Next month's homework

Once again I have used Sizzix dies in one of the cards I made for next month's card group's monthly challenge.  Each month one member gives each of us a bag of paper and embellishments.  We then use the items in the bag and our own stamps and dies and color media to create several cards/tags, using only a minimal amount of our own paper. (I'm not crazy about pink, especially hot pink!).

I have 32 Sizzix dies/sets designed by Karen Burniston and I haven't yet used them all.  My goal is to use one each month in challenges until I've used them all, (but I have more dies coming in June so this goal will be extended).  This month I used the Floating Frames die designed by Karen Burniston, along with her flourish from the Hello set and the frame from the Scallop Frame and Heart set.  Also from Sizzix, I used the Tim Holtz doily and scallop die.  I colored the images with Copic markers.

Homework

For this month's Greeting Card Group homework assignment, I thought I'd try a card using a pop n cuts die combined with a cut and fold technique I ran across online.  I couldn't make it work, and meanwhile I used up so much of the paper I was supposed to use, that all I had left was enough paper for the card base.  All of the rest of the paper was from my own stash, which isn't the purpose of our homework challenge, but oh we'll - it's more fun trying something new than strictly following the rules for homework.  I'm the rubber stamper rebel.

Below is the card.  I have used a Sizzix Pop N Cuts die designed  by Karen Burniston.

 

Gifts for Friends

After we remodeled our kitchen (it took 76 days!) a good friend brought me presents to use in decorating the kitchen.  In return, I made this Shrine to Gardening for her.  I distressed most of the items with Distress Ink and Distress Paint so the colors wouldn't be quite as bright.  I used Decoupage to cover all the surfaces of the box with spring-looking scrapbooking paper.  The box and all the doo-dads came from my stash.  The insect on the left side edge is a vintage pin.

 

I made this card for a friend who loves oriental design.  I used Karen Burniston's Sizzix dies, Album Accordian Flip 3-D and Frame and Label Brackets. I also used Sizzix die Regal Crest.  I embellished the card with an oriental coin and a tassle and used Graphic 45 paper to collage the images onto the accordian parts.

It's Spring !!!

and it's time for a spring-related card class.  What great weather.  I opened the windows in the room where I took photos of these cards and I could hear the birds.  Love it!

The first card uses Karen Burniston's accordian flip 3-d album die.  Look how the flowers and butterfly appear to float.  This was a really fun card to make.  I also used Tim Holtz's pediment die.  The card will fold flat for mailing.

The second card uses a Sizzix embossing folder, Inca Gold, and the flourish from the Pop n Cuts Hello set.

I would like to teach this class on April 23 at 6:30, but am wondering if that won't work because it's only 2 weeks away.  If so, then the next date I could teach this class would be May 7th at 6:30.  The cost for the class is $14 which includes materials, but there will be a supply list of typical class kit items to bring which I will list when you sign up for the class. 

Please sign up as soon as you can so that I'll know if this is going to be an April 23rd class or May 7th class.  Be sure to let me know which date you prefer.  Registration ahead of time is a must, and so is payment.  I'm looking forward to celebrating spring with you.

WENDEE

Card Club Challenge

I am so lucky!  I belong to a greeting card club with 6 other generous, funny, talented women.  We have so much fun that I can't remember if we've been together 3 or 4 years.  We meet once a month.  One woman brings treats.  Three women design a card and bring materials for everyone to make the cards.  Another woman brings "homework".  The Homework Woman puts cardstock, decorative papers, embellishments and whatever else she thinks would be fun in a bag for each of us.  The next month we all come back with at least one card made from our homework packets.  We start our meeting with all the homework assignments laid out on a table, and then we ooh and ahh over our creations, having all used the same homework materials.

This month I was rushed because I was finishing up a travel book for a class I will teach in May, but I had time to make 3 cards for my homework.

The first card is based on a card made by Karen Burniston, who based her card on the card used for the die cut packaging of the die the three of us used.  Karen is the Sizzix designer who created all the terrific Pop Ups and Pop N Cuts dies that I use on almost every card I now make.   This card uses the Platform Raising 3-d die.  Like the other two women, I also used the poinsettia from the Sizzix, Karen-designed, Noel Set and the Fancy Frame die, also designed by Karen.

The second card uses a Pop N Cut die, the label 3-d. I made the origami Kimono about 8 years ago for a class I taught.  I knew it made sense to keep all those teaching samples !

The third card doesn't use a pop up or Pop N Cut, but it does use a Karen Burniston designed die, the Sizzix Frame Back Ornate.

Much thanks to my support team.

Another Pop N Cut

Since mid-January I've had little time to play, instead I've (mostly) acted like an adult and worked on end-of-the-year requirements for our business.  I ordered the Dress Form Pop N Cut, exclusive to Stampin' Up, designed by Karen Burniston, and haven't been able to play with it until yesterday.

I paper pieced the parts of the dress.  I die cut an extra piece so that I could make the table black.  I used copics to color the frame. AND, I adhered an extra piece of cardstock to the back of the paper I die cut, just where the dress form and table cut.  All cardstock isn't the same, and some of it is too flimsy I think.  The adhering of an extra layer of CS worked well and the dress form stands up firmly and nicely.

The saying on the front of the card reads "The best antiques are old friends".

Another Pop Up

I had paper left over from the Valentine card I made for my husband, and this paper is really good for pop ups, so I made another card.  Again, I used a Karen Burniston Sizzix die for the pop up, Scallop Circle 3-d.  The fence is from Tim Holtz's Halloween Shadows die.  The bird and embossing folder are Stampin' Up.  The label, flowers and leaves were all fussy cut from the paper.  There's a lot of layering on this card - I used about 20 dimensionals.