Florida Snow Day

July 31, 2020July 24, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

What’s a Florida snow day? Well, one version is a snow globe with a palm tree that says Florida.

This card was inspired by Sharon-Elaine Jone’s spinning shaker card on Craftworld.com, Spellbinder’s Santa’s Workshop die set’s snow globe and one very hot and humid day in Florida.

A. Die Cut – 2 trees (I used textured paper for trunk), 2 globes from white cardstock, 2 globes from acetate , 2 globes from foam (I put double-sided adhesive sheets on both sides of foam before cutting.), 2 globe bases from orange cardstock and 2 “Snowday” sentiment.

B. Snow globe

1. Palm tree
  - Glue one branches onto top of tree trunk.
  - Glue backside of tree to monofilament. Glue second tree trunk to encase monofilament line. Glue remaining branches to tree.
  - Distress ink tree.
2. Assemble snow globe
  - Glue 1 paper globe to1 acetate globe and let dry. Repeat with second globe paper and acetate pieces.
  - Peeling back only the top knob off adhesive on foam globe, adhere to inside of one acetate globe. Peel, align and slowly adhere all of one foam globe to one acetate globe. Repeat with second foam globe and other acetate globe.
3. Filling snow globe
  - Using the grid on a craft mat, lay the palm tree on top of one acetate globe against foam side. Tape aligned monofilament line to the craft mat above and below globe
  - Loosen backing paper from top of globe and press monofilament into sticky foam. Do not take off any other backing paper but globe knob.
  - Sprinkle sequins into center of globe, pushing some under and over palm tree. Keep sequins away from foam edges.
  - Lay second acetate globe over first globe, foam side to foam side. Slowly, remove backing paper from both foam sides, aligning edges together a little bit at a time until globe is sealed.
  - Pull monofilament taunt and test the spinning action of globe shaker.
  - Using scrape foam with double-sided adhesive as foam tape, adhere orange globe bases to globe on monofilament. (Write “FLORIDA” on bases before adhering.)

C. Card Base

1. Select decorative papers (three pieces – two at 6 x 4 ½ inches for front frame and one at 6 x 4 ¾ inches for inside back)
  - Tape one of the small decorative paper pieces to front of card base and tape rectangle die (Needs to be large enough for globe to freely spin inside of) to over both paper and base. Die cut out rectangle. Remove tape and use decorative paper to trace in pencil the placement of die for other piece of decorative paper and cut out rectangle. (I cut the frames separately, so any die embossing/decorative piercing is prominent on both fronts of frame pieces.)
  - If you want, you can cut a narrow border frame for the opening as I did.
  - With a pencil, lightly mark the center point of the rectangular opening at the top and bottom of the card base. Using the marks, score the card base and fold the right front half of base to the left to make a valley fold.

D. Attaching globe spinner

1. Open card base open so “frame” section is flat and the top and bottom fold creases are aligned on craft mat grid. Aline the globe shaker’s monofilament line with fold creases on card base extending the line to match craft mat grid line. Tape extended line to mat to hold firmly in place.

- Glue monofilament line to the top and bottom of card base frame. Let glue dry 1-2 hours or overnight.

- Once glue is dry, wrap extra line around frame at fold. Tape over wrapped line with clear tape on inside of fold.

E. Decorating Card

Adhere one of the 6 x 4 ½ inches decorative paper frames to the front of card alining the opening with the halved card base frame. Adhere on the inside of card the other decorative frame piece so that the two decorative pieces from a front and back frame for the snow globe to spin inside of.
If you cut a border frame adhere it now.
Add “Snowday” sentiment at bottom on each side of frame.
Aline the third piece of decorative paper on inside back of card base with the front frame.
Mark the corners of where the decorative paper should go lightly with pencil on card base.
With the decorative paper laying on card base, position inside greeting stamp and tape stamp in place with removable tape.
Carefully remove the paper to be stamped and place in a stamping platform to stamp with Versamark Watermark ink. Remember to wipe paper with an antistatic bag or tool before stamping.
Once stamped, use white embossing powder and heat emboss sentiment.
Adhere embossed paper to inside of card using pencil alinement marks.

Decorate the back of card (This may be the place you choose to write your personal message at.)

