Category : Techniques

88 posts

Easter Blessings – FSJ Creative Design Team Blog Hop

It is time for another Creative Design Team Blog Hop. I am so excited to feature products found in the new Easter Blessings catalog. So many possibilities for creating incredible cards, gifts and just plain adorable projects. Grab a cuppa coffee, sit back, relax and hop along on a journey of inspiration. Here we go!

The Design Team was blessed to receive some exciting new products from FSJ + Spellbinders to inspire your creativity. I received the Carrot Treat Box Die DI-0521, Pretty Plaid Embossing Folder EF-0041 and samples of the Create and Bloom Prints PP-0067 and the Easter Blessings Tags PP-0069. We also received the mini-catalog and all the inspiration in the catalog is soooo cute!

I’m going to let you in on a little surprise. All of my featured products involve NO Stamping! So, for those of you that don’t have a huge selection of inks and stamps, these projects are for you.

Carrot Treat Box

First up are some adorable Carrot Treat Boxes DI-0521. I used a variety of Create and Bloom Prints PP-0067 to inspire you to think outside the box. These carrot treat boxes are so uniquely cute they are sure to make someone you know hoppy. Check out the picture tutorial for how to create your own treat boxes.

Step 1 (top left hand corner) – Crease all score lines on of the die-cut carrot. Step 2 – Place adhesive on the side flap. Step 3 – Die-cut cardstock for the “green” portion of the carrot. Step 4 – Adhere the die-cut “green” portion to both sides of the carrot top. Step 5 – Adhere sides together.

Fancy Fold Some Bunny Loves You Card

Ya’ll know fancy fold cards have a sweet spot in my creative heart. This one came together just like a rabbit hops, hops, hops.

Begin with an Inner Stair Step Card. Choose a couple of Easter Blessing Gift Tags to use on your card project. I chose the Some Bunny Loves You for the sentiment and cut it down.

I took the bunny on the yellow background tag (see below) and cut him out.

Here he is peeking out from stash of candy eggs! He’s so cute.

I placed a full 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ piece of Pool Play cardstock on the back of the main card for the sky. I adhered onto the back piece a Whip Cream Garden Fence DI-0485. The bunny is adhered to the back side of the middle panel. Tip: I had to add a piece of cardstock to the back of the bunny to give him height. I die-cut grass from the Border Details die set DI-0144 and the eggs from the Fancy Eggs Die DI-0512. To create the print paper mat. I laid the printed paper on top of the base and marked my cut lines with a pencil. I trimmed the printed paper on my trimmer and adhered to the base.

Easter Blessing Gift Card Holder

Many of you enjoy giving gift cards. This card is perfect for holding a gift card with a sweet Easter Blessings Tag.

I used the following for this project: Window Pop die DI-0389, Banana Cream Satin Ribbon AC-0184, Easter Blessings Gift Tags PP-0069, Create and Bloom Prints PP-0067, Lemongrass cardstock CS-2019 and Sweet Candy Drops AC-0275.

Die cut the printed paper using the Window Pop die. Create a double bow from the satin ribbon and choose a tag sentiment.

Adhere the die cut paper to the card base and fold the flap in half (this will create an easel effect for display purposes). Adhere the gift card to the card base and apply a Sweet Candy Drop on the bottom portion of the card base under the flap.

Adhere the tag to the bottom portion of the folded flap.

Adhere the bow to the card. It is just that simple!

Elegant Easter Card

Last but not least, I used the Pretty Plaid Embossing Folder to create a background for this card project and placed another Easter Blessings Tag onto the card for the sentiment.

I applied Whip Cream Fusion Ink IP-0009 to the raised portion of the embossed Sweet Berry cardstock CS-0034.

I pulled from my FSJ stash the following to create this card project: Love Buds AC-0177, Whip Cream Thread AC-0128 and Silver Sparkle Tape AC-0259.

I applied the Whip Cream Fusion ink to the petal edges of a medium Love Bud, wrapped a piece of the Silver Sparkle Tape around one of the Easter Blessing Tags and created a quadruple bow from the Whip Cream Thread. I adhered everything to the card mat and base with the tag sentiment raised with Medium Foam Squares AD-0085.

What a WOW card that was quick and simple to make!

If you hop off the trail, hop right back on by clicking one of the Design Team names below or click on the FSJ banner to check out the official FSJ blog.

Marty McGee (You Are Here!)

Carrie Rhoades

Christine Chan

Jill Hillard

Lezlye Lauterbach

Kazan Clark

Alissa Hall

Supplies:

Note: For new release product, click on product name in blog to shop.

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Tis’ The Season – FSJ Creative Design Team Blog Hop

Giftable, Card and Tag Ideas

I am so excited you are hopping along with us for the December FSJ Creative Team Blog Hop! This month’s theme is anything but a card. I couldn’t wait to create a 3D Seasonal gift that works well for Christmas and into the Winter months. There are also a couple of tag ideas and I had to include a coordinating card.

If you get lost along the way, click the Creative Team Image below and you will be directed to the FSJ Blog.

If you’re not lost and just hopping along, follow the trail of designers below:

Marty McGee (You are here!)

Carrie Rhoades

Christine Chan

Jill Hillard

Alissa Hall

The first project features the medium and small house from the House To Home Wooden Houses.

