Circular Side Step Easter Penny Black card

Hi blogging friends

Happy Easter!  It is the beginning of school holidays here in Victoria and it will be wonderful to spend time together as a family.   My garden is also desperately needing some work having not had much done other than the basics such as trimming edges, mowing the lawn and the occasional bit of pruning over the past year due to the ongoing care of my loved one.   I love bulbs and being autumn here, it is time to plant them so I had better grab some from my nearest nursery and pop them in the ground before it is too late!  Great rewards for such little effort and I like something that I don't have to worry about watering because I forget to water things all the time......oops.....anyway, I am digressing as usual.......

Each year, I make an Easter card for my daughter and this year, I thought I would try and make a different shaped card.  I have seen a lot of various styles of Stepper Cards around blogland and looked for a tutorial for a Circular Side Step card.  I found a fantastic tutorial from a blog "From my Craft Room" by Norma - and thankfully, Norma had a step-by-step detailed photo tutorial and I was able to make the card after a few false starts trying to get the base right.  No mean feat for someone like me who is pretty useless at understanding how to make anything other than a basic shaped card!  You can check out Norma's tutorial HERE.  Thanks Norma!

I used my Big Shot and largest circle die from my Lifestyle (formerly Quickutz) Nesting Circle Die Set to cut the buttercream circle base.  From there, I followed Norma's tutorial but cut the slit 2.5cm (or 1 inch if you are imperial) from the circle centre and used my Scor Pal for the scoring.  I then used my 2nd largest die and diecut the Doodlebug designer paper (which has been in my stash forever) and then proceeded as per the buttercream circle base and attached it to the circle base. 

I stamped the adorable Penny Black Bunny Kiss image onto watercolour paper with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and coloured the image with Derwent Watercolour pencils and a small round #2 paintbrush.  I chalked around the sky with blue chalk and the ground with a mix of brown, grey and green chalk.  Here is a close-up of the image:

I added some Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the orange flowers as well as the bunny's and chick's cheek.  I punched some tiny hearts using my EK Success Arrows border punch (they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts to me) using green, orange and buttercream cardstock and glued them on with Tombow glue.

Probably the hardest thing I found with the card was how to embellish it to make it all look 'balanced' because it was so different to my regular cards and out of my comfort zone.  In the end, I settled for something simple and just added the organza ribbon and the 3 coloured buttons.  The buttons have had matching sewing thread sewn through and then glued them onto the card with Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue.  The ribbon was attached in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I added some Fray Stop to the cut ribbon edges.

The sentiment is by Lili of the Valley (UK) and was stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.  The tiny flower on each side of the sentiment panel was coloured with watercolour pencils and then had some Kindyglitz added.  This sentiment panel was diecut using my Spellbinder Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities.  Here is photo at a different angle of my card:

Here is a photo of the inside:

The sentiment on the card inside is by Pink Gem Designs and was stamped with Vintage Sepia Ink.  I used my Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge punch to punch hearts in the same colour cardstock as the tiny hearts on the card front and then added some Kindyglitz.

The white sentiment panel was diecut and scored as per the card front but using a smaller circle die, but I trimmed off a section on the far right-hand side because when you closed the card front, that part of the white cardstock was visible and it didn't look very nice:  I thought it looked a lot better by just having the buttercream cardstock visible.

Here is a photo of the back of the card:

The 'Handmade by Jocelyn' stamp I had made by Jemac Rubber Stamps who are located in Sydney, Australia.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

The Squirrel and the Fox Challenge #40 - Easter or Passover

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Splitcoaststampers Technique Lovers Challenge TLC418 - Gotta Love Circles

Splitcoaststampers March Fan Club challenge - Central Theme of 'Just Hatched' and 'Word Play' (sorry I can't give you any more details on the Fan Club challenge as you have to be a member of the Fan Club)

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you a very Happy Easter!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:   Penny Black Bunny Kiss! 2563H wood mount, round sentiment by LOTV from their Set 7 - Circular Sentiments (card front), Easter Wishes (card inside) Pink Gem Designs, Custom-made stamp on back of card by Jemac Rubber Stamps Australia

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer Paper:  Doodlebug Design Inc 1706 citrus squeeze polka dots

Accessories:    Big Shot, Lifestyle Nesting Circles + Nesting Scalloped Circles, Spellbinder Circle + Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, lemon organza ribbon with white dots, Bow Easy, Fray Stop, Scor-Pal, 140lb watercolour paper, #2 round paintbrush, Derwent watercolour pencils, Kaisercolour chalks, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, 3 x buttons from stash with matching sewing thread, Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue, Tombow glue, cardstock - buttercream, pale green, pale orange, white

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border, Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge

A Mini birthday card for my nephew

Hi blogging friends,

My nephew's birthday is next week and this is the card that I made for him.  Because he drives a Mini and is in a Car Club, I specifically chose this image from a Classic Cars A4 papertole (decoupage if you are in the UK) sheet which I bought on EBay Australia.  The Mini image is very reflective as it is coloured silver and metallic dark blue so was a bit hard to take a photo of; it was perhaps fortunate that it was cloudy...... 

