.  These are simple and quick to make.  I will be uploading these into my online store today.  Be sure to drop by there and take a look around.  Thanks for dropping in.

Owl Bunnies?

Okay it is official -- I love the two step owl punch!!  I just cannot stop using it.  It seems lots of demonstrators feel the same way.  The card I am sharing with you today is one I made for Easter.  I sat down to make a cute bunny to incorporate on the card and for some odd reason, I gravitated to the owl punch again.  I know I have seen several cards made using this punch.  These little owl get dressed up for all kinds of occasions.  So here are my Easter bunny owls:

 

Are they not the cutest things?  I believe it was Kay Sha who put owls similar to this on her blog.  I bet that is where I remembered them from.  They are easy to make and fun to look at.  I used the two step owl punch and the blossom petals punch to create the owls and their rabbit ears.  The basket is half of the small tag punch.  The handle is a large oval punch around the hole of a small oval punch.  The pattern on the basket is from an impression folder made by Cuttlebug called Argyle.  Of course another great option would be to use the Square Lattice punch from Stampin' Up!.  I have used it before to make baskets and they look beautiful.  Notice I jazzed these up with glitter.  You should know by now I always like to use glitter on cards.  The grass is from the scallop oval punch.  I punched 2 of them and cut them in half lengthwise making one side wider than the other.   They are layered on top of each other across the card .  The sky behind them was done with Stampin' Pastels.  I love using these to make sky scenes.  I made my own template for the little eggs in the basket.  Then I used designer series paper and traced the egg template and cut them out.  

That's it for today.  I seem to have a cold and am going to lay down.  Thanks for stopping by.  See you tomorrow.

Little Easter Chicken

Happy Monday!!  And Happy Anniversary to me and my hubby.  I will share the card I made him tomorrow!!

Here is another cute Easter card that is perfect for all those boys and girls to receive. He is much easier to make than the bunny from yesterday and just as cute. There are not as many parts to him so he goes together really fast.

I have to admit I saw this little chick on another demonstrators blog though I cannot remember whose it was. Please forgive me if it was yours. Drop me an email and I would be happy to give you credit for this guy.

I used Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, and Pear Pizzazz cardstock to make this little guy. Of course as always there is a little Basic Black use as well as Whisper White too.

The background is embossed using an embossing folder (not a Stampin' Up! one) with my Big Shot machine. I always like to have some type of background on my cards. This one reminded me of Easter egg decorating. Weird, huh!! Oh well. No one ever said I had to be logical in order to be creative.

Now lets talk about the chick himself. His body is made from a Big Shot die called Top Note. This is a Stampin' Up! exclusive die. You would not believe how many times I have used this die. It is wonderful. Back to the chick. The rest of his body pieces come from punches. His arms are a scallop circle cut in half. His eyelids and whites of the eyes are from a 1" circle punch. You only need one circle for the eyelids cut in half. The pupils of his eyes are a 1/2" circle. I added a little white gel pen to enhance the look. His feet were made using the scallop circle punch. Punch one scallop circle out. Then use the 1" circle punch and punch out the feet from it. I did both from one scallop. His beak is from the 5-Petal Flower punch. It is just one of the petals trimmed off. His "feathers" are also made from the 5-Petal Flower punch. I simply positioned my the flower behind his head at an angle I was happy with. It Easter egg comes from the stamp set A Good Egg. I stamped the egg, then stamped the circle, which is included with the set, onto my egg. I cut it out and colored it in. Pretty simple wouldn't you say?

I hope some of my ideas are inspiring you. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to explain in more detail or include pictures to show aa step if you need it. Thank you so much for dropping in today!!