Wedding Card and Wedding Card Box

I love weddings. I love the happiness and the memories that are etched on our minds by weddings. I think they should always be an occasion where I take special care to do something really nice. So I was very happy to make something special for my friends who were married on the weekend.

My friends had a Wishing Well instead of a present table, so I really wanted my card to be special. Here's the card I made for them using all kinds of Stampin' Up! products, both new and retired. It is a gate fold card:

I made the Bride's dress with the Dress Up (130101) thinlit and added to her dress length by cutting a few more dress bottoms out and layering them. I hand drew and cut the groom's outfit. His button rose is a teeny tiny spiral rose I made with the smallest scalloped circle punch. The larger roses are of course made with the Spiral Rose die (129379) (available TOMORROW!) I used an Expressions thinlit (132171) (retiring TOMORROW!) for the word, and nestled a Frosted Finishes embellishment (132150) (also retiring TOMORROW!!) in amongst the roses. That's white organza ribbon (114319) and the embossing folder used on the dress is retired. The one I used on the background is the Pretty Print Textured Impressions one (132175) (retiring TOMORROW!) I used retired SU stamp and other manufacturer stamped greetings on the inside, and made the little scalloped money envelope with a retired Big Shot die. I hand cut the hearts.I finished off the card by adding some pearls to the dress, the flowers, even to the groom's buttonhole. And I used some silver shimmer paint to highlight and edge the bride's dress.

The spiral roses made the card TALL. I also used nearly a whole A4 sheet of Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock to make the card, so it was tall too.

That meant I needed a card box, not a card envelope. So I made one:

The silver is actually roof flashing bought at a hardware store, then put through my Big Shot with a retired embossing folder. I carefully blunted the edges before mounting it to the top of the box. I used similar products to decorate the top - the Spiral Rose die, white organza ribbon, pearls...but I added their surname by cutting out individual letters with my Big Shot using a retired set of alphabet dies.

Did I say I had fun?

I had fun.

I think the bride and groom liked it when they opened it, too.

Congratulations again, Mr and Mrs Newlyweds!

The Spiral Rose Die is Coming!

I love that I can pre-order new goodies from Stampin' Up! because I am a demonstrator :) That's just one of the perks of becoming a demo. I pre-ordered the new Spiral Rose die that is going to be generally available from January 28th and have been playing with it a lot! First I made some cardstock and designer series paper roses, but I gave them away almost immediately. So then I made a felt rose broach, a cardstock rose and I made some clay air dried roses just to see how they all compared with each other size-wise. The felt version is the largest because felt is fatter than cardstock:

Pretty, hey!

Then I wanted to see how they would look on a standard sized card, so I lay them on this card blank:

I think they are going to feature on lots of my projects! I can also imagine them on box lids, presents and home decor projects. I can just make them in any colour or quantity I want now :)

There are a few hints and tips for making them and Stampin' Up! has a little video showing a few of these:

In the meantime, I have been wearing my little felt rose pin. I hand cut the rose leaf out of felt too:

I loooove my new die.

PS: You can order a Spiral Rose die for you from Jan 28th. Just use product code 129379.

A Watery Card

Today I am going to share a watery card with you. It is doubling as a masculine birthday card as well. You see, my son-in-law and husband and sons and some of my friends all think fish are wonderful. Some fish just for the pleasure of fishing, some want to catch their dinner and have fresh fish, others like to set up and keep fish in aquariums. So the By The Tide stamp set has been getting a great workout in my craft room these past few months!

I remembered that I had read a tutorial about how to make a water card with a small plastic bag and some clear hair gel, so decided to give it a go. Here is the result:

 

I used the retired cardstock Baja Breeze but also current cardstocks and inks - Bermuda Bay and Midnight Muse and Whisper White. I heat embossed  my fish in Midnight Muse then sponged him in Bermuda Bay and So Saffron, and added some silver gel pen highlights.

The background is from one of our designer series paper stacks in Island Indigo, stamped over with Bermuda Bay ink to show the coral.

I added some stamped images in Bermuda Bay and Midnight Muse for the card front too. The porthole is made with two of Stampin' Up's! circle dies, and the studs are more silver gel pen dots.

