Non-Traditional Christmas

Don't you just love having new toys and the time to play with them?  I had both this week when my good friend Cathy came over for a play date.  I was a bit tired so didn't get as much done as I would have liked but I did create a card for the 'Tis the Season Challenge.

I figured with a non-traditional colour combination I would also try a non-traditional look to the Christmas card.  The new stamp I used on this card is the lovely Off the Grid background stamp that I got in my last order and haven't had the chance to use.  It really lends itself to a grungy look and I think perfect for what I was going for. I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line it up and stamp twice on the background, "stamping off" with Baked Brown Sugar to keep the colour soft.

Here is how I made the layer under the sentiment:

Step 1: Distress Baked Brown Sugar card stock with the bone folder until the layers start to split apart.

Step 2: Pull the layers apart gently, the inside has a suede appearance and is great for  a number of different projects.

Step 3: Place one piece of the separated card stock smooth side up on a non-porous surface - I used my silicone mat.  Using an Aqua Painter, 'paint' water around the inside edge of the framelit.  I chose the framelit one size up from the one I used on the sentiment. 

 

Step 4: Wait a few minutes to let the water seep in, then gently tear around the water line.  In this one I perhaps started tearing a little too soon, you can see the water hasn't soaked all the way through. 

Adding the water allows the fibres of the card stock to come away from each other which gives a soft shape, rather than the more hard edge of the more traditional use of framelits.

Happy Stamping

Envelope Punch Board - Christmas Bon Bon

Don't you just love it when you find a new way to use a tool? I know I do, and was so excited when I found a video tutorial to make a Christmas Bon Bon using the Envelope Punch Board. I can't find the original link at the moment, but it used a 6-1/2" x 8" piece of DSP, however I wanted to adjust the size so that I could get two from a single sheet of 12"x12" DSP.  I have taken some pictures to show how I made the Bon Bon, isn't it cute?

• Take a 6" x 8" piece of DSP and score at 1-3/8", 2-3/4". 4-1/8" and 5-1/2"
• Using a bone folder crease all of the score lines

•  Using the Envelope Punch Board, place the 8" side of the DSP against the top and put the end of the DSP at the 2-1/8" mark, punch the first notch.

• The result will look like this

• Fold the DSP on the first score line, place the fold against the top of the board, and punch at the 2-1/8" mark.
• Repeat this for all the folds

•  You should have a piece of DSP that looks like this

• Use the Scallop Trim Border Punch on each of the short ends
• Trim off the edge on the small side only, this will be folded in and makes the finished item look neater

• Using the Score Board Score line up the centre of the punch outs with a groove (I have drawn a line down my 6" groove to make it easier to do things like this)
• Score the DSP along this line.
• Score 1/2" either side of this centre line
• These need to be done gently so as not to rip the DSP

• Do this for both ends of the Bon Bon.
• I found it easier to fold along the centre line first.

• Then fold both sides back to create a fold as shown.

• You can use TomBow glue or Sticky Strip along the small folded edge - you will want something that is quite strong.

• I found it easier to line up by lying the Bon Bon flat, so the edge overlaps the glued tab.

• Open the Bon Bon up and gently push the ends in toward the centre to create the Bon Bon shape.
• Decorate as desired and fill with treats!

Following making this one, a fellow demo and friend of mine Cathy, tweaked with the sizing again so that you can get a bon bon out of a 6"x6" piece of DSP (that is 4 from a piece of 12x12).  Better still the reduced size is just perfect for two Ferrero Rocher Chocolates!  What a perfect Christmas gift for someone special.  You could also use a Framelit Die to cut a window in one side of the bon bon and cover on the inside with acetate so you can get a peek of the treat inside.

• Score at 1-3/8", 2-3/4". 4-1/8" and 5-1/2"
• Line up on the Envelope Punch Board at 1-1/4" mark (instead of 2-1/8")
• All other steps are the same

Happy Stamping

Time for a Challenge

I have been a bit busy on my week off work, relaxing but full.  I can happily say we now have almost everything sorted for my daughters end of school formal at the end of the month.  Dress, jewelery, hair style, shoes, and bag all under control!  I spent some of the week also making some sample cards for a workshop I demonstrated on the weekend, it was for a group of lovely ladies and we had a really great time. 

But with all that behind me this afternoon I wanted to try out one of my new stamp sets Blooming with Kindness, so I went searching through my favourite challenge blogs and decided to challenge myself with combining the sketch from Sketch Frenzy Friday and the colour combo from Nacho Average Challenge. 

This is the card I came up with.  I wasn't too sure about the colour combo with this lovely soft card, but I think the style of the stamp breaks up the colour enough to not be overwhelming.  The subtle use of the Marina Mist to frame the image and sentiment help tie it all together.  I used a combination of the stamp from Hearts a Flutter and the Itty Bitty Banner Framelits for the banners.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stamping