Doing the math!

I love the way those 3-D stars look.  I have a few mounted around my craft room, made of various leftover pieces of Designer Paper.  They're fun to fold.  They look great in pretty well every size.  I learned to make the stars using the folding method, almost like an origami fold that one has to cut in the end for the star to materialize.  That seems to be the most-used method.

And then I decided that I wanted to make a star out of the Glimmer paper.  Now, anyone who has handled the Glimmer paper knows that it is rough and actually feels almost exactly like very, very coarse sandpaper. Could you do one of those origami folded stars using very, very coarse sandpaper?   Trust me, it's next to impossible without having it crack on some of the folds.  Yes, I tried it simply because it was a cheaper trial run than using Glimmer paper.

So, back to my elementary math.  A circle has 360 degrees.  The star that I wanted to make has five points. It follows that I would therefore have to have five segments, each measuring 72 degrees, right?  Trust me, I've done the math--it's right.

So, I'm going to lead you through the whole step-by-step calculation with pictures accompanying the steps and then I'm going to upload a template.  If you print out the template, you can vary the sizes and your star will always be totally aligned and even, unlike the folded type.

I began with a 4" x 4" square of paper since my protractor is 4" and so I needed the room to make my marks for the lines.  Step two was lightly drawing a diagonal line from one corner to the other and then repeating this with the other corners, like so:

This gives me a centre where they intersect.  So, using my protractor, I lined the centre up to the intersecting lines.  It doesn't matter which line you choose to do this from.  The one you choose will be the first line of your star.  From that, measure 72 degrees and make a mark.  Draw a line from the centre to the mark.  This is line two of your star.  Keep doing this until you have five lines.  In the picture below, it is only the dark lines that are part of the star.  The others just gave us the centre.

Once you have the five lines marked in ink, erase the light diagonal lines.

 Then extend the five lines one inch past the centre as shown:

Then, with a ruler, connect the long line with the short line as shown:

Next carefully cut the outside lines.  This is your star template.

Since it's impossible to make an even line on the Glimmer side of the paper

I had to trace the star onto the back of the Glimmer paper.

Carefully cut out the star shape from the Glimmer paper.  Next, draw lines as shown:

Make sure the lines are carefully drawn since they are the lines which you will score using the Simply Scored.

Once you have scored each line firmly, fold along each line with the Glimmer side out.  Make sure all five lines have been well creased.

Now, turn the star over and make sure the long lines are hills while the short lines are valleys.  And voila!  You have a 3-D Glimmer star.

I decided to make one in the Silver Glimmer paper and wound up with this card.  Thank you Justin Krieger for the inspiration.

For those who do not wish to do the math, I'm uploading a template.  All you have to do is copy the picture file and then go to print.  You should be able to choose your printing size and thus also choose your star size.  Enjoy. :)

Memories

I take a lot of photographs.  I've done it for years.  I can't remember a time when I didn't own a camera.   Of course now I own cameras in the double digits, but we won't talk about that.  That's a topic for another blog.

One of the things that I love about stamping is the way it is possible to convey an almost photographic "look" to a card.  I dig into my memories and, with some shimmer paper, a sponge, several colours of ink and a couple of stamps, create a scene that is similar to some that I've come across in British Columbia where I used to live.  Of course I've taken a bit of artistic license, but overall, it brings back memories.

Since I'm feeling nostalgic, my card is in sepia which, for me, is a nostalgic colour.  It reminds me of the past.  Perhaps my own past is not as far back as the original sepia photographs, but let's just agree that memories are well depicted in sepia.

The moon is, of course, exaggerated but since I've moved to Alberta, I've seen some enormous moons as they rise up from the horizon.  They say it's because of atmospheric conditions, but for me that enormous moon is magical.  So I've combined my enormous Alberta moon with the silent beauty of a deer walking through the hilly woods in the evening.

I hope you like it as much as I loved creating it.

Have you seen a penny roller?

I found out about penny rollers a few months ago.  Jean Fitch gave me a link and I was hooked. Of course I had to try making one.  The result is a card that I absolutely love.  I have it on display in my crafts room and every time I go by it, I have to make that penny roll.  After all those rolls, I can report that the card still looks as good as new.  Kudos to the Stampin' Up! cardstock.  It really is superior to any other I've used.

I made my penny roller card as simply as possible, to put all the focus on the cute little rolling penguin.  Yes, that's what I said: a rolling penguin.  The adorable little penguin is one of the stamps from the Polar Party stamp set.  Actually the trees I've stamped on the front of the card are from that set as well.  I love the way they look with the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  Simple, yet striking in their simplicity.

How did I make the penny roller?  I used a base cardstock of Naturals White, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half to make a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.  Then I took a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Naturals White and put it through the Big Shot in the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  That folder allows a nice clear area for stamping and that's where I stamped the three trees from the Polar Party stamp set.  Then I used my Word Punch. I began approximately 1/2" from the left edge, and brought the punch up to the base of the trees.  Continuing to punch across the bottom of the cardstock in the same line, I finished approximately 1/2" from the right edge. Placing this embossed piece of cardstock onto the base cardstock so that all sides match, I then stamped one line of the sentiment from the Polar Party stamp set through the punched out area, onto the base cardstock.

Then I coloured the trees.  Next I stamped one of the penguins from the stamp set onto Whisper White and coloured it.  I also punched out a 3/4" circle of Whisper White.  I fussy-cut around the penguin and mounted him onto the 3/4" circle.  It looked as if he was sitting on a giant snowball.

Next I placed dimensionals around the perimeter of the embossed cardstock and across the middle, being careful to keep the dimensionals well away from the line punched with the Word Punch.  I carefully mounted the embossed cardstock onto the base cardstock.

The next step was to create the "penny roller" portion of the card.  The 3/4" white circle is just about the exact size of a penny so I mounted the penguin/snowball onto one penny with double-sided tape (Sticky Strip).  Then I placed a dimensional in the centre of a second penny and joined the two pennies together.  It was easy to slip the bottom penny carefully through the punched line.  And there it is!  A penny roller.

I just love this little guy.  He spins back and forth and always makes me chuckle.

Don't you just love it?

Simple is best

All right, I will admit that this statement, made by a self-confessed WOW card maker, seems a bit odd.  But really, sometimes simple really works out to be the very best and most beautiful way you can go, both in life and in cards.  After making a whole bunch of possible family Christmas cards, this morning I have finally made the one.  Yes, this is it.  No more waffling back and forth.  No more agonizing over the choice.  This is it!

My final choice is what could be called the offspring of my Peace on Earth card which I posted in a previous blog-entry

 and my front-runner in the potential family Christmas cards.

Combining the two in spirit finally brought me to the right card and this is the one which I am making for everyone on my Christmas card list.  Love the way the Illuminate adds depth to this card!

I hope everyone that receives one likes it as much as I do.

A totally different look!

Have you checked out the new Stampin' Up! site?  It's totally unrecognizable!  Seriously, if you have a moment, wander over there and have a look.  It's full of surprises.  You can click on videos and all sorts of wonderful new boxes.  The style and impact of the page is completely new.

How can you tell Stampin' Up! is getting ready for next year's 25th Anniversary celebration?

Tomorrow---such a long time away!

Why am I waiting for tomorrow, you ask?  Well, tomorrow is the first day that Demonstrators are able to order from the brand new Spring Catalogue.  It becomes available for public orders on January 3rd, but tomorrow it's available for Demonstrators.  Excuse me while I do my little "happy dance".

I'm planning on having an Open House (heads up for those who enjoy my classes) between Christmas and New Year's.  When I have the exact date, I'll post it here.  That's when I'll be able to let everyone handle some of the brand new items that I've showcased in cards and projects and also by letting everyone who attends try them out in a card or small 3-D project.  By that time it will be a treat to do something not related to Christmas, won't it?

Once my order goes in, it won't be long before I receive my new supplies and then---well---stay tuned for new posts, all about spring.

In search of the family Christmas card

It was easier when I bought cards.  I'd go out, fall in love with a card, buy a box or two or three and that was that.  But now I'm making cards and it seems somehow wrong to go out and buy what I love making.  And I really do love making cards,  It's just that I have so many colours, so many stamp sets, so many choices.  It was easier last year when I was just starting out and had a mere fraction of the choices.

I've made three tentatively so far.  Three cards!  Each a different design!  And I'm still waffling about the merits of this one or that one.  And time is not my friend.  I hear the clock ticking.  Christmas is coming.  Post Office deadlines are coming.  I have to decide on a design!  Of course those that know me well, know that I get a bit carried away.  What works for one card can be a major nightmare for a few dozen.

This card, for example, was in the running.  I thought it was cute.  The colours worked for me.  But then reality reared its ugly head and I had to acknowledge the fact that putting the components through the Big Shot five times for each card could take me until next July or so.

And, of course, there is the hand-colouring on each card.  This could not be our family Christmas card.

Another favourite of mine included masking and colouring and although I really liked the finished scene, I didn't even go so far as to put a sentiment on the card because I knew it couldn't be our family Christmas card.

So then I thought, "why not go a bit smaller?" and decided to do a fun shape card.  I used my Window Frames Collection framelits and cut over a fold in the cardstock so that it would wind up being a shaped card.  Of course when it was finished I realized that I would have to do that several dozen times, put the square shape through the Big Shot in an embossing folder, put the stamped image through the Big Shot using the Ornament Keepsakes framelit, not to mention hand-colouring the image.  Too, too much work.  This could not be our family Christmas card.

The hunt goes on.  I'm thinking Lovely as a Tree has potential and have a couple of ideas.

Right now, however, I have to start another card.  I just looked at my calendar and realized it's my husband's birthday tomorrow.  Christmas will have to wait.

Through the beveled windowpane---Another WOW

Sadly the beveled windowpanes were retired and are waiting to be discovered in the Clearance Rack.  Why do I say sadly?  Well, those windowpanes are one of the big WOW components of this card.  Everyone loved them.

Even though they were retired, I decided to use the beveled windowpanes for my Christmas Card WOW class because they are so one-of-a-kind.  They suited the card I had designed perfectly.  The card, a large square measuring 5 1/4" x 5 1/4", showcased a lot of different techniques and embellishments.  The two layers on the front of the card were each cut out with the Window Frame framelits.  The Gumball Green one was left plain but the Naturals White was embossed with the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  The sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and then heat embossed with the new Gumball Green embossing powder.  Finally, the embossed snowflakes were lightly daubed with Dazzling Details.

That wonderful little bird from the Beautiful Season stamp set was stamped on Shimmer White cardstock and coloured with the Stampin' Write markers.  The White Organza ribbon was pulled through the slits in the Beveled Windowpane, the stamped and coloured bird was slipped between the ribbon and the pane and then the bottom of the ribbon was fastened with some White Baker's twine and a Medium Faceted Vintage Button.

A couple of glittery snowflakes finished off the front of the card.

This would have been enough to give the card a place in the Christmas Card WOW class, but then I took it one step further.  It became a twisted easel card.

 
Two more snowflakes on the inside of the card, held with a glittery brad, provided the "stop" for the easel to rest on.  Now that is a WOW card!

 

It's NOT a scrap---it's potential!

One of the results of card-making is a heaping pile of left-overs.  There are strips of cardstock, strips of Designer Paper, bits of Glimmer paper---literally bits of everything that has, at one time or another, been cut.     When I was first starting out, the piles seemed to be winning and I feared an avalanche might trap me in my room.  So back in February I started a discussion on the Stampin' Connection, a terrific online meeting place for demonstrators through which first-timers and old-timers can share wisdom, fears, hints and all things stamping.  I love the place!

That discussion left me with a lot of helpful advice which I've since implemented.  The very first thing I did was to stop thinking of the left-overs as "scraps".  Scraps are headed for the garbage.   Scraps get thrown out. They are the unwanted bits that clutter up our daily lives.  They are useless.  Changing my perception of the left-overs changed everything!  Thank you to Darrah Hopper for sending me the message which ultimately changed my perception:  "I don't have any scraps, I have small pieces...".  Simple words---huge impact.

Storage still remains a challenge but little by little I discover solutions that work and change from the trials that did not work.  The best system, I find, is a flexible system.  If it's "written in stone", you're closing your eyes to better solutions.

I try to use some of those pieces of potential whenever possible.  Lately I've also been trying to think of cards which lend themselves wholly to using more of them.

This card, for instance, is absolutely perfect for using strips of varying widths and lengths.  The results are so eye-catching, too.  Bonus!  It's called the Herringbone Technique and leaves you, basically, with a spiraling "windmill" shape.  The great thing is that you can so easily mix complimentary colours of cardstock with the strips of Designer Paper.

Another technique I tried last night used some of my leftover Designer Strips, but could easily also be done with cardstock.  In this card I simply wove the strips together and mounted the woven piece onto a background of Naturals Ivory cardstock.  Then I ran the whole thing through my Big Shot using my Square Lattice embossing folder.  Then I mounted that onto my base cardstock of Cherry Cobbler.  Really, all I needed after that was a sentiment.

But, of course, I couldn't leave it at that.  I decided to use the Jolly Christmas sentiment out of the No Peeking stamp set, stamped it in Gumball Green on Very Vanilla cardstock and added the little bird which is also from the same stamp set.  Then I added some silver Glimmer Paper stars.  And I used the Decorative Label Punch (on sale at 30% off right now) for the sentiment as well as the backing for the sentiment.

Would you call this a card made from scraps?

I wouldn't!  I'd say these bits and pieces finally lived up to their potential.

For the love of creating...

How many of us make up our minds before we really try something out?  It's sad.  So often we lose out on great opportunities to stretch ourselves and to find new talents within ourselves.  I fell into stamping purely by accident.  I had no desire to make cards or stamp or do paper-crafting beyond scrapbooking.  That was my mind-set.  I had made up my mind before even giving stamping a chance.

So why did I suddenly embrace stamping and card-making and all sorts of paper-crafting?  It happened at a scrapbooking crop.  It was an all-day crop, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at midnight.  My daughter and I had a family vacation that was taking forever to scrap and we thought that this might just be the place to finish it.  Well, that didn't happen.  We scrap too painstakingly and take way too many photos to finish anything in one day, even a very, very long day.  But that was the day we both tried our hands at stamping simply because a local craft store was offering make-n-takes at the crop.  To give ourselves a break from what was becoming the everlasting project, we decided to do one of the make-n-takes.  It was a card.  The result was terrific.  It seemed so easy to achieve something very, very nice, indeed.  We were hooked.

One of the things that we learned as we made the card was heat embossing.  It was magical to see that powder become glossy.  So magical and wonderful that we went out and purchased our very own heat guns and Versa Mark pads and embossing powder.  And stamps.  Of course we needed stamps.  The local craft store was suddenly our favourite place to shop.

And then we were invited to a Stampin' Up! workshop.  Oh my, the goodies in those catalogues!  And then came the Open House we attended, put on by the same demonstrator that had the workshop.  That's when we joined a card club.  It was inevitable that one of us would become a demonstrator, right?  Well, I drew the short straw.  And I haven't looked back since.

There is something about stamping and card-making that fulfills a creative need within me.  Each of my cards is a tiny canvas on which I create a little masterpiece using stamps, techniques, embellishments, etc.  I never know where a card is going to lead me or when something I'm doing is going to lead to a card.  I love it!

Sometimes I drift, not quite sure what I want to do but sure that I want to do something.  Those are some of the times I've made the best of my cards.  Sometimes a piece of Designer Paper will lead me.  For example, when I was making a paper rosette and suddenly realized it reminded me of a peacock's tail.  That's what I began with: the rosette.  That grew into such an awesome card.  All the colours were decided by the Designer Paper---it simply grew out of the paper and became the card.  I've had that happen with painting or sketching, but it was a new experience with card-making.

This is the card that grew out of a Designer Paper rosette.

Isn't it wonderful when something is right there, asking to be released into the world, and you are the lucky person to release it?  I loved being part of releasing this card into the world.

25 & Counting

No, it's not the count-down to Christmas quite yet.  I'm talking about that terrific stamp set, 25 & Counting.  It's on sale until November 28th at 50% off!  That's a price that's hard to beat!

I've used this stamp set for Christmas cards:

I've also used this stamp set to make this wonderful Perpetual Advent Calendar, using magnets to hold the pieces on a mini-muffin pan.  The muffin holes are perfect for those treats the little ones love to find as they count down towards the big day.

