For this week's Grungy Monday challenge (sponsored by Simon Says Stamp), we're revisiting Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas from a few weeks ago, and choosing one of the techniques to highlight. One of my favorites was the die cut metal tape technique from the Day 12. Such a fun way to use the strip dies! The base of my tag was created with the Chalked Emboss technique from the latest issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. I thought this looked so cool when I first saw it - then I read that it was one I'd come up with a couple years ago. Changed up just a bit, it's really a fun and easy technique! After I'd colored my tag, I embossed it with the Retro Circles Texture Fade from Sizzix. I just got the new French Flight stamps from Artistic Outpost and thought they would be perfect with this background. I stamped the men on a small tag that was cut using the Sizzix Tiny Tabs and Tags die. The souvenir tag was stamped on heavy chipboard and a small ribbon (dyed using Faded Jeans Distress Stain) was added using the Idea-ology Tiny Attacher. The balloon (from Artistic Outpost's Paris Exposition collection) was stamped on chipboard and then colored with Faded Jeans Distress ink. My letters were cut using the Sizzix Vintage Market die and adhered to the bottom along with a strip of Idea-ology Tissue Tape. An Idea-ology Muse Token is attached to the top using a Trinket Pin. All of the products I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium. If you use my coupon code - stamptramp - you'll save 10% off your order! Supplies: Sizzix Retro Circles Texture Fade Sizzix Vintage Market Die Sizzix Tiny Tabs and Tags Die Idea-ology Tissue Tape Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Idea-ology Trinket Pins Idea-ology Muse Token Ranger Distress Stain - Faded Jeans Ranger Distress Ink - Faded Jeans

This month, the Inspiration Journal challenge is ABC 123 School Time Fun. It took me awhile to come up with something...I don't know if it's because my kids are grown now or what, but I just could not think of a thing. Those 'no mojo' moments are when I reach for one of the Technique Junkie CDs. I always find something to spark my creativity! This is the Fancy Gatefold card. Want to see why? Whoa! How do you like my little School 4 Witches? If I'm good at anything, it's turning any theme Halloweeny. It's a gift I tell ya. ;-) The house is resting on Karen Burniston's Pop 'n Cuts Circle die. I love that it all folds down flat and then turns into this 3D coolness. Here is a better view of the dimension - so fun! I cut the PNC platform from acetate so it wouldn't hide any of this gorgeous new idea-ology Seasonal Kraft Resist. The house was first painted with Frayed Burlap Distress Crackle paint. It didn't show up enough, so I covered it with Sunset Orange Dabber paint and a light layer of the new Rock Candy Dry Glitter. Pretty! And spooky! To cover the windows, I used Tim's new Mirrored that was given a light dabbing of Slate alcohol ink and stamped with images from his Mini Halloween 2 set. I just got the new Sizzix Halloween Shadows die and couldn't wait to use it! It was just the touch I needed for this card. I cut it from very light chipboard (yes, the strip die will cut very thin chipboard) and painted it with a Pitch Black Dabber. In the back corner, I added a tree cut from kraft cardstock that I painted with an Espresso Dabber - I really wish it showed up more! I had to keep it back a bit so it didn't interfere with the house. Lots of mechanics going on here! The whole idea for this started with wanting to make a little chalkboard with Claudine Hellmuth's black gesso. I'd heard of the idea, but had never tried it. I love how it turned out, but my handwriting is hopeless, so I used the Sizzix Typeset die to create the words for my sign. The metal part was create by covering chipboard with the new Ranger Brushed Pewter Distress Stain. Under the sign, I added the tree, owl, and cat from the Halloween strip die. That cat totally looks like it's spraying that tree, lol!! Bad kitty! The supplies I used are available from Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Be sure and use my coupon code - stamptramp - to score 10% off your order! If you'd like to purchase the 3D & Fun Folds CD, you can do so through the link near the top of my sidebar. For more information and a list of techniques, click here. Sizzix Halloween Shadows Die Sizzix Hanging Sign Die Sizzix Rickety House Die Sizzix Typeset Sizzix Branch Tree Die Claudine Hellmuth Studio Black Gesso Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Adirondack Paint Dabber - Espresso Sunset Orange Dabber Frayed Burlap Distress Crackle Paint Brushed Pewter Distress Stain Jet Black Archival Ink Slate Alcohol Ink Ranger Fall Limited Edition Distress Ink Black Soot Distress Ink Rock Candy Dry Glitter Stampers Anonymous Mini Halloween 2 idea-ology Mirrored Idea-ology Seasonal Kraft Resist idea-ology Jump Rings Sizzix Little Sizzles Kraft Core Vagabond Inkssentials Blending Tool Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool Scotch Tape Glider Idea-ology Sanding Grip InLinkz.com We would LOVE for you to play along with this month's Inspiration Journal challenge. As of this minute there are only three submissions!! Everyone who enters has a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Inspiration Emporium's online store. Think of all the goodies you could get with that sweet moolah!

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing a card that I've wanted to do for years, but never got around to. It's a luminary easel card. The cutout is covered with vellum and, when you place a battery-operated votive behind it, you get a fantastic, eerie glow through the window! I just got the new set of Distress Oxide colors and couldn't wait to create some backgrounds with them. This one uses Seedless Preserves, Wild Honey, and Spiced Marmalade. A flameless votive candle fits perfectly in the opening created by the circle die cut. My favorite part is the 'stop' I created to hold the card in place. I really wanted to do something clever, like Karen did with her zombie hands in this card. I was thinking how cool it would look if there were rows of tombstones and hit upon the idea of scoring one so that it would lay flat when the card was closed, but could be raised up to hold the card in the open position. And it worked brilliantly! I covered the edge with a piece of ribbon that was dyed with the same colors of Distress Oxides that I used on the card front. Here is the card in the closed position. The stamps I used are all from Tim Holtz. The dies are all from Karen Burniston. How cool is that double row of tombstones?! I love the idea of having the easel stop being part of the card design. And how gorgeous are those Distress Oxides? And that glowing moon?! I love it all. I'm going to be so sad when Halloween is over! You can purchase the products I used at Simon Say Stamp and Amazon via the links below. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a great weekend!

Hello Everyone! Pamellia here hosting our next challenge here at Frilly and Funkie and I have chosen the theme Raise It Up! I want to see lots of layers, lots of panels and/or lots of elements on your shabby chic or vintage project, BUT they must be raised up! Whether you choose to use pop dots, foam squares, silicone glue or another means of support, make sure they stand tall! The winner will earn the chance of a Guest DT spot here at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. The guidelines for entering are simple: create a new vintage or shabby chic project following the challenge theme, link it below to your post (not just your blog) and also include a link back to this challenge in your post. You can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance of winning. Make sure you follow these rules as unfortunately we have had to eliminate entrants from the prize draws in the past when they have entered too many other challenges. If you are entering through a public forum please use keyword F&F. Also, please be sure to turn off your Word Verification so our Design Team can leave comments on your blogs. And here is some gorgeous inspiration from the Funkie Team; Sue Carrington - Stamping Sue Style Shelly Hickox - Stamptramp Jenny Marples - Pushing The Right Buttons ******************************************* WEEK ONE And here is some wonderful inspiration from the Frilly Team; Pamellia - My Little Craft Things Cec Wintonyk - CW Card Creations Nancy Dynes ~ Tattered Treasures Georgie Connelly - Little Blue Craft Box Wow, look at all those gorgeous layers! I hope we have inspired you to head to your craft room and start layering! We can't wait to see what you create! We'll be back on Friday with an amazing brand new Friday Focus from Shelly, and then on Saturday you'll be treated to a fabulous step by step from Georgie!!! Hugs, Pamellia :)

I had so many things that I should have been doing today, but I saw this video by Jennifer Mcguire this morning and was totally enthralled. She used the Sizzix Tattered Pinecone die to make adorable felt roses. Well...you know how much I love that die - I couldn't resist trying it! I decided to make mine just a bit differently. Instead of cutting plain felt, I first saturated mine with fabric stiffener. When it dried, I embossed it with my Sizzix Regal Flourishes Texture fade and then cut the embossed felt with the Pinecone die. Before I rolled up the flowers, I used a Snow Cap Dabber to highlight the raised portion. I really thought the embossing would show up more, but it just kinda fades away. So sad. :( The fabric stiffener did give the felt a lot of body, though, and I will definitely try this again. For today's Sunday Stamper, Hels' wants us to use birds in some way. I immediately grabbed one of my favorite Artistic Outpost stamp sets - Birds of a Feather. Is is a such a beautiful stamp collection and just perfect for this time of year. The tag background was created using the faux batik technique. I stamped the music stamp (from AO's Ephemeral Backgrounds set) with clear embossing ink and covered it with clear embossing powder. Inked the tag and then ironed off the embossing. I swiped over the center with a Snow Cap Dabber and then stamped my bird in the center with Archival Jet Black ink. I hope you aren't getting sick of my Sizzix Baroque frames - I just can't stop! This one was meant for another project (which will be pretty cool if I ever finish it), but I stole it when I decided to make this tag. The sentiment stamp is from the Birds of a Feather set and is stamped on a banner cut using the Sizzix Tattered Banners die.It's a little hard to tell, but I added quite a bit of Martha's clear glitter over everything. If you're looking for any of the supplies I used, you can find them at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order. Oh! And there is still time to enter the Inspiration Journal 'Go Green' challenge. You can read all about it here. I hope you join us! Artistic Outpost Birds of a Feather Sizzix Tattered Pinecone Die Sizzix Mini Baroque Die Sizzix Baroque Die Sizzix Regal Flourishes Texture Fade Idea-ology Lavish Trimmings Inkssentials Manila Tag Snow Cap Paint Dabber Ranger Clear Embossing Powder Distress Embossing Ink Bundled Sage Distress Ink Tumbled Glass Distress Ink Ranger Heat Tool Jet Black Archival Ink Inkssentials Blending Tool Inkssentials Glue N' Seal Vagabond InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by - have a great week!!

