April's Projects at-a-glance

 Project  Notes

I found this card on Splitcoast Stampers, and, from there, the artist, Lynn Weiss, linked us to her own blog site:

http://lwdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/03/baja-bliss.html

So you can find her notes about her card there!  (No video; just a few tips.)  But I'll add a few of my own tips here...

EDGING:  Lynn used the "Rock 'n' Roll" technique, but I found that to be too awkward considering the larger-than-the-stamps size of the clear blocks ~ making it pretty much impossible to get the ink onto just those edges; you end up going way into the stamp.  So, instead, I used markers on the edges. I laid the marker at a steep angle to the stamp's edge and used the side of the brush end to color the edge, and in a ways, kind of feathering it as I pulled the brush in toward the middle.  ...  Stamp first, then edge with the marker, then huff, then stamp.  Here are some more specifics on both of the edged items:

SCROLLY BACKGROUND:  I used Not Quite Navy on the edges of the scrolly background, first stamping in Crumb Cake.

BUTTERFLY:  I tried Not Quite Navy on the edges of the first  butterfly I tried, but that was too dark, so I used Baja Breeze on the edges of that, and I had first inked it up on a Soft Sky stamp pad.

RIBBON:  Lynn used Crumb Cake seam binding (which she raved about), but, not having that, I used white taffeta or silk ribbon, which I think look just as nice.  (I think I gave the gals both of those choices, and maybe another, at class; I can't remember what ended up in the kits.)

BUTTERFLY NOTES:  The center of the butterfly is a perfect place to use those strings of tiny pearls ~ which are in Stampin' Up's Pearls embellishments!  They are actually strung-stuck together by a narrow strip of adhesive!!  So don't cut them apart for this!!  What I did was to cut the paper they're on right between every three pearls.  It's easiest to pick them up with a paper piercer ~ which you want to dig down under the pearl, beneath the adhesive, being careful to not pull the pearls off the adhesive!  Once you've pulled it off the paper, it's easy to carefully position it on the center of the butterfly!  ...  Cut out the butterfly leaving ~ as in the picture ~ a tiny rim of white all around. No need to cut way into the antennae.  ...  And then as for mounting it ~ I used four tiny pieces of Dimensionals on the wings, two on each wing.  Be sure to not get the Dimensional too close to the edge as you don't want to see it.

MOUNTING THE MAIN PIECE:  First attach the ribbon (and you tie it "left over right, right over left" to get it to lie this way), and then add Dimensionals to the back, then attach!

SENTIMENT:  This is actually an "oopsportunity"!!!  I would much rather have done this as it is in the prototype (below), just stamped on.  The way I did (had to) do it, the sentiment piece is a little distracting to the main image.  BUT I messed up on it, so I had to create this piece to cover up the boo-boo.  Were I to intentionally use this piece, I would put the scrolly image (with the butterfly) a little higher to make room for the sentiment.  (But I actually wouldn't intentionally use it!)

Here's the prototype of this card:

As you can see, I stuck with the same design! 

The ribbon color's different, since I don't have this one. Plus I

made my "tipping" on the outer scrolly parts a bit "more."

(I like this better.)

 Project  Notes 

SPONGING:  The edges of pretty much every single piece are sponged!!!  So there's a LOT of sponging to do!!!  If your hands need to be clean-looking for anything within a day, you might want to wear laytex gloves!  You can sponge as extensively (as far in to the piece) as you like, or just lightly at the edges.  The card to the right is sponged more heavily than the card below.  Both are just as pretty!

● Pieces with more color were sponged in a darker brown:  Basic Brown, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, or Early Espresso.  Just esperiment  (get it? ~ misspelling intended) on the back of each piece to see what you like. 

● Then on the lighter colored pieces, I used Crumb Cake. (or Kraft ~ which was the old name for Crumb Cake)   Yes, even the dotted (or Houndstooth ~ or whatever you might have in your kit) piece is sponged!

BRADS:  I think we only used one brad, in the niche of the Photo corner in the upper right corner.  (If you have three, then refer to the picture of the prototype below.)

BAND ACROSS THE MIDDLE:  You have a small piece of black and cream DP that's not as wide as the area you want to cover...  You want to cut it at about 1 inch from the left side (there's not really an "up" or "down" to it), and place that behind the left side of the butterfly piece.  Then you'll have plenty left to go on the right side!  ...  It works best to use a ruler to get the pieces even with each other along the bottom.

MOUNTING THE TWO MAIN PIECES:  The butterfly piece is popped up with 3 Dimensionals. The sentiment (scalloped circle) is just glued on flat.  (It's opposite this in the prototype.)

ENVELOPE:  Here's the card with the envelope I made to go with it.  I used the swirl from "Priceless" stamped off lighter, (or in a lighter ink, like Crumb Cake) with the butterfly stamped in the darker brown on top of it and to an angle ~ kind of flowing in the little "breeze" of the Priceless swirlies.

VARIATIONS

Dotted Designer Paper - I ran a little short on this DP ~ for the larger piece behind the butterfly, so Wanda mounted it onto a piece of Crumb Cake, and scalloped the left edge.  It makes it a little more feminine ~ which you may or may not want ~ but it's just as pretty, *I* think!

Upper Right "Photo Corners" - This card has the same corner as the card above, but Wanda mounted the double corner onto a piece of Crumb Cake.  (So that's what that little scrap of Crumb Cake in your kits is for! ~ in case you'd like to do that!)

Sentiment in Scallop Circle:  Wanda wanted a different sentiment, so she combined "love YOU" from one set, the smaller swirl from "Priceless," and the tiny flower from "Itty Bitty Bits."

Border Around Butterfly - You might notice that the light border around the Crumb Cake Butterfly piece is wider than it is tall.  That's because Wanda didn't get the butterfly stamped as in-the-center as she wanted, so she sliced off one side.  She actually could have sliced the top/bottom off to get it even all the way around, but liked this effect!

More Masculine - You could make this card even more masculine by:

● not using the scallops in the card above (just do it like the original)

● using a plain circle without the scalloped circle for the sentiment

● using a more "guy-ish" stamp in place of the butterfly ~ like a clock, fish, leaf, knife, deer or elk, wild animal, etc.

Any way you do it, this is a

very stunning card!  I love it!!!!!

Here's the prototype of this card:

I stayed pretty much with this design, though I didn't

have this butterfly stamp, which is bigger, and which I (therefore) like

better. But, you know, you can't have every stamp that exists!!! 

(And I do think I have a pretty good start!)

Also, I did not add the two brads in the lower left corner.

I just didn't think they were needed.

 Project  Notes

1) Assemble the little punched owl ~ all of which goes together as shown here.  (Two additional tips on the owl in numbers 2 and 3.)

2) Cut the light blue circle in half to form the eyelids.

3) The red cross on the nurse's hat is probably the trickiest part.  It's helpful to use tweezers.  And go slow, with a lot of patience. 

4) Overall, glue sticks are probably the easiest to use as they lend the greatest flexibility, however, they are messier, so you might prefer the neatness of the snail adhesive.  You just have to make sure you're placing it exactly where you want it.  Again, tweezers are helpful for this.

5) With the brush end of two different markers, color in the word: "s{ick}?" and "feel better soon" below it as shown.

6) Layer and adhere all pieces as shown.

7) Adhere the little ribbon and button with a glue dot.

Here's the prototype of this card:

I made it at a Stampin' Up meeting, but another

demonstrator either designed or copied it.  I would have

done this color scheme, but I don't have these buttons...  The

only ones I have that were small enough to work are the

Sale-a-bration buttons, so I had to totally re-do the

color scheme to go with the buttons!

 Project  Notes

As you can see above, they original artist

didn't have the silver layer behind the middle piece; I

just thought would be a nice addition. It's beautiful

without  it, too though!  ...  (BTW, this picture is

more what my card looks like, color-wise.)

And here is the exact same layout,

but done in baby girl colors, and with a different

embossing folder!  (Finial Press)

Isn't it CUTE!?!?!?!?  SOOO simple, but SOOO pretty!!!

And here's a baby BOY card in the same layout:

Note that I made this one a bit simpler

by embossing just the center piece.

And here are another two cards, same layout but

can you see what I did with these? ~ besides doing the matting

and scallop circles in different colors, and putting

the circles on different sides?...

Hint:  Look carefully at the embossed backgrounds...

I embossed two different backgrounds ~ Vintage

Wallpaper and Perfect Polka Dots ~ and then switched the

center pieces with each other!!! ... Cool, huh?!?!?