Bough Punch

Little Monkey Swinging By Card

June 22, 2023

Little Monkey Card Class

Little Monkey Swinging By Card

As we “swing” into the second card from my Weekly Card Class From Maine, we are continuing our “monkey play”. I am using the Little Monkey Bundle by Stampin’ Up! and having so much fun.

Did you miss the first card from this week’s class? Click here to check it out, you will go bananas over it!

Green With Envy Monkey

For my Little Monkey Swinging By Card, I wanted some more natural or neutral colors. I started with a Mossy Meadow card base.

One of my favorite things to do is use a stamp from my set for background imagery. I chose the tree branch with leaves from the Little Monkey Stamp Set for this card.

As you can see from my picture, I did a lot of stamping with Mossy Meadow Ink. I made sure the outer edges looked lovely, because the middle mess would be covered up!

Color-Less Monkey

In keeping with the theme for this Little Monkey Swinging By Card, I wanted to keep the coloring to a minimum. I started with a square of Very Vanilla Cardstock and stamped my monkey in Pecan Pie Ink.

Next, I simply added color to the outer edges of the square with a sponge dauber. This added color to my piece without me actually coloring it in. I also added sponged color to the rest of my pieces for this card, which all happen to be from the Stylish Shapes Dies!

Little Monkey & the Swinging Sign

This Little Monkey Swinging By Card has some built in action…the sign actually swings!

To make this happen, I poked holes in both the sign and the bottom of my monkey’s hands. Next, I strung some Linen Thread thru the holes so that the sign could be connected to the card without being adhered down.

You can see the action “in action” during my live card class. Watch the replay here!

Get Your Little Monkey Card Class From ME

This Little Monkey Swinging By Card is just one card in my featured class this week. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Little Monkey Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Countryside Corners Birthday Card

June 6, 2023

Countryside Inn Mega Class, Part II, Card 1

Countryside Corners Birthday Card

The Countryside Corners Birthday Card is first up for Part II of your Weekly Card Class From ME. This class is a Mega Class, featuring the Countryside Corners Bundle and the Countryside Inn Suite. What does that mean?

Look for twice the fun and inspiration! This class will last for 2 weeks. There will be more cards and ideas, all centered around one gorgeous suite. We have completed the Part I already. Need a few more details? Click here.

White or Blue…It’s Up To You!

While it is true that all 6 cards in this 2 week Mega Class are white and blue, there are lots of ways to mix these colors into each card.

In fact, for our first card we started with White Cardstock and Night of Navy Ink for our Countryside Corners stamped image. But for this class, we are playing with Misty Moonlight Cardstock and Ink.

After stamping my image, I used the coordinating Countryside Corners Dies to cut various sections that I used on all 3 cards from this Countryside Inn Mega Class, Part II. You may notice on this Countryside Corners Birthday Card, I actually used 2 separate sections of die cuts.

Blue Flowers From Lasting Joy

Along with the Countryside Corners Stamp Set, I chose the Lasting Joy Stamp Set, mostly for the sentiments. But, I was delighted to be able to use some floral imagery from Lasting Joy, too.

I stamped the largest flower using Misty Moonlight Ink on White Cardstock. For the flower center, I used a single tiny flower stamp and stamped off the Misty Moonlight Ink to get a lighter shade.

Since there are no dies or a punch to coordinate with the Lasting Joy Stamp Set, I had to fussy cut my flowers. My tip when your fussy cutting isn’t the greatest and your image looks less than perfect is to sponge daub some coordinating ink along the edges that you cut. This will help to camouflage and soften the cut image.

Blue Bough Punched Leaves

One of my favorite punches is the Bough Punch. I love how quickly I can add an element to my card with a quick punch or two.

For this Countryside Corners Birthday Card, I married Misty Moonlight with Boho Blue. These colors are perfect shades to compliment each other!

Get Your Countryside Inn Mega Class From ME

This Countryside Corners Birthday Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Countryside Inn Mega Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Circle Sayings Smile Card

May 4, 2023

Circle Sayings Card Class, Card 3

Circle Sayings Smile Card

We are now on to the last card from my Weekly Card Class From ME. And this week features the Circle Sayings Bundle by Stampin’ Up!. Don’t be fooled by the sour lemons in the names of the colors on this card! Lemon Lolly and Lemon Lime Twist actually combine together very sweetly.

Want to see another card in beautiful new colors using the Circle Sayings Bundle? Click here.

Fern 3D Embossing Folder

While you might have expected to see Lemon Lime Twist (the green color in this card) used with the Fern 3D Embossing Folder, it is actually the opposite for this Circle Sayings Smile Card.

I chose to emboss a layer of Lemon Lolly (the yellow color!). In this case, the embossing is simply texture, and the ferns fade softly into the background. Try this folder in unexpected colors for your next project!

Lemon Lime and Lemon Lolly

When I began to design this card, I had no idea that these 2 colors would pair so nicely together! I also didn’t realize how closely their names resemble each other…that’s a lot of “lemons” from Lemon Lolly and Lemon Lime Twist.

To add interest to my Lemon Lime Twist die cut, courtesy of the Countryside Corners Dies, I scored some lines thru the green toned cardstock. I felt that adding in another embossing folder would be too much texture and the lines are a happy solution.

You may also notice from the picture above that I chose to add like color ink to my Bough Punched pieces. The continuous use of Lemon Lolly and Lemon Lime Twist dictated that I deepen some of my card elements to show contrast. I did this so easily with sponge daubers!

