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Countdown to Christmas! Day 3: A Promised Tutorial

Aloha, all!

     Early last month, I was featured in a blog tour sponsored by my Stampin' Up! Demonstrators group, SUDSOL (Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing On.Line).  The project on my blog for the tour was a Greeting Card with an Attached Bookmark.  Just to remind you, here's one picture of the card I displayed on that tour.

      The flap at the right is a second fold in this card, and the fold has been perforated with the perforation tool in the Stampin' Up! Cutter Kit.  Once Christmas is over and cards are (at the best) put away for reminiscing later or (at worst) just tossed, part of it can remain around as a useful, hopefully, treasured bookmark!

     Since I really do like to share something new with each of my blog posts, I've made another card using the same template as the one above. 

     Here is what the card looks like, all folded up, from the front.  Notice how the knot in the Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon almost looks like it's a continuation of the ribbon on the front of the card.  But it's not as you'll see in the next photo.

     It's the ribbon at the top of the bookmark!  All it takes is some careful positioning to get the ribbon in the bookmark lined up with the ribbon on the card front.  And instructions about how to do that are right here in a one-page tutorial for constructing the card.   I just know you are going to love having this new kind of folded card to give to a special person – and not just at Christmas!  Imagine a Birthday Bookmark that your friend can keep around all year! 

     I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the papers and stamp set that I used for this card.  The paper is from the Stampin' Up! 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog, and is called Deck the Halls.  The word, "Noel," is on one sheet, along with the holly beside it.  I just cut the paper to fit, but didn't cut through the holly, but cut around it.  I used the Stampin' Up! Fiskars Cutter and stopped the blade just before the holly and then started it up again just past the holly.  I think the result looks pretty cool!

    The stamp set is one that I've used a lot this year – Punch Pals.  It's so versatile.  It can make a cute card or one that's very elegant.  I'm really hoping it will be around for at least another year!

     I hope you have fun with this tutorial – or with whatever you're working on this Christmas season!

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Gifts for our Toastmasters Club

Aloha, all!

Of the many groups to which I belong, one in which I have the longest membership is Toastmasters International.  Right now, I’m a member of Hilo Toastmasters Club, which is one of the oldest in the world, with the low 3-digit number of 248.  My last Toastmasters Club – Albuquerque Toastmasters Club in New Mexico – also has a long history with the club number 122.  With more than 12,000 clubs in the world right now, you can imagine how high the club numbers go!

But I digress.  This week, Toastmasters is celebrating its 85th Anniversary, and the theme of our meeting yesterday was "Happy Birthday," with gifts and some cake.  The "gifts" for all our members were bookmarks, made by yours truly.  Every Toastmaster has at least two manuals in play at any given time, so we can always use bookmarks.

For this project I used the Designer Series Paper Set, Autumn Traditions.  Now I’m sure some of you may be wondering why I would buy some autumn papers when I live in Hawaii.  Well, many of my friends, family and business acquaintances–many of YOU!–live where there is a colorful autumn each year.  And I love to share projects that relate to fall with you.  The coordinating card stock colors for these bookmarks are Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, and More Mustard, with appropriate coordinating 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.  (For those of you who are sticklers about such things, my apologies for sneaking in some retired More Mustard ribbon.  I just can’t imagine what Stampin’ Up! was thinking when they retired that color ribbon!!!  And I haven’t been able to talk myself into just putting it away where I won’t see it and use it by mistake.  But the bookmarks are done, so the ribbon’s staying!)

On the bottom of each bookmark is a stamped definition from the stamp set, Define Your Life.  I occasionally use one definition stamp from this set.  But this time I was able to use more than half of those in the set and still have the bookmarks be appropriate for Toastmasters. 

And I have to make a point here about My Digital Studio.  Remember when I mentioned the question about whether having My Digital Studio would mean no more paper and ink?  Well, you can’t make a bookmark like this with My Digital Studio.  In fact, there’s not a whole lot in the way of handmade papercrafted gifts that you can make with MDS besides photo albums, cards, calendars and multi-media digital projects.  So, no, I won’t be giving up paper and ink!

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All Those Christmas Cards–the Photo!

Aloha, all!