I mounted my fish on top of another stamped image of the same fish.

The plastic bag has hair gel in it but also some blue and green chunky glitter.

I sure hope he adds pleasure to your birthday, Luke!

Happy New Year!

Where did last year go? Now we are already into the first part of 2014. Did you make any crafty New year's resolutions? I did. This year I am going to plan to make something for Christmas 2014 each month. Then I will be much more prepared to just cruise through the month of December without as much stress happening.

This week I made a card for a male friend who is spending lots of time in the hospital. The new seasonal colours are in the purple/orchid shades, so I decided to challenge myself to make a male card using just shades of purple with silver accents. I started with a Wisteria Wonder card base, then layered on Elegant Eggplant and Perfect Plum. I stamped my images form the By the Tide stamp set in Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant then  stamped a separate fish in Versamark and heat embossed it with silver embossing powder before cutting it out. I popped this main image up and added some retired twine, then popped up the entire main image layer on the card. I finished off with some dots made with the White Gel pen.

The inside is lined with ordinary printer paper and i wrote my message with an Elegant Eggplant Stampin' Write marker.

 

What do you think? Is it 'male' enough? I hope it cheers my friend up and helps him know that his friends miss him. Get well soon, Pete!

Supply List:

 

By the Tide stamp set 131910 (wood) 129120 (clear)

Elegant Eggplant cardstock 108614

Perfect Plum cardstock 108615

Wisteria Wonder cardstock 124389

White gel pen  105021

Wisteria Wonder inkpad 126985
Perfect Plum inkpad 126963
Elegant Eggplant inkpad 126969
Versamark inkpad 102283
Silver embossing powder 109131

Curled Paper Wreath

I just love my new curled paper wreath. I followed Lyn Webb's instructions for how to make one and enjoyed a social night with her and some friends as well, while making it. Don't you just love that about Stampin' Up! and paper crafting? You get to make new friends who have similar interests and who 'get' your papercrafting hobby like no one else does! Lol!

Anyway, here is my wreath:

It really looks beautiful in real life because the silver glimmer paper in the snowflakes and the strips of it curled into the wreath really sparkle in the light.

I was imagining having a series of these for other special occasions too. If you decorate for Valentine's Day, make one with pinks and whites and hearts and flowers. If you decorate for Hallowe'en, make one from orange and black papers with bats and pumpkins. If you want one to just look gorgeous, choose papers and rosettes or other embellishments to suit your decor. Imagine the possibilities!

Oh, you want to know how to make one now, don't you. You can find the instructions and supplies I used for this project at PaperCraftCentral

You're welcome. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Lights Technique

We had such fun at our craft class this week! I had a few little projects and one card, plus a gift bag for my ladies to play with making. The technique we tried was the Christmas Lights technique showcased by Lydia. We really enjoyed trying it out! I made a little city scape card too to show how you can use the technique for different glowing light occasions. I'll show that when I take a picture. But in the meantime, here is one of the cards we made using a Christmas tree shape:

I used the cupcake wrapper from the cupcake punch to make a stand for the tree, and more white gel pen of course. The bow is made of Cherry Cobbler seam binding and the star at the top is one of the large rhinestones. The background stamp is the Love and Joy one from the current seasonal catalogue, and I used Wisteria Wonder and Perfect Plum cardstock.

Basically, you take a white gel pen and make your Christmas lights, then you use chalks and a cotton bud to add a coloured glow to each light. We set our chalks with a light misting of shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol.

We also made some of Vicki's Santa punch tags:

I love that you write in the beard part. Lol!

And we made some envelope punch board tags:

And finally we made some cute little table decoration lolly bags that looked like plum puddings!

Of course we had yummy food, lots of laughs and exchanged little gifts and cards amongst ourselves. It really is wonderful to have made such good friends through our mutual love of paper crafting.

This was the last crafty class of the year fro me, but I have a few more exciting projects I'm working on before the 25th! I'll be back when I have pictures of them. I hope your December crafting is going well!

Time for a Christmas tree pic or two

I got my tree up and decorated and just love the look of the new owl ornament I found this year :) I thought I would show it to you and see what you think:

Isn't she cute? I guess she is a she. I don't know how to tell with owl decorations (or real owls either, come to think of it! Lol!)

Christmas Card Craft Mode

Yes, I am into Christmas Card Craft Mode now. It is so close to the time I will need to send overseas cards. The last class I had here was about Christmas. Here's the Julie Gearinger inspired card we made:

The colours are Always Artichoke and Cajun Craze, with Ivory cardstock as a base for the main images. I used Crumb Cake for the background, using the letterign from the Open Sea stamp set. The Flowering Flourishes set is so pretty for the swirly bits. I used my new That's the Ticket stamp set for the sentiment (there is also a matching punch). We stamped and coloured the images, then masked them to add the background, added shadows to increase the look of depth for the swirly bits, then sponged around the edges in Crumb Cake and finally distressed and curled/split the corners. We added plain glitter glue to the circles, though some class members added rhinestones or pearls instead.

The sentiment is heat embossed in gold and the double bow is made from 7/8" Cotton Ribbon.

All products are available in the main Stampin' Up! catalogue or in the current mini catalogue.

We also made a little gift bag using the Christmas Star stamp. I'll show that to you later :)

Now I am off to the craft desk for more Christmas Card Craft!

A File Folder Card

 I realised tonight that I may not have shared one of the cards we made at Craft Class recently. I think I showed you the Merry file folder card though? I made this one the same day in case anyone had a birthday or other special event coming up, or in this case needing a thank you card.

Yes, the card is definitely made with the Envelope Punch Board that makes it so easy to make the file tabs on the card and its insert. I put a diagonal corner on the insert so I could add a gift card to it when I give it away.

I even made the matching envelope with the Envelope Punch Board!! Punches and Thinlits were of great use too :) I like to make this type of card a little bigger than usual so it is really nice to be able to make a pretty envelope that fits the card comfortably.

What craft project are you working on now? For me it is time to make my personal Christmas cards. I gave all the ones I made this year away to the Cards for Troops drive, so I need to get busy. I'm going to go to a craft retreat this weekend and that is what I plan to work on. I hope I get lots done. As I am going away with friends, there is lots of chatting to catch up on too! Lol!

If you want to know what specific supplies I used on this card, leave me a note and I will edit this post. You can always shop 24/7 at SusanSalutations.

Happy crafting!

Christmas Star

The single stamp The Christmas Star is really fun to play with. I love that you can stamp it flat, or can score its lines and make it 3d. You can even put it back to back with another stamped and folded star to make a 3d tag or ornament! I saw it made into an even bigger ornament by pairing it with the Rosette die.

Here's a card I made with the stamp as a 3d image with some glitter glue picking out the design. I put a rhinestone in the middle of the star:

That's the Winter Frost Designer Series paper stack in the background with the pretty silver ribbon under the star. Both are in the mini catalogue and available till the end of December. I used a retired sentiment stamp. The star is stamped in Island Indigo.

I've been crafting again today with the Christmas Stamp so will show you what I made after Craft Class on Tuesday :)

Meanwhile, I am also getting ready for a weekend Retreat next weekend. I want to make loads of Christmas Cards fro my friends and relatives. I can't wait!

Clowns

While I was away in the Motorhome, I had a few craft supplies with me. It just so happened that two little grandsons had their birthdays during that time. They are brothers and I wanted to make them similar cards to send so they could have an almost matching pair but still be able to tell whose was whose. I had oval and scallop punches, and started to play with those shapes. A couple of little clowns were soon grinning up at me, and they became the basis for my two cards!

 

I drew their faces with my Stampin' Write markers and added non Stampin' Up! glitter spots to their hats. The little bow ties were hand cut too, from designer series paper. The designer series paper is from a Christmas stack (shown in the new seasonal catalogue). I flipped the pieces of designer series paper so the two cards were even easier to tell apart. 

Happy birthdays, boys!

