Donkey smiles for Michelle

Todays card has been created as a RAK for a special person in the crafting world. Michelle is a design team member for many of my favourite sites and I've always admired her work although I've never actually communicated directly with her. She clearly is special though because since she was injured (see her full story here) more people than I can count have jumped forward to send her cards, words of encouragement and financial assistance with medical bills. Several digital companies are offering free images in honour of Michelle and I picked this one from Karen's Doodles.

Isn't the donkey just too cute? Of course I coloured him with Copics - the hooves were a challenge but finally ended up OK (although perhaps still a bit too dark?). I wanted to create a special/interesting card so I went with this overlapping tri-fold. If you want to try it, here are the steps. I'm afraid I don't have exact measurements.

1. Stick 2 card blanks on top of each other to create a 3-panel card. Make sure the front panels overlap each other, then close the card with the left panel on top.
2. Open the card and on the front left panel, measure about 1/3 of the way from the top-left corner and then about 2/3 of the way from the bottom-right corner. Cut a diagonal line between these 2 points making sure to stop at the fold.
3. Close the card so that the right panel is on top. Measure 2/3 of the way down from the top-right corner and 1/3 of the way up from the bottom-left corner. Cut a diagonal line between the 2 points, again making sure to stop at the fold.
4. Trim 1/2 - 3/4" from the shorter edge of both front panels.
5. Matte and layer the different card panels (I used Basic Grey patterned and miscellaneous purple card).
6. Decorate as desired

Here is another photo of the card taken to show the different panels.

I chose a Rainbow Echo sentiment (created just for Michelle) which I circle punched and then layered onto another circle of the same size. I adhered the donkey onto some white card and then cut out the entire thing so that he could be popped out and up. P.S., never fussy-cut an image with flower petals on it ... what was I thinking?

Well the card is on its way to Michelle and I hope it brings her some pleasure. Reading her blog it sounds as if she is being flooded.

Challenges:

• A Spoon Full of Sugar - kickin' it for Michelle
• Paper Sundaes - lots of layers
• Karen's Doodles - UK - shaped cards (I know this looks rectangular when closed but open it up and it's definitely not)
• By the Cute & Girly - warm summer days
• Allsorts Challenge - summer days
• Totally Gorjuss - thinking of you
• Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - animals

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #4

Challenge #4 at Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Blog was to create a card using anything BUT a standard fold. I decided to try a stair fold that was used by Lydia Bancroft in her design team sample.



The stamp is one of my favorites from Mo - the two cats are just enjoying themselves so thoroughly. And I'm pretty sure that they are not singing in tune.

I coloured the images with Copics and then added some stickles for extra shine (glitter is always good!). The presents on the front "step" are a cardstock sticker. The "Fa La La" was printed off my computer.

Placing text in a circle

I've tried to figure this out for years (OK, maybe months) but I've finally found out how to journal in a circle! Most amazing of all is this can be done in Word!

1. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word.

2. On the drop-down menu at the top left of the screen, select View - Toolbars - WordArt. The WordArt toolbar will now appear on your screen.

3. Click on Insert WordArt (the first button on the left - the big A). A box will come up asking you to select a WordArt style. Pick the third option which shows WordArt in a simple arch. Click OK.

4. Now you should have a box that contains an area for you to type in your text as well as a spot to select a font and a font size.

4a. Pick the font you like, I used CK Script.

4b. Don't worry about font because it will be adjusted automatically so that your words form a perfect circle.

4c. Type in your text and click OK.

5. The text box on your screen will now show your words in an arch shape. From now on I will call this your WordArt. Now we're going to change the arch shape to a circle. Click on your WordArt to select it. You should see little black boxes appear at the corners of it, indicating that it is selected.

6. Select WordArt Shape (the middle of the WordArt toolbar, immediately to the right of the paintcan icon). You will see a selection of different shapes. Select the circle in the second row.

7. Your text should now appear in a circle, but the circle will be flattened. Next we will make the circle perfectly round.

8. Make sure your WordArt is still selected, with the little black boxes on the corners of it. Select Format WordArt (the paint can button). This dialog box has several tabs. Select the Size tab. Enter the height for your circle, e.g., 3" whatever size you want it to be. Enter the same number for the width for your circle, so it will be perfectly round. The size of the font will adjust automatically to fit.

If your phrase is short, you might want to repeat it a couple of times like I did in my example above. Click on Edit Text button on the WordArt toolbar to change your text.

I wanted my phrase to fit inside a scalloped circle that I already had. To do this I printed my circle onto a plain piece of paper then attached my scallop over top using removable tape. I put the paper back into my printer and printed again.

Make-it-yourself Prima-type Flowers

I had the opportunity to try the ideas from Valita's blog to make some prima-type flowers. I played around for awhile and ended up with the following flower. I think it worked out pretty well!


Supplies:

Cuttlebug
Embossing tool
Embossing pad
Handmade cardstock
Cuttlebug cutting dies - Flowers and/or Asterisks*
*(you could also use flower punches)


Directions:

1. Cut out your flower shape on the Cuttlebug. Use the standard sandwich of A+B+die+paper+B.




2. Score lines down the center of each petal section then fold up in order to give a good crease.



3. Lay your flower on an embossing pad or piece of foam. Move the embossing tool (larger ball end) in a circular motion all around the edges of the petals. You will see the petal edges start to curl inwards.



4. When you are happy with the amount of curling, turn the flower over and press firmly in the center to make the flower “pop up”.

Variations:


If using a thicker cardstock like Bazzil, crumple the paper well, then smooth flat, prior to cutting out your shape (see picture to right).

If using a thicker cardstock you can also try peeling the paper apart into two layers.


Thanks to Valita of “Valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com” for the initial idea. Check out her website for tonnes of great ideas!

Using Brass Stencils with Glitter

OK, I've been experimenting with ways to use my brass stencils with glitter. The embossing paste works well but can be tricky (use too much and it bleeds, use too little and it won't fill in the tiny cracks of the stencil). This morning I experimented with using PAM non-stick cooking spray. It works on frying pans so why not on stencils ....

Both attempts worked although the burnish on the flower was a bit different than expected.


The cat worked out great although I should have used a lighter shade for the background to get the full impact of the image. I'm really pleased with how crisp the image lines are.


What should I use next?