I Return May 6th

The Do Not Disturb sign is back on my door for the week. I have several commitments that need my attention, including a new website and blog. I am switching to Wordpress, and am absorbing every word in the Wordpress for Dummies book. If anyone has any Wordpress tips, stories or advice, I’d love to hear it all. It clearly is a beast that requires quite a bit of knowledge. I refuse to let Wordpress beat me! Lisa Sabin-Wilson is the writer of Wordpress for Dummies if you are interested in seeing her wonderful blog. From everything I read by Matt, the co-founder of Wordpress, I won’t be disappointed by making the switch. I would love to personally sit with Matt, over a cup of coffee, to extract some of his best tips. Perhaps he would lighten up my mood with this change-over. Matt just might have a tip, or two for me, because I learned that a Wordpress blogger can be notified whenever anyone links up your blog. You never know, Matt might say he’s in town this week :).

I will return next Tuesday, May 6th, where I will have a tutorial using Utee Ultra Thick and Perfect Pearls for you.

Kaleidoscope Card

Are you a subscriber to the Technique Junkie Newsletter? If you are, then you will find my tutorial for the Kaleidoscope card, along with other gorgeous examples by the Turbo Team.

Here I dangled snowflakes from the top of the card to give the card added dimension.

Paper: Bazzil
Stamps: Birds, Hero Arts; Swirls, Stampendous; Verse, PSX

Majestic Buck

Woohoo, it’s the end of the week. What does that mean to me? Today, Donnie is off so we are heading over to Michigan for the day, and I can stamp all weekend long. Weekends are usually when I do my tutorial for Tuesday, but there are times I’m doing them at the very last minute on Monday. Want a hint about this Tuesday’s tutorial? Make sure you have Ultra Thick Utee and Perfect Pearls ready.

This week I was able to participate in a couple of Splitcoast Stamper’s challenges. This was Wednesday’s sketch challenge. To see the sketch, click here. The complete gallery of sketches can be seen here.

I have to say that I think this is one of my favourite cards. I’m starting to use the brayer more, and the results are truly outstanding. The infamous Zindorf does amazing brayer work.

I hope you all have a wonderful, and restful, weekend. Thank you for stopping by.

Stamp: Penny Black
Ink: Adirondack Sailboat Blue, Tombow markers, Black Stazon, VersaMark
Paper: Buckaroo Blue, white, watercolour paper
Misc: Clear embossing powder, brayer

justjohanna Meets Daisyd

Good morning folks! Today I’m going to share some children’s cards with you. Do you ever find yourself puzzled when it comes to creating these cards? I know I do. When I saw Daisyd’s Wonder Years “Best Friends” cardstock chipboard, I decided that it would make a wonderful children’s series. Stephanie is the artist who designed the Wonder Years line.

Here is a close up of the characters. They were coloured with pencil crayon and OMS, and Twinkling H2O’s. Can you see the 3-D flowers I added to the dress? I love to embellish, as you probably know. All paper is Daisyd.

Combining stamps with stickers and chipboard opened a whole new world for me. My nieces and nephews will be delighted with these characters. justjohanna’s stamps go well with Daisyd, wouldn’t you agree? I think “they” think so too–just look at the smiles on their faces.

These trick or treaters are a little early, but that’s okay; I always have goodies in my pantry all year round.

The next time you walk past cute characters, such as these, pick them up and try combining them with your stamps. It really does add that something special to a card.

Tutorial Tuesday - Tote

Welcome to Sunflowers and Dragonflies’ weekly tutorial. I had several requests to share this tutorial with you, after I shared my class project last month. If you make a tote, please link me up because I would love to see it!

2″ punch (or smaller)
4 small brads (for handles)
Score Pal or score blade
black marker (optional-for drawing on stitches)
Two large decorative buttons (for front pocket)
Double-sided tape (not shown)
Glue (not shown)
Cuttlebug (optional)
Cuttlebug templates (optional)

8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock (tote) here blue
1 1/5″ x 4 3/4″ cardstock (side of tote) here white
6″ x 3″ cardstock (front pocket) here blue
2″ x 3″ cardstock (front pocket accent)here pink
6″ x 1″ cardstock (front pocket accent) here white
2 - 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ cardstock (handle)here white
2 - 2″ circles from punch (front pocket) here pink
2 - 2″ circles from punch (front pocket) here white
2 - 2″ half circles from punch (front pocket) here blue

This photo is to aid you with your cuts.

This photo is to aid you in your cuts.

This is a diagram of your score, and cut, lines. Vertical score from outside edge to inside is
1 1/4″. Horizontal score lines are 4 3/4″ from top and bottom ends.

Go ahead and score your vertical lines 1 1/4″ from outside edges inwards.

Place your paper horizontally and score your horizontal lines 4 3/4″ from outside edge, inwards. Do this from the left hand side, and the right.

Now you will clip just a tiny portion of your score line. Snip the score line only to the 1 3/4″ from the edges. Do not cut the piece off.

Place double-sided tape down the left and right margins, on one side only.

Fold up the clipped edge and wrap the outside edges around each other to create the sides of the tote.

Place your 2″ x 3″ decorative accents through the Cuttlebug (optional) and glue to the front 6″ x 3″ pocket, as shown.

Score the 6″ x 1″ decorative accent down the centre and glue on the top edge of your pocket, as shown.

Run your bottom corners through the Cuttlebug (optional). Place on the bottom edges of the front pocket, as shown.

Turn your pocket over and cut overlapping edges of circle.

Run half circle through Cuttlebug (optional) and adhere onto bottom circle, as shown.

Place decorative buttons onto front flaps, as seen here, and adhere flaps to front pocket with double sided tape. Add stitch lines, if you wish.

Adhere sides to tote. You may wish to run your cardstock through the Cuttlebug before adhering.

It is possible to give your handles a decorative touch with the Cuttlebug. Place your strip into the template, as shown, and reverse the strip and run it through the Cuttlebug, once again. If your handle is too long for the decorative template to meet the pattern in the centre, trim a little bit off your end.

Attach your handles with small brads.

Here you can see that I added two white paper buttons on the front pocket. I placed my white paper through the Cuttlebug with a circular template, and used a hole-punch to punch out two of the circles, and adhered as buttons.

You can create a coordinating 3″ x 3″ gift card and place it in the front pocket.

This is a quick, and easy, tote. Have fun creating yours!