The Mini pieces were diecut so I popped them out and because the pieces weren't diecut perfectly and there were some white bits showing, I used a Faber-Castell blue metallic texta to colour in the white bits to match the Mini.  All the pieces were put together with 1mm dimensionals. 

I wanted to layer the Mini onto an oval base but the largest die in my Spellbinder Large Oval set wasn't quite big enough so I traced around the outside of the die and hand-cut it.  I stamped the Happy Birthday Background onto the oval using Versamagic Night Sky ink.  Because the stamp image didn't completely cover the oval (because the stamp image is a rectangle), I re-stamped those parts that were missed and used a Stamp Positioner to line them up perfectly.  I inked around the oval with the Night Sky ink to hide any imperfections from handcutting the oval.  Here is a close-up of the dimension: 

 

The designer paper on the card base is by Basic Grey - Granola - and has been in my stash for ages.  I layered it onto navy blue then kraft cardstock.  The side panel was punched with my Fiskars Threading Water border punch (love this punch for masculine cards) and then I added a Scor-Pal line before attaching the dry embossed navy blue panel.

I added some navy blue Candi Dots from the 'Charming' pack to the bottom right-hand side using 2mm dimensionals.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

The ABC Challenge - Just as you like - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly Challenge - 1-2-3 - where you need to use 1 of one thing, 2 of another and 3 of another - I used 1 designer paper, 2 cardstock colours and 3 Card Candi dots

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As I type this, I am listening to the sound of pouring rain and it is COLD at long last - YAY!  After having weeks and weeks of unbearably hot weather including ridiculously warm and humid nights for sleeping, I am totally over summer (even though technically it's autumn).   We are having a roast dinner for tea tonight - yum - can't wait!   I am totally over salads as well and if I eat another salad, I'm sure I will turn into one LOL!  Probably the only one who isn't happy about the cold weather is our cat Ruby who is snuggled up against the edge of my laptop because the fan is blowing warm air!  Ruby can get quite grumpy when it is cold and I have no doubt she will be curled up on my bed tonight keeping my little tootsies warm which I don't mind one bit.  And I am sure I will sleep a whole lot better snuggled under my blanket.

Here's hoping we start getting "normal" March weather from now on when we should be having much cooler nights and autumn rains.........  

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampabilities Happy Birthday Background JR1061 wood-mount

Ink:  Versamagic Night Sky

Designer Paper:  Basic Grey Granola

Accessories:  Spellbinder Large Oval Nestabilities, Big Shot, Scor-Pal, Crafts Too dots square embossing folder, Charming candi dots, 1mm/2mm dimensionals, gingham ribbon, Fray Stop, A4 Classic Cars decoupage/papertole sheet, stamp positioner, cardstock - kraft, navy blue

Punches:  Fiskars Threading Water border

Penny Black Bundle of Joy - baby girl card

Hi blogging friends

Did you notice that I made a new Blog Header?  I thought it was time to update my blog a little as I have had the same header for a couple of years - and thought it would be fun to have a few of my favourite cards included.  The first photo is a scene from Bright in north-east Victoria - one of my favourite holiday destinations.  What do you think of my new header?

Here is the baby girl card that I promised I would share after finally finishing it last night:

Apologies for the ribbon shadow.  I tried taking a photo with the sun directly on the card but it made the image all washed out so had to put the card at a slight angle instead.

The adorable little baby hedgie/flower frame is from the Penny Black clear set Bundle of Joy and was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils and Odourless Minerals Spirits.  I lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk.  I went to town with the glitter and added glitter to all the flowers as well as the frame - which you can a bit better on the photo below.  I corner punched this main panel and popped it onto pink cardstock that was diecut using one of my new Spellbinder Decorative Labels One dies and my Big Shot.  Oh my gosh - I LOVE these dies - they are so pretty and feminine.  I added a little pink gemstone in each corner then popped the panel up on dimensionals.

The embossed white panel was embossed using a Crafter's Companion Die'sire Embossalicious EF6 Floral square embossing folder then corner punched.

The pink base was made using a Martha Stewart Vintage Floral punch-around-the-page corner/edge punch.  I also added a pink gemstone to each corner.

I managed to take another photo when the sun went behind a cloud for a few minutes - it does make the pink look a bit different though and is probably closer to what it is in real life - but it makes the card look rather dull, lacking in texture and not so pretty.  You can see the gemstones and glitter a bit better in this photo.  Amazing how much different a photo can appear just with changing light conditions from one minute to the next!

