Paper Pretties' Wednesday Challenge #198: Flipping for Thanks

Stamps:  Paper Pretties 'Bunny Slippers Sophia'.  Cardstock:  Papertrey white, Paper Studio 'Uptown Flair'.  Ink:  Memento black, Copics, Versamark black.  Accessories:  Long Rectangle Nestabilties, MFT scallop border die, prima, brad.

Welcome to Paper Pretties' Wednesday Challenge #198!

Our challenge this week is to use a new technique.    For my card, I was inspired by THIS fun flip card by my creative stamping pal, Melissa.  Here's my version where the image and top panel flip up to reveal a second sentiment:

Aren't those bunny slippers too cute??

Be sure to visit all the Paper Pretties' blogs to see their spin on the challenge:

Frances Byrne, DT coordinator

Linda Bendon

Jennifer Greco

Amber Hillman

Kristine Reynolds

Then be sure to link your creation HERE for your chance to win this week's prize!

Tuesday Morning Sketches: Pocket Fairy

Stamps: Paper Pretties 'Garden Fairy'. Cardstock: Glitz 'Maya' DP, Papertrey white. Ink: Memento black, Copics, Night of Navy, Melon Mambo. Accessories: Martha Stewart doily, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Bazzill dotted white organdy, green grosgrain, SU tab punch, long rectangle Nestabilities.

This week's Tuesday Morning sketch is actually a fold technique, the Diagonal Pocket card (Splitcoaststampers' tutorial HERE), sponsored by Paper Pretties. My card is a variation on the original technique so that the card opens to reveal additional space for personal sentiments:

Paper Pretties just celebrated its grand re-opening with the release of 12 new stamp sets, including this adorable 'Garden Fairy':

Her wings are very sparkly with Dazzling Diamonds, but I have a terrible time photographing glitter -- any recommendations so the sparkle actually shows up in photographs?

This sweet stamp is only $8 and comes with five sentiments which I used to help decorate this card's various enclosures, including a bookmark and tabbed sentiment sheet:

This project also qualifies for this week's Order of the Opus Gluei challenge #68: You've Got It, Move It! Jana and Rosemark challenged us to 'bust our stashes', that is to actually use some of our neglected supplies. I dusted off my Martha Stewart doilies that I've been admiring from afar, as well as this pink dotted ribbon that I've had for years!

Be sure to admire the TMS Design Team's spin on this week's technique:
Melissa
Angela
Theresa
Beverly, GDT
Hollyanne, Jr. DT

Then link up your creations HERE to join in the fun and so we can admire your take on the sketch!

DRS Designs Challenge #27: Diorama Cards

Stamps by DRS Designs: Picnic Basket K1104, Ant Betty B1035, 4 in 1 Beach Background D1099, sentiment D1072, Interlocking Flower Background H813. Cardstock: Kraft, Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery, GP 110 white. Ink: Real Red, Memento black, Copics. Accessories: Stardust glitter pens, circle punch, long rectangle Nestabilities.

This week's DRS Designs' blog challenge is to create a diorama card (SplitCoast Stampers' tutorial HERE). Let me tell you, this was a true challenge for me because I am very spatially challenged at best. More than a few sheets of cardstock ended up in the scrap bin as I measured twice and cut once again and again.

A diorama card is not easy to photograph, either. I ended up shooting outside where the bright sunlight blasted away the shadows over the sentiment resulting from my use of cave-like kraft cardstock for the final layer. At least these scorching days are good for something, right?

Here's a top view so you can see the ants parading along the middle layer:

Be sure to stop by the DRS blog for more examples of this technique and link your examples. Bet not everyone considers this quite the challenge I did!

DRS Designs Challenge # 23: Buckle Down!

Stamps by DRS Designs: Swirling Dots Butterfly, Design Dots, Small Open Silhouette Butterfly, Flutter, Flutter Birthday sentiment. Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate, Kiwi Kiss. Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Kiwi Kiss. Accessories: Organdy ribbon.

Today's challenge on the DRS blog is to create a card using the Big Buckle Technique. This card has a special flap closure that makes it a refreshing change from the traditional A2 card. You can find a full photo tutorial on SplitcoastStampers HERE.

The card opens up to reveal plenty of space for a personal message:

This technique is fun and relatively simple; I even used it as my contribution to the Jessica Lynn Originals Card Swap hosted by blusky on SplitcoastStampers. The paw print card was the prototype, but I ended up going with the Yorkie version:

Stamps by Jessica Lynn Originals: Yorkie, Dog sentiment, Paw Print. Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip Print Patterns DP, textured red, GP 110 white. Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Memento black, Copics. Accessories: blue dotted organdy, Word window punch, circle punches and Nestabilities, mini prima, red gemstone .

Give the Big Buckle technique a try and be sure to link your creation to the DRS Challenge #23 post for a chance to win blog candy!

DRS Designs Challenge #21: Raising a Flap

Today's challenge on the DRS Designs' blog is to use the Flap Fold Technique (tutorial HERE), a tri-fold card usually secured by a mini magnetic closure. Here's a ladybug greeting that actually started with a pre-made, textured black card base -- it even came with the scalloped edge!

Stamps: DRS Designs 'Ladybug Stack', 'Funky Thanks', and 'Dot Easy Background'. Paper: Black textured scallop-edged card base, real read, Basic Black, GP110 white, vellum envelope. Ink: Versafine onyx black, Real Red. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, CM circle cutter, red satin ribbon, black dotted organdy ribbon.

The next card features several new releases by DRS Designs, including the Dustin Pike line:

Stamps: DRS Designs(Worm on Hook G843, Worm Can G847, Good Things sentiment F840, Easy Dotted Background H628). Cardstock: Kraft, Black, Riding Hood Red. Ink: Memento, Copics. Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities, Basic Grey magnetic closures.

I off set the image to make room for this very punny sentiment, appropriate for all the anglers out there. Personally, I don't like to bait OR wait!

Here's the card when opened:

Be sure to stop by the DRS blog to see all the Flap Technique cards created by the Design Team. Give this fun technique a try and then link your creation to the post for a chance to win blog candy!

Tilda's Birthday Folder

The Roses on Paper Blog has a challenge running to create one of a Folder card out of a single sheet of 12" x 12" cardstock. The second part of the challenge is to use a 'Mother Day-ish' theme; I'd already made my Mother's Day cards, but since my mom's birthday also arrives in May, I thought this would work:

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda, Penny Black sentiment. Ink: black, Certainly Celery, Copics. Cardstock: Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery Print Patterns, GP110 white. Accessories: Lilac grosgrain ribbon, Top Note Die cut.

Isn't this a sweet Tilda? She's one of the older versions, so I'm not sure of her name. Both she and the Top Note die cut were sent to me through WRAK on Splitcoast Stampers, so this card is a 'two-fer' covering May's WRAK color combo challenge to use Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, and a green.

Here's how the card opens. I still haven't decided what to enclose in the folder; any suggestions?

Be sure to stop by the ROP blog to see all the great examples of the DT's interpretation of this technique. Anki has a tutorial on the ROP Project blog with step by step photos for creating your own folder card so you can join the challenge, too!

Final February Fun with Folds -- Gate Fold

Goodbye Valentine's Day, on to St. Patrick's Day! Where is 2009 going??

Today's post topic on the DRS Designs' blog is the Gate Fold technique and these are my two featured samples. The first is the traditional gate fold with a belly band for added pizazz and more practically, to help keep the card closed:

Stamps: Giga Shamrock Blessings Oval , Four Leaf Clover , Lines O'Plenty Background. Ink: Wild Wasabi, Versamark. Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, GP110 white. Accessories: Gold EP, Oval Nestabilities.

The second St. Patrick's Day card is rotated so the opening is horizontal:

Stamps: Four Leaf Clover , Petals of a Shamrock Greeting , Lines O'Plenty Background . Ink: Ink: Wild Wasabi, Versamark. Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, GP110 white. Accessories: Gold EP, Rectangle Nestabilities, Double-stitched Wild Wasabi grograin ribbon.

Be sure to stop by the DRS blog for peeks inside the cards and details on the newest releases!

And for my fellow House Mouse fans, here are a few versions of the gate fold from previous swaps. The first was from our Stamp of the Month swap and is held closed by the ribbon tied through eyelets. This was also my first experience with polyshrink plastic, using it to shrink down the sentiment to fit in the center of the scallop punch:

Stamps: Stampabilities 'Apple Delight' and 'A smile' sentiment. Paper: Pacific Point, Marigold Morning, Riding Hood Red, DaisyD DP, white. Ink: Versafine Onyx black, Pacific Point. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, polyshrink, circle and scallop punches, Nestabilities, Scor-pal, cropadile, eyelets, Mustard grosgrain ribbon.

Fold techniques aren't just for cards, either. This is a miniature version of the gate fold on an ATC:

Stamps: House Mouse 'Dream Puff', Papertrey 'Mixed Messages'. Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Basic Grey 'Lily Kate', GP110 white. Ink: Versafine Onyx Black. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, Bluebird grosgrain ribbon, scallop punch.

This ATC was for a holiday House Mouse swap hosted by Eileen (leenk) on SCS. The inside sentiment read 'Happy Dust Bunny Day' and yes, it's an actual holiday! I was kind of proud of my 'green' ATC -- the dust bunny is really dryer lint. Recycled embellishments that smell like Downy, too!

Give the Gate Fold technique your own spin and post a link back here so I can admire your creativity, too!

Z-Fold Fun

There's still a kid inside me that loves to play with interactive cards! Hence the continuation of the Fold Technique Showcase on my DRS blog postings and here, too. The Z-fold (Scor-Pal tutorial here) was one of my first tries at fold techniques and it's a good one for beginners or those of us who are fold-challenged.

Here's my first attempt at the Z-Fold card and since it was a swap card, it gave me LOTS of practice with this technique. Isn't it a great way to showcase DPs without using huge amounts of your supplies?

Stamps: Stampabilites 'Tin Can Showers', Papertrey 'Mailbox Greetings'. Paper: Bashful Blue, CM yellow DP, DCWV 'Posies Glitter Print' DP, shimmery silver, GP110 white. Ink: Versafine onyx black. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, nestabilities, grosgrain shimmer ribbon, CE.

The card opens into a Z which allows is to stand alone, great for display purposes when you aren't laying it flat to photograph:

For the DRS blog, I used their newly released Birthday images and sentiments as well as some old favorites. This technique is also the perfect way to use several stamps without feeling overwhelmed!

Stamps by DRS Designs: Birthday Ribbon Slide , Silhouette Balloon, May Your Birthday , Birthday Stick N Stamp. Cardstock: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point. Ink: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point, Basic Black, versamark. Accessories: Stardust EP, rectangle Nestabilities, circle punch, iridescent ribbon, slot punch.

Check out the DRS blog for more details on this card be sure to link your Z-Fold creations, so we can admire them!

Techniques for Thursday -- Joy Fold Cards

Folding techniques -- it's a real love/hate relationship for me. I love the finished results and the interactive fun, but I'm very challenged when it comes to measuring and folding mulitple layers. Hence, the hate, or at least incredibly frustrated portion of the relationship. Practice makes perfect, though, right? Or at least increases the tolerance level! So, I've decided to attempt one fold technique each week. The first in the series is a slightly modified version of the Joy Fold Card as seen in this tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. Here is the card in its closed form:

Stamps: Plant Shelf K097 , Three Leaf Background H534 . Ink: black, Old Olive. Cardstock: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, My Mind's Eye DP. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, oval Nestabilities, pink grosgrain ribbon, slot punch.

To open, you untie the bow and flip a partial panel (the striped DP) and then the image panel to view the sentiment:

Sentiment: God Bless Birthday G483

Final decision on the Joy Fold? It's a keeper. I ended up using it for a swap card, and after creating 10 Joy Fold cards the technique was a cinch, even for me! In case this card looks vaguely familiar to some of my swapping buddies, here's the original completed for the House Mouse Stamp of the Month Swap:

Stamps: Stampabilities 'Baking Mice', DRS Designs Dotted BG . Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Making Memories 'Out & About Glitter Stack' DP, GP110 white. Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, black. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, turpenoid, pink wide organdy ribbon, slot punch, polyshrink plastic, SU scalloped circle punch.

Slight modifications included creating a chocolate chip cookie charm out of polyshrink and placing the Inkadinkado kid sentiment on the inside of the striped DP panel:

This technique will definitely remain in the 'Future Use' file; now it's on to the next folding technique. I'm hoping that with a week in between each new fold, I'll have time to present a respectable example.

Happy stamping (and folding)!