by Susan Itell | Sep 25, 2016 | 3-D Projects, Christmas, Step it up Sunday! |
Well, Maurice the Mouse (below you will learn how he was named) is back in the house today and I think he is SUPER-DE-DUPER CUTE! I have not made a card like this in a while and I knew that this would be the perfect way to STEP HIM UP!
I loved the comments yesterday about naming him…and I read what Chris came up with and I asked John….who does this mouse look like? – He said. “I don’t know – it’s a mouse”…then when I said – no…..give him a human name…he said, “Maurice” as he has an expression of sophistication! (I am not sure about this but…what-ever!)
There are 2 things that I like about this card…
- It is interactive/3-D, which gives and instant WOW and it is super easy to make… 🙂
- It fits in a regular envelope with no extra postage! 😀
Here is a link to a previous card that I made like this – it has all of the detailed scoop for you on the cuts and scores etc….but below I will do a super quick highlight!
- The front and back of the card are the same size 4 1/4″ X 5 1/2″ (you need 2 of them)
- For today’s card I cut the DSP to the above size and adhered it to one of the above white pieces.
- Score both at 1/2″, 1″, 4 1/2″ and 5″ Fold and score. (Use the side image of the card to make sure that you are folding in the right direction)
- Take the DSP and using the largest Square Framelit, run it through Mr. Big Shot – below you will see how one sheet of paper will do the whole card and then you will have the extra square for another card!
- Add Maurice (naturally he has been water-colored)….I actually stamped him on a bunch of 3 1/2″ squares as I have been out of town and “just in case” I messed up….I had backups! If I were to do it again, I would just cut the paper to the inside piece size)
- To the back of the fun card, a simple scrap of 1 1/2″ X 3 3/8″ piece of white card stock made the perfect pocket to add a note!
I hope that you can see that this really is a card that is very, VERY doable but definitely has a WOW. It is just the BEST that it could stand on someones desk, a night stand…a mantel. Every time I make this card style, I get rave reviews as it is a smile maker! (here is a TIP – if you have someone that is in a home or hospital, it is an instant PICK-ME-UP! to them….)
I am super happy that you all liked the water coloring yesterday. I have great results using the thick white card stock. I know that we have water color paper and if you are more comfortable with that – then go for it. Being the “type A” that I am…I like the “white’s” to match up so this is the main reason that I use it.
I could have really gone to town in making him super elaborate but with being out of town…I took the basic bases and then the ink pads! Let’s chat about the ink pads.
Because I do have all of our ink pads, I use them when I water color…..I like to squeeze the top to make the ink go on the top of the ink pad and then work from there as a palette…BUT – you can easily use a marker and scribble on a acrylic block to take the ink off and color away! The third way that you could water color is to add a drop of an ink refill on a acrylic block and go to town!
One of the best tips that I can give to you when you make a card like this is to use a super strong adhesive to adhered the 2 together. I used tear & tape as the width is perfect and the “hold it gives” is the best!
So…thoughts???Do you like??? To me it is the best of many worlds …
- It is different because of the shape…
- The water-coloring element makes it special…
- The pocket in the back let’s you write a message…
- You can be super flexible with the DSP you can use…a simple change with the DSP can change the entire feel of the card and naturally change the colors that you water color….presto – another masterpiece!
I hope that this 2 day post has made you smile….I know that you all enjoy them but honestly….I think to myself – can I keep coming up with them? I honestly just start with the Saturday card…finish it and then look at it to see how a different technique could work – it is as easy as that and I admit, when I am finished…..I am glad that I stretched myself to make changes!
I invite you to try to do something like this…it is a great way to learn different ways to develop a style. When you really break this down, it still is true to my style, clean and simple. At a glance…it looks hard but break it down…it is NOT….just like water coloring…..did you try it yesterday?
Please remember that we are in the last week of the month which means this is the last week to be able to win the BIG BOX of all of the Stampin’ Up! Markers (someone is going to be happy) 🙂 from me with an order of $75.00+. You can click here to see the offering…my personal way of thanking you for a great stampin’ up! year. (it ends for us on Sept. 30th)
HIT THAT PAW PRINT and have fun – shop away!
by Susan Itell | Sep 24, 2016 | Christmas, Uncategorized, Watercoloring |
Good Saturday morning…today – (and tomorrow) we can say with excitement….
