Today's card comes from my recent Washi Tape/Sheets class.  Each attendee received one sheet of each of the washi sheets and we used the other sheet (each package comes with two sheets of each color/pattern) to make the card.  For this card, we took a piece of Whisper White card stock and colored it using sponges in patches of Strawberry Slush, Wisteria Wonder and Daffodil Delight.  The more intense you make the color, the more it will show through your washi sheet.  We then took a piece of the gray grid washi sheet and placed it directly over the colored white piece.  Super cool, huh?  We also took a piece of washi tape and placed it on a scrap of Whisper White, stamped the sentiment using Black Stazon and cut it out using the Bitty Banners framelit.  Finally we made the flower cutting the card stock out with the Flower Fair framelits.  We wet the pieces, scrunched them up, placed them on a candy dot base and let them dry. 

 

Here is the inside of the card that we did in class.

Here is a variation on the front of the card.  For this, you will need the Butterflies Thinlets - #137360.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Itty Bitty Banners Clear Stamp Set [126257]	Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131295]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
Daffodil Delight 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119683]	Wisteria Wonder 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122922]	Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131201]	Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]
Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad [131178]	Wisteria Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad [126985]	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [126944]	Flower Fair Framelits Die [133731]
Bitty Banners Big Shot Die Framelits [129267]

Window Frame Gate Fold Card...

 I found this card on Dee Slater's website and used it at a recent Special Folds class.  It is also my first attempt at a video for you.  Please be gentle with me - I obviously have to get more comfortable with being taped but hopefully the video will help you make this card.

 Here's what the card looks like when you lift the window frame up from the top.

Once you remove the belly band and open the gate fold, here is the inside of the card.  Now, here's the video:

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Flower Shop Clear Stamp Set [130942]	Itty Bitty Banners Clear Stamp Set [126257]	Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133675]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper [137784]	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad [133642]	Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126954]	Pansy Punch [130698]
Petite Petals Punch [133322]	Bitty Banners Big Shot Die Framelits [129267]	Window Frames Collection Framelits Die [129021]	Silver Mini Brads [122941]

Stampin' Up!'s By the Tide & By the Seashore...

 I am such an ocean lover and these two stamp sets are a few of my very favorites.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when both of them made it into the new catalog.  I can't imagine retiring them.  This card was CASE'd from an artist on Splitcoaststampers.  I just loved it and had to make it at a workshop.

Here's the inside of the card.  Since I started finishing off the inside of the card as well as the outside, now they just seem so blah if I don't!

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:       By the Tide; By the Seashore; Itty Bitty Banners
Inks:          Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Pool Party
Paper:       Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Other:       Woodgrain embossing folder, Sponges, Antique Brads, Linen Thread, Bitty Banners
                   Framelits, Ovals Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Fancy Fan embossing folder
                  3/4" Circle punch

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up!'S Simply Scored Borders Plate Class...

 This is my favorite card from the Borders Plate class and was CASE'd from Splitcoaststampers.  In this card, scored on Pool Party Core'dinations paper using the waves on the Borders Plate.  We then sanded them so they really stood out.  The Whisper White cardstock was embossed with the Cloudy Day embossing folder and then stamped with the "spouting alphabet" from the Oh Whale! stamp set.  The whales were stamped in Midnight Muse using the same set and then cut out using the Happy Whale Clearlit Die.  The fish and anchor were cut from the same die.  Finally we stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners and cut with the accompanying framelit.

Here's the cute whale on the inside.  I am going to miss this set.  It is such a great set for little boys!

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:       Oh Whale, Itty Bitty Banners
Inks:           Pool Party, Midnight Muse
Paper:       Whisper White, Pool Party, Midnight Muse, Pool Party Core'dinations
Other:        Cloudy Day embossing folder, Happy Whale Clearlit die, Bitty Banners framelits,
                   Borders Plate, Sanding block

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scored Borders Plate.....

Gosh, I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged!  Well, I am sitting down today and putting together a bunch of cards to show you over the next month, so enjoy your daily inspiration!

 



Here is a card that we made at my Simply Scored Borders Plate class in April.  At the class, we made four projects using the Borders Plate from the Spring Catalog.  It is difficult to see in this picture but around the Oval Accent, there is a scoring line to outline the entire framing. 