Large, medium, small wooden houses. Great for mixed media art.
House to Home Trio of Wooden Houses


 

What a great gift for the mantle, dining table or side board. These were so easy to create. Here’s what you need. The Cozy Prints printed paper, Black Licorice and Whip Cream acrylic paint, Shimmer Silver Color Splash, Love Buds Paper Flowers, Cement Tile Stencil, Journey Modeling Paste, Sparkle Tape, Classic Elegance Washi Tape, Sparkle Cuts glitter, Journey Craft Glue, Square Paint Brush, Spatula, Crease Tool, Heat Gun and Special Day Organza Ribbon.

Make this gift by applying Black Acrylic paint to the wooden houses. Once they are dry, cut a piece of patterned paper a little bigger than the house you want to cover and gather your supplies to stencil the coordinating house.

Apply the patterned paper to the house using Journey Craft Glue.

Tip: To make spreading the glue easier, spritz with a little water.

Smooth the paper onto the house and using the edge of your crease tool, press out any trapped air pockets. Turn the house upside down and trim excess paper.

Tip: The glue dries really fast, make sure to position your paper quickly; otherwise, you’ll have a mess.

Choose three Love Buds Paper Flowers (large, medium and small). Place the flowers in a box to spray them with the Shimmer Silver Splash. Apply the Splash to the front and backsides of the flowers.

Once they are thoroughly dry (you may have to use your heat gun), place a small amount of White Acrylic Paint onto the tip of your finger and gently apply the paint to the edges of the flowers and leaves.

Take your silver and sparkle washi tapes and layer them onto the house. Adhere your flowers with Journey glue to the house and you’re done with the first house!

Moving to house number two, place some Journey Medium onto a non-stick surface that can be thrown away or cleaned. Mix in some Sparkle Cuts glitter.

Tip: Make sure to put the top back onto the Journey Modeling Paste to keep it from drying out.

Place the stencil onto the painted house. Apply the Journey Modeling Paste evenly over the stencil making sure to cover every opening. Pull the stencil off. You may want to apply more Sparkle Cuts directly to the paste. When the paste is a little dry, use the palm of your hand to gently tap the paste. This will create a smooth stencil look to the design. 

Wrap the Special Days Organza ribbon around the house and tie a bow.

TIP: For a really cool look, apply heat using a heat tool which will cause the ribbon to crinkle in a delightful way.

So easy and so fun!

Coordinating Card

You shouldn’t give a gift without a card, right? How about a coordinating card for the gift? Let’s do it.

What a simple but elegant card to coordinate with the gift. This card uses a great technique to adjust the size of the scallop mat, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Start by cutting a base from Whip Cream cardstock 4 1/4″ x 10 1/2″. Next, cut a plaid mat from the Cozy Prints paper at 4 1/4″ x 10 1/2″ (it will cover the entire card front). Die cut a Black Licorice mat from Nestabilities Fancy Edged Rectangle Dies (second to largest). This is where we make an adjustment to the size of the mat.

Place the Black Licorice scallop mat on a paper trimmer. Cut from one corner to the other (#1 & 2). Overlap the cut pieces to desired width or height (#3). Adhere the overlapped edges together. On the corners with the overlapped edges, cut diagonally.

TIP: Before cutting make sure the corner scallops line up to make one full scallop. This will allow a seamless mat. The printed mat was cut with FSJ Rectangles die (#4).                

Adhere a black strip of Black Licorice cardstock to the top mat along with the silver and sparkle washi tape.

The last technique for this card is to create the Christmas tree. Apply strips of the silver and sparkle washi tape to a scrap piece of cardstock (overlap as necessary).

 

Create as many layers as needed.

I die cut a tree using a tree die from the Holiday/Christmas 2015 Card Making Kit. If you don’t have this kit, any tree or ornament die will work.

Adhere all mats with White Liner Tape. Pop up the Christmas Tree with FSJ Medium Foam Squares. Finally, add your personal sentiment inside the card.

Tag Time

Last but not least are some incredible gift tags to set off your Christmas wrapping.

The Black Licorice tag is a rectangular piece of cardstock with trimmed corner and a hole punched at the top. A combination of washi tape and cardstock layers accent the bottom of the tag. The scalloped bottom was accomplished using Details Pro Shears and following the outline of the Sparkle Tape.

The accent piece is a 3D star cut from FSJ Star dies and scored from the top of the point straight down to the inverted point below. To create the 3D affect, crease each score line and manipulate the score lines into mountains and valleys. The top is adorned with Black Licorice Twine and Silver Sparkle Tinsel. It is as simple as that, really!

The plaid tag is cut from FSJ Bread Tag die. Strips of washi tape and Black Licorice cardstock break up the plaid pattern. The scalloped circle was die cut from Spellbinders Fancy Edged Circles. Both the “To and From” were written with a white gel pen.

All of these projects were such fun to make. Let me know in the comments what is your favorite out of the three projects.

Supplies:

Disclaimer – By clicking on an image you will be redirected to Spellbinders + FSJ website. When you purchase through my website link, I will receive a small commission. This helps to keep me crafting and inspiring others.

  • Price: $12.95
  • Sku:JM-0013
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  • Sku:PP-0059
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  • Sku:JM-0105
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  • Sku:JM-0106
  • Price: $7.95
  • Sku:IP-0082
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  • Sku:AC-0177
  • Price: $7.95
  • Sku:JM-0118
  • Price: $7.95
  • Sku:JM-0073
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  • Sku:TO-0089
  • Price: $4.95
  • Sku:AC-0259
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  • Sku:AC-0151
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  • Sku:DI-0052
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  • Sku:DI-0041
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  • Sku:S4-903
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  • Sku:DI-0133
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  • Sku:AC-0004
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  • Sku:AC-0341
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  • Sku:TO-0039
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  • Sku:TO-0063
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It’s A Gingerbread Christmas

Welcome, to the November Creative Team Blog Hop.

Once you finish my blog click on the names below to hop along:

Kazan Clark

Lezlye Lauterbach

Carrie Rhoades

Christine Chan

Jill Hilliard

Marty McGee (you are here)

The blog hop theme for November is Christmas and I wanted to bring to life a 3D project featuring the Gingerbread Boy Tag Set.

Click on the banner below to order your Gingerbread Boy Tag Die Set:

This little guy evolved from a Pumpkin Bread Gingerbread Boy to a Santa Gingerbread Man. In fact, there are two Santas bringing you a special treat for Christmas.

To begin, cut one each of the gingerbread boy die in the following cardstock colors: Peaches and Cream, Candy Apple, Whip Cream and Black Licorice.

To create a Santa, take your die-cuts and proceed as follows. On the Black Licorice die-cut, cut off the arms and legs for Santa’s gloves and boots. On the Whip Cream die-cut, cut rectangular shaped pieces off each arm (near the shoulder),  off each leg (near body), at neck into the body portion and the middle part of the face. For Santa’s suit cut off the arms, feet and head from the Candy Apple die-cut. You will need to cut off the top portion of the Candy Apple head for the hat and save back one of the hands for the tip of the cap (the top portion for the cap is not pictured).

Glue the arms and legs onto the Peaches and Cream gingerbread Santa. Add the facial features onto Santa’s face. These pieces are cut from Black Licorice, Watermelon Fusion and Whip Cream.

Adhere the red suit and cap to Santa’s body.

To finish off Santa’s outfit, die-cut a curvy Whip Cream strip, three large Black Licorice circles and one large Whip Cream circle. Apply the curvy strip down the front of Santa’s suit, add buttons and puff to end of Santa’s cap. Go ahead and add the cuffs, rim of cap and neck trim to body.

Set aside the two Santas. Cut two strips of Candy Apple cardstock one at 5 3/8″ x 1 1/2″ and the other 5″ x 2 1/2″. Score both pieces at 1 3/4″ measure in from each end. On the 5″ x 2 1/2″ strip, score down each long side at 1/4″, cut out the scored tabs on the middle portion (between the two 1 3/4″ score lines).   Place the 5 3/8″ x  1 1/2″ strip crosswise onto the 5″ x 2 1/2″ strip.  Adhere the tabbed edges to the inside of the crosswise strip.

 

Adhere a Santa to each narrow end of the box, where the middle of the Santa hides the box.

The last step is to Place candy or small cookies into a cello bag and tie off with a ribbon. Place treat into holder.

How cute is this for a Christmas treat.

 

Supplies:

Gingerbread Boy Tag Die Set
Cardstock – Peaches and Cream, Candy Apple, Whip Cream, Black Licorice, Watermelon Fusion
Trimmer
Cello Bag
Twine
Journey Glue
White Liner Tape
Precision Shears

 

 

 

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Joy To the World Wreath Gift Tag and Tree Ornament

Y’all it is Day 4 of the FSJ + Spellbinders Better Together launch. I had a little time to whip up a gift tag project and once the recipient of the gift opens their package, the tag can be re-purposed as a tree ornament.

The following stamps and dies were used for the project:

holly bells, gold embossed holly leaves

In celebration of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge, I decided to use my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to color the holly leaves. I stamped them onto Spectrum Noir cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Markers AG1, AG2, AG3 were used to color the leaves. Once colored, they were die cut with the Holly Bells coordinating die. I glued the leaves to a round scrap of cardstock creating multiple layers with medium foam squares.

The center sentiment was stamped onto Candy Apple cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and cut with Holiday Joy’s coordinating die set Special Day Tags Die Set. Two red Rainbow Drops were added to the sentiment for a touch of bling.

The final step was to create a twine loop to hang the ornament on a tree using Gold Thread. It was adhered to the wreath and a Candy Apple cardstock circle adhered to the back to give a finished look.

If you like coloring, this is definitely the project for you.

I hope this inspires you to create some Christmas Tags for those special gifts for family and friends.

Click on images below to order:

Holly Bells Wreath Gift Tag-2

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Gingerbread Boy 6 x 6 Recipe Card – FSJ + Spellbinders

It is Day 3 of the FSJ + Spellbinders launch. So many awesome products and so many ways to bring paper to life!
I decided to do something a little different than a regular A2 size card.

Today’s inspiration showcases Spellbinders Gingerbread Boy Garland Tag and Recipe Card set by Sharyn Sowell.
I featured a 6 x 6 recipe card because they hold a special place in my heart. For over 10 years, I held a Christmas In The Woods Stamp Camp, each participant created a 6 x 6 recipe card swap and made the dish featured on the swap. So many wonderful dishes were enjoyed over the years. I still have every swap safely stored in 6 x 6 scrapbook albums.