Here is a picture of a great many of the Christmas cards which I’ve been working frantically to get into the mail today (mail moves more slowly from Hawaii to the mainland, so we have different deadlines!)  I have all my mailing labels printed out, and am spending entirely too much time making sure that the "perfect" card for each person or family.  My husband tells me they all look nice, and I shouldn’t stress over it.  But I do think that Janet should get one of the Little Felt Flurries cards; and Cindy should certainly have a bookmark–maybe two; and….

Well, I guess I just better get it done!!!

Robin

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Punch Art Santa

Aloha, all!

My Stamp Club had a great time last night with lots of Christmas projects.  We had so many we wanted to do that we’re going to have a follow-on meeting next week.  I have just so many great ideas that I’ve picked up around my Stampin’ Up! community, and I want to share them ALL!!  Unfortunately, some will have to wait for another time.  Sigh.

Here is one project that I had for the group, and I’m including the punching instructions for it also.  Once you get everything punched, it’s easy to see which punched paper goes where.  There are no secrets behind the scenes, as there are in some punch art.  On the other hand, if you’d like some one-on-one instructions, I’ll be happy to provide them.  Just call (808.854.6145) or e-mail me, and I’ll be glad to help!

And a special thanks to Sandy Hancock for originally posting this design idea on her blog!

Here is a quick list of the punches that I used for the Santa face.  I also used one of the pictures on the Old Saint Nick rub on package (112844) to finish off the bookmark itself, which is made with Glorious Green card stock and topped with Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (109034). 

Punches:

• 5-Petal Flower (mustache)
• Word Window (hat brim)
• Scallop Circle (beard and hair)
• Boho Blossoms (top of hat)
• 1/4" Circle (eyes)
• 1/2" Circle (nose)
• 1-1/4" Circle (face)
• Scallop Square (hat)

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Diagonal Double Pocket Card – Part I

Aloha, all!

I’m back on the Big Island of Hawaii after having spent a day in the Big City of Honolulu yesterday.  I am truly amazed by all the shopping opportunities that abound in a large city, compared with what we have here near Hilo, Hawaii.  But then my dear husband, Harry, reminded me that I don’t even like to shop!  That brought me back down to earth, and back to thinking about how I’m going to spend my week making gifts for this holiday season.

As I’m having a Stamp Club meeting this week, I decided to show them how to make a card that can also be a gift.  It’s a Diagonal Double Pocket Card, and you can insert many different kinds of gifts (flat, of course).   I made two bookmarks to put in this card.  They feel colorful and Christmas-y to me!

The Designer Series Paper is from the Frosty Day set (113057), with coordinating Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss card stock (two of this year’s In Colors–111347 for a sampler of all six colors) to form the back of the bookmarks.  For the front of the bookmarks, I stamped two images from the stamp set, Punch Pals, (109489) on the Whisper White Card Stock (100730).

I finished off the front of the card with a felt snowflake cut with the Sizzix Big Shot and the Snowflake #2 Die (113460).

I like to make a one-page set of instructions for my Stamp Club projects, and have made one for the basic Double Diagonal Pocket Card.  Try using it with some of Stampin’ Up!’s great Designer Series Paper!  I have samples of all the papers in the Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book and Catalog.  I’ll be happy to help you select the perfect paper to make your OWN Double Diagonal Pocket Card!

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A Fluffy Felt Flake!

Aloha, all!

I have been having a blast working with the Sizzix Big Shot this week! 

As you might remember from last week, I played around with the Country Living Holiday Collection Stampin’ Kit and its die cut chipboard ornaments.  Yes, they are wonderful!  But playing with them made me want to go play with my very own Sizzix Big Shot machine and the fun "Originals" die, Snowflake #2 (which has the Stampin’ Up! order number 113460).

And play I did!!!  Just check out this fluffy felt snowflake on the diagonal double pocket card.

More about the Diagonal Double Pocket Card later.  For now, just check out that felt snowflake.  Yes, "Little Felt Flurries" are wonderful!  But Big Shot Felt Flakes are even MORE WONDERFUL!

I had fun making this diecut Snowflake, and you can, too!  All you have to do is buy the Sizzix Big Shot through Stampin’ Up!,(a great bundle product through the Holiday Mini Catalog–# 113481)  and add in the Snowflake #2 die (113460).

Stay tuned to Robin’s Craft Room for a video showing how I made this very Fluffy Felt Flake!

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