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June 14, 2008

Here is a Father’s Day card I made for my Dad.  I found some instructions on a kids’ site and redesigned them using Stampin’ Up!’s Spring Break designer paper.  I thought the patterns resembled tie material pretty well!  Since I figured I’d get several requests, so I made a picture tutorial for you, too.  Sorry if a couple of the pictures are blurred, but I think they are clear enough for you to figure the steps out.  The size I used for the card is 3 1/2 x 3 1/2.  The tutorial sample I used 4 x 4 so it was a little easier to see.

To finish the card, I use a base card in Blue Bayou, sized 5 1/2 x 7 3/4 and scored at 4 1/4.  This gave me a shorter front.  I lined the inside with some of the coordinating stripe fabric.  For You is from Fundamental Phrases and punched with the Word Window.  I used Sanded with Soft Sky on the Soft Sky layer.

Here you go!

Step 1.  Cut a square piece of designer paper.

Step 2.  Fold paper in half diagonally  UPDATE:  Don't crease it as shown…just lightly pinch the area so you can find the center point in my next Step.

 Step 3.  Open and fold each side to the center pinch mark.

Step 4.  Turn over and pull top tip down about 1/3 distance from top, crease.

Step 5.  Fold tip back up until tip is approximately 1/8″ above the fold line at top.

Step 6.  Then fold entire flap up again, approximately 1/8″ from the fold line at the top.  Crease.  The point hides between the layers of paper.

Step 7.  Fold a small triangle up on each side of the tie “knot”, crease and unfold.  This will help prepare the other side for the tie knot.

Step 8.  Turn over.  This is the view from the back.

Step 9.  Fold each side in to the center line.  The small triangle fold you made previously will help to form the tie knot.

Step 10.  Turn over.  You have your tie!  If you don't crease it in the updated step above, you won't have the crease down the center of the tie…I like it better without.

 Here are a couple more cards I made with a larger 5"  square of DSP and fit on a 3×6 sized cards.

It's not too late to join us on Create with Connie and Mary .  We are just starting Week 3, but you still have access to all the projects LONG after the edition is done.  You can subscribe for 5 FABULOUS WEEKS of Create with Connie and Mary for $29.95…that’s over 30 projects…less than $1 each!  EVERY project comes with a full step-by-step photo tutorial that you can use in your classes and workshops…or just for yourself!  What an incredible bargain!  New this session…we have a total of 8 GUEST DESIGNERS sharing their wonderful projects with you, in addition to Mary Brown and myself!  The projects we've shared so far are AMAZING and you do NOT want to miss out!  Head over to Create with Connie and Mary NOW!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time.

I used Stampin' Up!'s FILLED WITH LOVE stamp set!  TODAY is the last day to order the Filled with Love Bundle of stamp set and Love Patterns Designer Paper…and get a FREE package of Itty Bitty Buttons!  See here for more information and contact me to place your order!

It has 4 sides…I only decorated the front of this one.  You'll see from the template that there is a seam down the center of the back heart that holds it closed.  I added a little Sticky Strip in each of the heart scallops at the bottom to keep it closed and bear the weight of the candy inside.  The top is just lightly adhered with Snail so that you can get inside it easily, but it kept the heart shape.  The ribbon helps keep it closed, too!  I just used my Crop a Dile and cut thru the two layers of cardstock to punch the hole with NO problem!

One other tip…decorate the front before you make the heart box!  lol!  Ask me how I know!

Click on the template below to download the pdf file!  I printed the template on white cardstock, cut it out, then used it as a template to trace around the Real Red Cardstock.  Score on the lines, add Sticky Strip to the tab piece and adhere together to form your 4 sided Heart Box!  Depending on how straight you cut, you may have to trim up the heart scallops when you put it together.

Enjoy the pattern…hope you make one for yourself!

We're just getting started over at Create with Connie and Mary Occasions 2011 Edition!  It's a 5 week online subscription service for demos and customers featuring stamps and products from the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini and Sale-a-Bration brochures.  For $29.95 you get 30 projects…that is $1 a project idea you can use in classes or for making gifts!  There is a new project posted every day with a printable project sheet and an average of two fabulous step-by-step tutorials a week.  Our site stays up long after the session is done, so you will always have access 24/7 to the site and the tutorials. This week we are featuring  featuring the Bring on the Cake Suite of products!  To sign up or for payment information, please visit at Create with Connie and Mary!

I love doing technique classes…I've been offering them for over six years now.  You'd think I'd run out of techniques, right?  But, I still manage to find three techniques to do each month.  The last couple months, I've been kind of going back to the basics…those techniques that have been around forever…I remember doing them in my art classes at school!  In May, I did shaving cream technique with the Sweet Scoops stamp set in the soft colors of Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery.  You can see that card HERE.  Can you tell what I used this month?

