Space Explorer Birthday Box Card - My Favorite Things

Hello friends!  I'd love to share with you today a "spaced-out" box card that I made for the young son of a friend of mine.  For this card, I combined both the super cute "Space Explorer" and "Out of This World" stamp sets by My Favorite Things.  I just love the 3D aspect of this card!  My friend's son is an avid space lover and these sets were perfect to create this fun little scene.  I especially love the one-eyed alien that has popped up to surprise the astronauts, ha! 

To start, I first created the box portion of my card by measuring, scoring and cutting a 12"x12" piece of dark blue cardstock.  I love this boxcard tutorial HERE by splitcoaststampers.  I then stamped my images onto white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and then colored them with Copic Sketch markers.  I usually try to list whatever colors I used on my images but, for the life of me, I can't find where I wrote it all down, so yeah....that's the story of my life right now raising three little ones.  My short-term memory is pretty much non-existent...  However, for the astronaut, I used: B21, B24, B28 (blue portion of space suit); E0000, E000, E00, E02, E13 (skin); RV00 (blush); 0, C0, C1, C2, C3, C7 (helmet, hair and white portions of space suit).

The picture above shows you the steps I used to create my galaxy panel.  I followed THIS TUTORIAL by MFT stamps for my inspiration.  However, I ended up not using the Black Soot Distress Ink on these panels because I wanted to keep my galaxy slightly lighter so that it would match the blue cardstock that I used for my base.

Once I glued all of the galaxy panels onto my box, I simply die cut and added my space images.  I used some clear acetate to adhere my images to look like everything was in a state of Zero Gravity.

For the fun of it, I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

My Favorite Things Color Challenge #72

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

    
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

* I'm so excited and honored that this card was chosen to be featured in the July 4, 2017 edition of "You've Been Spotted by My Favorite Things!

MFT Card Challenges: You've Been Spotted

Big Banner Die Set - The Stamps of Life

Hello crafty friends!  I am so excited to share with you the new Big Banner Die Set from The Stamps of Life!  When I say big, I mean, it's BIG!  Honestly, I could have used something like this years ago.  I can't tell you how many birthday parties that I've had for my children and ended up buying a banner that matched the party theme because all of the other banner dies out there would be too small to see if used as an actual banner.  However, the largest die in this set measures at about 8.5" tall and 6" wide!

It comes with three layers and can be used in so many ways.  In the example that I made, I used all three banner dies (using both 8.5" x 11" solid cardstock and patterned paper).  I bought my patterned paper from Hobby Lobby in their section with all the loose sheets of patterned paper.  The options were endless but I opted for a simple Ladybug Birthday Banner since that is the theme that I used for my daughter's 1st birthday a few years back.

In addition to the Big Banner Die Set, I also paired it with the Sizzix Circles, Scallop Framelits Die Set, the Sizzix Circles, Dotted Framelits Die Set and the Ladybugs2love Stamp Set & coordinating dies.  Super fun and super easy!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  You can check out more examples using this die set at The Stamps of Life Big Banner Gallery Webpage. 

Happy stamping!

Rachel 
   

 

Game On! - Clearly Besotted

Hello!  For those of you who follow my blog, you know how much I love to make box cards.  I especially love to make them for my nieces and nephews who get so excited when they receive a pop-up card.  Since I have a huge family, it seems that I am always trying to work on a card for somebody.  Today, I'd love to share with you a fun 3-D Box Card that I made for my niece's 7th birthday, featuring the "Game On" Stamp Set from Clearly Besotted.

Game On

Isn't this set super adorable!?  Now, I believe that this set has been retired from Clearly Besotted, but it can still be found on Simon Says Stamp.  When I heard that my niece was having a tennis-themed birthday party, with tennis lessons for all of the kids, I knew that this stamp set would be perfect.

Game On Additions

    
I also used the "Game On Additions" Stamp Set for the tennis net.  This set is harder to find and was also retired from Clearly Besotted earlier last year, I believe.

To start off making my card, I stamped all of my images with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored them with Copic Sketch Markers (Colors used are listed at the bottom of this blog post).  For the birds, I used the "Happy Bird-Day" Stamp Set from Clearly Besotted and the "Teeny Tiny Treats" Stamp Set (sadly, also retired) for the cute little banner.  I then used the coordinating dies to cut out my images.  There are no dies for the "Game On Additons" Stamp Set, so I simply fussy cut the net out by hand.