Here are the stamps and dies I used on this project:

There are no special techniques used to create this project, just die cutting and a little stamping. Cardstock used on the Gingerbread Boy are Pumpkin Bread, Whip Cream, Bubble Gum and Black Licorice with the edges of the “boy” sponged with Pumpkin Bread Fusion adding depth to the die cut figure. The Candy Apple rick-a-rack mat has a Butter Cream mat with Hazelnut Blend stamped lines. The sentiment “Baked With Love” is stamped first with Pumpkin Bread Fusion Ink and then offset slightly and stamped with Hazelnut Blend Ink. The absolutely adorable rolling pin is cut from Turbo Teal cardstock with a Candy Apple red flower and Electric Lime leaves. I adhered a double bow from the Beach Breeze Twine onto the rick-a-rack mat. All die cuts are popped out with medium Foam Squares. The mat dimensions are 5″ x 5″ Hazelnut Blend mat, 5 1/8″ x 5 1/8″ Oatmeal Cookie mat and a
5 7/8″ x 5 7/8″ Candy Apple base mat.

I hope this inspires you to create recipe cards to give to family and friends or to start your own recipe album.

Click on the images below to order:

Gingerbread Boy Recipe Card

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PJs & Papercrafting – Gnome For The Holidays – Nov/Dec 2018 Class

PJs and Papercrafting is OPEN for registration featuring the Gnome For The Holidays stamp set!

Grab your favorite PJs or comfy clothing, put them on, gather your supplies, prepare to wind down, relax and get ready to craft; because, YOU are invited to join me on November 11th, 7:00 p.m. EST for a Facebook Live to create  3 beautiful fancy fold card projects using the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set.

When you place your order, you will receive an invitation to my private Facebook group, PJs and Papercrafting. There you will have access to a printable PDF for the class projects and access to the Facebook Live video class.

You will need:

Basic supplies on hand to make these projects, such as adhesive, scissors, trimmer with scoring blade, foam squares, crease tool, coloring tools (pencils, watercolors, markers) and a multi-purpose tool. I have shared below what I will be using. I have listed several ink pad colors. For example, Candy Apple or Cranberry Bliss will work for these projects as well as two of the green inks. Use what you have or click on the images to purchase exactly what I am using (note: all pieces will be embossed or die cut).

Product List

Gnome for the Holidays Bundle

$35.90

Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set

$19.95

Cozy Knit Embossing Folder

$5.95

Garden Fence Die

$11.95

Cloud Dreams Die Set

$24.95

Journey Circles Die Set

$24.95

Cozy Winter Prints

$16.95

Journey Color Burst

$79.95

Journey Color Splash Watercolor Pencils

$59.95

Journey White- Embossing Powder

$4.95

Bloom Tool

$14.95

Journey Heat Gun

$27.95

Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

$34.95

Whip Cream True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Candy Apple True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Cranberry Bliss Ink Pad

$6.36

Kiwi Slice True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Lemon Grass True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Fresh Forest True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Media Mister

$5.95

Journey Blending Brush- medium

$5.95

Journey Platinum Machine w/Plates

$249.95


PJs and Papercrafting will be held LIVE on the PJs and Papercrafting Facebook group, Sunday, November 11th at 7:00 p.m. EST. If you cannot make the LIVE event, the video will be available for viewing after the event in this group. You will be added to the group about one week prior to the LIVE class. If we are not currently friends on Facebook, send me a friend request when you sign up.

Registration Options

NOW through October 29th, Friday, 11:59 p.m. EST for Option 1 or 2 Class

NOW through November 2nd, Friday, 11:59 p.m. EST for Option 3 Class.

Included in the Gnome for the Holidays Nov./Dec. 2018 Kit:

Option 1: Full Kit (Bundle) – $65.00
Includes the Gnome for the Holidays (Bundle) stamp and coordinating die along with all supplies (excluding basic supplies), PDF and online content.




Option 2: Full Kit (Stamp set only) – $47.00
Includes the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set only along with all supplies (excluding basic supplies), PDF and online content. 




Option 3: Materials Only – $23.00
3 fancy fold card project kit ONLY (does not include the stamp or die), PDF and online content. This is a great option if you already own the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set and/or dies. Coaches are welcome to participate with this option.




All products for the kits will be ordered and prepared by me after the registration deadline of October 29th for product orders and November 2nd for class only orders, 11:59 p.m. EST. If for some reason during the transition from FSJ to Spellbinders + FSJ the stamp set/bundle are backordered, I will stamp your images and send them with the kit so you will be able to partake in the FB Live event. Your order will be shipped to you at a later date.  Class kits can only be mailed within the United States (additional charge may apply for Hawaii and Alaska).

Expected shipping date of all kits is November 4th.

Can’t wait to create with you!

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So Glad You Could Make It Fall! – Creative Team Blog Hop

It is time for Fun Stampers Journey Creative Team Blog Hop. The perfect theme for this blog hop is Fall! I know you will be inspired by all the creativity. Remember to subscribe to our blogs. This way you will be notified each month not only with our regular posts but with a colorful line up of uniquely Fun Stampers Journey projects brought to life by the FSJ Creative Team.

