For this card, I used a Creative Memories punch that had a 1 1/4″ and a 1 1/2″ star punch on it. I used two pieces of white card stock that were each 8 1/2″ long by 5 1/2″ tall. I scored them at 2 1/8″ and 4 1/4″ then glued both together on the long 4 1/4″ length. I folded the score lines closest to the center in, and folded the score lines farthest from the center, out. This produces the “Z” on both sides. I cut burgundy paper 5 1/4″ tall by 2″ wide and made four of these, then glued them to the folded panels. I punched eight small polka dotted stars with the 1 1/2″ punch and eight 1 1/2″ white stars to make them look more dimensional. I used a white and a burgundy ribbon that were about 14″ long and wrapped them together around the card and tied them in a knot.
I used Cranberry Crisp ink by Stampin’ Up and a row of stars top stamp on the sides of the center white pieces as well as on the center burgundy pieces. I used a sentiment from Stampin’ Up from “Curvy Verses.”

I had a request for a video about ATG guns. Is that right?  Shouldn’t it just be ATG since the last letter stands for gun?  Anyway, I started digging around and found three of them.  Of course I don’t use any of them.  I had tape spew out of one of them and couldn’t figure out how to salvage it.  One has the tape with little dots on it and it doesn’t seem to hold anything in place.  And finally, the big Scotch ATG that everyone owns.  I really want to love that gun.  I want to use it and feel like a real crafter in doing so.  I’m not sure why I have so many problems with it, but I do.  In doing the video, I did realize one thing about it.  The tape is on the right side of the gun so if you are left handed (as I am), you can’t see where the tape is being applied.  When you turn the gun around for the right handed person, you can see exactly where the tape is going.  The other issue I have are the small glue clumps that I have once I stop pulling the trigger.  I’ve seen other crafters use this gun and have the same problem, so I’m not sure if it is an actual problem, or just the nature of the beast.

I think I gave a fair description of each gun and in the end, felt the snail type adhesive as well as tear tape, are the best solution for me.  I’m not saying I won’t use the other devices, I’m just saying I feel most comfortable with the small snail and tear tape.

I spent a lot of time today working on swatching  my Prismacolor watercolor pencils and my new Stabilo markers as well as some stragglers from other brands.  I have found that the colors on pencils and on markers can be very deceptive.  I’ve only ever seen people swatch their pencils out on paper and although I have done this,  I have found it to be a fruitless exercise.  Most of you are probably saying “fruitless, why?”  I suppose others would refer back to their pages of swatches, but I have never done so.  I swatch them and then immediately throw that paper inside the pencil holder, never to look at it again.  I needed a system that would work for me.  I’m apparently too lazy to look past the pencil to find the swatched paper.  The only solution has been for me to swatch my pencils and markers on a strip of sticker, then use a wet brush (for watercolor pencils) and liquefy the pigment.  Once this dries, I cut it out and wrap the sticker around the pencil.  When looking at my pencils and markers, I know immediately the color that I am looking for.  No more guessing if it is a real red or an orangish red, the swatch tells me all I need to know.  I have mentioned this on videos, but should consider making a very quick video so others can benefit from my system.  I’m sure others have the same problem I have, and  I appreciate anything that is easy, and hope others do as well.

Our niece is getting married and has asked every person coming to her bridal shower to bring their favorite recipe on a card that matches her invitation. The invitation looks really great with Graphic 45 Home Sweet Home paper.

I bought the recipe box from Ebay and it was made by Close to My Heart,   I used Stampin’ Up Lucky Limeade ink and matching paper for distressing the edges of the box and as the first layer of paper under the Home Sweet Home paper.  I hope you enjoy the video.