I followed this tutorial by Splitcoaststampers to create my box base.  I always end up trimming the bottom portion of the box by about 1" so that it is the same height as the rest of the card before adding my patterned paper panels.  I added some grass and trees in the background using colored cardstock and the Grassy Fields Die Set and the Trees In The Forest Die Set by My Favorite Things.  In order to make it look like both the birds and ball were flying in the air, I attached them to the inner shelves of the box using some strong, clear acetate.

I love how the card collapses and is able to fit into an envelope (granted, not standard size, but I was able to make an envelope that fit this card with no fuss).  I love how this card turned out as I have been wanting to play with some of my stamps from Clearly Besotted for some time now.

I will be playing along and entering this card into the Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #246: Anything Goes.

Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #246: Anything Goes

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today!  It's Friday!  Enjoy your weekend!

Rachel

Copic Colors Used: Kittens (Y11, Y19, E31, E37); Birds (B00, B01, B02, B04); Purple Outfit and Purple in Banner (BV000, BV01, BV02); Pink in Balloon, Banner and Second Kitten Outfit (RV21, RV23, RV32)





   

Sizzix "Thank You Circle" and "Just Pray" 3-D Drop-ins Die Sets - The Stamps of Life

Hello Friends!  I'd love to quickly share with you today two new die sets that were released at The Stamps of Life!  They're called the Sizzix "Thank You Circle" and "Just Pray" 3-D Drop-ins Die Sets.  AND...for today only, they are available at a FLASH SALE PRICE of 25% off on the Stamps of Life website!

Sizzix Just Pray 3-D Drop-ins Die Set

Sizzix Thank You Circle 3-D Drop-ins Die Set

These Drop-ins Dies make card-making super easy.  If you decide to try one out, please know that you will also need either 1) The Sizzix 3-D Flowers Drop-ins or 2) Sizzix 3-D Scallop w/Gifts Base Die Sets in order for them to work best as a pop up.

I will quickly share with you a few examples that I made using these two sets.  Since most of these cards were done simply with die cutting only, I won't go into too much detail and will just list the supplies that I used to create each card.

For this card, I opted not to have a pop-up portion on the inside of the card, but simply used the "Just Pray" word die on the outside (which I diecut three times out of different colored cardstock and layered in onto the front of my card).

• Sizzix Just Pray 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Praise4Him Stamp Set
• Sizzix Greetings Scalloped Edge Drop-ins Die Set
• Newport Flower Dies
• Stitched Rectangle Dies

 

For this card, I created the pop-up element on the inside.  However, I did a little trick and scored my inside fold partway before diecutting.  This allowed me to use just the "just pray" 3-D Drop-in without the use of any additional dies.  It CAN be done, it just takes a little more measuring and time. 

• Sizzix Just Pray 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Life2hard Stamp Set
• Square Dies
• Stitched Squares
• ONLY Stitched Squares
• Mini Flower Dies
• Quarter Flowers with Leaves (leaves)
• Scallop Border Dies
• "Together" Collection Patterned Paper

• Sizzix Thank You Circle 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Sizzix Flowers/Sentiments 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Succulents2stamp
• Moresucculents2stamp
• Succulent Dies 1 and Dies 2
• "Always" Collection Patterned Paper

• Sizzix Thank You Circle 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Sizzix 3-D Scallop With Gifts 3-D Drop-ins Die Set
• Flower Power Dies
• Flowerpower2fill Stamp Set (sentiment)
• Stitched Rectangle Dies
• "Sunshine" & "Hooray" Collection Patterned Paper

For more examples using these two diesets, please visit The Stamps of Life Gallery Webpage.  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Rachel 

Shark Pudgie and a FLASH SALE! - The Stamps of Life

Hello friends!  There is a new pudgie stamp & die set available today at The Stamps of Life!  It's a cute little shark and it comes with some fun dies and sentiments.  I have two examples to share with you today and for more inspiration, you can visit The Stamps of Life Gallery HERE.

Shark Pudgie Stamps & Die Set

My first example is a cute little box card that features a couple of stamp sets.  I first stamped and colored all of my images with Copic Sketch Markers.  The colors that I used can be found below.  I used the Box Card Die Set for my base and trimmed some SOL Midnight Cardstock & patterned paper from the "Celebrate" and "Forever" Collections for my panels.