I know you will be amazed and inspired by the talent of these creative paper designers. Our team’s blog post links are below. If for some reason you hop off the trail, go to Fun Stampers Journey Blog and pick up where you left off.

Kazan Clark 

Lezlye Lauterbach 

Carrie Rhoades 

Christine Chan 

Jill Hilliard 

Jenny Watson 

Marty McGee (you are here!)

Alissa Hall

 

When you live in Georgia and have 90 degree days in September, things just don’t seem right. You know what I mean? I’ve been asking myself, where is Fall? I have been asking that question because I’m really just tired of the heat and I want to see those lovely leaves change into orange, yellow and red and feel the cool crispness of a fall breeze.

Well, the cooler weather is finally here and that means the leaves will be changing very soon. I must say, “So glad you could make it Fall!” To celebrate Fall’s arrival, I have created a set of cards inspired by those very same colors I previously mentioned. Come on, let’s give a cheer for Orange, Yellow and Red!

Both of the cards used the same beginning processes, which made the completion of these projects quick and easy. I used the dies from the Zen Leaves set and cut out two of each leaf except for one. It was so lonely, I decided to feature it on the treat box. To complete the first step, I pulled out the Gel Press, of course, Rich Coral and Lemon Drop Liquid Colors and the Media Mister.

I took the Rich Coral and Lemon Drop Liquid Colors and ran an alternating line of each color across the Gel Press. I spritzed the colors with the Media Mister and held the Gel Press up to allow the colors to flow down. I gave it another mist of water and then placed my paper on top of the mix.

The first pull is at the top picture below. The second step required a little more Liquid Color spritzed with water. I took the leaves and dabbed them into the mix.

Now, here’s where I began experimenting. Thank goodness, it came out just fine (big sigh of relief). Anyway, I inked both inside panels with Rich Coral. I place the liquid color panel color side down onto the inked section without the logo; I took the leaves and placed them on the backside of the inked panel. I ran this through my Platinum die cutting machine. Since the panel was not fully dried, the leaves pressed into the cardstock and I had to really search for an edge to pull them off. Another bullet dodged!!

TIP: Let the inked piece of paper dry completely. I had another mishap due to my impatience on the treat box.

Such a deep, rich embossed mat. It just warms my soul. Note: The mat is de-bossed even though it looks like the embossed side.

The first card has a base of Rich Coral and a Lemon Drop mat. The embossed mat is cut to allow a 1/8″ border allowing a hint of yellow. This embossed mat is broken up with a Tangerine Fusion strip of cardstock accented with a 1/4″ strip of corrugated cardstock along the bottom portion. The sentiment on the Rich Coral circle was stamped in Whip Cream and embossed with white embossing powder.

It was adhered with foam squares and accented it with a maple leaf from Golden Leaves Bloom Benefit. I inked over the top of the natural maple leaf with Oatmeal Cookie ink and edged it in Rich Coral ink.

Two golden accents from All The Things Bloom Benefit add a little sparkle to the card.

The second card has a base of Whip Cream and two mats. The first mat is Rich Coral. The second mat is Lemon Drop cardstock die cut using the Rectangle dies and piercing piece.

Here is a close up picture of the inked and embossed maple leaf.

The sentiment was stamped using Black Licorice from the Humble and Kind stamp set. This card is accented with yellow Rainbow Drops and one of the inked and embossed maple leaves tied with a double bow Natural Twine. The Lemon Drop mat and the maple leaf are adhered with foam squares.

The treat box was created using Rich Coral as the base. A box to hold the candy was cut from Lemon Drop cardstock with an inked and embossed band glued around the middle of the box. An accent strip of Lemon Drop and Tangerine Fusion are adhered across the front of the Rich Coral base. An inked and embossed leaf along with a dark brown male leaf painted with Sparkle Silk are adhered to the front and tied with a double bow. The treat box holds some yellow, orange and white Candy Corn, yum! The directions for the box are below the picture.


Step 1 – 4″ x 6″ Rich Coral cardstock for the base.
Step 2 – Score the long side at 1″, 3″ and 5″.
Step 3 – 4 1/2″ x 2″ Lemon Drop cardstock for the treat holder.
Step 4 – Score long side at 1/2″, 2″, 2 1/2″ and 4″.
Step 5 – Die cut the top of the box (optional).

TIP: When you die cut the edge using an edgelit type die, make sure to place your top cutting plate where it is not all the way over the die.

Take the Rich Coral base and fold it in half. Place the folded side against the edge of your trimmer.

Step 1 – Measure in 1/2″ and cut from the fold to the 1″ mark.
Step 2 – Move the cardstock to the 2″ mark and cut from the fold to the 1″ mark.
Step 3 – Open the folded cardstock and the tented piece you just created will become the window flaps as shown below.
Step 4 – Take your shears and from the smaller tented fold, cut 1/8″ on each side of the fold. This will create a window with flaps. The “window flaps” will hold the treat box in place.
Step 5 – Place white liner tape as indicated below.

Adhere the base sides together. This will create a long, narrow tent. Then, decorate the treat box as you would like. Place it into the opening while holding the flaps back with the fingers of your opposite hand. Once it is in place, press the flaps onto the box. Embellish the front of the box as you like.

I hope this set of paper projects has and will inspire you to create your own Fall themed cards and giftables. Let me know in the comments what is your favorite project. Make sure to post your inspired creations to Instagram and Facebook, tag me so I can see your paper brought to life.

Product List

Whip Cream 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Rich Coral 8.5x11 Cardstock

$6.95

Lemon Drop 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Tangerine Fusion 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Corrugated Stock Sheets

$5.95

Changing Seasons Embossing Folder

$5.95

Color Pop Stamp Set

$18.95

Humble Kind Stamp Set

$19.95

Zen Leaves Die Set

$12.95

Golden Leaves

Rainbow Drops

$24.95

Journey Twine Natural

$5.95

Journey Rectangles Die Set

$24.95

Journey Circles Die Set

$24.95

Border Details Die Set

$24.95

Sparkle Silk

$5.95

White Liner

$6.95

Journey Foam Squares - medium

$2.95

Journey Craft Glue

$4.95

Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

$34.95

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Strange Beauty’s Fabulous Folds – FSJ Creative Team Blog Hop

Hi there! So glad you are hopping along with the FSJ Creative Team on a wonderful journey of amazing projects. Make sure to subscribe to our blogs. This way you will be notified each month not only with our regular posts but with a colorful line up of uniquely Fun Stampers Journey projects brought to life by the FSJ Creative Team. I hope you enjoy the fancy fold cards I created for this hop. Let the team know what inspires you to craft by posting comments.

I know you will be amazed and inspired by the talent of these creative paper crafters. Our team’s blog post links are below. If for some reason you hop off the trail, go to Fun Stampers Journey Blog and pick up where you left off.

Kazan Clark 

Lezlye Lauterbach 

Carrie Rhoades 

Christine Chan 

Jill Hilliard 

Jenny Watson 

Marty McGee (you are here!)

Alissa Hall

For this hop Strange Beauty is the featured stamp set, because I love insects. Yes, even spiders; although, I had to work on that one. I ordered this set a while ago and it sat unused and collecting dust because other sets kept calling my name, ya know what I mean. So, when the Creative Team was tasked to come up with some unique projects featuring each team member’s creative style, I immediately thought of this stamp set. I think all the “bugs” are just too cute.

The decision to create three projects featuring fancy fold cards was made from a poll I created giving FSJ coaches three choices as to what they would like to see. Fancy Fold cards won! And, here they are:

 

My vision was to create a night sky; so I pulled out one of my most favorite products, our Gel Press.  I created two background pulls (note: I did not use the brayer as shown in the picture below). Check out the pictures for the steps:

First pull:

Second pull:    

The first fold card is called a. . . .

Spring Card

5 1/4″ x 10 1/2″ piece of cardstock or printed paper
Scoring Tool (I used our trimmer)
Bone Folder
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors

Step 1: Fold paper in half to create a
5 1/4″ square.
Step 2: Open the paper and fold the left side edge to the center.
Step 3: Grab the upper right hand corner, pull it down and over until the edge of the paper is aligned with the fold made in step 2. Open the paper and repeat with the lower right hand corner (you may need to turn the paper around as a preference).
Step 4: Open the paper. Mark the center on the right hand edge. You can use a ruler and mark at 2 5/8″.
Step 5: From the center point to the scored edge cut a diagonal line on both sides. You will have a diamond shape.

Here are a few pictures for reference.

       

Once the Gel Press backgrounds were cut down to size (for all projects), I took the small dowel sponges and sponged Pretty Pansy and Black Licorice Fusion inks around the edges of the mats lightly. I added sprinkles of Whip Cream acrylic paint (watered down using the Media Mister) with a paint brush.

 

 

 

 

The spider web is stamped onto the Gel Press background mat in Whip Cream ink and embossed with White Embossing Powder. The spider was stamped using Black Licorice ink on a scrap of GelPress paper, spritzed with Electric Lime Splash and fussy cut. The sentiment was stamped in Whip Cream and embossed in white onto one of the corners cut off in step 5. It was sprinkled with diluted Whip Cream acrylic paint. The base portion of the card has the background mat with the picket fence cut out of Denim Days cardstock. The sentiment and the spider are popped up with foam squares. The final touch is Journey Glaze on the spider.

Just too stinkin’ cute!

TIP: I placed a glue dot (see pictures below). Top left picture is underneath the card before adhering everything together. Top right picture shows placement of the glue dot. Bottom picture shows where the dot sits on the base. Otherwise, the top portion would flop around and not stand up.

Here is the first of three projects – The Spring Fold Card featuring Strange Beauty

The second Fancy Fold card is a . . . .

Twist Gate Fold Card

7 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ piece of cardstock
2 pieces – 2 1/4″ x 3 7/8″ printed paper (I used only one piece of Gel Press Background paper for front panels)
TIP: on the 2 pieces above, make SURE your cut in the correct direction!!!!
Paper Trimmer
Bone Folder
For this card: paper clip,Designer Series stencil and Vintage Screen stencil

 Step 1: Place 7 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ cut cardstock in landscape position,
score at 2 1/2″ and 5″.
Step 2: Score the left panel diagonally from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. Repeat on the right panel, score diagonally from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.
Step 3: Fold score lines and crease with the bone folder.
Step 4: Cut printed paper or stamped paper diagonally for the front flaps from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.
Step 5: Cut printed paper or stamped paper diagonally for the back flaps from the upper right corner to the lower left corner.