I CASE'd this card from a talented stamper on SplitCoastStampers because it allowed me to highlight several techniques in one card.  After we used the Borders Plate, I showed how to color your flower trim by just pressing it down onto your ink pad a few times until you get the color intensity you want.  Super easy and a very pretty!

Finally, we used the blending technique using watercolor paper and markers on the flowers from the Everything Eleanor stamp set.  First, the flower was stamped using StazOn ink.  We then colored the base of each flower petal with Primrose Petals  and used a blender pen to move the color out to the ends of each petal.  We then came back through with a Raspberry Ripple marker and placed a very small amount of color where there was shading and used the blender pen to again move the color around and blend it with the other color.

Here's the inside of the card.  Just a simple flower in the corner but it sure finishes off the card.

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:     Everything Eleanor, Itty Bitty Banners 
Inks:          Black StazOn, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple
Paper:       Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple
Other:       Flower Trim, Watercolor Paper, Argyle embossing folder, Oval Accent die,
                  Very Vanilla seam binding, Bitty Banners framelit, Ovals framelits, Pearls

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up! - Valentine Treat Bundle Class...

Here's our final card from the Valentine Treat Bundle class I held in January.  Have you tried dyeing the 5/8" Trim Flowers yet?  Super easy and you can get them just the color you want to coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s colors.  Here's how to do it:

Take one of the round plastic holders that Stampin' Up!'s brads and buttons come in.  You don't throw those away, do you?  Hang onto them - there are lots of uses for them.  In fact, I will do a post with a few of them for you in the weeks to come.  Back to the flowers...

Pour about a 1/4" of 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol in the container.  Take the desired reinker and drop 5-6 drops into the alcohol.  Swirl around until it is mixed together.  Drop the flower(s) into the solution and pull out using tweezers - unless you don't mind your hands getting stained.   Wrap it up into a paper towel to absorb the alcohol.  When you open it up, the flower is almost completely dry already and ready to put on your card using Glue Dots.  If it is still a bit lighter than you want, dip it back in and darken it up.  You can use water but then you would have to wait while it dried - probably a couple hours and who wants to wait when creating????

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:       Happy Heart stamp, Itty Bitty Banners & Delightful Dozen
Inks:            Real Red & Primrose Petals (for flowers)
Paper:         Real Red, Pool Party, Whisper White & More Amore DSP
Other:        5/8" Flower Trim, Baker's Twine, Adorned Accents folder, Bitty
                    Banners framelit, Pearls, Lacy Brocade embossing folder, Heart
                    punch, 2 3.8" Scallop circle punch, Pool Party Ruffle ribbon, Real
                    Red 1/4" stitched ribbon

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up! - Punches & Punches...

 Here's the final card from our punches workshop in February.  Isn't this little fire hydrant adorable?  I found this card and the design of the fire hydrant on SplitCoastStampers.  It uses the following punches:

• Word Window
• Extra Large Oval
• 1 1/4" Circle
• 1" Circle
• Boho Blossom (for balloon)

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:       Storybook Friends, Itty Bitty Banners & Bring on the Cake
Inks:          Real Red, Basic Black, Soft Suede & Crumb Cake
Paper:       Real Red, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue
                  & Subles Patterned Paper Pack
Other:       Punches, Baker's Twine, Bitty Banners framelits & Typeset
                  Alphabet Bigz die

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up! - Hearts A Flutter...

Here's a card that I did with a new group in February.  It was fun bringing back some of the techniques that I have done in the past for new people.  Here, I brought back the Magic Ink Background technique which you can find in the Techniques section of the blog.  I made the glossy cardstock piece larger than we needed on the front of the card so we could cut a 1" strip off of it to inside the card.

Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:
Stamps:       Hearts A Flutter, Seasonal Sayings, Itty Bitty Banners &
                   Teeny Tiny Wishes
Inks:           Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo & VersaMark
Paper:        Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo & Whisper White
Other:        Hearts A Flutter framelits, Clear embossing powder, Fancy
                   Fan embossing folder, Bitty Banners framelit, mini brads,
                   Neutrals brads, Circle punch, Melon Mambo ribbon (see
                   Magic Ink Background technique for technique supplies)

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Clockworks Stamp Set...

I fell in love with this stamp set when I saw it for the first time in the catalog but didn't end up getting it until August and then it sat!  I was assigned to make a masculine card for a recent workshop and thought this would be perfect.  You cannot tell by the picture but the face of the watch has shimmer paint on it which gives it a really cool look.

 Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla cardstock
• Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso and VersaMark ink
• Clockworks and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets
• 1 3/4" Circle punch
• Gold embossing powder
• Bitty Banners framelit
• Champagne Mist shimmer paint

Here's the inside of the card.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Serene Silhouettes Class Card #2

Here is the second card from my Serene Silhouettes class.

For this card we used the butterfly image and stamped it with Midnight Muse ink on Whisper White and punched it out.  We then layered it on the medium size Delicate Doily sizzlit and layered that onto the large Delicate Doily sizzlit in Whisper White.  The sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and cut using the Bitty Banners framelits.  The Pool Party cardstock was embossed with the Elegant Bouquet folder.  A Pool Party ruffled ribbon bow was placed at the bottom and the final touches were Dazzling Diamonds to the flowers and rhinestones on the small flowers.

Here's the Scoop Class....

Recently, I held a "Here's the Scoop" class.  Attendees came to get the scoop on Stampin' Up! products and to get a scoop - of ice cream!  It was perfect since the weather here in the Sacramento area has been pretty hot this summer.  All of this week's cards (with the exception of Technique Tuesday) will be from the class and I will share the "scoop" with you!  These cards were all inspired by cards I saw in the gallery at SplitCoastStampers but, as always, I gave them a bit of a twist of my own.

Here's the first card we made.  It uses Pool Party, Midnight Muse (my new favorite color) and Summer Starfruit for the colors.  The stamp sets used were Reason to Smile (the promotion in July - I hope you took advantage of that promotion) and Itty Bitty Banners.

Here's the inside of the card.  If you saw my Stippled Blossoms card last week, you will know that I don't like using the Stamp-a-ma-jig - it just takes too much time.  Here you can see that I didn't match it up really well but I don't think it looks bad this way.  I took full advantage on the front of the card where it was intentionally not matched up.
Okay, here's the scoop on this card:

1. Framelits:  Use a Post-It Note to hold the framelit in place when aligning on a stamped image.
2. Sizzlets: For intricate designs, DSP will cut well with the “sizzlet sandwich” below. For cardstock, you will need to use copy paper or a metal shim to get a better cut. You can also go back and forth but make sure to tape your cardstock to the Sizzlet so it won’t move. Place the paper face down onto the Sizzlet.
3. Folders: New folders are larger and may need cutting along the bottom edge if you need it go into the Big Shot sideways.

Sizzlet Sandwich:

• Platform with Tab 1
• Cutting Plate
• Sizzlet
• Cardstock
• (Copy paper or metal shim, if needed)
• Cutting Plate

Happy Birthday card....

Okay, here's the challenge - how many birthday items can you use on one card?  Here's your answer!  Okay, maybe you can find some more to use but I think I did pretty good...

• Pennant Parade stamp set
• Patterned Party stamp set
• Bring on the Cake stamp set
• Itty Bitty Banners stamp set
• Patio Party DSP

On top of those, this card uses the following colors and other items:

• Baja Breeze, Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse & Whisper White cardstock
• Ink colors are:  Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit & Baja Breeze
• Bitty Banners framelits
• Adorning Accents embossing folder
• Chevron embossing folder
• Designer Frames embossing folder
• Petite Pennants Builder punch
• Pool Party Baker's Twine
• Rhinestones

To make the platform for the cake, fold your 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" cardstock in half at 4 1/4".  Place it into your paper trimmer lengthwise at 4 1/2".  You will be cutting 1" in from the side of the card.  Cut 1" up from the center line and 1" down from the center line.  Turn your paper around 180 degrees and repeat for the other side of the card.  Using your Simply Scored, score between the two cut lines at the ends.   At this point, I then trimmed an 1/8" off all four sides of the card.  (I waited to do this until afterward so the dimensions were easier to work with.)

I then placed the Biggy Banners framelit in the bottom section of the platform and ran it through the Big Shot.  A Raspberry Ripple piece, stamped with the "Happy Birthday" was then placed behind it using a couple of Dimensionals to give it depth.