Archive | HOW TO

Window Hexagon Box

By Diane on April 26, 2017 in 3-D PROJECTS, BIG SHOT, BOXES & PACKAGING, HOW TO

Create die-cut gift boxes and party favors in seconds with the Window Box Thinlits dies and the Big Shot. The delicate design provides a peek of what’s inside. Thinlits Dies help you create detailed die-cuts with just a few turns of the Big Shot handle. These detailed dies include ejection holes so you can remove the paper easily. This die even scores where your cardstock needs to fold to make this Hexagon Box. You can create many different looks using the different dies or stamps.

If you line up the large Hexagon Box framelit to the edge of an 8-1/2″ x 11″ piece of Elegant Eggplant and carefully with a pair of scissors, cut around the die before you run if through the BIG Shot you’ll get the two that you need.

Cut out the box detailed top and six of the side panels from Wisteria Wonder.

Here’s a video from Stampin’ Up! on how to put it together:

Make sure to order this Window Box Thinlits Die Set. You’re going to love it!

Thanks for stopping by. Do so again!

Embrace the day,

Blooming with Kindness: Triple Time Technique

By Diane on January 6, 2017 in BIRTHDAY, HOW TO, TECHNIQUES

Today I am sharing a technique called Triple Time Stamping. It looks very impressive and complicated, but it goes together very quickly. It’s also a lot of fun! This card starts with varying sizes of Whisper White or Very Vanilla and a colored card stock of choice. I used Very Vanilla and Elegant Eggplant.

The cutting dimensions are as follows:

Elegant Eggplant: 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″ Card Base

Very Vanilla: 4 x 5-1/4″

Elegant Eggplant: 3-1/4 x 4-1/2″

Very Vanilla: 3 x 4-1/4″

Elegant Eggplant: 2-1/4 x 3-1/2″

Very Vanilla: 2 x 3-1/4″

These layers are not adhered yet,

Layer the three pieces of Very Vanilla card stock on top of each other using a removable adhesive to hold the layers in place. The adhesive should go on the back. Stack the layers so that the smallest is on the top and so the layers stay in place when you stamp over them. Stamp your image(s) over all three layer at the same time.

Make sure you stamp the images on all three layers of Vary Vanilla. For this card, I stamped the Warmest Wishes sentiment first in Pool Party Ink on the smallest Very Vanilla layer and then stamped the flowers around it in Elegant Eggplant. Both the sentiment and the flowers are from the Blooming With Kindness stamp set.

Once you’re happy with your stamping, separate the Very Vanilla layers and adhere them to the corresponding Elegant Eggplant layers.

And the Triple Time Technique is that fun and easy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Embrace the day,

Bear Hugs Birthday: Slider Card

By Diane on March 7, 2016 in BIRTHDAY, HOW TO, MASCULINE, TECHNIQUES

Welcome back! Today’s share is a slider card we made at my last workshop. One attendee asked if we could make a slider card and so we did. The last slider card was with the Sale-A-Bration Honeycomb Happiness Stamp Set and can be found HERE. I love this Bear Hugs Stamp Set! When I first saw it in the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog the possibilities kept flowing in my head. This stamp set can be used for a masculine, feminine and children’s card for any occasion. This slider card was made with my son-in-law in mind for his birthday which we celebrated on Friday.

Instructions for the Bear Hugs Birthday Slider Card:

CARD STOCK and DIMENSIONS

Cut a 10″ x 7″ card base from Whisper White Card Stock and score it at 5″
Cut one 4″ x 6″ piece and one 6″ x 2″ piece of Pool Party Card Stock.
Cut a 6″ x 1-1/2″ piece of Wild Wasabi Card Stock.
A 3″ x 3″ piece of Chocolate Chip (for bears), a 5″ x 1-1/2″ piece of Tangelo Twist (for fish) , a 1″ x 1″ piece of Hello Honey (for honey-pot) and a 6” x 2″ piece of Whisper White (for flowers & greeting)

STAMPING

All stamps are from the Stampin’ Up! Bear Hugs Stamp Set

Stamp the large and small bear in VersaMark on Chocolate Chip Card Stock and sprinkle on White Embossing Powder and melt it with a Heat Tool.
Stamp 5 fish in Memento Black Ink on the Tangelo Twist Card Stock.
Stamp the honey pot in Memento Black Ink on the Hello Honey Card Stock.
Stamp three group of flowers and the greeting in Memento Black Ink on the Whisper White.

CUTTING

With the BIG Shot and the Bear Hugs Framelits cut out the Papa and Baby Bear, the honey-pot, the fish and the flowers.
On the Wild Wasabi piece punch the slider opening with the Window Punch.
Tear the 6″ x 2″ piece of Pool Party along one edge. Sponge the torn edge with a Sponge Dauber and Pool Party Ink.
Hand-cut a cloud shape around the greeting.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Adhere the torn pirce of the Pool Party about halfway down the Pool Party base making sure you placed a fish jumping out of this “wave.”
For the Wild Wasabi Layer follow:

THE GENERAL DIRECTIONS ON

“HOW TO MAKE A SLIDER CARD” GO HERE

Place three fish on a piece of Baker’s Twine. Use Glue Dots to adhere them.
Attach the Baker’s Twine to the bear hands using two Chocolate Chip Candy Dot Brads.
Place and attach all the pieces as shown above.

PLEASE NOTE: I’m in the process of redesigning my blog. I thought it was time for a new look. I’ll post when I can this month, but it may not be as frequent as I would like…

Embrace the day!

“Something Lacey” For Chinese New Year

By Diane on February 4, 2016 in HOW TO

Today’s share is a Chinese New Year inspiration. The colors Real Red, Basic Black and Gold scream Chinese New Year. In case you don’t know it, 2016 is the year of the monkey on the Chinese New Year Calendar.

The Chinese New Year is on, Monday, February 8th and ends on January 27, 2017 (Chinese New Year’s Eve).

This card is pretty straight forward and the card stock dimensions are as follows:

REAL RED: for the card base cut an 8-1/2″ x 11″ piece and score it at 5-1/2″

BASIC BLACK: cut a 5″ x 3-3/4″ and a 4-1/4″ x 3″ piece

GOLD FOIL: cut a 4-3/4″ x 3-1/2″ piece

Let’s get started:

Take the Something Lacey Stamp, ink it up with VersaMark and stamp the image on to the 4-1/4″ x 3″ piece of Basic Black.

Sprinkle the stamped image with Gold Embossing Powder and melt it using a Heat Tool. ( before I proof-read this post I had “God” Embossing Powder, which would have been the purest embossing powder made by man!)

Wrap a 5″ piece of 5/8″ red ribbon around this layer and secure it with Glue Dots.

Make a double bow out of the 5/8″ ribbon by making four loops (two on each side) and wrap the middle of the loops with a separate piece of ribbon and knot it on the back. Trim the tails.

Adhere all the card stock layers together and attach the beautiful red bow on the front with a few Glue Dots.

Thanks for stopping by and “Gung Hay Fat Choy”

Embrace the day!

How to: Make the Perfect Paper Rose

By Diane on July 27, 2015 in 3-D PROJECTS, HOME-SWEET-HOME, HOW TO

……;;;’//// THE PERFECT PAPER ROSE Header

Hello and Hello once again Stampers!

I bought this wire basket holding three glass bottles on sale and I knew immediately I wanted to decorate it with Paper Roses. I initially thought I would decorate each bottle with a rose, but when I tried it, the roses and bottles looked too uniform and symmetrical for my taste. So, that’s when I decided to embellish the wire baskets’ front.

Realistic Paper Roses are one of my all-time favorite projects to make. Realistic being the operative word here. Sometimes Paper Roses or paper flowers look like paper flowers; hard edged, no real depth to them and not realistic. If that’s what you’re going for then all is good. However, for these Paper Roses I aimed for realistic. See if I delivered?

_________________________________________________________________________

ROSES WITH FRINGED CENTERS

If you look closely there are actually two kinds of roses. The center of the one shown above was made the following way…

Cut a 11″ x 1/2″ strip of Very Vanilla Cardstock. Distress one edge with a Sponge Dauber, Blushing Bride, Wisteria Wonder and or Marina Mist Ink. Cut along the same edge as the photo shows. You could probably use the Stampin’ Up! Fringe Scissors. I couldn’t find mine! Take the distressed and fringed strip and simply roll it.

Cut out three to five flowers using the Spiral Flower Die and The BIG Shot. I cut some from Very Vanilla Cardstock and distressed the edges. Distress the cut Spiral Flowers edges with the same color as the strip. The samples in the photos were done in Blushing Bride. Add more color to the center circle. I originally wanted to stamp the Spiral Flower, but I wasn’t achieving the effect I wanted.

Next you want to take the rolled up fringed strip and starting at the smallest point of the spiral, line up the bottom edges and roll them together. When you’re finished rolling fold up the middle circle, add some Multi-Purpose Glue and adhere the rolled flower on to the glue. Hold it for a few seconds then put it asides to dry.

__________________________________________________________________________

SPRAYED and CRUMPLED ROSES

Instructions for the other roses.

First cut out a rose using the Spiral Flower Die and The BIG Shot again, only this time cut the spiral flowers out of a colored cardstock. The two shown above were cut from Daffodil Delight and Mint Macaron.

Place the spiral under a tap of running water or place it in a zip lock bag and spritz it with some water using a Stampin’ Spritzer. The Stampin’ Spritzer works well, because it sprays a small amount of water, so it’s very controllable. I use a plastic bag just to keep my work station dry. While the spiral is still wet crumple it up and uncrumple it. Is uncrumple even a word? My spell check doesn’t think so. But, you know what I mean.

Then start rolling up the spiral starting from the small end again. Roll it as tight as you can. A pointy pair of tweezers helps to get it started. Once it’s tightly rolled let go and let it loosen up on it’s own. You can’t glue it in place until it’s fully dry. However, it’s at this point you can bend each petal, so when it does dry it will resemble a rose. Once it’s dry add glue to the center circle once again and adhere the rolled rose.

On Very Vanilla stamp the leaves from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set in Cucumber Crush Ink and fussy cut them out.

For this project the roses were adhered using a hot glue gun. You can make and use these Paper Roses to embellish any basket, bottle, place setting, journal, party favor, head-bands, etcetera These would even make a great bouquet or topiary. I know the front of the basket says, “Flowers”, but I think I’ll use this to store my paint brushes!

Thanks for reading this loooong post! I sincerely hope you give these a try. If you don’t have a Spiral Flower Die you can order one from me HERE

Hugs,

New Coloring Video

By Diane on March 24, 2015 in HOW TO

ALL OF US ARE DISAPPOINTED NOT BEING ABLE TO ORDER THE STAMPIN’ UP! BLENDABILITIES, BUT HERE’S A VIDEO ON WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE STAMPIN’ UP! WRITE MARKERS UNTIL A NEW MANUFACTURER IS FOUND FOR THE BLENDABILITIES.

I will keep you up-dated on the situation. Stampin’ Up! is also experiencing back-order problems due to the dock strike. This is the first time ever for all of these problems.

Coloring Video with the new Sale-A-Bration Sheer Perfection Vellum DSP:

Thanks for sticking by me and Stampin’ Up! through all of this! Isn’t it a bit what life is all about~ solving problems?

Hugs,
Diane Caro, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

How To: Make a Paper Strawberry

By Diane on March 12, 2015 in HOW TO, JUST FOR KIDS

This project is so addictive. Not only is it easy, but with all the great designer series paper choices the sky’s the limit with color combinations. I chose a retired Stampin” Up! Designer Series Paper for this great papecraft project. When I was making these, I couldn’t help , but remember one of my daughter’s all time favorite book, “The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the BIG Hungry Bear.” If you haven’t read it, give it a try. I’m a fanatic about children’s books!

Here’s how to make a paper strawberry:

1. Make a template similar to one in the photo. Start with a seven petal daisy flower, about 4-1/2″ in diameter with petals not too deep. Cut off two petals. Be sure to add a tab where the tab is shown before cutting off second petal. Then make a leaf topper. Draw the templates onto scrap cardboard and cut them out.

2. Trace the cardboard templates on Designer Series Paper of choice. Use a red and or a bright pink, such as Real Red or Strawberry Slush DSP for the strawberry and a green DSP for the leaf topper. Cut out the strawberry parts.

3. Score on the dotted lines, between each petal to the center point. And, punch a hole in the middle of each petal and in the middle of the leaf topper. See above photo.

4. Glue or add Sticky Strip along the tab and secure to the inside of the opposite petal to form a cone shape.

5. Weave, about a 10″ piece of ribbon or Baker’s Twine through the holes.

6. Gather up the petals and thread both tails of ribbon or twine up through the leaf topper. Tie a knot close to leaf topper and then another knot or bow for a hanger.

If you start with a bigger daisy, you can actually use these as small favor or gift boxes and fill them with candy or little trinkets. These strawberries are a good use for all your scraps of Designer Series Paper. They don’t have to be made from Real Red or Strawberry Slush only. Any color strawberry will look good and can be matched to any festivities you might be planning. Just think of the possibilities!