Shopping List:

Whisper White cardstock (106549)

Tangerine Tango cardstock (116204)

Winter Frost Designer Series Paper Stack (132183)

Large Oval Punch (119855)

7/8" Scallop Punch (129404)

Perfectly Penned Stamp Set (128703 - clear) (132726 - wood)

Island Indigo inkpad (126986)

Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246)

Circle Thinlit Card for a 60th!

I love the new Circle Thinlit dies from Stampin' Up! They make me think of all sorts of ways to make a greeting a bit special. My brother-in-law turned 60 this year and he is a fisherman from 'way back, so naturally his card had to have some fish on it. I also wanted to inject a little humour into the 'grim' situation! Did you know fish are pretty curious? Lol!

I stamped out some fish from the By the Tide stamp set and embossed them in gold. Then I fussy cut them out so I could make them pop and overhang an edge. I used some retired designer series paper, some Real Red cardstock and some linen thread. The words just came to me so I spelled them out in letter stickers (non Stampin' Up! ones). I used my Early Espresso Stampin' Write marker to add lines around the outer circle to make it look a bit like a coin? The inner circle was left blank to take my written message (see the fish tail peeking out above the circle? he he!)

The back of the card begged to be stamped (I used a Very Vanilla card base) so I obliged with some seahorses and coral in Soft Suede and Crumb Cake ink. I tied the twine together at the back and the front and fixed them in place with glue dots.

This card made me chuckle the whole time i was making it :) I hope you enjoyed it too! And yes, my brother-in-law actually said it was 'clever'. Success! Lol!

Shopping List:

Circle Thinlit Dies 133480
Very Vanilla cardstock 106550
Stampin' Dimensionals 104430
Real Red cardstock 106578
2 1/2' Circle Punch 120906
Linen Thread 104199
By the Tide stamp set 131910 (wood) and 129120 (clear)
Gold Embossing Powder 109129
Versamark Inkpad 102283
Soft Suede Inkpad 126978
Crumb Cake inkpad126975
Glue dots 103683
Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker  119680

Happy 25th Anniversary, Stampin' Up!

It's all about the number 25 this month as Stampin' Up! celebrates its 25th year. Today is the last day you can order selected stamp sets (25 of them) at 25% off the regular price! You have till midnight to place your order if you would like any of the selected stamp sets advertised on SusanSalutations. There are some lovely sets on the list, including some with matching punches or dies :)

Stippled Blossoms Thanks!

While I was up North visiting my daughter and new baby granddaughter (she is gorgeous, yes!) my sweet Mother asked me to make some Thank You cards fro her sister (who is, of course, my Aunt). I immediately thought of the Stippled Blossoms stamp set and some black embossing powder. I hadn't put those things in the Motorhome Craft Kit so had to wait till I got home to make this card.

I used Daffodil Delight ink to make the background flower stamps, Old Olive for the leaves and Night of Navy cardstock to layer it on. I spritzed with Night of Navy as well to add some shadow effects.

I'll show you my BIL's card next time. His celebration was tonight so I didn't want him seeing his card before he opened it first!

Have a great day :)

Engagement Card

I told you I was obsessing about the circle thinlit die, didn't I? well, I used similar materials with it again, to make an engagement card this week. I used the same idea about how to make images meet when the circle flips to make this card.

Aren't they little birdies the cutest?? They actually kiss!! I used clear embossing powder over the Rich Razzleberry cardstock to make them shimmer and have a little texture then added a little black pearl for each eye (non SU!). I just thumped my Versamark pad all over them then added the ep, and heat set it. There's an image from the Daydream Medallions behind the birdie on the left and behind the greeting of the front of the card (that sentiment is a retired stamp though). I used some Bashful Blue cardstock to make the leaves but it is a retired colour now. You could substitute Pool Party or Soft Sky cardstock though, right?

Wait till you see what I am making for my BIL's 60th birthday.There are no birds and hearts on THAT card.

I love it!

He he.

Enough evil laughter. Here's is your Shopping List of current products for this project:

Circle Thinlit Dies 133480
Rich Razzleberry cardstock 119981
Stampin' Dimensionals 104430
Elegant Eggplant cardstock 108614
2 1/2' Circle Punch 120906
Bird Builder Punch 117191
Daydream Medallion stamps 131976 (wood) and 126467 (clear)

Remember to shop at SusanSalutations :)

Thinlit Circle Cards

I am obsessing about the new Circle Thinlits from Stampin' Up! This last week, I made an engagement card, anniversary card, 60th birthday card and a cupcake birthday card with them. I love the new dies! There is also a Label Thinlit die. I don't have that yet. I might just have to get one next time I shop though ;)

I thought I would share the 20th anniversary card with you today. I used some retired designer series paper on this (from Valentine's Day - how appropriate for this special couple!) and I used MORE thinlits and coordinating stamps to make the hearts. I cut my own banner since I wanted to use a bigger stamp (sadly, retired!) but there is a banner that comes with the Circle Thinlits too. Here is the front of my card:

You can make images 'kiss' inside the card with the way it spins when you open it. I love that! I thought having two touching hearts would be sweet this time:

Isn't that cute?? I thought so :) I embossed the hearts in the centre and popped them up on Stampin' Dimensionals as well. See how you can also have an overhanging banner? It doesn't get in the way of the circle opening at all.

I finished off with a bow. I seem to do that a lot.

The lettering was written in white gel pen, by hand. I had juuuust enough room to write a personal note in the middle panel. So I did. When I passed it on to the lovely couple who got it, I mean.

I'll show you more later :)

Shopping List:
Circle Thinlit Dies 133480
Hearts a Flutter dies 130159  and stamp set 131922 (wood) or 129252 (cleR MOUNT)
Rich Razzleberry cardstock 119981
Stampin' Dimensionals 104430
Signo White gel pen 105021

Remember you can SHOP 24/7 with me at SusanSalutations :)

It's ending in 24 hours!!!

My Word! There's only one day left to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Australia for $25! Some of my lovely friends have already taken advantage of this gift of a chance to become a hobby or business demonstrator, so if you are also thinking about it, be quick. I would be sad for you to miss out if you were interested and missed the deadline by a hair!

By the way, I shall be posting some new crafty projects soon as well. I have been making some lovely cards and gifts lately and will share them with you soon, I promise! I was on a road trip for a month (I posted about some tips for crafting on the road at www.papercraftcentral.com) then had family visiting for a week, and now my husband is traveling, so it has been a little, well, out of the ordinary around here lately :)

Craft class is coming up on Tuesday though and I can't wait to play with new products and goodies with my friends. I'll keep the camera or tablet handy so I can share more easily after that!

In fact, I think it's time to go back to the craft desk now....

The Join Stampin' Up! for $25 started TODAY!

If you are thinking about all the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, now is the time to join.  For $25 you get everything you need to start your own business, AND free product

Help Stampin’ Up! celebrate 25 years with the $25 starter kit--get started today. Visit https://ida.stampinup.com/en-au/agreement to learn how.

You get $26.95 worth of any Stampin’ Up! product of your choice PLUS FREE business kit including 8 annual catalogues, 8 Holiday mini catalogues, order forms, getting started pack etc.That's more value than the cost of the Kit itself! Woo hoo!

Amazing special coming up! From October 7th for two weeks!!

Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator but the cost of the regular (though well worth it!) kit stopped you? Do you already HAVE a lot of Stampin' Up! goodies so becoming a demo is the next logical step (think of the discounts you'll get as a demo!) Interested in starting your own crafty home business? THIS is the month to do it!

Starting on October 7th, you can sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and join my group for only $25!

Yes, you read that right. You pay just $25 for a LIMITED TIME.

When you click on the image you can read more about it and get ready for October 7th. You'll also see a way to earn extra Hostess dollars or why not shout yourself a limited edition 'best of' stamp set? You can read all about it by clicking the picture:

 Happy crafting!

The New Seasonal Catalogue is Here!

Today is the day Stampin' Up! released its new seasonal catalogue! It is chock full of lovely stamps and supplies, including Christmas stamps, paper and embellishments. Just take a look at some of the wonderful banner kits and card kits! As usual, I want ALL of it. Lol! Stampin' Up! knows how to create beautiful yumminess to craft with. Take a look for yourself at what's new at SusanSalutations.