Paper Pumpkin Pieces

Since we're heading into the weekend, here's a quickie project for you! I created a quick and easy note card using pieces from past Paper Pumpkin kits. I love the kits for that very reason. ;)

The stamp set and note card are actually out of the annual catalogue, but the rest of the pieces are from past kits. The lovely gold-foiled bow card stock was from last months kit (August 2015) - I cut a card base in half so that it would layer nicely on the front of this card. The flowers were also punched from scraps from that same kit using the flower from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.

The stamp set is a versatile one and I highly recommend it! It's called Endless Birthday Wishes. I both love the font and the sentiments you can create with it.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and get some crafting time in.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Final Notice

I love when customers contact me to create custom work. I get to think outside the box and create something that I normally would not create. Recently, I was asked to create this custom card and I LOVE how it turned out!

The customer wanted a card for a friend that she works with at a collection agency. I had full creative control, but she was very specific on the sentiment.

The first thing that came to mind was something with numbers and then terms like "overdue" and "final notice". The Typeset Specialty DSP had some perfect papers just for this project! I also used the Little Numbers Thinlits - they're the perfect size for card fronts.

I went with a black and red theme to symbolize the positive and negative balances of monetary transactions and the Alphabet Rotary Stamp was my best friend on this project! Not only does the font look like that of a typewriter, but it also allowed me to stamp the text requested by the customer.

On the inside, I used more Typeset DSP and text. If you have a custom request, I'd love to do it for you. I've had some interesting requests over the years and there is nothing that I haven't been able to tackle yet! I'm up for the challenge...

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

X-Ray Dinosaurs

Sorry for missing you all week. Unlike some, I do not love the hotter and humid weather as it brings on migraines! I've been a mess this week, but thankfully some rain last night brought some relief today.

I'm showcasing the No Bones About It stamp set again (since I haven't felt up to playing with new holiday products). I spotted a few x-ray designs on Pinterest featuring one dino and a square highlight of its bones. I thought it would be fun to change up the shape and feature three different dinosaurs. Check it out:

I used my 1" Circle Punch to punch out my x-ray image that I stamped in Craft White Ink on Basic Black card stock. I popped those up on top of the dinosaur images I stamped on some Whisper White in Delightful Dijon, Cucumber Crush and Bermuda Bay. I layered that piece on a Thick Whisper White card base.

On the inside, I stamped a few leaves in Cucumber Crush because you know me, I can't leave the inside of a card blank. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

No Bones About It

Sorry I missed ya on Monday. I hope you missed me too! I was spending the day with family at the CNE - Canadian National Exhibition. We go every year and have a blast! The next few posts are going to feature the No Bones About It stamp set. If you don't have this one yet, you should! It's so much fun!

I started by crumpling up a piece of Very Vanilla piece of card stock. If you didn't know, Stampin' Up! card stock becomes very pliable when distressed. So much so that you can easily pull apart the layers to create all sorts of awesome effects! So, I crumpled until I could get two pieces from one and then I sponged it in Crumb Cake to get a real distressed and 'old' looking piece.

The Crumb Cake layer on top was created by stamping the images first in the same colour and then slightly offsetting the image and stamping again in White Craft Ink. I then lightly sponge around the images in Crumb Cake again. Don't they look like fossils?!

I added some more interest with Cotton Paper that I cut with Fringe Scissors and some Thick Baker's Twine. The sentiment was punched with the Decorative Label Punch and then I trimmed off the top and bottom to get this unique shape.

On the inside, I stamped a little more, again using stamps from the same set.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Fancy Folds

I recently offered a class on fancy folds and this was one that we made. It was inspired by Connie Stewart's video found here. This card is your standard 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" card, but with a few extra score lines. You will score at: 1/2", 1", 4-1/2", 5", 5-1/2", 6", 6-1/2", 10" & 10-1/2" Take a peak at Connie's video to see how to put it all together.

This card is pretty amazing because it fits in a standard envelope, but pops up like a shadow box. There are so many possibilities! I used the Circle Framelits to cut my "window" and then accented with the Petite Petals Punch, Pansy Punch and the Petite Petals stamp set.

Before assembling the card, I embossed the front with the Lovely Lace TIEF to give the card even more depth. I pulled my colour scheme from the Pretty Petals Designer Paper Stack. The paper stacks offer a great size for cards!

I still wanted a bit of room to write a message, so I stamped a few images on the back panel too and added a punched flower with one of the punches from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Custom Birthday Card

I'm writing today to help you get through "hump day". My day started out fantastically with the delivery of some holiday pre-order products from Stampin' Up! - the box both arrived a day early AND in the morning (usually my orders arrive in the evenings). Sweet!

Anyway, here's a custom card I created for a customer. She wanted fun and girly and I had to incorporate "30" and the colour coral. So basically I had fully creative design control and I loved it!

I used a retired set, but I couldn't resist the martini glass with the candle in it. So fun, right?! I embossed it in silver and then coloured it with Stampin' Write Markers. The patterned DSP is from the Cherry on Top paper stack. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this paper!!

I created lots of interest on the card by punching out an opening with the Note Tag Punch and then popping up my punched out martini image (punched with the Decorative Label Punch) and layering it with some Silver Foil. The sentiment is punched using the 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch and I free-handed the banners for "happy" and "birthday".

The "30th" was cut from Silver Glimmer Paper using the Little Numbers Thinlits. I also added some interest with some White Perfect Accents, new in this year's catalogue.

On the inside, I added a few more stamped martini glasses with lots of room for a personalized message.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Help From Paper Pumpkin

Happy Monday! Hope you had a fabulous weekend. Today I'm sharing a custom card I created for a customer a couple of weeks ago using pieces from June's Paper Pumpkin Kit. Check it out:

I used all the pieces from the kit, but added a bit of my own stamping using images from By the Tide. As the recipient lives in Nova Scotia, I thought this was a fitting set!

The '70' was cut using the Little Numbers Thinlits Dies and boy did I do a little happy dance when Stampin' Up! released those in June! I have so many uses for little numbers and they're the perfect size for cards especially!

Of course I never like to leave the inside of a card completely blank, so I added some additional stamping inside.

I hope you like today's quick and easy project, thanks to Paper Pumpkin!! I encourage you to give it a try... you will save 50% off your first two months (for new subscribers only) if you sign up before September 10th! What do you have to lose?! In your first kit, you'll receive a clear block to be able to complete your projects every month. PLUS, each kit contains ink and a stamp set and everything to complete a project, including instructions! Sign up at Paper Pumpkin and don't forget to choose me (Steph VanDorp) as your Demonstrator. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Lost and Found!!

Happy "hump day"! Don't you just love when you find some money in a purse or jacket that you haven't used in a while?! Well, a couple of weeks ago, I found a box of items that I had prepped to either use on cards, or, I had card fronts ready to assemble. I did a little happy dance when I found this box because everything was done for me, I just had to use it to design a card. :)

In the box, I found a bunch of Whisper White card fronts that had "congratulations" embossed in silver and then a bunch of sheets with flowers that were already heat embossed in a mix of gold and silver embossing powder. After a bit of thinking, this card came together pretty fast. I punched out all the flowers with the Pansy Punch & coordinating stamp set and then popped them up on the card front after wrapping it with some Gold Metallic Thread.

I added another flower and some more thread to the inside and my card was complete. Super simple, but thankful that I found this box of stuff!

Here's a better look at the dimension and shimmer this card has (though, I'm sorry the lighting was a bit dim!).

Hope you enjoyed this bit of inspiration.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph