Inspire Me Monday: Fun Little Folds

Hey everybody! Welcome to another Inspire Me Monday! Today I have a fun little project for you that is a little non-standard but fits in a standard size envelope. Recently, I was surfing and someone created a card somewhat like this and it stuck in my head. Go figure, when I tried to get back to where that idea was, I couldn't find it, so these dimensions and how I created my card are probably a wee bit of my own making! ;-) When I find things like this, I love sharing with a Power Poppy spin on them! 

Here's a peek at the card we'll be making.... 

 You will start with a strip of paper that measures 5-1/2" by 12". This will be your card base, so be sure to use a kind of paper with enough bulk. You'll want to score this piece along the shortest width at the 6" line. 

From here, fold your piece, setting the fold along the 0" edge of your scoring device and score 4-1/4" to the right side of the fold. 

Now, flip your card 180 degrees so that the piece you just scored is now on your left-hand side. Now, again, to the right side of the fold, score at the 3-1/2" line. Once you've folded these pieces toward the middle of your card front, you'll have something that looks like this below. The inner fold is a valley fold and the outer fold is a mountain fold. 

I didn't want these flaps to protrude so much into my card, so I trimmed both flaps so that they were an inch in width. Now they lay nicely and don't take up too much of my card front. You'll see why this is important in a minute! 

From here, I cut two pieces of coordinating card stock to measure 1" by 5-1/2". 

I then adhered these two pieces to each of my two flaps. 

Before I finished the front, I wanted to make two pieces to serve as the inside of my card. I opened the digital stamp set Forget-Me-Not Heart in my Photoshop Elements and then changed the color of it to match my green paper. These pieces measure 3-3/4" by 5" and then 3" by 5". I wanted to have a nice amount of border around these pieces. The sentiment is from the polymer set called Chrysanthemum XL, which is retired. 

Now, with any folds like this, you know it's hard to close your card, so, that's why we create those fun belly bands on cards -- to keep everything in its place! :-)

And... that's what I did. I took a piece of paper that was 12" by 1-1/2" and folded it around my card, trimming off the excess and securing it in the back with double-sided tape. Some people choose to score this piece but I have never had any luck doing this with the proper measurements. My band is either too big or too small forcing bad words to come out of my mouth. So, instead, I lightly fold the strip around my card and follow up with a bone folder to make that edge crisp! 

From there, I printed off another Forget-Me-Not Heart, making it a wee bit smaller than the ones I used on the inside. Since I was using the blank heart portion of this set, I wanted a different sentiment and chose the one from the Camellias digital set "Life is Better with Friends." I colored it up with Copic markers and chose shades that would match my cardstock. My blue is a little bolder than the colors on my paper but I love how "cheery" it is! 

And, here's a little close-up for you! I did add a wee bit of glitter to the insides of my flowers. I can't resist. I just can't resist glitter! 

And that, my friends, is it! A fun little fold that keeps the person you give your card to guessing a wee bit! Not to mention, it's super fun and extra easy to make! If you end up making a version of this, please include a link in the comments! I'd love to see how yours turned out! 

Have a fun and creative week! 

Inspire Me Monday: Pretty in Plaid!

Howdy all!  Happy Monday and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday!  I’m your hostess today, Allison Cope.

I do have to first apologize for my post being late.  Today is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada and I’ve had family here visiting all week so my crafty time was limited and I left my creative time until last minute.

Today we’re going to take about adding PLAID to all your creations! I don't’ know about you, but I LOVE plaid!  I could use it on my cards everyday!  I can be seasonally coloured, it can be bright and bold and subtle and soft.

For my first use of plaid, I have used my Copic Markers and have coloured in my rubber boot from the “Feeling Fall” stamp set using different shades of red, green and yellow.  Marcy’s image already indicates that these cute little fall wellies are covered with a plaid pattern so I went with it!  The grand sentiment on this card is from the “Chrysanthemum XL” stamp set.

Secondly, for your card creations try adding a fun plaid patterned paper.  Since my Mom, Mary, was visiting I persuaded her to accompany me in colouring and creating a card with me.  She chose the Autumn rubber boots image so I used the same stamp in my card too (above). She chose a sentiment from the “Under Glass” stamp set for her card.