I made my own perfectly spaced dotted background paper using….BUBBLE WRAP!  I applied the Daffodil Delight ink to the bubble wrap with my brayer, but you could use sponges or sponge daubers and a couple different colors for variety. 

And I just love this mama and her baby chicks in Stampin' Up!'s Happy Together stamp set.  I've had this set for a while, just pulled it out and got it mounted.  They look so pretty dressed up in Early Espresso Classic Ink, don't they?  I also used my Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Marker and an AquaPainter to add just a hint of color to their bodies and Sahara Sand to the ground for shadows.  I layered the Whisper White on Early Espresso and used the Pinking Hearts Border punch along the bottom edge.  Finally, I used the Flower Fushion die with Daffodil Delight cardstock for my flower and added a Chocolate Chip Jumbo Brad in the center.  The leaves are the 5 Petal Punch with two petals punched out of Pear Pizzazz.  Doesn't it make a sweet little card?

Don't forget!  Create with Connie and Mary is looking for FOUR new Design Team Members for the next session of Create with Connie and Mary, featuring the Holiday Mini!  We'd love to have you apply!  If you applied last time, try again!  We had so many great applications last time it was very hard to choose!  You can find out more information over on Create with Connie and Mary!

I know several of my customers have questions on how to use the new Border and Corner punches from Stampin' Up!  And…I'm not always there to help.  I thought I'd share a video that Stampin' Up! created from one of our trainers, Bonnie Thurber!  I hope it answers your questions and gives you a few pointers!

Have a great weekend!

I'm making GREAT progress on my Studio!  It feels good to get stuff out that I haven't used in years!  I'll be taking a lot of the non-Stampin' Up! stuff to a scrapbooking retreat in a couple weeks.  Hopefully I can sell most of it there.  I can tell you it isn't coming back into my house!  lol!

I promised you a mini tutorial on how to make the Heart Wall Hanging that I made for the Tour de Freaks last week.  They really are easy and you could do many different things…a garland, form it into a heart, add additional hearts and make the wall hanging longer…or shorter!  They are fun!  For mine, I alternated two different patterns of the Sending Love Designer Paper.

Step 1

Fold 1-1/2" x 12" piece of Designer Paper in half.  Add a piece of Sticky Strip to one of the open ends.

Step 2

(So I don't confuse you, in Step 2 I used a different pattern paper,)  Peel off Sticky Strip and adhere the two open ends together, back to back to form a heart shape.

Step 3

Add more Sticky Strip to each side of the inside point of the Heart as shown.

Step 4

Remove Sticky Strip from both sides, then push the inside point of the heart down into the fold of the bottom heart point until it touches the bottom.  Press to secure.

Step 5

Now add more Sticky Strip to both the outsides of the bottom point.

Step 6

Remove Sticky Strip and push bottom point of first heart into top indentation of second heart.  Continue adding hearts until desired length is achieved.

That's it!  Pretty easy, huh?  To finish my original one, I used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the top and added silver eyelets, then added the Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon.  For the bottom, I added a silver eyelet, then added the heart decoration I made. 

To make the decoration, use the Scallop Heart of Hearts Embosslit Die and cut 6 hearts from Real Red.  Score in half lengthwise and adhere back to back.  Before adhering the last two together, place cord thru the center.  Add beads if desired.

I hope you make one for your Valentine home decor this year!  The Sending Love Designer Paper was perfect!

A friend just pointed out that I never provided the template I used for the Split Step Card I used in the last Tour de Freaks Blog Tour!  Here is the card again. 

And…here is the template.  It is not to scale to print out, but you can see the measurements,  I've listed them, too, in case they are hard to read. 

Base: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2

Score long side at 1, 2, 3 1/8, 4 1/4, 6 3/8 only to red cut line, except for center 4 1/4 score line goes completely across.

1" – Mountain fold
2" – Valley fold
3 1/8 – Mountain fold
4 1/4 – SPLIT – Valley fold at steps, Mountain fold at side
6 3/8 – Mountain fold

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It's not too late!  We would love to have you join us over on Create with Connie & Julie. We have finished up our Halloween and Fall ideas and we now have 6 full weeks of Christmas projects. There are two ways to join us, you can place an online order for $75.00 or you can purchase a subscription for only $39.95 US. For more information on the site please click HERE!

Thanks for all the nice comments on my Matchbox XL Die Birdhouse from the Tour de Freaks Blog Hop last week!  I’m so glad you liked it! 