Get Your Circle Sayings Card Class From ME

This Circle Sayings Smile Card is the last one in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link . For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will have enjoyed sharing these cards from this class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week went on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze

February 9, 2023

Sweet Citrus Card Class, Card 3

Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze

It’s time to talk about the last card in my Weekly Card Class From ME, featuring the Sweet Citrus Bundle. Just like most citrus fruits, working with the Sweet Citrus Stamp Set and Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing Folder has been a mix of sweet and sour.

For another Sweet Citrus card, click here. To see my sour attempt at citrus, click here.

Sweet Citrus

Since the focus this week has been citrus, let’s talk about the gorgeous looking fruit on my Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze Card. During the course of the week, I shared great ways to use the Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing Folder. Looking for my best tips on the Hybrid? Click here to see them.

My citrus fruit started out as White Cardstock. I did some two-step stamping with the Sweet Citrus Stamp Set. During my video demonstration (see that here), I explained why I like to start with the outline stamp first, which I inked up in Mango Melody Ink. Next, I stamped the citrus middle with Daffodil Delight Ink.

Sweet Citrus die cut and embossed lemons.

Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing Folder

After my two-step stamping was completed, I ran the images thru my Stampin’ Emboss & Die Cut Machine to do just that…emboss and die cut. The cool thing is that with the Hybrid Embossing Folder, you can do both at the same time.

Those dies that create the 4 lemon images you see above work right inside the embossing folder. While it does take a bit of effort to line everything up properly, it also saves a step by embossing and die cutting simultaneously. Lastly, I added a little more ink (Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake) to the edges of my die cut fruit.

Sweet Citrus Embossing Folder

Sometimes, it’s nice to use an embossing folder just as it was intended to be…an embossing folder. While this Hybrid Embossing Folder works with the dies inside, it also functions without them.

For my Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze Card, I chose to emboss my Evening Evergreen Cardstock to provide the backdrop for my card. During my demonstration, I used my Paper Snips to rough up the edges for a shabby-chic finished look.

Sweet Citrus Supporting Elements

This Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze Card has a lot going on! Besides the flower and leaves stamps from the Sweet Citrus Bundle, I added in multiple cardstock colors of Bough punched leaves and sprigs. The Bough Punch is my go to item for quick and easy element add-ons for all my cards.

The additional cardstock colors are Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Succulent, Pool Party and Soft Seafoam. I love all these blue-greens together, and they help to build a bridge between the very dark Evening Evergreen cardbase and bright orange toned citrus.

You may have noticed the tag on my card, from the Tailor Made Tags Dies, where all my citrus and leaves balance. I kept the color Evening Evergreen for my tag die cut to keep the background simple. This way, the focal elements were the star grouping on my card. My tag also provided the perfect place to add my Garden Green twine bow.

Get Your Sweet Citrus Card Class From ME

This Sweet Citrus Big Squeeze Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link . For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing some bonus cards from the Sweet Citrus Card Class, as I continue to play with this amazing bundle. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Two-Tone Flora With Love

February 3, 2023

Two-Tone Flora Card Class, Card 3

I have been enjoying all the flowers in the Two-Tone Flora Bundle this week. For the last card from my Weekly Card Class From ME, Two-Tone Flora With Love, I added hearts to my flowers for a perfect love themed card.

Missed the other cards in this series? Click here to see Card #1; and click here to see Card #2. They are all very different and very fabulous.

Love That Packs A Punch

I love cardmaking and rubber stamping! I also love using lots of different products on my cards. Besides the Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set and Two-Tone Flora Dies, I chose a few punches to help make this card over the top amazing.

HEART PUNCH PACK

While the new Country Bouquet Punch is not currently available due to back-order issues, you can depend upon the Heart Punch Pack in the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog by Stampin’ Up! to take care of your punched heart needs.

I adore that this is a 2-pack of punches. These punches work perfectly together, with the scallop edge heart slightly larger than the classic shaped heart. In my Two-Tone Flora With Love Card, I layered them together as such. Of course, they can be used separately too!

The Bough Punch is probably my favorite and most reached for punch right now. I think adding a few leaves or sprigs to cards is classic and a great way to achieve an artful look. Check out how I used this punch in a completely masculine card here!

And I find that using a punch in papercrafting is a quick and easy solution to adding extra elements in. In this Two-Tone Flora With Love Card, I punched leaves in White Cardstock to add some brightness to the pink and red majority color palette.

Stamp, Emboss, Embellish

This gorgeous Two-Tone Flora With Love Card is bursting with sweet crafting techniques. From the two-step stamping to create flowers using the Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set, to the background stamping technique on the card base, it is easy to add similar ink colors to achieve a cohesive design.

There are other design elements on this card that bring it together too: the Elegant Eucalyptus Embossing Folder, the Gold Fine Shimmer Paper, and the Gold Shimmer Ribbon all play an important part. I finished off my card with the 2022-2024 In Color Matte Decorative Dots (which happens to be my FREE gift to you with a $50 order using my Host Code this week, along with the card kits from this class!).

Get Your Two-Tone Flora Card Class From ME

Card kits from the weekly online class using the Two-Tone Flora Bundle.

This Two-Tone Flora Hello Card is the final card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing a few more bonus cards from my Two-Tone Flora Card Class. If you love the Two-Tone Flora Bundle, you may want to check out the February Cardmaker Collective Club. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.