Tri-fold template

Finally! Here it is. You can click on the picture to get a larger look. Of course you can make your card taller and your cuts wider to suit your embellishments and stamped images.

6x6 tri-fold valentines card

These cards have been around for a while, and when I made mine I wasn't happy with it because it didn't seem stable enough and I wanted a proper card front that I could decorate.

So here's how i made it. I will upload a template with the dimensions as directed.

1: Cut 2 pieces of cardstock measuring 15cm X 30cm (6"x12").

2: Score card front at 15cm (6'') along the landscape (long) side and fold, set aside.

3:Turn the second piece around to portrait (short) side. Using a pencil lightly mark at 5cm (2")and 10cm (4") on either end. Line up first marks with a ruler top to bottom and cut from 5cm (2") to 25cm (10"). Repeat with second marks.

4: Turn back around to landscape side and score at 5cm (2"), down to beginning of first cut
and beginning of second cut down to bottom edge. Score again top to bottom at 10cm (4")and 20cm (8"). Finally score from the end of the first cut to the end of the second cut.

5: Now begin folding. Fold the first top and bottom crease towards you creating a valley fold. Along the second crease fold back the top and bottom portion back, creating a mountain fold. The crease inbetween will need to be a valley fold. The third crease top and bottom valley fold, and middle mountain fold. Finally the last centre crease a valley fold.

6: Glue the back part of the first panel of the tri-fold to the inside edge of the card front. Fold closed the tri-fold, and glue the back panel. Line up the edge of the panel with the back of the card front and close the back of the card to adhere. Decorate as desired.

Aloha 2010 Calendar

(Do the Hula, Calendar, Canvas - Stampin Up)

I've used this design to make lots of masculine card with this set, and I love it so much I could easily admire my work every day of the year!

I made it so that the months easily tear off by using SU preforating tool which leaves a broken line cut above the top of the calendar months which are then stapled together and is hidden under the scored and folded SU kraft cardstock. And yes I hand wrote the days and dates; best to have another calendar on hand to copy correct day placements, particuarly when your watching the season return of Grey's Anatomy!

The background was stamped on Very Vanilla with the Canvas background stamp. The flowers were rock n rolled, and the leaves were darkened on the ends by tapping the inkpad on both sides. I have inked my stamps using distress ink and spritzed with water before stamping for a more blended/watercolour look, but you could easily do this with your regular SU inkpad.
The main image is stamped in staz-on and watercoloured using markers and an aqua painter. The flowers on the hula girl and on the tips if the flower have kindy glitz, and using a crop-a-dile I added the SU jumbo eyelet to the top.

The sun is easy to create by using a negative circle, and sponge inside. Mask off the trees and moving around a post it note as you sponge along the edge.

February 14 fever

I know it's not even February, yet I've made enough Valentine's Day cards this past week or so to last me for years to come!

So these three cards use basic stamping and masking, but maybe you'll learn something along the way or see something that inspires you.(Stampin Up - A Happy Heart)

Basic masking using two chalk ink tones. I like the soft effect of the chalk. Now if you don't have any chalk inkpads, you can easily create a softer tone using your regular inkpads. Often you can stamp an image 2 or 3 times or more before re-inking your stamps, each time acheiving a more subtle tone. Experiment with you ink colours. If it's too dark stamp it off once or twice on a scrap piece first.
(Stampin Up - Upsy Daisy, Sweet little sentiments)
Now after stamping off on a scrap piece once or twice, using the same colour go over parts of the stamp with the edge of your inkpad or inked sponge dauber before stamping. You could also do something like this using 2 colours as long as the second colour added is darker or you'll stain your lighter colour inkpad.

( Stampin Up - A Happy Heart)
Keep it soft and simple. But if it looks like it's not quite finished, make the focal point pop out of the background using crystal effects or glitter glue like I have on the previous two images.
Click on any image to get a better supersized look.

Ahoy Matey!

So here is another card stamped with the same set. The Parisian Breeze DSP from SU is distressed around the edges and adhered to my favourite chocolate chip. The map was a piece I had wheeled several times previously to save time. I coloured in all except the "land" with markers, using a white gel pen for the mountains. I swiped creamy caramel over the map to "age" it. The ships mast was to thin to leave it as one piece, so I adhered it to two toothpicks which also pops it up. The tag (from the newsagent) is stamped and sponged in chocolate chip.

You arrr treasured

So it's about a month till Valentines day and we normally love to use the traditional pink, red and white; some ribbon, glitter and some other cutesy things for the ones we love...something we ourselves would love to receive. Although they appreciate the gesture, it's not really manly is it? Something that might be put in a drawer to look at from time to time, somewhere his mates won't see it.

So with that in mind this is what I came up with. The card base is Sahara Sand which has been stamped with SU "A Happy Heart" in Bravo Burgundy and then sponged with Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa along the sides and Chocolate Chip on the corners and edge.

"Matey's Map" was rolled on Chocolate Chip on Whisper White cardstock, coloured with markers and a white pencil for cliff tops, and sponged in Creamy Caramel and Close To Cocoa. The edges of the map were sponged with black chalk ink.

Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig I stamped the chest and pirate from SU "Ahoy Matey" on the map in Chocolate Chip first for placement and for the finer details-legs and arms. Stamped again on Sahara Sand, coloured with markers, cut out the solid pieces and adhered. I went over the legs and arms with a darker brown pen as they had blended into the background.

"You arrr invited" was partially stamped and the "treasured" was hand written, then sponged and put on foam that had been edged with ink so it wasn't as noticable. Then distressed and sponged the edge.

What do you think?

unfrogettable love

So coming up next month is Valentines day so what better time than to share your love of stamping with the one you love.

S.O.S (save our scraps)

Don't throw away those scraps that are left over, sometimes they're just the final touch you need. The chocolate chip matt was punched out several times before I used it as a frame. To look at it you wouldn't know. You can often get more out of your favourite cardstock/patterned paper this way. You could even cut out a piece in the middle where it won't be seen before matting. Again the scallop border of pink pirouette was a scrap piece and so was the ribbon. As it is partially hidden under the image there is no need to go all the way across.

The frogs from Stampin Up's "Unfrogettable" set are stamped in staz-on on whisper white. I then watercoloured them with markers by scribbling on a saucer and picking up colour with my aqua painter; and added dimension to the frogs, heart and crown with crystal effects. The card base is Rose red and the hearts and crosses from "A Happy heart" are stamped in real red.