In order to create a bite out of my surfboard, I used one of the dies that comes in the SOL Watermelon Die Set that was released earlier last year.  The surfboard and the cute little fish both came from the Summer4fun Stamp Set.  I added some waves using a wave border die from the Whale Die Set and also a palm tree from the Flamingo Die Set.  For the palm tree, I added some Kiwi and Green Apple Inks around the palm fronds and some Gingersnap & Chocolate Ink around the base.

Box Card Copic Colors: Shark (C00, C0, C1, C3, C5, C7) Surfboard (Blues: B21, B24, B26; Greens: YG01, YG06, YG09; Oranges: YR04, YR07, YR18)

For my next example, I created a fun shaker card.  Once again, I stamped and colored the shark with Copic Sketch Markers (N1, N2, N3, N5).

In order to create my background, I first diecut a circle that was slightly larger than the circle of my "window".  I then blended together TSOL Sky, Blueberry & Licorice Inks on some Neenah Classic Crest 80lb Smoth Solar White Cardstock.  Once complete, I spritzed this blend with a little bit of water and then dabbed it with a dry paper towel.

If you look at the sentiments that are included with this set, the words are stacked upon one another.  I wanted my sentiment to stretch across the base of my card, so I hand cut three pieces of paper that matched the length of my words exactly and lined them up where I would be stamping my sentiment. This helped me to be able to center my sentiment as best as possible.  I used a ruler to draw a faint line across where I should stamp.  Once ready, I then masked the words that I did not want to stamp and repeated this process until my sentiment was complete. ** (Make sure you remove the tape each time before stamping or you will have a big mess on your project!) **

Lastly, I added some foam tape around my rectangle and circular shaker opening.  I then used some powder to remove any stickiness from the side of the tape before I placed my shaker embellishments into my card.  For the top portion of my card, I glued a piece of acetate behind my circular window.  Once done, you have a fun & easy shaker card!

And now for the FLASH SALE!

minidoublebanner2stamp

This fun stamp set is called minidoublebanner2stamp and it is only $7.73 today (June 7th) or while supplies last.  It coordinates perfectly with the Balloons2cut Stamp & Die Set and is so much fun!

Here is an example of a sweet & festive birthday box card that I made using this set.

I will be playing along and entering one or both cards into the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Masculine

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make it Masculine

Thank you all for stopping by my blog today!  Hoping you found some inspiration!  For more ideas, please visit The Stamps of Life Gallery.

Feel free to leave any comments or questions!  Happy Stamping!

Rachel  

Fish2stamp - The Stamps of Life

Hello crafty friends!  I'm a bit late in getting this post out since we just returned from a long vacation and I still have things lying all around my house that are obnoxiously waiting for me to unpack.

fish2stamp

I can't believe that it's a new month already!  I'd love to share with you today a few samples that I made using the new fish2stamp Stamp Set and coordinating dies that were released on the 1st of this month from The Stamps of Life.  I cannot tell you how excited I was when I first saw this set.  How cute are those fish?! This set is so versatile and just plain fun. 

For my card above, I made a fun little shaker card.  I first stamped my images onto white cardstock and then colored them using Copic Sketch Markers.  For my background, I blended some ink (Lawn Fawn Mermaid and Merman) and then spritzed it with a little bit of water.  I actually used the leaves from the SOL Box Card Die Set to create the grass in my underwater scene.  Lastly, I added a few embellishment sequins from Pretty Pink Posh along with some White Microbeads from American Crafts.

For this next card, I used the SOL Exclusive Box Card Die Set for my base.  I added some patterned paper panels using the "Smiles" Collection Patterned Paper.  For the waves, I diecut some 40lb vellum paper with the wave die that comes in the Whale Die Set.  The water droplets came from this set as well.  To attach the fish and make it look like they're jumping out of the water, I simply cut a few strips of thick clear acetate and adhered everything with Ranger Multi Medium Matte.

This next card was pretty simple.  For my base, I used the Sizzix Flowers/Sentiments Drop-ins Card Die Set along with the "Celebrate" Patterned Paper Collection.  I stamped my sentiment on the top and bottom portions of the card and then added my fish with adhesive foam tape to give them some added dimension.

Lastly, I made a simple card that has the perfect sentiment to match.  For the background, I used a Clarity Stencil Brush to lightly brush on some SOL Sky Blue Ink.  In order to make the fish look like they were kissing, I used the palette4mirror to stamp a reverse image.  The stitching around the card came from TSOL Stitched Rectangle Dies.  To finish the card, I added a few 4mm clear droplets from Pretty Pink Posh.

I will be entering some of these cards into the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today!  Happy Stamping!

Rachel