Saturday, June 20, 2020

A Bike Card for Lucas

A friend asked me to make a card for her grandson who is turning 9 this month - and he's getting a bike (which they are frantically looking for because everyone is sold out due to the Corona Virus stay at home edict - more families are riding bikes together and didn't own them prior to this spring apparently!)

So I also found out that I didn't have ONE bicycle stamp in my craft room (shocking!! I later found a bicycle die but still no stamps!)  so I ran over to recently re-opened Michaels and found they had just ONE 3D sticker package of bicycles and bike paraphernalia!  And it was perfect for what I needed!
I brought it home and made this fun pop up box card for Lucas!
The Scalloped Box Card Pop Up Die is from Lawn Fawn and is really easy to put together - they have videos on YouTube showing how it's done. The photo below shows the 3 inside sections where you can attach die cuts, stickers or sentiments to create a dimensional scene.
 I put a white panel on the back so my friend can write her birthday message to Lucas.
 Another view of the dividers inside.  I used a grass die from MFT for the grass on each divider.
 A view from the bottom
 The balloon image and die are from Mama Elephant.  The bike, sign and helmet are from a 3D sticker set by Paper House (Michaels).  The Keep Calm and Bike On sentiment is from a set called Live to Ride by Jillian Vance Designs.   I adhered the strip with LUCAS on it to a thin strip of acetate and adhered the bottom of the strip to the back of the first divider so it appears to 'float' in the air.
 The box card folds flat and fits in a regular A2 envelope but will require additional postage as it is thick.  The thickness depends on what you attach to all of the dividers.  
(The stickers I used are 3D and also have thick foam dots on the back of them which made them even thicker.)
 So when it's first opened you just lift it up, hold it loose in your hands and let it open up like a box.
 Then you fold down the sides and front

My friend loved this personalized card for Lucas and I think he will like it too!  And hopefully his parents find a real bike for him soon!  I wonder if it will be green?!?


I'm linking my birthday Box Card to the following challenges:
Summer

Summer Activities


Anything Goes

Anything Goes

Stamps:  Half Pint Heroes (happyBirthday) - Waltzingmouse (retired), Live to Ride - Jillian Vance Designs (retired), Snap Stamps Alphabet and Numbers - Karen Foster (retired)
Paper:  Water Color Paper - Canson, Leaf Green, Pure Poppy, Clear Acetate - PTI, Knock On Wood 6x6 paperpad - Lawn Fawn, Grass DP sheet, FireFly DP Sheet - Michaels.
Accessories:  Scalloped Box Card Pop Up Dies - Lawn Fawn, 3D Bike Stickers - Paper House (Michaels), Grass Die - MFT, Copics BG49, YR09, YG23, Y38, Sentiment Strips Die - MFT, 1" circle punch - EK Success, ScorTape, Tombow Glue.

Monday, June 15, 2020

CAS Christmas Challenge - June Reminder - I Heard the Bells

Today I have a reminder card for the June CAS Christmas Challenge.  You still have time to link up your card - you know you want to get those Christmas cards done before the rush of the season right?!
Here's my card.
The Jingle Bell Die set is from Impression Obsession.  I embossed the background using Beaded Garland Embossing Folder from Tim Holtz/Sizzix.  
I stamped just the first two lines of the stamp on the front of the card 
(masking the other lines with a Post It Note before inking the stamp)
Then I stamped the whole sentiment stamp on the inside. It's an old red rubber on wood stamp from Penny Black.
The challenge is open through June 24th!   You'll find the challenge here.


Stamps: Good Will To Men - Penny Black
Paper:  White - PTI, Kraft Stock Metallic - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology
Ink:  Obsidian - Altenew
Accessories:  Jingle Bell Die Set - Impression Obsession, foam dots, Beaded Garland Embossing Folder - Tim Holtz/Sizzix

Monday, June 8, 2020

17th Birthday - Eileen Hull Notebooks using Belagio Cork Fabric!

As a member of Eileen Hull's Inspiration team - today I'm sharing two Notebooks I made for my friends twins who turned 17 last week. They had a drive-by birthday party at their home and I handed these to them through the car window with our masks on!  
The team is using these beautiful Belagio cork fabrics for their projects this month as described in the next paragraph.
We have an exciting month ahead for all you Eileen Hull fans! The theme this month is June Journals and Eileen is collaborating with Belagio to use their unique, versatile cork fabric. This durable and user friendly fabric can be easily die cut, sewn by machine, combined with fabric, paper or pretty much any substrate you can think of. Thin sheets of real cork are laminated to a fabric backing so it is very flexible and durable. It is thinner than other cork sheets on the market but that is intentional to make it suitable for many different applications. It’s perfect for covering three dimensional projects like boxes, books, and home decor pieces. It can also be used to create 3D flowers and other embellishments. This fabric lives up to the Belagio motto: You are only limited by your imagination.

Where can you find Belagio cork fabric?

• Hobby Lobby carries packaged cork in 18″ x 15″ pieces in 9 different patterns in the notions department.
• There are two types – a natural and a natural with gold at Walmart stores that have fabric departments. It is sold by the yard.
• As for the entire collection, many quilt and craft shops around the country carry it by the yard and in packaged 18″ x 15″ pieces.
• Online the Belagio cork fabric is available on Walmart.com and Amazon.com.

So now that you have been introduced to this lovely new product  -  I have lots of photos to share with you, starting with how I put my Notebooks together and then how they look when finished!

Eileen sent the team all of these lovely pieces of cork fabric to work with.  So many beautiful patterns and there are a multitude more of them. You will be seeing many more projects from me using these! 
 I chose the tear drop circles one and the floral one for my Notebook covers.
 
 I adhered the cork to the matboard using double sided adhesive sheets. And then ran Eileen's Notebook Die through my machine cork side facing the die.
This cork fabric feels so soft as a cover - almost like a leather. I love the feel of it in my hand.
It adhered perfectly to the matboard and has not lifted off any of the edges or scorings.
 
My friend Elizabeth (the twins mother) said that Gwen would like the floral cork and her favorite color is green,  so I colored all the flowers and stems with a YG23 Copic.  I tried coloring on a scrap of this pattern first to see how bright it would be. I also tried a mix of greens, but felt it looked best using just this one green.
 
Paige's favorite color is pink/coral so for her cover I used two Copic colors - a light pink (R32) and a coral (R35).  Again, I tested the colors on a scrap of this cork fabric before starting on the cover.
This piece has little flecks of gold on it that you can see reflected here.  SO pretty!!

I colored only random circles - leaving many uncolored, just going with what was pleasing and balanced to my eye.  Here is the completed cover for Paige.


I used Color Blends2 inks to color the inside of the cover, spritzing the inks with water and then dabbing the colors on, one at a time with a sponge.
Gwen likes green, so I used Frog, Leaf, and Gold Blends for her cover.
Any inks or paints can be used with this technique.
Here is the Leaf green dabbed on
Then I dabbed on the Frog Ink and finally the Gold Ink
Paige likes coral/pink so I used Melon and Rose Gold Blends2 inks for her inside cover. 
I sponged the color around the outside edges and onto the scored edges of the binding.
I die cut their names and age out of Sizzix Sculpting Foam - a new product that is like fun foam but very much thinner.  I felt that it might be more durable than using cardstock for this application.
I adhered double sided adhesive sheets to the foam before die cutting so I didn't have to apply glue to each letter/number.
I laid a ruler along the cover to help me adhere the letters in a straight line.
 
 I had these cute notebooks from JoAnn and they just happened to be in a mix of pink and green, so I used the green for Gwen and Pink for Paige.
I also got out several charms and asked Elizabeth which one each girl might like -   the purse was chosen for Gwen and the squirrel was chosen for Paige.
 I added three paper note books to each notebook, laying a 12" black elastic cord across the inside center of each book, bringing the two ends around the outside binding, pulling them tightly and tying a double knot.  This allows the notebooks to be removed or added very easily.  I tied the charm in with the knot on the middle elastic.  I threaded a 20" piece of faux suede cord under the binding cords adhering it just on the binding with a piece of ScorTape to hold the cord onto the binding when the book was un-tied.  I stamped 2020, punched it out and adhered it to the bottom right corner.
I die cut a pocket out of coordinated DP using Eileen's Credit Card Sleeve and Tags die.  I adhered it to the cover and slipped $10 inside.  I stamped Happy Birthday on the sleeve and added Metallic Stickers/Quotations above and below the sleeve.
The notebooks have encouraging words printed on their covers.
I adhered more Metallic Stickers on the back cover.
Front and back, showing binding cords, charm and tie cord.
Tied in a bow.
From the back
And here's Gwen's - made in the same way with the purse charm on the binding.

And here are Gwen and Paige with their special notebooks at their drive-by birthday party!


I look forward to making more things with Eileen's dies and this creative new product, 
 Belagio Cork Fabric!
It gives a wonderful textured feel to whatever it is on and there are so many beautiful designs to choose from!

Be sure to check out Eileen's blog every Wednesday this month for more creative ideas using this cork fabric on Eleen's journals.

You can also join Eileen on her twice weekly Facebook Live shows at Eileen Hull Designs – Tuesdays at 6:00 pm EST and Thursdays at 4:00 pm EST. Become a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club-  a friendly, talented and encouraging community of crafty folks that you will want to meet. Please join our group and don’t forget to answer the questions! You can also find Eileen on FacebookInstagram and Pinterest.

Stamps:  Karen Fisher Number Snap Stamps (retired), Birthday Basics - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Gold, Frog, Leaf, Melon, Rose Gold - Blends 2 Inks/Color Box.
Paper:  Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, Marble Paper - JoAnn, Under the Tuscan Sun - Ciao Bella.
Accessories:  Notebook Die, Credit Card Sleeve and Tags Thinlit Dies - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Belagio Cork Fabric floral and circles, Sunset Garden Sizzix Sculpting Foam, Easy Cut Adhesive - ThermoWeb, Copics YG23, R35, R32, Alphabet and number dies - PTI, Metallic Stickers/Quotations - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Mini Notebooks - JoAnn, Word Window Punch - SU, Faux Suede Cord - DIY, black round elastic cord, craft mat, water mister, sponges.