And lastly, I wanted to create my very own plaid so I chose to work with the “Snuggle Down” stamp set which has 4 plaid making stamp images in it!  Brilliant right?!?!

I used a 1” wide masking tape and taped off stripes and inked them with Distress Oxide Inks first and then I added some of the striped stamped images over top to create that final plaid detail!  So cool!  I used the “Cabbage and Kale” stamp set to finish off my card.

So the next time you need some inspiration for your cards, think about using some PLAID!

Now go forth and create!  Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

~ Ally ~

Creative Confetti: Over the Edge

Hello! I bet you came here looking for Julie and a new Creative Confetti challenge? Surprise! I am your guest hostess for the challenge today.  I am a card maker who loves to color, my name is Barbara Campbell. I am very happy to say that I will be hosting here every so often. I am honored to be joining Julie in this new journey and over the top excited to challenge you today! Let’s get started.

HOW TO PLAY: There are a lot of ways that you can do this challenge and bring your main image off the edge. That's why I have two examples for you.

My first example uses the digital stamp Countryside Bouquet. It's one of my favorites. I am pretty proud that I have been working with digital stamps lately and was able to use part of this stamp and merge it with another part to take my main image off the side off my card or... "over the edge." The sentiment is from the same stamp set and after printing it out, I colored it with my Copic markers. Then, I added a blue border to the base card and a matching envelope.

 

For those of you that what to kick it up a notch, I have this second idea for you!

 I sure would like to challenge you to do one like this, where I used a die to take the image off the main portion of my card. It is not hard at all. Let me you how I did this one!

On a piece of card stock that is 5-1/2" by 8-1/2", I marked a line at 4-1/4". This is where your fold would be for a top folding card. The line is barely visible here, but it helps to know where to stamp my image. I used Power Poppy's Chrysanthemum XL. Then I placed the coordinating die over it to cut it out.

I used a partial die cut for  placing my Big Shot clear cutting plate so that I only cut the top of the flower. See? 

This is how it looks after cutting the Chrysanthemum XL out. It is folded on the line and I cut off the bottom to make sure that it was only 4 1/4 inches high.

Next, I colored it up...

To make the flower stand out, I used Distress ink sponged around it and then highlighted it with my Copic markers with B10. I used a stencil to get the lines on the top right and a copper envelope seemed to fit for this card.

Ok, crafty people, I have challenged you to go "Over the Edge!" Let's see what you create. Remember to link up your creation below for your chance to win a $25 gift code to Power Poppy! 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Barbara

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Inspire Me Monday: Brusho & Copic Markers

Howdy and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday!  I’m Allison Cope and I’m your hostess this week.

Today I’m going to share a fun Fall card featuring the “Chrysanthemum XL” stamp set and some Brusho and Copic Marker coloring.

So grab a mug of your favorite warm drink and join me in my craftroom!

Click here to watch in HD.

For my sentiment, I used the “Giving Thanks” from the “Fortunes of Fall” stamp set.  Here’s a look at the final card…

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you get inspired and go and create something fun this week!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Chrysanthemum XL, Fortunes of Fall)
cardstock: Strathmore (Cold Press Watercolor), Recollections (110# White)
ink: Versamark, Catherine Pooler (Peppermint Scrub), Copic Markers
dies: MFT (Stitched Rectangles), Elizabeth Crafts (Happy Birthday)
dots: Kraftin’ Kimmie (Lovey Dots)

Inspire Me Monday ~ Embossing Digital Images

Hello, hello, hello!!!  I tried something I've never done before not knowing if it was even going to work.  When Marcella first showcased this Vital Rose digital image, I knew I wanted to emboss it in white and watercolor it.  But, it was a digital image.  So, I thought I could use my Minc machine and add white foil after coloring it.  Well, that was a fail.  When I tried photo copying the image onto watercolor paper, the toner ink spread to random places.  Nope.  

I was discouraged until I remembered I had a Versamark pen.  Why couldn't I just print the image, onto watercolor paper, in a light gray,  and trace it with the Versamark pen?  Fingers crossed...IT WORKED!!!  