There is a MOUSE in the house!!!
Isn’t is amazing the scare you get when you see a “real mouse” scoot across a room. Trust me, it has happened to me and probably to you! I just think that this is one of the sweetest stamp sets. I invite you to take a good and hard look at the precious expressions on their faces! ADORABLE…
I bet that I can also look into my “Stampers Crystal Ball” and see that there are many of you that BREEZED right past this stamp set because the FEAR happened…
The fear of “I can’t watercolor”
Trust me….been there – done that and by all means I am not a pro at this but I will say that I have come to figure out some tips and tricks that make the whole darn process both rewarding and fun!
Let’s get into this card and I do hope that you will pop back tomorrow to see what is up my sleeve…I think that there will be some smiles!
Many people ask me….why don’t you use blender pens? Ready for the answer….
“I really do not know why I don’t”
I know that I need to give them a try as I know that there a ton of you out there that have amazing success so….I WILL try – when that “TIME” thing allows. I guess I feel like I have good success with the Aqua Painter so I guess you could say, I am a bit stuck as it is comfortable for me.
Years ago I was very mesmerized by the Aqua Painter – WHY? I was just amazed at how this simple “thing” with a brush on the end could produce amazing end results. I was super excited to give it a whirl and guess what – I DIDN’T LIKE IT….what???? – It did not work for me in MY eyes…my project and results were terrible. At this time, this is what I did with my Aqua Painter…
I used it to seal envelopes for a fundraiser/mailer!
Enjoy the photos that I have for you and I hope that these tips will help you.
- Practice, Practice….PRACTICE – This is the single best tip that I can give you. I invite you to think of it in this way. I simply cannot tell you how many times I threw up my hands and said, I CAN’T DO THIS….the truth is YOU CAN with practice 🙂
- Make sure you use an appropriate ink…I use out Black Archival Ink and since we have come out with this ink – this is what I use all the time when stampin’ with Black.
- Before you tackle a masterpiece, start small and work to a bigger project. Try something that is doable…so you can get that INSTANT SUCCESS.
- Do not put too much water in your Aqua Painter. I find that as you get determined to use this “thing” – you get squeeze happy ~ blob out water….and then there go those hands! (flying up in the air) 👿
- Have a piece of a paper towel ready to dap off excess and clean off your brush to pick up another color.
- When you do your practicing….play with the way you hold the aqua painter in your hand with different pressures…it takes time but once you get the feel, it is like riding a bike – you’ve GOT IT!
- If you go out of the black stamped image line – WHO CARES!?!? It is work of art and trust me, no one will ever say…what an ugly card!
See you tomorrow…you are going to smile (I think & hope) 🙂
by Susan Itell | Sep 23, 2016 | 3-D Projects, Halloween, Paper Pumpkin |
BOO and Happy first full day of Fall!
Is it Fall weather were you live? I know that yesterday at 10:21 Eastern Time is was official…but…..It sure isn’t on the East Coast but on Sunday…magic is to happen (so the weatherman says) and I am looking forward to wake up and say….IT FEELS LIKE FALL and then I am going to go outside and do a Happy Fall Dance with the dogs and hope that cool and crisp weather is here to stay (I just love to dream) 😀
I am a “Happy” type person for Halloween. I am not a huge fan of scary stuff so when I share Halloween Fun…it is usually “Happy and Fun” things…like I have for you today!
Today I am showcasing the goodies that were in the latest Paper Pumpkin! Click on the image below to see the Stampin’ Up! video showcasing it – super short yet super cute and then I will share and show with you some ideas and ways that I have used this kit.
I was a “Silly Susan” and totally forgot to order extra kits for September as this one usually tends to be a SUPER GREAT Halloween one that is FUN but you better believe that I will be like a hawk waiting and watching to see when the refill kits are available – (I did call yesterday to see if I could get any scoop and all I know is that yes ~ they plan to have some refills….but as to when????, that is the mystery….probably next week.)
You bet that I will order a bunch of refills as I just love to have goodies like this on my shelf! You can see in the picture below that I am using the Paper Pumpkin from last year! (This is why I like to stock up on refills – super cute) I fill these with miniature Tootsie Rolls!