Wouldn't you like to buy this stamp set while you can get it for half price?

Thanksgiving

I feel as if I'm celebrating a second Thanksgiving since so many of my online friends are celebrating today.  While I don't have a turkey to put on the table today, I thought I'd share my favourite turkey.  He made it through our Thanksgiving unscathed and will continue to share his Thanks is for Giving sentiment for many more celebrations to come.  I posted my instructions to make this cute little fellow back on September 18th if you want to have a turkey of your own. :)

Hope your day is filled with friends and family, and above all, Thanks.

Extraordinary---Extravaganza---Exciting Sale!

I love sales!  Who doesn't like to get what they want at a bargain price?

Sometimes I feel a "twang" when I see an item on sale that I purchased a little while back at full price.  But then I remind myself that I couldn't have done so many things if I had waited and that appeases the feeling somewhat.  But you don't have to miss out on the great savings.  The items are there, waiting to be snapped up at these wonderfully low prices.

Today I'm going to show off the Petal Cone Die.  This is such a versatile die and can be used year-round,  for all sorts of terrific occasions.  I've only touched the tip of the iceberg of possibilities with the samples I'm about to show you.

With Christmas coming, everyone is thinking of having special little treats, either to hang in the tree or to have as part of a wonderful table setting---or just for general decorative purposes.  The Petal Cone Die lends itself perfectly for this.

How about an adorable Santa Claus that can be filled up with candy or a small gift?  He can be hung from a branch of your tree, the banister of your stairs or he can stand on the table as part of the decor.

Or how about a nice Christmas Tree, again filled up and used as part of the Christmas decor?  And then there is a Christmas Angel or Elf---really, with this Die, your imagination is the only thing that limits what could be done.

Why stop at Christmas?  The Petal Cone Die can be used to make a piece of birthday cake or the full birthday cake and each piece can be filled with party favours and given out to the guests.

Wedding favours, Easter, etc.  The list is endless.

And this week only, this wonderfully versatile Petal Cone Die is on sale at 30% off.  In other words, the catalogue price of $40.95 drops to an amazing $28.67!

Considering everything that you could make using this Die, can you afford to miss this sale?

Fabulous Florets---One of my favourites!

I have used the Fabulous Florets stamp set so many times!  It's one of my "go-to" sets when I think of stamping flowers.  And now it's available this week for a 50% savings!  WOW!

I'm posting a small sampling of cards that I've made using the Fabulous Florets stamp set so that you can see why I keep going back to it.

This is a "Z" fold card that features the Hello Doily stamp but it wouldn't look as great without the wonderful silhouette from the Fabulous Florets set.

I hand cut these flowers and covered them in Crystal Effects to give them dimension and stiffen them up.  Don't the flowers from Fabulous Florets look gorgeous?

This "Hidden Door" card uses the same silhouette but a different flower from the Fabulous Florets.

This is a close-up of the corner of a mini-album I designed.  The flowers were hand-cut and covered with Crystal Effects.  Love the Fabulous Florets.

During the Extravaganza Sale this week, the Fabulous Florets stamp set, in the catalogue for $28.95 in wood mount, is only $14.48.  Listed in the catalogue for $21.95 in clear mount, it's on sale for $10.98.

If I didn't have this set already, I'd have it near the top of my list right now.

Extravaganza Sales---Don't miss out!

Yes, today is the first day of the Extravaganza Sale!  Yes, there are some fantastic buys!

Today only, you can buy the Big Shot, that wonderful embossing and die-cutting machine, for 20% off.  That means instead of the catalogue price of $122.95, you can buy it today for only $98.36.

If you already own the Big Shot and love to take it along with you on trips or to a friend's house, you'll know how awkward it can be to transport.  Today only you can buy the Big Shot Doctor's Bag which houses the machine and dies comfortably and makes carrying it around so much easier.  That means instead of the catalogue price of $93.95, you can buy it today for only $75.16.

The rest of the Extravaganza items are on sale all week long.  There is another one day special on the last day, but we'll get to that next week.

I've decided to spotlight one of the stamp sets that is on sale:  Snow Much Fun.  This is a great set that appeals to old and young.  It's fun and lends itself to a great variety of card styles.  Here is one that I created on a special fold card: the Centre Stage Fold Card.  I'll post a tutorial for that fold at another time.

I like the old-fashioned feel of the sepias and the Morning Post Designer Paper.  The wonderful characters are all from the Snow Much Fun stamp set which is on sale for 50% off this week.  That brings the catalogue price down from $33.95 to $16.98 for the wood mount set and from $24.95 to $12.48 for the clear mount set.  Fantastic prices you won't wish to miss!

Peace on Earth - another WOW card

Peace on Earth!  A wonderful sentiment and it's also a wonderful card. When the people at my Christmas WOW Card Class saw it, their first reaction was "Wow!" which is always very gratifying.  It's a fancy fold called the Joy-Fold, but as long as you take it one step at a time, it's not very hard to do.

It's funny, I don't use the Brushed Silver Cardstock all that often.  It's another one of those "but if I use it, it will be gone".  A silly thought since I can just order it again if I run low, but, well...old habits die hard.  Embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder, the brushed silver looks like embossed metal.  It's gorgeous!

Another one of the products that really looks stunning on this card, besides the brushed silver, is that new Illuminate Glimmer Watermark ink.  This is an ink that really "pops" when it's used on a dark cardstock.  I had everyone stamp snowflakes on the Midnight Muse in the Illuminate and they almost shone, really they did.  Such a little bit of work to get such a fantastic effect!

And to tie it together as well as add another real WOW factor, I used the Flourish Designer Frame for the sentiment on the front of the card.   The sentiment was stamped in Midnight Muse on the Shimmer White Cardstock and is perfectly set off in this frame.

When you add all these pieces together, the result is a stunning card.  Really, quite simple, but what a WOW factor!  Don't you agree?

When will the madness end??? Another SALE?

Of course here, in Canada, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  In the United States, however, it is coming up shortly.  And with Thanksgiving in the United States comes Black Friday.  The two are linked in people's minds.  No, Stampin' Up! is not offering a Black Friday sale.  They're offering something even better.  After all, why stop with a one-day sale?

For the entire period of November 19th to the 28th Stampin' Up! is holding its annual Extravaganza Sale.  I experienced my first one last year and thought the prices were excellent...especially for someone starting out who had to stock more supplies as soon as possible.  But this sale isn't just great for Demonstrators.  It's geared to appeal to everyone.  And it's bigger than ever, as a warm-up for Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary next year.

There are two special days to keep in mind:  November 19th and November 28th.  Those two day will have all the sales listed online for the whole Extravaganza Sale PLUS they will offer several extras that will only be on sale for that one single day.  If you see something listed for either of those days and want it...get it on that one day or...well, you know what they say: you snooze, you lose.

You can order everything in the Extravaganza through my online store OR you can contact me and I will add them to the current order for you.  Let me know what you want to do.  Just have a look because once the sale is over, it's done and all those wonderful items are right back to full price.  Wouldn't you rather get them at 20% to 50% less? I know I would!

The First WOW Class---a real WOW!

Sometimes you can just have a lot of fun doing something you love.  Tonight was one of those times.  I've limited the number of people per WOW class because the cards are complicated enough to require hands-on guidance.  One person was sick but is coming to next Wednesday evening's WOW class instead.  Even so, we had some real laughs, some interesting mishaps and, above all, lots of fun.

The interesting mishap occurred because of the extended length of the new embossing folders.  What a nuisance it is that they are slightly too long to fit comfortably through the Big Shot sideways!  Not to be deterred, I decided to cut about 1/4" from the bottom of the fancy scallop edge embossing folder.  There was no other choice since the card I designed was oversized and wouldn't fit into the Big Shot any other way.  Even with the 1/4" reduction, it was touch and go to get the card through the Big Shot.  One went through slightly a-kilter and the resulting embossing was a sight to see.

Luckily there was time and material for a do-over and that one went through the Big Shot properly.

This piece is from one of my favourite of the Christmas WOW cards.  It requires quite a number of techniques, including masking and heat embossing, but the finished card really is gorgeous.

I love the old-fashioned sepia tones in the card.  There is just enough understated glitter on the branches of the tree and the snow on the roof of the lodge to catch the light.  I'm so glad that everone loved it!