Here is another one that I made a few months ago.  It does use To The Nines Specialty Designer Paper…heavier weight paper is PERFECT for using with the Matchbox XL die!  Can you see the little momma bird holding a worm for the little chick in the nest?  The inside bird and branch are images from Cheep Talk stamp set, the outside bird and leaves are the Birds & Blooms and Little Leaves Sizzlet dies.

I made up a little picture tutorial, so you can see how I just added one extra piece to the basic Matchbox XL die to form the roof of the birdhouse.  Here is the outside sleeve.  I just punched the shapes before I put it together.  This one I used two 1" circles.  The one above I used 1 1/4 circle and added a Scallop Circle Ring around it.

This is the template I used for the roof.  You can see I wrote the measurements on it.  (From top to bottom is 4", base is 1 7/8" wide, roof folds are 3/4" and point to point roof is 4")  Score on the dotted lines and cut the small slit on the left roof line.

Next you can see where I folded in on the score lines and overlapped the cut piece on top of the other roof line (the tab should go UNDER to be hidden and secured…I am just showing how to overlap the pieces here.)  Before you secure, you can add a knotted piece of ribbon loop.

This is the view from the front once the roof tab is adhered.

This shows how I adhered the roof to the back of the bottom box portion of the Matchbox XL die.

This next picture shows the finished back and how the Matchbox sleeve fits over the Matchbox bottom with the roof tucked inside.

I hope that gives you a visual of how the pieces of the Matchbox XL die with roof are attached!  Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Enjoy the new week!  It is back to school for a lot of kids.

This card uses a large Origami Tie as the focus…made from our wonderful Walk in the Park Designer Paper and the Eight Great Greetings set from the Occasions Mini Catalog!  Truthfully, one of the major reasons I purchased Eight Great Greetings was for this DAD stamp!  I love it!

Here is the TUTORIAL I made last year for making these ties!  They really are quite easy.  You can also see a card sample for using smaller ties.

For today’s card, I started with a 4 1/2 square** piece of Walk in the Park Designer Paper for the tie.  The base of the card is Basic Gray and I layered a piece of Kiwi Kiss on top.  I had a couple strips of Urban Garden stripe Designer Paper and layered them in the background.  I stamped the D image with Versamark and then Basic Gray ink onto Whisper White and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.  I trimmed it to size and layered it on Basic Gray cardstock.  I adhered the Tie to Whisper White cardstock and layered it on Baja Breeze.  I LOVE how it turned out!  Just as I imagined!

**Note:  4 1/2 square is the largest you can use and still fit on a standard card size.  Come back tomorrow to see the larger one I made!

Set:  Eight Great Greetings
C/S:  Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
DSP:  Walk in the Park, Urban Garden
Inks:  Versamark, Basic Gray
Other:  Clear Embossing Powder, Stampin’ Dimensionals 

Remember…the Designer Paper and Textured Cardstock sale is still going on!  Buy 3 and get the 4th one FREE!  Now is the time to STOCK UP…the majority of these beautiful papers will retire after next month because they have In-Colors.  Email me with your order TODAY or use the easy ONLINE ordering system.  Click here and then Shop Now in the upper right corner!

Supplies:

Two Designer Paper designs
Coordinating cardstock color
Adhesive
Jumbo Eyelet
Ribbon
Stamp or embellishments for decorating

Cut first layer (base) of cardstock 3 3/4 x 3 3/4
First designer paper 3 1/2 x 3 1/2
Second designer paper 3 1/4 x 3 1/4
Cardstock color 3 x 3
First designer paper 2 3/4 x 2 3/4
Second designer paper 2 1/2 x 2 1/2
Cardstock color 2 x 2

 Layers

Step 1

Lay base 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 cardstock square on paper.  Place first designer paper (3 1/2 x 3 1/2 sparkles) a quarter turn from base and adhere to largest cardstock color.

Step 2

Make another quarter turn and place second designer paper (3 1/4 x 3 1/4 stripe) over first designer paper, aligning with base cardstock.

Step 3

Turn again and place cardstock (3 x 3) to line up evenly with first designer paper (sparkles) square.

Step 4

Turn again and place first designer paper (2 3/4 x 2 3/4) so it lines up layered evenly with second designer paper (stripe) square.

Step 5

Turn again and add second designer paper (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 stripes) lined up to cardstock layer.

Step 6

Turn again and add final 2 x 2 cardstock square to center.

Step 7

Finish by decorating center.  I added a jumbo eyelet to the top point and ran the ribbon thru to hang the ornament.

Other ornaments:

This one I used the Small Felt Flurries and a Rhinestone brad in the center.

I love making these…so fast and easy.  And, different papers, make them look completely different.

Enjoy!