Scoring diagram in pictures.

 

Front stamped image – Spritz Silver Shimmer onto a piece of Whip Cream Cardstock. Stamp the spider web on top of spritzed area using Black Licorice. Stamp the spider in Black Licorice onto Gel Press background scrap. Spritz a little Citrus Cooler onto the Spider and move around with a brush. Fussy cut the spider with detail shears. Adhere the spider to web with a foam square. Adhere the entire piece of cardstock to a Pretty Pansy mat. Sponge edges with Pretty Pansy and Black Licorice (remember to do this lightly). Add Journey Glaze to the spider and let it dry thoroughly. Add a blue Rainbow Drop to the spider’s back (Rainbow Drop shown on finished project).

Stamp the moth onto a scrap piece of Gel Press background paper. Layer the image onto three pieces of Pretty Pansy cardstock with Journey Craft Glue. Fussy cut. Dye a small piece of twine (antennas) with Turbo Teal silk. Glue the antennas to the back of the moth. Add the moth to a paper clip with foam squares and adhere to the moon. Apply Journey Glaze and let dry. Once the moth was dry, the edges were brushed with Turbo Teal silk to color the white edges.

Moon – cut a circle with our Circle dies (I created a small one for this project and a large one for the last project). Place the honeycomb stencil over the top of the circle and spritz with Silver Shimmer Splash. Apply Banana Cream Fusion ink with a sponge onto the moon.

Adhere spider on web stamped image to the front flaps TIP: only adhere to one flap (this way the card will open). For the back flaps, on my card, I stenciled Whip Cream ink onto the flaps using the Designer Series stencil (tree portion). Stamp sentiment onto inside of the card with Whip Cream and emboss with White Embossing Powder. Clip the moth to the back panel when the card is closed. It will help to keep the card from popping open.

And here it is:

 

The last Fancy Fold card is a . . . .

Cascade Fold Card

2 pieces 5 1/2″ x 8″ cardstock
Trimmer with score blade
Bone Folder
Pencil
Scissors

 

Step 1: Cut two pieces of 5 1/2″ x 8″ cardstock
Step 2: Score at 2″, 4″, 6″
Step 3: Pencil a mark 3″ up from bottom of card
Step 4: Cut both pieces from top left corner to pencil mark.
Step 5: See diagram. On one piece, cut down half way on the two outer score lines.
On the other piece, cut up half way on the two outer score lines. These will fit together.

 

 

 

Top picture is Step 4.

Left picture is Step 5.

Middle right are the pieces fitting together.

 

Bottom right is top view.

 

 

For the stamped images and background mats, I did the same techniques as shown in the first two card examples. Here are some  pics of various portions of the card. The background gel pressed paper on the back part of this card was created on Pretty Amethyst cardstock. To cut the front and back mats, I laid the panels onto the cascade fold portion marked lightly with a pencil and cut from those marks. I am definitely not someone that can measure and calculate my cuts!!!! I have to do it the hard way. What about you?

Here is the front and back of the Cascade Card.

 

Happy Crafting!

Product List

Strange Beauty Stamp Set

$19.95

Whip Cream 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Journey Gel Press

$27.96

Cool Pool Color Splash

$7.95

Blue Lagoon Color Splash

$7.95

Turbo Teal Splash

$7.95

Cosmic Grape Splash

$7.95

Shimmer Silver Color Splash

$7.95

Whip Cream Acrylic Paint

$4.76

River Stone Acrylic Paint

$4.76

Media Mister

$5.95

Spatula

$3.95

Pretty Pansy 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Pretty Amethyst 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Denim Days 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Round paint brush

$5.95

Dauber Dowel Small (2CM)

$6.95

Pretty Pansy True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Whip Cream True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Journey Thread Whip Cream

$5.95

Journey White- Embossing Powder

$4.95

Journey Black- Embossing Powder

$4.95

Journey Scoring Board

$24.95

Electric Lime Splash

$7.95

Citrus Cooler Color Splash

$7.95

Garden Fence Die

$11.95

Border Details Die Set

$24.95

Journey Circles Die Set

$24.95

Rainbow Drops

$24.95

Vintage Screen- Stencil

$6.36

Designer Series Stencil

$12.95

Journey Foam Squares - small

$2.95

Journey Foam Squares - medium

$2.95

Journey Glaze 4 oz.

$9.95

Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

$34.95

Details Pro Shears (4.5")

$13.95

Grand Pro Shears (9")

$27.95

White Liner

$6.95

Journey Craft Glue

$4.95

Crease Tool

$6.95

Journey Glue Dots - small

$3.95

Journey Platinum Machine w/Plates

$249.95

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Gel Press Throwdown Round Two – Music is Life Card

Here is Round Two of the Gel Press Throwdown between Carrie Rhoades and myself. Just a brief review, we sent each other what we considered “ugly” Gel Press pulls and our challenge was to make something beautiful out of the “ugly ducklings”. So, make sure to check out her blog carriestamps.com to see the creations she has made from my “ugly” Gel Press pulls. Here is the link for Round one on my blog http://martyzstamps.com/2018/08/27/gel-press-challenge-round-one-fms351-sketch-challenge/.