I stamped the back of the envelope with what I hope would be taken as a palm tree, using what stamps I had since I don’t have a palm tree stamp.

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

Pink Fresh Studio – Photopolymer Clear Stamp Set – Leafy Backdrop – PFCS3618
Sheena Douglass – Winter Woodland – from Creative Stamping, issue 62, December 2018

Paper

Little Makers -white craft foam sheet

Dura-Lar .0005 Clear Film acetate
My Mind’s Eye – Cozy Christmas – 6 x 6 Paper Pad
Textured and colored scraps from my stash
6 ½ x 5 inch cardbase and envelope – Recollections

Inks

Miscellaneous

PVA Glue – Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Elizabeth Craft Designs – Clear double-sided tear tape
Elizabeth Craft Designs – Clear Double Sided Adhesive – 6×6 inches
Zebco – OmniFlex – 20 lb. 9.1 kg Line – monofilament fishing line
White iridescent sequins from stash
Clear tape like Scotch Brand Magic tape

Watermelon Shaker Truck

July 26, 2020July 24, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

Cold watermelon on a hot summer’s day – what could be better? How about a shaker card of a watermelon truck.

This card was the first I’ve made from Queen & Co. complete card kits. The kits come with dies, self-adhesive foam/acetate shakers, shaker fillers, stamps and 6×6 paper pads. The instructions are straightforward and easy to understand.

I have augmented the kits with some tiny watermelon slices I had on hand as well as the Lawn Fawn ants and watermelon stamp set.

The kits add to the possibilities of my Spellbinders Sunday Drive and Truck Large Die of the Month -OCT18 as the accessories are in a similar scale to all the vehicle sets.

The envelope was stamped with the Lawn Fawn stamps while the card sentiment is from the Special Delivery kit and was heat embossed in glossy black.

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

Paper

Queen & Co. – Special Delivery Summer Celebration Kit – Solids 6×6 paper pad
Silver matte, red & black cardstock from stash
DCWV – Strips Box of Cards – 40 A2 Printed Textured Cards & Envelops

Inks

Miscellaneous

PVA Glue – Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Foam squares

Queen & Co. – Special Delivery Kit – foam/acetate shaker shape
Queen & Co. – Special Delivery Summer Celebration Kit – green shaker balls
Dress My Craft – Watermelon Slices shaker bits – DMKS3778
Recollections Detail Embossing Power- Ebony

Autumn Birthday Card Teepee Style

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

This card was inspired by my curiosity about making a teepee card and for a Craftworld.com challenge to make an autumn birthday card. Video influences include Karen Burniston, Sam Calcott and Jennifer Mcguire’s takes on pop-up cards, teepee cards and peek-a-boo doors.

Teepee cards-so named because of the shape, are easy cards to construct from three squares of cardstock that are all the same. You score each diagonally from one point to the opposite point and fold in half to form a triangle. Then you glue one of the squares to the left side triangle and another square to the right side of the triangle/center square. I recommend watch Sam Calcott’s Mixed up Crafts video for a step by step. (My card is based on three squares of 5 ¾ inches squares.)

I wanted to add something new to the teepee card concept and having just watch Jennifer McGuire’s video on Peek-A-Boo Doors, I decided to add some flaps using the smallest circle die in the Lawn Fawn circle flaps dies. Because I wanted to use the flaps as a platform to set a small animal on using a pop-out cube, I needed another layer of paper on the card over my card base. (My card used textured orange paper cut from 5 ½ inch squares.) I also cut two additional circle flaps from the same orange paper to inlay behind the flap door. The pop-up cube to support an object is common, but I really learned the power of it from Karen Burniston’s Frame Pull Pop-up.

I fussy cut all of the card’s flat decorative critters and foliage form one page out of the Craftsmart Spiced Pumpkin paper pad. The happy Birthday rosette is made from a foiled topper from a card kit and ribbon gathered by needle and thread and then glued to the back of the topper.

The back side of the card has a white triangle for a personal message. The card is secured with a hook and loop square glued to one corner of the back flap and the connecting triangle.

Designed for a catalog envelope (9 inches x 6 inches), the card will fold flat to fit into the envelope. A small diagram is enclosed with the card so the recipient will know how to stand it up for display. The back flap of the envelope was stamped with a fox.