Now, it transformed the rose a little bit by making it more whimsical with the bolder lines, but it only proved how versatile the Power Poppy images are.  The pen has a thick brush side, and a nib, but the nib is still pretty wide, so you really do need more "coloring space" before outlining because of the bold lines it creates after embossing.  But with digital images, you can just enlarge them. 

I used Zig Clean Color Brush Markers to color the Rose, cut it out, and added some pizazz with a Gold Leafing Pen by shaking it over the top.  I also added some gold roughly around the edges of the layers.   The sentiment (from the clear stamp set Chrysanthemum XL) was stamped onto Gold Metallic cardstock with white pigment ink and embossed also.

That's it.  I hope you give it a try.  It's easy, and expands the use of your digital images even more.  How fun is that?!?!?!?

Happy Stamping!!
 Tosh

Inspire Me Monday: Watercolor Tips & Tricks

Hello all! Kathy here from The Daily Marker bringing you another edition of Inspire Me Monday! Are you one of those crafters who enjoys watercoloring or are you one that tries, always wishing for better results? If you said the latter, maybe a few of these tips can work for you? 

I am the kind of crafter who loves to color when I am traveling and it just so happens I'm away for the weekend with some friends. I packed some minimal supplies to lighten my load, but I had enough to be able to share some tips and tricks with you all.

It’s no secret that I love Power Poppy’s extra large flowers so I packed this beautiful flower from the Chrysanthemum XL set. Also, did you see it's on sale right now? 

My Mini MISTI is usually always in my bag but, this time, I forgot it! So, to try to get a great impression with this large stamp, I ended up placing my paper (Fabriano 140lb. extra white cold pressed) on top of the flower to stamp it and that worked fairly well.

To prep my paints, I wet my desired colors and put some in the palette. By adding more water and really diluting the paints, you get a nice wash and I think it’s easier to paint this way. 

I love the details in this flower, but let's be real, it does take time to color this beautiful illustration! That's why using a simple watercolor was a must for me. Alternating the shades of red and purple was easy and appealing to the eye.

Creating in this way is super easy to do while you are chatting with friends. Another tip? Adding a wash of a darker color can really make these blooms pop, see?

I think the wash really works well since there is so much color variation on each petal.

Once my background was painted and dry, I used a sharpie marker to outline each and every petal. Of course, this isn’t necessary but, I believe the effort is worth it.

To give the petals just a little more pop, I decided to accent them thanks to a little white gel pen.
Outlining an image and adding white gel pen will make your colored images pop. I encourage you to stamp an image twice and practice on the spare image to see if this might work for you!

And what you see above is my final colored image. When I get home, it will be easy to add a sentiment for someone special. 

Thanks for stopping by! If you haven't delved into watercolor, maybe some of these tips will help bring out the best in your watercolored images. I hope you give these tricks a try! 

Have a great week and I will see you next year! Wishing you Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Hugs, Kathy

Inspire Me Monday: Decorated Gift Card Holders

Hi there! Elizabeth Zaffarano here, and welcome to another edition of Inspire Me Monday!

Today I wanted to share how to make some simply-constructed--but still quite decorative-- gift card holders.   I first learned how to make these while on a cruise this past summer!   Onboard the ship, we just used solid and printed construction paper, but these are wonderful “blank canvasses” for decorating with your favorite Power Poppy images! We’ve just entered the season for family gatherings and gift exchanges, so I figured now would be a good time to get practical yet creative with the paper crafting!

Let's get started by making the card-holder bases.  I was excited to learn  that one 8 1/2 x 11” piece of card stock will make the bases for TWO card holders!

Start by cutting your paper 4 1/2” by 11”, so if you’re working with 8 1/2 x 11, just cut it in half lengthwise.

Widthwise, score at 3” and 7”. 

Turn the paper lengthwise and score at 1 1/4”

At the panel on the right, make a vertical cut just to the right of the score line.

Then trim the rest of the paper from left to right, along the score line, and stop at that vertical cut line.  