Hi, everyone! I'm so excited to share this project with you. It's one of those things I've wanted to try for a long time and just now got around to it. When I got Tim Holtz' Star Bright die, my head was swimming with ideas. Unfortunately, December is such a busy month, I never got around to doing half the stuff I wanted to do! I wanted to experiment with making a vintage-looking, rusty star. When I got these new Cowgirl Strength rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost, everything clicked and I finally had time to sit down and play! To create the 3D star, I first cut the shapes out of chipboard using Tim's die. I painted it lightly with Silver and Terra Cotta Adirondack Dabber. Then the fun begins! I sprinkled embossing powder here and there and heated it. After that, I started dripping alcohol inks randomly, to give it a rusty, heated metal look. It's SO amazing in person! Once the star was done, I created a rosette using the Mini Rosettes die. It was cut from white cardstock, stamped with a ledger image from Artistic Outpost's Ephemera Background collection, and then inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain. The cowgirl was stamped with Jet Black Archival ink and then colored with Distress Markers. To finish the bottom, I created a banner using Tim's Tattered Banners die and the new Wanted Alpha die (love this one!). The little sign was painted with a black dabber and then sanded down and inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress ink. On the top, I added a little hanger made with an idea-ology Long Fastener and a Jump Ring (thanks so much to Paula Cheney for that cool idea!). All of the products I used, other than the stamps, can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order! Sizzix Star Bright Sizzix Tattered Banners Die Sizzix Wanted Alpha Die Sizzix Mini Rosette Die Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain Silver Adirondack Dabber Slate Alcohol Ink Caramel Alcohol Ink Butterscotch Alcohol Ink Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Antiquities Rust Embossing Powder Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder - Walnut Stain Ranger Silver Embossing Powder Jet Black Archival Ink Distress Markers idea-ology Jump Rings Idea-ology Long Fasteners idea-ology Paper String - Solids Idea-ology Sanding Grip Inkssentials Blending Tool Vagabond Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool Zip Dry Glue InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'm so sorry I've been a little absent lately - I have been fighting the worst cold that just won't go away. I think I'm just about over it now though, so I should be back to sharing lots more!

Hey everyone! Wow, has this summer flown by or what? I can’t believe we are moving into the last month of summer! It’s been a fun summer so far filled with creative adventures and loads of Inspiration from the Inspiration Team, Team ATB and all of you sharing your art with us in the Art […]

Hi all! This month, the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team is sharing our projects using Eileen's cool new Twist and Style tool from Sizzix. Let me tell you, the minute you twist your first wire, you'll be addicted! I've had a project like this on my mind for awhile - you know how much I love Eileen's Cupcake Stand die! - and thought the Twist and Style tool would be perfect for making the wire for the little cloche. So cute! The little girl is from a photo postcard I found at an estate sale. I think she makes the perfect little witch. A few mini pumpkins and some die cuts and your scene is set. Follow along to see how to make one yourself. First, let's create our cloche! Cut 5 pieces of wire (this is from the dollar store) 24" long. Bend in half and use the Twist & Style tool to twist. I counted and it took 25 revolutions to get it to look like this. It's good to count if you want them to all come out the same (if you're a perfectionist like some people!). When you're done, cut them all to a length of 10 3/4". Find the center and wrap with thin wire. Begin bending the pieces out like spokes. Form the spokes into a cage. Connect the pieces using thin wire as shown above, trying to keep the spacing even. Trim the ends, if necessary, and curl up with pliers. Using the Cupcake Stand die, cut the pieces from medium weight chipboard and paint black. When dry, lightly sand the edges to give it a worn look. Ink edges with brown ink and assemble. Now we'll create our little scene. Print out girl on cardstock and cut out. Adhere to lightweight chipboard and trim again (this will make her more sturdy). Ink edges and apply rub on words. Apply witch hat rub on to a scrap of kraft cardstock, cut out, and adhere to head. Cover die cut bat wings with black glitter and adhere to back when dry. Hot glue pumpkins and moss to base. Use a small piece of foam as a stand and adhere to base. Glue feet to stand. Cut out banners using the Cupcake Stand die and adhere to front as shown. I'm so in love with my little witch fairy! If you aren't into Halloween, you could change up the colors and make it a fall decoration filled with little gourds and leaves. Or, add a little house and snow and make it a winter decoration. I plan to make one with a bird nest and flowers for a spring decor piece as well. There is no end to the different ways you could use this! The supplies I used can be found at Sizzix, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below. Sizzix Cupcake Stand Twist and Style Tool Tim Holtz Idea-ology GOTHIC Remnant Rubs TH93308 Tim Holtz Idea-ology REMNANT RUB TOOL Stylus TH93211 Tim Holtz Distress Glitter BLACK SOOT Ranger TDG39129 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad BRUSHED CORDUROY Ranger TIM21421 Ranger Paint Dabber BLACK TIE RAD43683 Ranger GLUE N SEAL 1 OZ Matte INK44987 Beacon QUICK GRIP All Purpose Permanent Adhesive 0004* Tim Holtz Idea-ology SANDING GRIP Block Tool Sand TH92482 Tim Holtz Sizzix Die VINTAGE MARKET ALPHABET Strip Alterations 656623 Tim Holtz Idea-ology REGIONS BEYOND Mini Paper Stash TH93226 Tim Holtz Idea-ology JUTE STRING TH93139 EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01 We R Memory Keepers WIRE CLIPPERS The Cinch 71001-1 Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND 2 MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 660855 Grafix Medium Weight Chipboard Sheets, 12-Inch by 12-Inch, Natural, 25-Pack Fat Plants San Diego 21712 Reindeer Moss Preserved, Natural, 4 oz Factory Direct Craft Putka Pod Mini Pumpkins Fall Decorative Bowl Filler - Natural Dried Putka Pods InLinkz.com I hope you enjoyed this project and are inspired to make one of your own - don't blame me if you can't stop making things from wire after you get your own Twist and Style tool! :) Be sure and check out Eileen's blog for more incredible projects from the team. You will be inspired, I promise! You are welcome to download the photo I used for your own projects. Enjoy!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend. It’s time for a new Art with Heart Challenge and our theme for July is “Make it 3-D”. The Inspiration Team has been busy creating with my Make it 3-D die and our dear Shelly Hickox had a great idea to use this particular […]

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you've had a great weekend. Where I live, it has been cold and miserable - I'm so ready for spring! While we wait for that to come, I thought I'd share a pretty, springlike card I made for CHA using Tim Holtz's new Perspective stamp set from Stampers Anonymous. The butterfly is the star of this set and you can see why - it's incredible! And there are so many different ways you can use it. For my card, I stamped it on Wendy Vecchi's Clearly For Art film using StazOn and then cut it out. I applied Glossy Accents to the back side and then covered it with Rock Candy Dry glitter. It's so pretty in person! The card base was made with Ranger's Watercolor Paper and various Distress Stain Sprays. I spritzed them onto a craft sheet and then dipped the paper into the mist. I love the way this group of colors blends. It always makes me happy! When it was dry, I used one of the dies from Tim's Labels set to cut a window. I stamped the sentiment onto the card and then adhered the watercolored panel on top. To finish the card, I adhered the butterfly to the card, heated it gently and then bent the wings up. I added random bits of Tissue Tape and a few embellishments and I was done! All the supplies I used can be found at Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2015 PERSPECTIVE cms213 *Ranger WATERCOLOR PAPER Inkssentials Surfaces ISW39532 Tim Holtz Sizzix LABELS Thinlits Die 660060 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology TISSUE TAPE SYMPHONY Music Self Adhesive Vintage Paper *Tim Holtz Idea-ology LABORATORIE Tissue Tape TH93095 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology PEN NIBS TH92909 Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain SHABBY SHUTTERS Ranger TSS42488 Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain WILD HONEY Ranger TSS42624 Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain WORN LIPSTICK Ranger TSS42631 *Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive *Tim Holtz Distress Glitter CLEAR ROCK CANDY Ranger TDG39150 *Ranger JUMBO ARCHIVAL INK PAD Jet Black XL Tim Holtz *Tsukineko JET BLACK STAZON Ink Pad Permanent SJ001 *Wendy Vecchi Modeling Film CLEAR CLEARLY FOR ART Parts Studio 490 Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 *Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 656850 *3M Scotch PINK ATG ADVANCED TAPE GLIDER 1/4"" Adhesive Glue Gun InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today. Make sure you check back this week - I have a bunch of fun stuff coming up!