I forgot to take a picture of the pull before I started adding to it. Carrie was gracious enough to send me a photo of a piece of the original pull. It is not the actual piece but it will give you and idea of what I started with. Here it is.

I took the original pull and placed it in my spraying box (a box to use silks, splashes and splattering to contain any over mist). I placed our Vintage Screen on top of the pull. I then spritz it with our Shimmer Silver Splash. You can see the design on the bottom photo.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stamped the guitar/tree with River Stone at the top and Rock Candy at the bottom using my Misti to get the right amount of ink onto the paper. I used Journey Glaze to create a sheen on the guitar and once the glaze was dry, I painted some Sparkle Silk onto the guitar and tree branches for a hint of glitz. I placed the guitar on the Gel Press background to decide what I wanted to do next. Since there was already a hint of Cool Pool acrylic paint on the pull, I decided to spritz the card with the Cool Pool Splash. At first I wanted to keep a circular space in the middle free of Cool Pool color; so I placed a piece of scrap paper on the background and spritzed the paper. Once this was dry, I happened to spy some Cool Pool cardstock and thought that would make an awesome mat. I grabbed it and put some Blue Lagoon ink on the Flannel Life background stamp and stamped the image on the circle which I ran through the die machine with the piercing die to give it some interest. I took the circle and spritzed it with the Shimmer Silver Splash. While all of this was drying, I stamped the sentiment in Whip Cream onto Black Licorice cardstock and embossed with White Embossing Powder. Then, a little splatter of Silver Silk.

After everything was dry, I began assembling the card. I chose River Stone as the base with a Rock Candy mat. I cut down the Gel Press background, added the circle and sentiment with the guitar popped up using foam squares. This was adhered to the base with foam squares. I think this turned into an amazing card. Remember, there are no “ugly” pulls!!!!

What do you think of this card?

Product List

River Stone 8.5x11 Cardstock

$6.95

Rock Candy 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Cool Pool 8.5x11 Cardstock

$6.95

Black Licorice Paper 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Whip Cream 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Whip Cream True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

River Stone True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Rock Candy True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Blue Lagoon True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Flannel Life Stamp

$14.95

Life Music ATS

$8.95

Journey Gel Press

$27.96

Vintage Screen- Stencil

$6.36

Linked Lines- Stencil

$6.36

Shimmer Silver Color Splash

$7.95

Cool Pool Color Splash

$7.95

River Stone Acrylic Paint

$4.76

Black Licorice Acrylic Paint

$4.76

Spatula

$3.95

Journey Circles Die Set

$24.95

Journey Foam Squares - medium

$2.95

Sparkle Silk

$5.95

Silver Silk

$5.95

Journey Glaze 4 oz.

$9.95

Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

$34.95

White Liner

$6.95

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Gel Press Throwdown Round One – FMS351 Sketch Challenge

I know all my followers are aware of how much I love my Gel Press. That being said another member of the FSJ Creative Team, Carrie Rhoades, loves the Gel Press as well. We decided to have a challenge throwdown to create cards from each other’s pulls and one of the throwdown stipulations was to include some not so pretty pulls; because, as I tell my crafters, “There are no ugly pulls!”

I received Carrie’s package of pulls this past Thursday; and, quite frankly, I didn’t see any ugly pulls but maybe I have conditioned my mind to see past the obvious and to envision the beautiful. Here is the one I chose to use for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 351. I think it is a gorgeous Gel Press pull. *** Carrie used yarn wrapped around her brayer and acrylic pain to create this Gel Press pull (see below). Here is Carrie’s link to the “ugly” pull I sent her and she used for Round 1’s throwdown Carrie Stamps, No Such Thing as a Bad Print blog post (click here).

This set the stage for the FMS 351 sketch.

The minute I began working on putting a card together for this sketch, I knew this pull was a winner! I began with the Thankful Friends stamp set and incorporated some fall colors (Pumpkin Bread, Tangerine Fusion, Rich Coral, Hazelnut Blend and Turbo Teal):

The corrugated paper adds texture and dimension to the circle mats. To create a little depth to the circle mats, Pumpkin Bread ink was applied directly from the pad to the edges of the circles. A hint of twine peeking out from behind the mats adds a little fun to the card. I think the squirrel is just too adorable and makes a great focal point for this card. The sentiment says it all, “Choose to be Grateful.” Do you choose to be grateful? I do.

Product List

Butter Cream 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Pumpkin Bread 8.5x11 Cardstock

$6.95

Hazelnut Blend 8.5 x 11 Cardstock

$6.95

Corrugated Stock Sheets

$5.95

Journey Gel Press

$27.96

Thankful Friends Bundle

$34.10

Journey Circles Die Set

$24.95

Journey Rectangles Die Set

$24.95

Pumpkin Bread True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Tangerine Fusion True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Rich Coral True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Hazelnut Blend True Color Fusion Ink Pad

$7.95

Turbo Teal Ink Pad

$7.95

Journey Foam Squares - small

$2.95

Journey Foam Squares - medium

$2.95

Journey Twine Natural

$5.95

Journey Glaze 4 oz.

$9.95

Details Pro Shears (4.5")

$13.95

Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

$34.95

Journey Platinum Machine w/Plates

$249.95

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