TIP ALERT….. 🙂
When I was typing this I thought…what the heck – go back and see IF by chance the kit from last year was still available and guess what ~ IT IS!!!! (I highlighted the link for you above)
If you are a newbie to the Paper Pumpkin Program, you can get the 1st month (which would be October) and then you would get November FREE! If you wish to cancel your Paper Pumpkin Kits….easy, after November 10th – simply go on and cancel – POOF…it is that easy!
If you click here and order a month’s subscription and enter promo code BOGO , you will get that November kit free PLUS….you will be able to order the last year Halloween Kit and/or refill if you wish and fingers crossed……this adorable test tube one form this year! A win-win all the way around!
You can see that I followed the directions from the kit but then I also made a quick super quick and easy note card….
You all know that I love the Note-card Size of Whisper White that we offer but for today’s card – I cut my own card stock to make a vertical card (I have no idea why I did not just use the fold on the left…but just call me silly) and I paired this up with the fun Halloween Paper we have as well as a speed tool, the banner framelits to make this sweet card!
There you go….some Halloween fun from the present as well as the past (last year). I adore both and projects like this are fun to give to all ages…What do I have in the test tubes? You will be surprised but I had them at the house….the are dark chocolate covered espresso beans – Hannah loves them and I bought some last week to send to her!
I am excited to hopefully get more of these test tubes! Hannah works in a Science Lab and wouldn’t this be PERFECT to send her a bunch to give to co-workers…I have a vision already – a basket filled with them and then a cute card/tag – BOO – HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about the Paper Pumpkin Incentive. I am out of town until Sunday morning but I will check my email as time warrants! Have a great day and I hope that this Halloween post brought a smile to your face!
by Susan Itell | Sep 22, 2016 | Christmas, PPA Challenges |
Good Morning! I am doing the happy dance as I think that this is one super cute card! I will say, it does not do it justice in the photos so once again, I wish we were all together to ooh and ahh over this fun and festive card.
Today is a color PPA challenge and what a fun palette we have to work with! Peggy Noe came up with this color combination and if you are not familiar with Peggy, you need to as she is one super stamper!
Here is the “JOLLY” bundle and you have to admit….it is super whimsical and fun! Darn, there just never seems to be enough time to stamp all that we want to but you bet that I will be playing with this super fun set a bunch more – heck – it is still September…….and it was almost 90 degrees today!
Do you remember earlier this week I shared with you a card that used the 1″ punch? Click here to see it and guess what – when I checked last night…it is still on the clearance rack…WOOT-WOOT and it truly makes it so much easier to go punch,punch,punch and have the exact same size each and every time! I built the FUN squares of color on a piece of paper and than ran it through the Big Shot!
Look below….do you own this framelit? I bet that many of you do not as I truly think it is overlooked in the catalog. I will say that I have used this a BUNCH and it is one that has great shapes for sentiments and also the larger ones are great for an image like I did today! (It is one of those secret weapons that I like to refer to)
Now this below picture is one that we can do a bunch of chatting about the in’s and out’s of this festive card! I really….really did not want to use flowers with this color palette so OUT OF THE BOX I went!
- The base is an A-2 vertical card in whisper white.
- The Emerald Envy rectangle is 2″ X 4 3/4″ and then run through the Big Shot with the Sparkle Embossing Folder (love the texture it gives)
- The 1″ square pieces were built on a piece of white paper 4 wide and 5 high and then ran through the Big Shot with the above framelit
- The Moose…the dear Moose….pretty straight forward with this – so darn cute! I added a little wink of stella to the end of the hat and the brim 🙂
- A quick chat about the FUN on the squares….HOW???? – easy, I stamped the dear little images that are in this stamp set with Versa Mark – I love the effect!
Now we still have some more chatting to do…..let’s look at these precious little mice – adorable……right? I just love their expressions on their little faces! I used the sentiment for our card today – you WILL be seeing these guys…..a bunch! I just stamp the sentiment on a scrap and then used my scissors to make a banner cut!
I know that this below picture looks like “one hot mess” but hopefully it will be helpful for you! He is just the cutest and it will be fun to dress him up! Today he is ready for Peggy’s challenge!