Supplies

Dies

Lawn Fawn -Lift the Flap Circles – LF1714

Stamps/Ink

Orange Ink – Stampin’ Up Classic Stamin’ Pad – Pumpkin Pie
Craft Consortium’s Fox stamp from Crafts Beautiful Issue 341 (January 2020) Little Fawn and Friends pop-up cardmaking kit.

Paper

Yellow cardstock from my stash
Craftsmart Spiced Pumpkin 12 x12 paper pad
DCWV Textured Cardstock Stack – 12 x 12 inches
Foiled birthday topper from Flying High Craftwork Cards 8×8” paper collection from Papercraft Essentials Issue 175.

Miscellaneous

PVA Glue – Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Hook and loop tape
Foam squares
Metallic organza ribbon from my stash

Back into the Swing of Things

July 16, 2020September 9, 2021 | ullycatdesigns

Coming home after a long stay in the hospital deserves a cheerful card. Home Sweet Home may have a different meaning for those of us who have been fortunate enough to stay healthy during this year of COVID-19, but to a survivor it truly can be sweet.

The mechanical base for this card come from Karen Burniston’s House and Fence Pop-Up die set, as does the house. The fence, flowers, grass, tree and swinging girl come from the Xcut “Make Me” die set included in the Homemaker Die Cuts & Digi Stamps All-in-one Die & Digi Stamp Kit.

This is about the eighth time I have made this pop-up platform which is easy to use. I spent time exploring how to get the best embossing impression on the house by using fun foam to act as a shim. I inked the house and decoration on the tree and swinging girl with distress inks. The bushes are a scrap decorated with pink dots from the flowers.

The front sentiment is another Karen Burniston die set which makes it quick and easy to create a stylized sentiment. The strawberry comes from the Park Lane paper pad as does the gingham tag inside the card.

I created the inside sentiment on the computer and used distress ink to color the background. If I were to print the sentiment again, I would ink the paper first and then print the words to minimize the black ink blurring.

The folded size of the card is 5 ½ inches by 5 ¾ inches. For interest, the bottom front edge is fussy cut along the printed scalloped edge.

Video is at https://spark.adobe.com/video/Ah8pNrimuXg8u.

Supplies

Dies

Paper

The Paper Studio – 8.5 x 11 inches -Gingham Red – 148429
Park Lane Paperie -Strawberry Patch -12 x 12 inches – 1658-1548
Green, white cardstock and colored scraps from my stash

Inks

Ranger – Distress Inks – Fired Bricks, Vintage Photo and Salty Ocean
Computer printed sentiment in black ink

Miscellaneous

PVA Glue – Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Red double-sided clear tape
Clear double-sided tear tape
Foam squares
Black sewing thread

Autumn Forest Birthday

July 9, 2020September 13, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

I am a paper hoarder and have been looking at this lovely set of forest animals Craft Consortium paper for months, taking it out thinking about what I could make from it. Putting it aside to see if the muse strikes.

A fall birthday for an animal lover became my muse. I used my favorite Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop-up die set to cut the base and decorative squares for the card. The papers are double-sided so I was able to mix and match the squared to be just flowers or flowers with the fox. I fussy cut the owl and oak leaves from another sheet in the collection. The birthday girl’s special day falls at that time of the year when some flowers are still blooming, but the occasional autumn leaf my drift down.

The main elements are cut from the inside covers of the 6×6 paper pad.

Because I have made this box a lot, I have taken to use the largest stitched die in the set and extend cut a large square to make a stiffer back to the box and as a place to write a personal message. To extend cut using a die cutting machine, simply place one edge of the die just off the edge of the cutting plat so it won’t cut when going through the machine. Move the die to cut the other side of the square again placing the die edge just off the cutting plates. It may take you a few tries to master this technique, but once mastered you can expand the uses of your die collection.

To assemble the box I decorate the front and back sides of the flaps before I connect the tabs using red double-sided tape. (See assembly video) If you follow the steps in the video, you should have a perfect box.

I am just learning to do hot foiling using a Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foiling System. Having watched a number of videos on how to hot foil, I tried out a number of sentiments in rose gold foil. I used two of my first attempts on this card.