Aprils Card Making Class

We are settling in well to our new venue, Selsley Scout Hut, and now that the evenings are staying lighter for longer we have beautiful views down towards the Severn Valley!
This month we re-visited a technique we learnt last month (multi layered Daubing) and combined it with layered stamping and masking to create a beautiful 'sunset' styled card:-

A grand number of 8 colours were used to create the sunset effect :- Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Tangelo Twist and Cherry Cobbler.  The images were taken from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set and stamped using Black Momento ink.  At first our crafters were worried about the complexity of the design but were all very sucessful and very happy with their creations.

Our second card uses a few different tools:- Polka Dot embossing folder and Top Note Die (both of which have been retired this week and are already sold out!) and the Scoring Tool diagonal plate.  The DSP is Birthday Bash from the Spring/Summer catalogue and the way the paper is folded back on itself is a good way to see both sides of the paper. The main colours used are Night of Navy and Calypso Coral; and the stamp sets are Papillon Potpourri and Four You.

Our 3D project this month uses the retiring 2013-2015 In-Colors:- Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Pistaschio Pudding and Baked Brown Sugar (all of which have already sold out in the retired list that came out last week!). This is a simple box made using the Scoring Tool and using the Fancy Fan (another sold out retired item) embossing folder.  The greeting was stamped using the Four You stamp set ( also retired this week).

Thankful for the End of the Year??

For Decembers class we made two Thank You cards in anticipation of the Christmas presents we hope to receive; plus a small gift suitable for a teacher or fellow work colleague, a desk calendar.

The first card was made using a new technique I have been longing to try out, and was quite happy with the result; watercoloring using aqua painters.  (I found the idea from a fellow demo, Lisa Curcio on Pinterest). First we stamped the Watercolor Thank You stamp in Jet Black StazOn ink onto some Stampin Up! watercolor paper and brushed on Rich Razzleberry, Coastal Cabana and Daffodil ink across it using aqua painters (we did need to use a heat gun to dry the paper during class time) to give an almost rainbow effect.  We also did the same on a small piece of watercolor paper and cut out using the Bitty Butterfly punch.  The main cardstock colours are Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry and Coastal Cabana.

The second card was based on a design I made my up-line's demonstrators training.  I didn't have the same stamp sets as were used at the class so improvised using Four You, Gorgeous Grunge and Papillon Potpourri stamp sets and used Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist and Crumb Cake cardstock and inks.

For our 3D project, we copied the design of a very simple desk calendar that I had received as a swap at a recent regional demonstrator training (thank you Victoria McLafferty).  We used the Flowering Flourishes stamp set to decorate the card and calendar pad and the Feel Goods stamp set for the sentiment in Bermuda Bay ink on Coastal Cabana cardstock.  As an alternative, my crafters could omit the sentiment and add some more flowers from the Flowering Flourishes stamp set and add a butterfly from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set.  To finish off the design, we added some punched flowers using the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack using Bermuda Bay and Whisper White cardstock.  To make the easel effect of the card stay up, we used a piece of 1/8"th Bermuda Bay Taffeta ribbon.

Just a few Hearts and Butterflies

Well, this is our last class where we will be using the products from the current 2013-2014 Annual Catalogue.  I have been able to have a sneak peak of the new one and it is full of some great stamp sets, new colours, papers, accessories etc so make sure you come along to my July class on Monday 14th to have a look too.

Ok, back to this months class.  We had a couple of suggestions from last months' class on what sort of cards our ladies would like to make.  Our first was a wedding card. This one can also be used for an anniversary or engagement card as well.  The main colours are whipser white, sahara sand and very vanilla with smoky slate ink.  The hearts were stamped in smoky slate ink using the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and cut out using the Hearts a Flutter framelits.  The greeting on this card was taken from Petit Pairs and stamped again using smoky slate onto whisper white card, punched out with the large oval and backed by a piece of sahara sand punched out using the scallop oval punch.  A few basic pearls really give that extra touch to this card.

The second idea was for a 21st female birthday card so the idea I came up with can be used for either a general birthday or a special 'age' one.  The main card stock is very vanilla, then using the Woodgrain stamp stamped using crumb cake ink onto crumb cake cardstock.  The surround that the butterflies are 'perched on' was made using the Window Frames Collection framelits and pear pizzazz cardstock.

 The butterflies were made by stamping the smaller butterflies from the Papillon Potpourrir stamp set in Versamark onto wisteria wonder, blushing bride and pool party card stock and then punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  The greeting or number is mounted onto a backing piece of very vanilla cardstock, cut using the 'in-between' size framelit die.  The number was cut out of Silver Glimmer paper using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz die. The greeting was stamped using the Memorable Moments stamp set in Early Espresso ink.  Finally the flowers were punched using scraps of pool party, wisteria wonder and blushing bride using the the Itty Bitty Punch pack with a small basic pearl in the middle.

This months box is a 'pillow box'.  This can be used to contain a scarf, tie, some sweets or any other small gift.  For this design, we drew around a template I had made onto basic black cardstock.  The band is a piece of Modern Medley DSP edged with a strip of real red cardstock cut using the scallop trim border.  The butteflies and border for the greeting were taken from the Creative Elements stamp set.  The butterflies were stamped in real red ink onto very vanilla cardstock and hand cut, the greeting was taken from the Express Yourself hostess stamp set in basic black onto very vanilla cardstock.  Finally the leaves were punched out using the Bird Builder punch in basic black.