I am seriously bringing up the rear with this week's CCC2 challenge! Oh well, better late than never, right? The technique chosen by the lovely Linda Ledbetter (I just can't say Linda Ledbetter without adding 'lovely'!) is Faded Layers, which can be found on page 43 of Tim Holtz' wonderful book, Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2. As always, I used this challenge as an excuse to try a few new things! First of all, I had a chunk of wood lying around from some work we're having done on our porch (main reason for my lack of posting lately). Anyway, I love all the little bits and pieces that are left over from construction and thought one would make the perfect base for a collage. I thought about it more and was like....hmmm...what if I covered it with Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas? I could make my own little chunky canvas for under a buck! And it worked great! What makes it so much better than a regular canvas is that you can stamp right onto it without worrying about getting a good impression. Also, you can make this any size, depending on the wood you have. I am getting pretty hooked on Sticky Back Canvas! I also used this as an excuse to get out my new Spring Distress inks - yay! I used the new Sizzix Harlequin border die to cut my mask/stencil. It's a little hard to see after all the layering I did. I also cut a scrap of French text and layered that to the collage. The letters were cut from chipboard using the new Sizzix Word Play die, sponged with Vintage Photo Distress ink, and stamped with the same ink, using a script image from Artistic Outpost's Secretary Pool collection. The wonderful Emily Dickinson quote is from AO's new Quotes and Quotables collection. I'm so totally in love with these flowers! They were made by sponging the new Peacock Feathers ink onto a manila scrap, which I then cut using the new Tattered Flower Garland die. The edges were inked with Vintage Photo ink and the whole flower was sprayed fairly heavily with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist. You can barely see the shimmer in the pic, but it adds so much! My other experiment looks fantastic in real life, but didn't photograph well. It's my little rusty verdigris fence above. I might do a little tute for the technique if I can get a decent photo. Speaking of flowers, that is the theme over at the Inspiration Journal blog. We would love to have you join us - you could win a $50 shopping spree at the IE online store! All the supplies I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. If you use my coupon code - stamptramp - you'll save yourself 10% on your entire order! Spring Seasonal Distress Ink Stormy Sky Distress Ink Vintage Photo Distress Ink Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist Sticky Back Canvas Sizzix Harlequin Border Sizzix Word Play Die Sizzix Tattered Flower Garland Sizzix Distressed Doily Die Sizzix Iron Gate Die Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners Idea-ology Box Corners Idea-ology Adornments Idea-ology Memo Pins Inkssentials Glue N' Seal Snow Cap Paint Dabber Inkssentials Blending Tool Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder - Walnut Stain Ranger Glossy Accents Vagabond InLinkz.com

Hi everyone! When I first saw the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for this Pop-up Box Card, I knew it would be the perfect card to make my son for his birthday this month. This is the second year in a row that he's been deployed in the Middle East over Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND his birthday, so I wanted to make him something really special. And I guess it did the trick - he loved it! The great thing about this card is these inner strips that allow you to add all sorts of raised embellishments. There are so many holidays and occasions this would work for. For this card, I wanted a masculine look and decided to go with a 'time' theme (seems like I am hooked on that theme lately!) All the paper I used is from Prima's Engraver paper pack. I cut out the clock image and added gears and spinners then adhered it to one of the cross pieces. More gears were added to the other strip. To give it a little more movement, I cut two strips of acetate and adhered them to the center piece. I punched circles from kraft cardstock and added Remnant Rubs with Luke's age (how is it that I have a 22 year old son?!) and added them to the top of the strips. The pocket watch was cut from chipboard using Tim's Mini Pocketwatch die from Sizzix. On top of it, I added a Remnant Rub, one of the new Index Labels, and Chitchat Stickers. The top is tied with the new Jute String. Love that stuff! Here's the card folded flat for mailing. It fits perfectly into a 6 x 9" envelope. The pointing finger is from the new Expedition Ephemera pack. At the bottom, I spelled out 'party' with letters cut from kraft paper using Tim's Wanted alpha die. To give the card a little height when opened, I cut a pediment from cardstock and painted it black. After sanding it a bit, I adhered it to the top of the back portion of the card. I love including Vine videos so you can get a better idea of how the different pop-up cards operate. Isn't it just the coolest card?? It was also incredible easy to figure out how to put it together. Even though it looks really complicated, it is only a few scores and cuts. Nearly all the materials I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10%! Sizzix Pediments Die Sizzix Mini Clock Key and Pocketwatch Sizzix Wanted Alpha Die Sizzix Tiny Tabs & Tags Prima Engraver Paper Collection idea-ology Index Labels idea-ology Jute String Ephemera Pack - Expedition idea-ology Game Spinners Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners Idea-olgy Mini Gears Prima Clock Parts Idea-ology Sprocket Gears idea-ology Remnant Rubs - Numbers Idea-ology Chit Chat Stickers Inkssentials Kraft Cardstock Idea-ology Sanding Grip Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Tarnished Brass Distress Stain Brushed Pewter Distress Paint Antiqued Bronze Distress Stain Distress Paint - Black Soot InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by! I apologize for my lack of posting lately. I've been enjoying a bit of down time and recharging my creative batteries. I am itching to get back into the studio now, and can't wait to share more with you soon!

Hi all! It's that time again - time to share my cards for Karen Burniston's Pop it Ups Designer Challenge! This month was a very fun one for me. We got to choose between doing a cutesy card or an artsy card, or both. I was so ecstatic! A challenge made just for me. I have a very cool card in the works for tomorrow, so today I thought I'd share one of the cards I created for the Elizabeth Craft Designs CHA booth using Karen's new Tag Pivot die. I think this is just about the most awesome die of all time and I am going to be wearing it out! I took a quick pic of it while I was working on it, just to show you how I made the inked background. After cutting Ranger's manila cardstock to A2 card size, I sponged on various colors of Distress ink. I stamped the number image from Tim Holtz's Mercantile stamp set and stenciled the gears using a Stencil Girl stencil. After all my stamping and stenciling, I scored it and cut the pop up element using Karen's die. I cut tags from various materials - black Kraft Core'dinations, cork, and a piece of French text. It's so fun to mix and match the tags on this die. The gears were cut from cardstock that was covered with metal foil tape. I aged them by covering them with Black Soot Distress paint and then wiping it off. Finally, I added strips of Tim's Tissue Tape and a length of idea-ology Jute String. Here's a quick video showing the card in action. How great would this be for Father's Day or a masculine birthday? Great news! Simon Says Stamps is now carrying Karen's latest dies. You can find them, and most of the other supplies I used there via the links below. Karen Burniston Tag Pivot Card Tim Holtz Mercantile StencilGirl Gears idea-ology Laboratory Tissue Tape *Tim Holtz Idea-ology LONG FASTENERS Brad Hardware TH92703 Attachers *Ranger Inkssentials 8.5 X 11 MANILA CARDSTOCK plus Bonus Tag! Surfaces *DCWV Cardstock 6 x 6 THE ADHESIVE CORK STACK Matstack MS-019-00004 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology PEN NIBS TH92909 idea-ology Paper String - Stripes *PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Idea-ology NUMBER BRADS Metal Hardware TH93123 Ranger Rusty Hing Mini Distress Ink Ranger Forest Moss Mini Distress Ink Ranger Gathered Twigs Mini Distress Ink Ranger Tumbled Glass Mini Distress Ink Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 3M Foil Tape 3381 Silver, 1.88 in x 50 yd 2.7 mil (Pack of 1) InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today. Make sure you come back tomorrow for a fun card that's full of motion (one of my favorites yet!).

Last summer, I visited a Restoration Hardware store in Nashville. From the minute I spotted their aviation-inspired pieces, I was obsessed with getting my hands on some rubber stamps with a similar feel. Luckily, my wish came true! Artistic Outpost has just released two fantastic stamp sets: Charles and Amelia, and Industrial Backgrounds. They work perfectly together, and with many of AO's other stamp sets. This little flight journal is based on the Large Goodie Card with Pockets - a project from the Technique Junkie 3D and Fun Folds CD. I love being able to browse through all the different projects when I'm in need of a little inspiration! At CHA, Tim Holtz (like I need to add the last name; what other Tim is there?!) was demoing a faux leather technique using Perfect Ink Refresher. It is so cool - and I'm pretty sure he said it would be in his new book! Anyway, I just happened to have some of the PIR in my stash, and decided to have a go at it. I started with plain kraft cardstock, and this is what I ended up with. Pretty amazing! After creating the cover for the journal, I added a piece that was created by cutting chipboard using the small Cabinet Card die, and then cutting out an inset using one of the small gears from Sizzix. I painted them with gold and silver Dabbers, and then pieced them back together again. The propeller was stamped on chipboard and embossed with black embossing powder. When it cooled, I covered the whole thing with UTEE and embossed it again. Love that look! This label is a little lesson in what happens when your embossing ink pad is covered with glitter - oops! ;-) The label was cut from chipboard using the Sizzix Mini Labels die. The word fly was done the same was as the propeller - stamped and embossed in black, and then covered with UTEE and embossed again. I love the cracking too! The glitter actually looks kind of cool in real life too. This is the inside of the journal. I loved the idea of it being a goodie holder, but I was so far into the aviation theme, I couldn't think what goodies would work - that's when I decided it would be a travel journal/scrapbook. The left side was covered with a vintage work order from my ephemera stash. On top of that I added a tag that was cut using the Sizzix Tiny Tabs and Tags die. I painted it with a black Dabber, sanded the edges, and added the stamped quote. On the right side, I inked a glassine envelope and then stamped the front with the text (my husband thought this was a real vintage piece, lol!) using black Archival ink. Next, I inked and stamped several tags, grouped them together using a Trinket Pin, and inserted them into the envelope. Here is a side view where you can see the spine. Now that I've made one of these, my imagination is going crazy thinking of all the different themes I could do! Ok, obviously I was just a little in love with this and couldn't stop taking pictures! In case you haven't heard of the 3D and Fun Folds CD, it's a fantastic resource from Technique Junkies that features 70 different projects with stepped-out, pictorial instructions. You can order it through my link below. If you'd like to see a list of the projects, you can see it here. The rubber stamps I used can be purchased from Artistic Outpost via the links below. All other supplies can be found at Inspiration Emporium - click the thumbnails to view the products. To celebrate this Leap Year, Inspiration Emporium is offering 20% off your order (excluding Copic and Distress Markers) when you use the coupon code leapyear. How awesome is that!? Please note, AO rubber stamps are not included in this offer. The coupon code is good until Sunday, March 4th. Artistic Outpost Industrial Backgrounds Artistic Outpost Charles & Amelia Sizzix Mini Cabinet Card Die Sizzix Mini Label Set Sizzix Mini Gears Set Sizzix Tiny Tabs & Tags Idea-ology Trinket Pins Idea-ology Long Fasteners Idea-ology Washers Inkssentials Ink Refresher Gold Adirondack Dabber Silver Adirondack Dabber Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Walnut Stain Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Distress Embossing Ink Jet Black Archival Ink Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel Black Embossing Powder Idea-ology Sanding Grip InLinkz.com

For the past week I have been feeling particularly low on creative energy. You know...the times you sit at your desk, look at all your stuff and then just have no clue what to do with it all? Today, I wanted to make a birthday card for my brother, but didn't know where to start. That's when I reached for a Technique Junkie CD! It never fails - I always find something cool to spark my creativity. This time it was the Fancy Gatefold card from the 3D and Fun Folds CD. One of my all-time faves! My card is quite a departure from the tutorial. There are supposed to be three panels across the front. My first thought was that I was going to split the Umbrella man into three pieces - his head and feet would go one way when you opened the card, the torso would go the other way. I decided I really wanted him in one piece. Plus, I loved the look of the idea-ology Kraft Resist paper and really didn't want to cover it up! On the left side I used the new Sizzix Cargo Stencil Numbers dies to cut out his birthday number (I can't believe he's going to be 32! He's the baby!). Behind the cutouts, I added sanded Kraft Core'dinations paper. Here is my guy! I cut him from chipboard and painted him with a Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded here and there. The Harlequin Border was a scrap that I had lying on my desk. My hubby came up with the idea of using the closure from the Sizzix Pocket Envelope die. He's very proud of his contribution. :) Here is the card opened - how awesome is that fold?! I can imagine all kinds of ideas now. The center section was embossed using the Harlequin Texture Fade and the oval Embossing Diffuser. I love the look of just that section being embossed. When I was opening and closing the card, I thought it would look really cool with a little banner that would unfurl when you opened it (I have a sneaky feeling that the idea was planted by Karen Burniston's card(s) on the Sizzix blog). I created one using the Sizzix Pennants On the Edge die and idea-ology letters and strung it with some twine. I totally love how my card came out and can't recommend this Technique Junkie CD enough! It's such a great resource when your muse seems to have taken a little vacation. Click here for a full list of the techniques - there are lots! Inspiration Emporium carries all the supplies I used for my card - AND you can pre-order the new Distress inks! Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order! Summer Seasonal Distress Ink Fairytale Frenzy Stampers Anonymous Steampunk Shabby French Stamp Collection Air Travel Bitty Grunge Mini Muse Sizzix Cargo Stencil Number Set Sizzix Umbrella Man Sizzix Harlequin & Stripes Sizzix Pennants Die Sizzix Pocket Envelope Die Sizzix Embossing Diffuser Sizzix Little Sizzles Kraft Core Sizzix Harlequin Border Barn Door Distress Ink Black Soot Distress Ink Ranger Fall Limited Edition Distress Ink Idea-ology Kraft Resist Vagabond Idea-ology Long Fasteners Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners Idea-ology Alpha Parts Inkssentials Blending Tool Idea-ology Sanding Grip Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black InLinkz.com I have one more cool thing to share with you. A couple months ago, I was asked to be the guest artist for a Canadian scrapbooking blog called Art du Scrapbooking. Each of their DT members chose one or two of my cards to 'lift'. Their creations are amazing! I love seeing how other interpret my ideas. Speaking of cool creations, I'm submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes challenge. Make sure you visit to see all the gorgeous artwork that's been posted!