Lastly, I made a pink bow with my Bow Easy and sewed on a pink heart button, added Fray Stop to the ribbon ends and glued the bow on with some Fabric Glue.

I did a quick little inside mirroring the pink cardstock Decorative Label panel on the card front.  I diecut the white sentiment panel using my Big Shot and Labels One Nestabilities die.  The sentiment is from the Nursery Necessities set by Stampin' Up and I added a tiny little pink heart at each end of the sentiment which I punched using my Arrows Border punch (they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts to me).  I added some glitter to the hearts as well.

This card will be going to my neighbour who had a baby girl a couple of days ago.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Totally Papercrafts Challenge #157 - Punch it - must use dies and/or punches - I used both.

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All F4A156 - Go to your happy place - where you are to use the colours that make you happy for your cards eg: bright, muted, pastel.  Mine is pastel.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope to see you again soon.  If you have any questions, please drop me an email - scroll down on the LH sidebar and click on the link. 

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Bundle of Joy 30-043 clear stamp set, Stampin' Up Nursery Necessities

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Designer paper:  None

Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinder Decorative Labels One dies S4-379 + Labels One Nestabilities dies, Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils, Odourless Mineral Spirits, paper stumps, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, Crafter's Companion Die'sire Embossalicious EF6 Floral 6" x 6" embossing folder, dimensionals, heart button, pink ribbon, Fray Stop, pink sewing thread, fabric glue, Bow Easy, Kaisercraft blue chalk, Kaisercraft pink gemstones, cardstock - Bazzill pink, KW Doggett Knight white

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner, Martha Stewart punch-around-the page Vintage Floral, EK Success Arrows border

Wellington Bear's birthday surprise

Hi blogging friends

My craft room has been a little hive of activity recently.  It feels good to be able to be crafting again on a pretty regular basis as my loved one continues to recover from their illness - albeit slowly - but they are doing well which is great. 

Todays card is a birthday card that I made for my brother-in-law - and yes, it's another Wellington Bear card!  I think this is the first time that I have ever made a tall card since I started cardmaking but it seemed the best way of accommodating the image: 

The image came on a diecut sheet so it was easy to just pop out the pieces and trim off any little daggy bits then put them together with dimensionals - which we call papertole here in Australia but decoupage if you are in the UK.  The rust-coloured designer paper is by Lili of the Valley (UK) from their most recent release of paper pads - Crab Apple Lane - Country Gent.   Oo, I do LOVE their paper pads - such beautiful quality - and this particular pad has such fantastic designs for masculine cards - I love EVERY SINGLE sheet!!   I think Wellington looks so cute the way he is hiding in the mailbox with the presents.  Here is a wee close-up:

The sentiment was also part of the diecut sheet which I layered onto the same LOTV designer paper and then popped up on dimensionals.  I punched a heart from the same designer paper using a Martha Stewart Looped Heart edge punch ie: it is the leftover punched heart, which I decided to add to balance the sentiment panel.  Here is another close-up so you can see the dimension on the card:

The bottom panel has one edge punched using my Fiskars Postage Stamp border punch (seemed so appropriate with the postbox!).  The designer paper on this panel is from my Docrafts Wellington Bear paper pad.  I tied on some brown/white twine which I bought on Etsy ages ago and was hand-dyed by the seller.  I added some Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

All layers have been matted with a 1/8" border using my Perfect Layers Tools and any rounded corners were done with my Stampin' Up corner punch.

Finished size is approximately imperial 8-1/4" tall x 3-13/16" wide or 208mm x 97mm metric - which means the card fits into a standard DL business sized envelope.  If you don't understand what DL business size means, here is a little pic to help you - and it is metric because we are metric in Australia:

The good thing about DL Business size here in Australia is that you can just use your standard cost of a postage stamp for posting ie: you don't pay any excess postage - as long as your card isn't too thick.  Mine wasn't despite the layers because I only use 1mm thick dimensionals between each layer - it just looks thicker from the close-up photos.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Papertake Weekly Challenge of Anything Goes with the optional extra of making a Mother's Day card or a card for a special female - which obviously I didn't do because I have had soooooo many male birthday cards to make that it isn't funny!!  Believe me, I would much rather be doing a feminine card!

Here Come the Boys - Challenge #47 of no stamps allowed and no digi images - plus it must be a card for a man/boy.

On my next post, I will be sharing a baby card which I am currently working on for my neighbour who gave birth to a beautiful little girl yesterday afternoon.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for any comments you care to leave.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Lili of the Valley UK - NitWit Collection - Crab Apple Lane - Country Gent 8" x 8" pad, Docrafts Wellington Bear 6" x 6" pad

Accessories:  Docrafts Wellington Bear decoupage pack, brown/white twine (Etsy), Fray Stop, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, cardstock - kraft

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner, Fiskars Postage Stamp border, Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge