New Stuff for Friday!!

Here's a card we'll be making this Friday at class!  We're using the new Floral District Designer papers - and we're punching a "Reverse Flower."  So at least that's my justification for calling this card a new 'technique'!  It's the reverse part that we use for the flower look.  We're punching the Blossom punch from a perfect square, and I'll even show how it will be perfectly centered every time!! 

And the cool scalloped tangerine edge - it's our Scallop Dots Ribbon!  Cute, huh?  And the button center - it's not tangerine (it's pumpkin pie), but with a tangerine circle behind, it transformed into tangerine!  The last touch of tangerine is our new Itty Bitty Banners 'thank you' stamped, and then die cut with the coordinating Bitty Banners Framelits - so fun!

Can't wait to share this card with everyone!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B 

Another Graduation!

No re-inventing the wheel here!  I needed to make a graduation card for a friend, so I did a re-make of the one I made for my daughter's graduation card.  The layout was clean and simple, so I just changed the colors for a different school, and it was all good!!

 

Here's a closer look at the graduation cap - perfect and easy that I could use scraps to create it (the tutorial for it is HERE).

 

And I used our new Basic Black stamp pad for the saying - Lovin' the new Classic Pad inks (you can get them on June 1st)!  And I can't wait to share them!!  Just have to remember that a super light and easy touch - and the ink coverage is so much better!  The ink even worked well on the Gold card stock, which used to be kind of tricky!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B

 

 

 

Same Card, New Theme!

This is a card we made at the last Technique class.  I liked that it was a quick card, and that it was so versatile.  You could easily change out the 'wedding wishes' saying for any of the other stamps in the Easy Events set.   

So, when I found a set of the card supplies that were a left-over, and I needed a baby card, I decided to use it!  The baby stamp is from the retired set, Fast and Fun Notes.  And I just used that in place of the wedding saying. - Wah lah!  New card!!

And here's a closer look at the charm I decided to put on it.  Instead of the Trinket Key, I used a retired charm from the Occasions Mini.  The 'love' label was a little more fitting for the baby card.

Sometimes, I take so much time in trying to create an original card, but it's nice to be able to make a couple small changes and create something so easily with things I already have!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B

 

 

Making a Graduation Cap from Scraps and Punches

Here's how I made my graduation cap for the card I made yesterday.  First start with a 1" strip of Basic Black card stock.  Lay one point on the gutter of the paper trimmer, and the other end lined up with the 3/4" mark on the right side of the gutter.  Then cut!

 

Next flip the piece over, and line up the angle you just cut on the 1" line on the left of the gutter. And cut.

That creates the mortarboard piece - a perfect parallelogram!  

Then punch a 1-3/8" square using your punch and another scrap piece.

Stick the punched square onto the edge of a post-it note (easier to handle this way!).  

  

Use your 1-3/4" x 7/8" oval punch and place the bottom right part of the square in and punch.  I eyed this part, but I did place just a little more than half of the bottom right part in.  And punch!

 

Then I placed the bottom left part of the square back into the punch and punched off that side.  Again I just eyed it.  

 

Maybe I just got lucky, but it centered pretty easily.  I made three of them so far - and I guess I eyed them pretty well?!  If it doesn't come out very centered the first time though, try again on the same piece.  You'll still have plenty of space up top to stick to the mortarboard piece. 

Then here it is all stuck together!  Tah dah!! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B

Celebrating my Grad Girl!

Today was my daughter's college graduation - So very proud of her!!  Just to brag a little, she graduated in 3 1/2 years and had a 4.0 gpa in her major!  She's going on to grad school for the next two years to get her master's degree in Speech and Language Pathology.  So proud!!

I made this card for her.  Mainly I used punches to create the cap, and then made the tassel from the Baker's Twine.  Pretty easy, and I didn't even need a specific graduation stamp set!  I used the saying from the Perfectly Penned set.

  

Her school colors are mostly red (and really blue too - but you never really see the blue on anything), so I kept it pretty simple with just the red, white and black layers! 

** Click HERE for my quick tutorial on making the graduation cap!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day a little early with a BBQ yesterday!  So this is the card I made for my mom.  I was inspired by a card made by Niki Toll that I saw a couple of months ago.  I love these little layered banners!

 

I love how colorful and fun all the papers from the Summer Smooches Designer Papers set are!  And it's so cool that you can make a quick card with a bunch of scraps, then just add a great saying.

Have a Happy Mother's Day,

Julie B

Shamrocks Aren't Just for St.Pat's

I made this little gift box for my daughter to give to her friend for her birthday.  I adapted the size from a box I had lying around so it would fit the little items she wanted to put in it.

My daughter choose the colors, and then she wanted a four-leafed clover on it because it went with one of the gifts inside (a 'lucky' charmed bracelet).

 

Here's how the top opens.  It just has a 3/4" circle punched halfway so that it fits snugly under the scallop circle.

 

Here's a closer look at the four-leafed clover.  I used one of the hearts from the retiring punch Heart to Heart, and then I just hand-cut the stem from a scrap.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B

 

My New "Top Note"!

So I made these quick little thank yous for stamp orders - and I decided to use the Framelits Labels Collection dies to make a cello topper.  The 3" x 5" cello baggies I used are being retired, and I'm sad to see them go cause I do use them a lot.  But I know I'll be able to use 4" x 6" cellos - just gotta put more stuff in 'em!!

And speaking of putting stuff in them, these little treats have two of my favorite kinds of salt water taffy (although there haven't been many taffys I don't like!!).  The brown and white one is Root Beer Float :) and the Pool Party colored taffy, besides being one of my favorite colors, is my all-time favorite flavor, cotton candy.  I've only found it in Cambria or Morro Bay - and when I do see it, I buy more :)  So I even decided to share some from my last batch a week or so ago!

 

And back to the project... I made a full Framelit Label for a fold-over topper, and then I made a second one the next size smaller, and cut it in half.  Then I just stamped and stuck the 'half' one onto the front of the topper!  Super fun and easy!!

Oh, and the stamp is a demonstrator only set I got at last years convention.




Thanks for stopping by,




Julie B

Some Goodbyes for this Friday!

Here's one of the cards we are going to make at Technique class this Friday.  We will be doing the Brayered Embossing Folder to a piece of Very Vanilla card stock to get the fabulous Vintage Wallpaper background piece.

 

Here's a little closer look at it.  After brayering the folder, and then placing the card stock into the folder in a secret way - it comes out perfect every time!  (I had tried it in the past, and it would be smudgey...)

 

And then we're going to add a pretty flower, which will include pieces from the retiring Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch.

 

And mine will have a Mother's Day saying, but this is a great card to leave the saying off - and have it ready for any occasion when you need it!

Hope to see you at Friday's class!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie B