November 2, 2018

Buffalo Check Christmas

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge, Christmas, simple and cute 2018, challenge, Christmas, quick and cute, speed 0 Comments

Oh my, oh my!! I haven’t done a speed challenge for a while and I forgot what a rush it it!! Whoohoo! Making a card in less than 10 minutes isn’t easy and I don’t always like how it turns out, but it ALWAYS gets my creative mojo flowing!!

Here’s the inspiration for Shades of Red from the As You See It Challenge Blog:

After considering what I wanted to do and gathering all my supplies (no cutting ahead of time!), I started my card design. Why I insist on adding bows to speed challenge cards, I’ll never know. I probably would have been done under eight minutes if I avoided the Linen Thread all together!

My completed time: 9 minutes 52 seconds

I used Crumb Cake ink with the Sheet Music background stamp on the Crumb Cake card base. I cut a piece of Real Red cardstock the same size as my card front and used the Buffalo Check background stamp with Tuxedo Black Momento Ink. I find it easier to use these background stamps so that the rubber faces up on the table. That way, I can place my cardstock on top of the stamp and have more control to make sure the image is stamped straight – particularly with any stamp image that needs to be parallel with the edge of my paper. I adhered my checked cardsock at an angle on my card, then trimmed the excess from the edges with my paper trimmer.

I still love the Half Full stamp set because it has images of one of my favourite things: wine! I love wine, particularly red wine. Sadly, wine isn’t very kind to my stomach these days, so I have started reserving it for Sunday dinners with my family.

I stamped the wine glass image on Whisper White cardstock with Crumb Cake ink, stamping off once on a scrap piece of paper so I could have a slightly lighter image. The Merry Christmas sentiment from the same stamp set was stamped with Tuxedo Black Momento ink over top of the wine glasses image. I then trimmed my Whisper White cardstock to the size I wanted and flagged the end with my Paper Snips. The Linen Thread is tied around the end of the Whisper White cardstock into a bow and the completed banner was attached to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Voila! This is what a 10 minute speed challenge card looks like! Sweet and Simple, don’t you think!?

Your turn! Give the challenge a try. Set your timer for ten minutes and see if you can beat the time. If you get it under, be sure to share your finished work with us at the As You See It Challenge blog so we can ooh and ahh at your creative genius! (we always do!)

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Happy stamping!!

October 19, 2018

Congrats on Greece

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge, Techniques 2018, double slider, embossing paste, fancy fold, greece 2 Comments

Do I have a fancy card for you today!!

Here’s part of the inspiration from the As You See It Challenge blog:

The other part of my inspiration is my friend, hairdresser, and fellow Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator who earned the trip to GREECE!! She worked so hard this past year and SHE DID IT! I am amazed and wowed by her success and I have not yet made her a congratulations card.

So, to fill in the blanks, I need to say CONGRATS ON GREECE to SUSANNE! (sunnstampin.com)

It’s also very important that I put a shout out to the video where I found this amazing card design. Samantha Clayton at Mixed Up Craft on YouTube has a wonderful tutorial that I followed for the base and inner workings of this card. I loved her instructions and found her very easy to follow. I will post a link to her video at the bottom of this page so you can follow it as well.

I choose to change the measurements of the card so that it could fit (just) into a regular Stampin’ Up! envelope. My card is 4-1/4″ high instead of the 4-1/2″ high card that Samantha makes in her video.

Because my friend, Su, will be going on a trip to Greece, FOR FREE!, my card is Greece inspired. My husband and I went to Greece 18 years ago on our honeymoon and one of my favourite places was the island of Mykonos. I remember the maze of a town with the stone pathways, the white buildings, the blue doors, and the bright flowers in full bloom. I’m so excited that Su gets to go to that very town. She’ll love it!

One of the things I like about this card design, is that it has it’s own built in stand. I have made many cards similar to this one in the past, but they either had to be attached to a normal card front or they laid flat like a postcard. This stand is a fabulous idea.

The other VERY cool thing about this card is that the tabs on each side pull out to reveal MORE! I used Pacific Point cardstock for the base colour of this card. It’s not exactly “Greece Blue”, but I think it’s the closest one that Stampin’ Up! has. The door is created with images from the At Home With You stamp set and die cut with the coordinating At Home Framelits Dies. I used Embossing Paste and the brick pattern from the Pattern Party Decorative Masks to create the white walls on the card front. I used the same brick mask, but sponged Pacific Point ink through it onto the Whisper White cardstock. Then I sponged more Pacific Point ink over the edges of the cardstock. Those slide out panels also have stamped images which are no longer available. Stampin’ Up! statement of the heart is on the left panel, while the You Did It image is from a stamp set designed just for demonstrators.

The Lovely Lipstick cardstock flowers are cut using the Seasonal Layers Thinlits as is also the Shaded Spruce cardstock branch.

The door is cut from Pacific Point cardstock, but I also used my Night of Navy Stampin’ Blends to add a little depth to the surface of the door image.

If you are interested in knowing more about other specifics on this card, be sure to leave me a comment.

As promised, here is the link to Mixed Up Craft so you can see how this card is made.

October 5, 2018

Stitched Thank You

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge 0 Comments

When I started creating this design, I was working with making flags using paper and ribbon, but it just wasn’t coming along. Then I had a new idea and completely tossed out the original plan.

I started with the As You See It Challenge sketch, of course!!

Here’s my take on the challenge. I scrapped the paper flags and stamped that part of my card instead! I used the branches and blossoms from the Colorful Seasons stamp set by Stampin’ Up! The branches were stamped multiple times with Gray Granite ink. The blossoms were stamped with Petal Pink, Grapefruit Grove, and Poppy Parade ink.

I am most excited about the actual stitching that I added to the card! I dusted off my sewing machine and stitched away! So fun! It needed a little bit more, so I also tied a bow around the card using the white thread from the Share What You Love Embellishment Kit. I love how delicate this thread is!

The sentiment from the Thankful Thoughts stamp set was stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with Black Embossing Powder and my Heat Tool. I think my embossing powder is a bit dead. Sometimes the powder can dry out over time and lose its loft and gloss. My sentiment kind of soaked into the paper and wasn’t glossy in spots. I tried to fix it with an old Versamark pen and more powder, but I just ended up with lumpy embossing. If you look closely, you’ll be able to see the lumpiness in the photo (but don’t look TOO close, LOL!)

The card base is Petal Pink cardstock. I think this is one of my new favourite colours (though my ten year old daughter said she doesn’t like it because it’s “skin colour”). I love the thin black mat behind the patterned paper. It finishes the card so nicely, don’t you think?

Hey, make sure you play along with the As You See It Challenge. How will you see it?