Something Foxy ...

I did a little happy dance when I saw the new set called Foxy Friends in the annual catalog! I ADORE the fox "thing," and even though I already own three fox stamps, this collection had to come to my house. After all, it's not just a fox ... it's a cat, raccoon, reindeer, skunk, and so on and so on!

Anyone who has been around my blog knows I adore 3-D scenes, and so this little fox needed his own little foresty place to live. Of course he had to be a diorama card!

This card is a simple 1" diorama that fits into a standard A2 envelope and folds totally flat for mailing. Isn't he so cute?

 

Here are directions to create your own diorama card!

A2 Horizontal Diorama

1) Cut two pieces of card stock to 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". Score both pieces ½” and 1” from each edge on the 5 1/2” side. Pre-fold along each score line.

2) Die cut a circular window in one piece of card stock to serve as the front window. 

3)Decorate or stamp the back layer to create your scene. Decorate or stamp around the front window.

4)Assemble the front and back of the diorama by taping the two layers together along the outermost 1/2" score lines.

Thanks for getting foxy with me today!

Retired but not Forgotten ...

Every now and then I like to take a walk down a stamper's version of memory lane and pull out old friends that haven't see the light of day in a while, and today I have a little collection of projects made with these oldies-but-goodies.

The first is a card I made with the retired set called Aviary. It has a whole bunch of sweet little birds and bird cages, and I thought it would make a cute little blank note card.

Why do I always neglect to use stamped backgrounds? They are so easy and create instant coordination for the main focal point of cards. These bird cages were just perfect for creating a repeating pattern.

The next old set making its return today is called Baby Blossoms. I must admit that I always have trouble finding a use for this set as it dates back to Stampin' Up's pre-photopolymer days and is comparatively a lot of work to layer. I went old school with my stamp positioner though and used it to create this card cased from a design by Colleen Dietrich:

These flowers would make great fillers in a stamped bouquet, which would lend them some much-needed new life!

 Last but not least is the now-retired set called Open Heart that I just had to add to my collection this spring before it retired. I confess that I really only bought this set in order to case many copies of this design by Sylvia Nelson:

I love stamp collages, and Sylvia's design is just a perfect incarnation of everything I love about them. Thanks, Sylvia!

That's all for tonight, my friends! Thanks for visiting!

Summer Sunsets

     Hi, friends! Today I'm back to share the project that I taught at my June craft club meeting. We recently marked our five-year craft-aversary! These amazing women have brought so many laughs into my life, and each month it's a treat to get together. Sometimes we get a lot done and sometimes accomplish nothing tangible at all other than laughing together and decompressing for a while.

     For our project this month, we created a summer sunrise behind the trees in the gorgeous Woodland embossing folder from Stampin' Up. After experimenting a little on my own, I found a few effective ways to approach creating sky effects.

     For our card project, I chose a messy watercolor effect with ink and aqua painters. We used a versamarker and clear embossing powder to create a resist on our trees first, then we painted away with a combination of Baja Breeze, Pool Party, Pistachio Pudding, and Calypso Coral Inks in the background. When the ink was dry, we used a Crumb Cake marker to darken the indented bark on our trees to add a little extra contrast. The effects were all different and just beautiful!

     We hand cut a few gold leaves for more sparkle and then embossed our sentiments in gold on a strip of vellum. What could be more perfect than a little gold thread "nest" and little wooden bird to top it all off? Here are projects by Gia, Stacy, and Lindsay!

(This was Lindsay's first time paper crafting. Like ever. What?)

     In experimenting with the sky for this class, I also tried a version with an ink sponged background. This also turned out nicely, so I used this experiment to create another card with that technique. I added a little red birdie, another strip of vellum, and a sentiment die cut on gold washi tape. I can't wait to use this technique on some winter-themed projects!

     I will bring this long and rambling post to a close! Thanks so much for visiting!