Thursday, January 21, 2010

Elegance in a Double Shaker

This elegant shaker card has a unique double window cut with  two separate shaker boxes.  It’s another great example of thinking outside the shaker box!  I only wish I knew who made this card so that I could give credit where credit is due.  Was it you?  Please let me know!!

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My Heart Is Yours

Oh boy, I better get busy!  Valentine’s Day is only 24 days away and I still have GOBS of “love”ly designs I want to share before then!  Here are a couple more cards by Julian Buttenshaw.  Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge the view so you can see the micro beads!  Ü

 DT - Wedding - JulianDT - Wedding - Julian2

Don’t forget to check out our newest Valentine collage sheets too!  Michele has added many new images to inspire you!!

Crazy Love Shaker

Here’s a crazy shaker card that I found in my stash tonight!  I have no idea who made it, but obviously they love to use their scissors!! 

This care is a great example of how unlimited the possibilities really are when making shakers using the free Pennywise Arts templates!  Think outside the box (or the square in this case) and cut the window to be any unique shape you desire.

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If you are the artist of this card, please be sure to contact me so I can give you due credit!!

Postscript:  Thanks so much to Beki Ward for solving our mystery!  She is the artist and the stamps in question are Club Scrap!

Love Ya!

Here’s another super simple little project that was created by Marilynn Campise, a previous designer for Pennywise Arts.

Her challenge was to use the little clippy hook things that we found a whole bag of while cleaning the shop one day and she did!   The clip is added to the booklet as an embellishment all it’s own and ribbons were tied to the loop to finish it off.

 Marilynn Sample3Marilynn Sample3-2

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

True Love

I’ve been looking at this neat vintage collage card by Julian Buttenshaw for a couple of weeks.  I love the rich brown tones and the ghostly image transfer on wispy thin mulberry paper.  It’s such a beautiful piece of art.DT - Julian B

The colors coordinate perfectly with my home and I am considering how I might add it to my decor! 

Friday, January 15, 2010

Be Mine♥

I am a fairly experienced card maker and I must confess that a creative fold or unique opening will always catch my attention.  This card by PWA designer, Julie Imsland certainly did! 

Be Mine By JulieThe front of her “Be Mine” card has several paper layers as well as a clear micro bead background over pink cardstock.  The opening?  It’s the black stripe with the couple adhered to it!  Isn’t Julie clever?

Be Mine By Julie Open

Here’s a complete tutorial on how Julie made this card:

Supplies:

Cardstock: black, dark pink

Glitz Patterned Paper: Audrey Scallops #A2404

Pennywise Arts: O’So Sticky tape sheet, ½” O’So Sticky tape, Ultra fine Micro beads Swing Shift Designs Collage Sheet: Be Mine

Stampabilities: Filigree Alphabet #A-04-81002

Tsukineko: VersaMark Watermark Ink

A Muse: ¼” sheer dotted ribbon, white

Foam tape

Black embossing powder

Directions:

Side fold a 4.25” x 11” piece of black cardstock for card base.

Trim top 3” from entire top front of black card.

Adhere a 1.875 strip of patterned paper behind remaining bottom of card front.

Cut a piece of pink cardstock 4.25” x 5.375”. Adhere one side of a piece of O’So Sticky tape 3” x 5.375” to top of pink piece. Leave redline in place for now.

Stamp BE MINE with VersaMark on a scrap strip of pink cardstock. Trim closely around each word. Mount each word on a slightly larger strip of black cardstock.

Peel red liner down part way from top of pink cardstock. Mount “BE MINE” with foam tape onto the O’So Sticky Tape.

Remove the remainder of the red liner, and cover O’So Sticky Tape with clear Ultra fine Micro beads. Press beads firmly into tape.

Select desired photo image and trim the top part of the image closely around the couple.

Adhere a strip of ½” O’So Sticky Tape across the center of the black strip on the bottom front of card. Remove the red liner.

Apply a glue stick across the back of the photo image at the shoulders and at the base.

Adhere the photo image to card front over the O’So Sticky Tape strip.

Place a ¼” piece across the front of the card centering onto the tape strip.

Cover the exposed remainder of the tape strip with Ultrafine Micro beads.

Layer onto another piece of pink cardstock to complete.

 

 Now it’s YOUR turn!  Do you have a creative card opening?  I’d sure love for you to share it with me!  Email your photo to: suzanne@pennywisearts.com and I’ll even add it to this post!  Don’t be shy, you know you have something clever too!!  Ü

Here’s More About Julie Imsland:

 
Stamping was introduced to me in 1991, shortly after my youngest son was born, and both have been part of my life since! I enjoy learning new techniques, and have been fortunate to share them through teaching and demonstrating in the Seattle area. This is my second year on the PWA design team. I have also designed cards for Petite Motifs Paper Company.

Inspiration often comes to me when I look at my materials and think about the different ways I can use them. I especially enjoy unique folds and interactive cards and booklets.

Check out my Beaded Cuttlebug technique:
http://www.pennywisearts.com/beadedcuttlebug.html

Check out my Beaded Birthday Greetings Card:
http://www.pennywisearts.com/beadedbirthdaygreetings.html

To win this card in a random drawing, please leave a comment below!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Love Is In The Air ♥

There is definitely something about this time of year that I really love!  Maybe it’s all the bright pink and red hearts in the stores or maybe it’s the fun new valentine papers and products in the window of my favorite stamp store

Maybe it’s the yummy rainbow colored candies that I like (only the Necco brand will do!)  candy hearts Maybe it’s just that I am really relieved to have the crazy holiday season behind me.  And maybe, just maybe…. it’s just ALL of those things all at the same time?

Because I love, love, love this holidayMindy Valentine Box time you can expect to see lots of LOVE in the air here for awhile!  I promise to keep it light and fun, no sappy poetry or heavy breathing.  Just light and fun, yummy and inspirational valentine art!

This gorgeous treat box was made by my sister-in-law Mindy several years ago.  I’ve kept it on display in my art room because it inspires me.

I am pretty sure it’s a die cut box from Stampin’ Up and that all the stamps are also from SU.  I just know Mindy that way.  Ü  She did get clever with her computer too though, to add the verse in vellum over the heart balloon images as well as for the name personalization. Not really showing up well in the photo is the heart and swirl background stamp (SU!) that she used in Versamark over the entire red box.

JulieValentineATC

Julie Imsland made this playful Valentine ATC from an image that she discovered on one of our new collage sheets!  You can spot the glittery shine of the light blue micro bead border sandwiched into one of the many layers of this elegant ATC.  It’s actually an illusion – the beads are clear over light blue paper!  O’So Sticky Tape holds them perfectly in place. 

 

 

jeanshearshaker Jean Sunderman designed this fun and interactive shaker heart card.  The acetate is preprinted with “love” words and the heart shape is hand cut from blue polka-dot paper.  The two are layered onto a tight frame of foam tape which is what keeps the red opaque micro beads and tiny red punched hearts floating freely inside the window.

So how many hearts do you actually see in this one post?  If you guess the same number that I counted you will be entered in a drawing to win Julie’s ATC from this post!   Put your guesses in the comments – I won’t say what the right number is until it’s time to draw a winner.  Important note: I did not include the candy picture from the top of this post!  Ü