The paper you cut away can be used for the belly band that holds the gift card holder together.  The flap that remains attached to the larger piece will be folded up and secured to hold the gift card. Set the base aside for now. 

Now here’s the fun part, time to decorate!

You can use bits of coloring that didn’t quite make it to a finished project, stuff from the #thedailymarker30day coloring challenges, or stamping trial runs.  Of course you can color up something specifically for decorating your card holders, but sometimes, just experimenting with no specific purpose in mind is very freeing. 

Since it's November, I wanted a Fall theme, and I reached for the Chrysanthemum XL stamp set.  I loved the chrysanthemums in the bouquet from the Autumn's Opulence digital stamp, and was delighted that Marcella decided to go big with a clear stamp, because that meant plenty of space for coloring! 

I stamped and gold heat-embossed several of the chrysanthemums onto Bristol card stock, because I planned to use watercolor markers in reds, oranges and yellows to color my flowers. I have the most amazing flaming floral yuzen paper in my stash, and this was my inspiration. Here in Southern California, we don’t get the blazing fall-forest vistas that I remember from growing up on the east coast, so anytime I can bring out that autumnal glow, I’ll go for it.

I started coloring the background with Scarlet and Orange Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, but realized that my Scarlet Red marker was getting dry.  So changing gears, I sketched out the general dimensions of the panels I’d use to decorate the gift card holder, and concentrated my coloring there.

When coloring with watercolor markers, I like to draw with the markers and then use a water brush to move the color around. For the petals of the chrysanthemum, I used Flesh Color, Lemon Yellow, Yellow and Bright Yellow. I also painted some metallic watercolor on a few petals for extra shine. To add the darker red patterning, I used a stencil and colored in the openings with the Scarlet marker.

After my coloring had dried, I cut three 3 3/4” x 2 3/4” panels and two 2 3/4” x 2 3/4” panels from scratch paper, and used these to trace which areas would become the decorative panels on my card holder.  After cutting the panels out, I ran the edges across a Delicata gold ink pad for a finishing touch.

I cut my card-holder base from olive-colored card stock.  It was scored, cut and folded, following the instructions above.  I decorated the inside with Distress Oxide stamped leaves from the Chrysanthemum XL set.

Before assembling, I wanted to add a few sentiments to my chrysanthemum panels. Of course, you don’t have to add this many sentiments, or any sentiments at all, but I was pleased to discover how nicely these fit—with the theme AND in the space.  I used sentiments from Dahlia XL, Olive and Oak Expanded, and Poppies.

Assembly time! After arranging the panels on my work surface, I discovered that one of my rectangles was too skinny! Easy fix: trim the panel that would go next to it to match.  I'm sure the recipient won’t notice (fingers crossed!).

I adhered the panels to the base with tape runner.  For the pocket that holds the gift card, I used a very thin line of Super Tape (very strong double-sided tape) just on the right edge, and I decorated that part with a small piece of the original yuzen paper.  I also used a corner rounder on the upper left corner of the pocket.

Next, I inserted a gift card into that pocket, and then folded the gift card holder closed.  Then I took the smaller “belly band” piece and wrapped it around the assembled card holder.  I made a note of where to add strong adhesive (red line tape again).  If you assemble the belly band before this, you may find that it will be too tight to slide. Before assembling the belly band, was decorated with a strip of yuzen paper. 

That deep olive card stock just makes the oranges and golds of the chrysanthemums glow. I think this gift card holder might be more exciting than what's inside!

Of course, you can use scraps and leftovers to decorate your gift card holders as well! In the next example—I very quickly put this indigo, blue and white project together, using a piece from my experiments with rozome/batik effect techniques and the Bee Kind Toile stamp set. 

 My leftover piece was only 8 1/2" by 5 1/2", so I needed to make adjustments.  

I cut the decorative panels 1/2” smaller all around, and matted them onto light blue card stock (cut to the original dimensions above) that I crumpled and then flattened out. 

These matted panels were adhered to some 100% cotton card stock, that had been cut, scored and folded.  

I hope you'll try making your own gift-card holders this season.  Once you've made the base, you can get very different looks, and whether you start from scratch or choose to upcycle from another project, you'll create unique and personal gifts!