Enjoy the day…..here is a clip from our local newspaper about the dear sweet boy that we all have been praying for….what a great young man, what a great family….this week he has had a wee set back of fatigue…..all in all – it is a miracle that this was caught and he is sooooo blessed.
by Susan Itell | Sep 21, 2016 | Fun & Cute!, Uncategorized |
Well….did everyone feel the SHAKE of the HAPPY DANCE going from Coast to Coast yesterday? Yep, my upline and friend Mary Fish became a MILLION DOLLAR achiever with Stampin’ Up! I think that we all can agree that this is an amazing milestone! I am so proud of her and the community that she has grown, the PALS are all “proud as peacocks” for this special time!
I get asked often, how did I pick Mary to be my upline when I live in Maryland and she lives in Arizona…well you know me, I love stories so grab a cup of coffee and let me tell you. I was like most of you….following many blogs trying to be a sponge and take it all in…learn, get ideas etc….and I stumbled onto Mary’s Blog and fell in love with her clean and simple style.
I was at the time trying to figure out “what my style was” and just having fun with this wonderful paper crafting FUN we all do and I decided to email her and ask her about the starter kit. I had been involved with Direct Sales for many years and knew the ins and outs of what to expect.
I will never forget, I was at a horse show holding a horse and my phone rang – it was Mary. I was over the top excited and quickly we hit it off. We had many things in common but one thing that we talked a bunch about was our girls, they are the same age and basically the same in their passion to learn and grow!
I clearly told Mary, when I get back to the hotel….I am going to sign up….and then place one BIG order and then go “bye-bye” – I had no intentions of doing this for anyone else but myself. That was 4+ years ago. I did not tell a soul, not even John for a while ( he is a such a keeper, he would have said – “If it makes you happy -go for it”)
In the fall of that year, Stampin’ Up! opened up the Leadership Convention to any demonstrator. I mentioned it to John and he said – GO…you will have fun. Now let’s put this in prospective…I did not know a soul…not a soul – I went into the PALS Chat and took another leap of faith and said yes to room with someone that I have never met.
She was from Wisconsin and I thought – what the heck, I have never met someone from Wisconsin. John drove me to the airport and off I went “pulling up my big girl pants” and went to Florida. I found my way to the hotel…met my “roomie” and took a DIVE into a FUN TIME!
Naturally I knew what Mary looked like….but she had no clue who I was – (remember, I was in it for the big purchase and ready to leave)…..and I admit I was super nervous as I was truly the FISH OUT OF WATER. Everyone was so gracious to me and made me feel welcomed. I had one person ask me if I was swapping and I thought….WHAT THE HECK IS SWAPPING (I told you I was really in it for me and my discount) but I quickly learned what a swap was and I would never not have a hugs stash of cards to swap with!
I have known that Mary was close to hitting this magical number of a million….and I instantly had a card in my head to make for her! I wish that you could see if in person as it is so hard to get a good picture with gold but trust me, it is a classic and I know she will love it!
I think that we all know….this below bundle has made such an impact. There are so many different great idea out there…and when I saw that FISH – I immediately knew that I was going to make her a super simple clean and simple card with it for her and the Gold Heat Embossing….PERFECT!
The below stamp set I adore as the font is so fun. There are some fun sayings ~ I think that it is overlooked often but take a moment and read the fun sentiments and the one I chose, YAY, YOU! is PERFEcT for Miss Mary!
Here is a quick look at the card….IT just does not get any easier than this one. Remember, less is best many times and the clean, crisp white and gold are a perfect combo! (I also love the scoring ) 🙂
If you have a chance, pop over to Mary’s blog and leave her some love. I am so happy that I decided to become a Pal, that I decided to “tinker around” and learn to blog…learn to figure out my style and most important have a solid group of cyber team members, friends and demonstrators from all over!
There will be a sea of PALS in Atlanta at the beginning of November and I can hardly wait to meet so many that I have had a relationship via the internet. There are PALS coming from all over and with this fabulous milestone with Mary, I am sure that the PALS will be showering her with a HUGE HAPPY DANCE!
See you tomorrow…thanks for listening ~ I love what I do…I feel blessed to be a part of the PALS and you know what….I’m glad I stuck around….I adore you all!