Check back often and leave me a comment on what you’d like me to blog about.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs,
Diane Caro, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

How To: Make a Bow From A Fork

By Diane on March 10, 2015 in HOW TO

Hello and Hello Stampers!

Since March is National Craft Month, I’ll be featuring a few “How To” projects for you to learn. These projects will be a chance for you to learn and try something new. Here’s a tutorial on how to make a bow from a fork. You can vary the size of the bow by using a smaller or larger fork. For this bow a dinner fork was used along with the FREE Sale-a-Bration 1/4″ Coastal Cabana Ribbon from the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack. So, let’s get started.

Step 1:

Wrap an 8 inch piece of ribbon around the dinner fork prongs.
Make sure the back piece or tail of the ribbon is longer than the front tail.

Step 2:

Take the back tail and wrap it around the shorter front tail.

Make sure it wraps around to the front.

Step 3:

Next bring the back tail through the middle of the fork.

Bring it through from the bottom front to the back.

Step 4:

Bring the tail around and up through the middle of the fork.

Bring it to the front.

Step 5:

Now just knot the two tails together, pulling tightly as you knot.

Step 6:

Turn the fork., because the front of the bow is on the opposite side of the knot.

Step 7:

Slide the bow off the fork and trim the tails at a diagonal.

And, that’s how you make a bow from a fork!

Give it a try.

Hugs,

Diane Caro, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

How to Make: Chevrons (Rick Rack)

By Diane on March 2, 2015 in HOW TO

How many times have you wanted to add Chevrons or Rick Rack to a project only to find making them was nearly impossible? Well, here’s a simple way to make a chevron or rick rack strip to embellish your cards or projects. With Easter approaching these strips are perfect to add to your egg cards and projects!

Instructions:

For an egg card, measure the size of the oval die you want to use and adjust the length of the strip accordingly. For this egg card I used the 3″ Oval Die.

1. To make this card cut a 1” x 3 ½” piece of All Abloom Designer Series Stack. Score down the middle at ½”. I found it easier to make a score line then cut a 1/2″ to either side of the score. You can also make the length or width of your strip any size to suit the project you’re working on. For an A-2 card I would cut a 1″ x 5-1/2″ strip of card stock or DSP. Make your strip any size and adjust it accordingly!

2. Turn the paper and score every ½” across the 3-1/2″ side.

3. Cut the card stock from the bottom corner to the middle score line, removing triangle shapes along the 3-1/2″ length of the paper. Do this top and bottom. See the diagram for a better understanding.

Now you know how to make chevrons/rick rack to embellish your projects with!

These chevron strips work perfectly with the All Abloom Paper Stack or any other. Check back later in the week to see what else these Designer Series Paper Stacks work well with.

Happy Monday and try to think Spring!

Hugs,

Diane Caro, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

With All My Heart Week : Paper Embroidered Heart

By Diane on February 9, 2015 in HOW TO, PATTERNS & TEMPLATES, VALENTINE’S DAY

Welcome to my Week of ❤ Heart’s! For this first project I made a Paper Embroidered Framed Heart. This was fun and surprisingly easy using few supplies. The results are spectacular. These photos do it no justice.

I began this Embroidered Paper Heart by piercing a patter on the card stock. There are plenty of patterns on-line you can find for this. All the supplies you need you probably already have. Click on any image for a close-up. So, let’s get started.

The supplies needed for this project are a piercing mat, a piercing tool, card stock, a needle, thread and a piercing pattern. For the mat and piercing tool I used the Stampin’ Up! Pierce Mat (126199) and Paper-Piercing Tool (126189)

Okay, here’s what you do:

Place your piece of card stock on the mat, good side facing up.

Place the dotted heart pattern on top of the card stock in the position you want

With the piercing tool, pierce through the pattern and card stock.

Remove the pattern and you should have the pattern as holes on your card stock.

Turn the card stock over. This is the inside. Select a suitable thread and a sewing needle that works for the thread and passes through the pierced holes easily. Thread your needle. (I used about a 16 inch piece of thread). Secure the end of the thread with tape to the inside of the card stock.

Pass the needle up through the start hole A from the back to the front of the card stock. Follow the directions to the left to achieve this spiral-like pattern.

If you need to re-thread or when you’re finished with the stitching secure the end of the thread once again with scotch tape.

Here’s a close-up of the embroidery stitching:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first heart project. Please visit all this week for more heart card ideas and more.

See you all tomorrow.

Hugs,
Diane Caro, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

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