 

I decided I needed to rid myself of ugly 12 x 12 paper.  You know the pages that were somehow lost in time.  The ones that appear to be from 1972, but were purchased in 2015? I bought them in a paper pack with some great paper and some really bad paper.  So I thought I should use the white side to create background paper for cards.  I started by stamping rather large flowers all over the page with Archival ink.  I got a set of Stabilo markers and thought I’d color the flowers with them.  I think the paper will look good when I am done, but it taken much too long for a video.  I did start it on video, but am not sure if I should finish it that way.  I’m having a great time coloring the images, but don’t really think viewers will want to watch a really long video of me coloring.  But then again, maybe they will.  I’ve had emails from people about the scrap and punch cards saying that they wished I showed more of the process.  I thought if I showed the entire process, people would start to fall asleep.  I could be wrong.  I guess I’ll never know until I make the video.  I guess I better finish coloring.

I’ve had so many great comments about the scrap and punch card series, that I made another card, only this time I also made it a fancy fold card as well.  I could not remember the name of this card during filming, it’s called a double Z fold card.  Wouldn’t you know that the name came to me as soon as I was done with the video.  Naturally I can include it in the title, but isn’t it nuts how our minds just blank on words?  This issue is another of Mother Nature’s gifts of menopause.  I thought I was losing my mind when it happened to me in the beginning.  But one day I was telling a girlfriend about it and she said, “that’s menopause for you.”  I had no idea that in addition to sweating profusely for no reason and gaining weight, again for no apparent reason, that I would also semi lose my mind.  Thanks, Mother Nature.  You’re a real gem!  Rich can ignore the fact that I can’t remember words, but it is kind of embarrassing when I’m on video or public speaking.  I  interview graduating college seniors at the college I attended so they are better prepared for the real interview process.  I give a seminar before the interviews so they know what to expect and what they need to do to prepare for it.  Inevitably during the seminar, one word will just escape me and I’m floundering for a filler.  Then because of the anxiety, my head starts to feel prickly, the warning sign of an oncoming hot flash.  Could it just be one present?  No, Mother Nature likes her gifts to come in pairs.  Those of you who have experienced this are nodding your heads and those of you who have not are probably saying “I hope this doesn’t happen to me.”  I hope it doesn’t happen to you either, but it probably will.  Remember, it’s a gift.

I finally finished my niece’s recipe box and the video that goes with it.  I had to laugh when I was reviewing the footage, because I wear maybe eight different outfits when I’m filming it.  Each segment is around a minute to two minutes long, but that equated to at least an hours’ worth of work.  I’m not sure how long it took to finish, but probably ten to twelve hours once you factor in making the divider cards.  I really had a great plan in making the divider cards, you know the things that say “breads” or “desserts” in a recipe box.  Unfortunately, I didn’t factor in how dingy I can be.  I glued two cards together with the heading on the inside of the pieces I glued together.  I printed three cards with the words half on and half off of the page.  I jammed the printer.  I used the We R Memory Keepers envelope board to punch notches in the cards.  That worked great until I lined them up incorrectly and punched too close to the word and had to scrap that card.  All in all, I probably make twice as many cards as I needed to because of all of the mistakes I made.  I am happy with the way they look though and hope my niece will really like this box.  You never know.

I thought if I used the Christmas ornament punch with papers that were not Christmasy, that it would be a great way to get more use out of the punch as well as use up scrap paper. I only used one pattern of scrap paper on this card.

You’ll need
a Christmas Ornament punch, mine is retired from Stampin’ Up
one piece of 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ darker purple card stock
one piece of 5 1/2″ x 11″ lighter purple card stock, scored at 5 1/2″
enough scrap paper to punch 18-20 ornaments
Ranger white embossing powder
Any sentiment stamp
Versamark ink to stamp the image
heat gun
corn starch in a bag of some kind. I just used an old knee high and filled it with corn starch then doubled the material and knotted it at the end. It works great, but if you sew, you could make one that way or buy an EK Success Powder Tool that will range from $4 at Walmart.com to $6 at Joanns (full price, use a coupon whenever possible.)

You’ll begin by punching 18-20 ornaments.
Then, using a tape adhesive (or glue stick, or liquid adhesive,) glue your ornaments in a diagonal pattern to the 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ darker card stock.. I started at the bottom right corner and made sure that the first ornament is partially off of the page. Any of the ornaments that are on the edges should be glued with tape adhesive, so they stay in place when you are trimming them on the edges. Once you have glued all of your ornaments to the paper, trim them from the back. You’ll want to stamp your sentiment with Versamark Ink ($5.99 full price at Joanns). Once you have stamped the sentiment, you’ll put scrap paper under your cardstock and pour some embossing powder over the sentiment. I used Ranger White Embossing Powder ($4.99 full price at Joanns). Tap the excess powder onto the scrap paper and then pour it back into the container and close it before using the heat tool. (I own the Darice heating tool that is $19,99 full price at Joanns, but have heard the Ranger heat tool $24.99 full price, is a better tool. Start your heat gun and warm it up (maybe 10 seconds) before using on the image. Make sure you keep your hands away from the heat as this will burn you. Move the gun back and forth so it doesn’t burn the paper or the embossing powder. I start by warming the back and then go to the front. You’ll know when it is finished because the powder changes to a shiny color.
Next, you’ll want to apply foam tape to the back or use fun foam and cut a piece that is large enough to cover almost the whole back (5 x 5″). Adhere the fun foam with wet glue to strong ATG tape. If using foam tape, remove the paper lining and take a piece of organza ribbon that matches your pattern and cut it in half. Use roughly 14″ of ribbon. Stick the ribbon to the foam tape on either side of your card and then wrap it around to the front. Now is a great time to apply your 5 1/4″ cardstock to your card base that is 5 1/2″ x 11″. Tie your ribbon in a bow and your card is complete.

I got an email from Elizabeth giving me her thoughts on whether or not you need a scoring board. She uses her paper trimmer and the indentation where the paper cuts to score her paper. It was a really good idea and it got me thinking about whether you really need a board to score on. I created my own score board with about a $2 investment rather than a $20 investment.

You absolutely need a “T” ruler that you should be able to buy at any Walmart/Target.

You will also need a pad of paper with a straight edge that is at least1/4″ thick.

Using your ruler, you need to make lines on your paper pad at 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 4 1/4″, 5″, 5 1/2″, 6″ and you can make more if you want.

A normal card size is a standard size piece of paper cut in half on the 11″ edge, so it will end up being 5 1/2″ long and 8 1/2″ wide. You will score the paper at 4 1/4″ which is one-half of 8 1/2″.

Lining your paper up with the end of the paper pad and putting your t ruler on the 4 1/4″ mark, find anything that has a point, and rub down the paper using the ruler as your edge. A knitting needle, smaller crochet hook, the eye end of a needle you would thread, a non working ball point pen, a mechanical pencil with the lead pulled inside, a butter knife, the back end of a small paint brush and idea you can come up with should work.

I wanted to make a masculine card and thought the ticket punch was the perfect way to go.

You’ll need:
5 1/2 x 5 1/2″ or 5 1/2″ wide x 11″ long cardstock scored at 5 1/2″ long, I used white.
a lot of scraps including black paper (sizes are below)
washi tape, to decorate the envelope (optional) and inside card
Versafine Onyx Black ink
More Mustard Ink from Stampin’ Up
Acrylic block or MISTI
Stamps of Life tickets2stamp–here’s the link to the stamp set
http://www.thestampsoflife.com/shop/s…
My Creative Times Many Greetings Stamps (retired set)
Xyron 1 1/2″ wide
tape runner or ATG or wet glue

The ticket punch punches a small and a large ticket with each punch. You can’t really easily avoid punching the smaller ticket, so I accumulated a lot of those in the process.

You’ll need two pieces of black cardstock that are 5 3/8″ long by 1 7/8 wide and one piece that is 4 5/8″ long by 1 3/8″ wide and another black strip for in the center, that is 4 x 7/8″ wide.

I used blue scrap and beige scrap that were 5 1/4″ long by 1 3/4″ wide and a craft colored paper that was 4 1/2″ long by 1 1/4″ wide