Hi all! Happy December! A few days ago I was out shopping and came across a bunch of very cool Christmas ornaments. Of course (as is my habit) I said, 'I could make that with a die!' I had so many ideas that I decided I would do twelve of them, for the 12 Days of Christmas. Fun, right?! My first ornament was inspired by the vintage red camp lanterns that are so perfect for rustic Christmas decor. The Rusty Lantern die from Tim Holtz is one of my favorite dies from last year. It's one that I didn't have a chance to use when it came out, so I decided to dust it off and try a new technique. I wanted the finish to look like paint that was worn and rusted in some places. Here's how I made it: Begin by die cutting the lantern from medium weight chipboard that has been covered with foil tape. Cut the knob from the same chipboard, and cut the lantern glass from clear plastic. Lightly sand the metal and then paint with Walnut Stain Distress Paint. When it's dry, brush over the lantern with embossing ink. Make sure your inking is random. Sprinkle inked areas with Walnut Stain Distress embossing powder (Update: Walnut Stain is no longer available, you can substitute Vintage Photo, which I've linked to below). Brush it off if it looks too thick. Heat it to emboss. That's our rust! Next, paint over the whole die cut with Fired Brick Distress Paint. Use a heat tool to dry it to get some bubbling for texture. When it's dry and cool, rub over the embossed areas with a baby wipe to expose the texture. Don't worry if you expose the metal in some places - it just makes it look more worn. To bring out the texture and add more of a rusty look, ink over the die cut with Potting Soil Archival ink. If the red paint isn't quite bright enough, sponge over the lantern with a bit of Red Geranium Archival ink. I also went back and added a few more patches of Walnut Stain Distress ep to give it the look of layers of rust. To make sure your ink stays in place, lightly coat the ornament with gloss medium. Finally, ink the glass piece with alcohol ink, add a wire hanger, and tie with a bit of twine and a Tidings Token. How cool is that rusty texture? I love that it looks decades old, but takes just minutes to create. I hope you'll give this one a try - you will be hooked I'm sure! All of the supplies I used to create my vintage-inspired lantern ornament can be found at Simon Says Stamp and Amazon via the links below. Sizzix Rustic Lantern Walnut Stain Distress Paint Fired Brick Distress Paint Distress Embossing Powder - Walnut Stain Inkssentials Metal Foil Tape Butterscotch Alcohol Ink Adirondack Hazelnut Alcohol Ink VersaMark Ink Pad Archival Ink - Red Geranium Archival Ink - Potting Soil idea-ology Jute String idea-ology Tidings Tokens Inkssentials Blending Tool Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool Idea-ology Sanding Grip Vagabond InLinkz.com Thanks SO much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed the rusty paint tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it. Tomorrow I'll have another fun ornament and technique...I'll see you then!

For the past week I have been feeling particularly low on creative energy. You know...the times you sit at your desk, look at all your stuff and then just have no clue what to do with it all? Today, I wanted to make a birthday card for my brother, but didn't know where to start. That's when I reached for a Technique Junkie CD! It never fails - I always find something cool to spark my creativity. This time it was the Fancy Gatefold card from the 3D and Fun Folds CD. One of my all-time faves! My card is quite a departure from the tutorial. There are supposed to be three panels across the front. My first thought was that I was going to split the Umbrella man into three pieces - his head and feet would go one way when you opened the card, the torso would go the other way. I decided I really wanted him in one piece. Plus, I loved the look of the idea-ology Kraft Resist paper and really didn't want to cover it up! On the left side I used the new Sizzix Cargo Stencil Numbers dies to cut out his birthday number (I can't believe he's going to be 32! He's the baby!). Behind the cutouts, I added sanded Kraft Core'dinations paper. Here is my guy! I cut him from chipboard and painted him with a Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded here and there. The Harlequin Border was a scrap that I had lying on my desk. My hubby came up with the idea of using the closure from the Sizzix Pocket Envelope die. He's very proud of his contribution. :) Here is the card opened - how awesome is that fold?! I can imagine all kinds of ideas now. The center section was embossed using the Harlequin Texture Fade and the oval Embossing Diffuser. I love the look of just that section being embossed. When I was opening and closing the card, I thought it would look really cool with a little banner that would unfurl when you opened it (I have a sneaky feeling that the idea was planted by Karen Burniston's card(s) on the Sizzix blog). I created one using the Sizzix Pennants On the Edge die and idea-ology letters and strung it with some twine. I totally love how my card came out and can't recommend this Technique Junkie CD enough! It's such a great resource when your muse seems to have taken a little vacation. Click here for a full list of the techniques - there are lots! Inspiration Emporium carries all the supplies I used for my card - AND you can pre-order the new Distress inks! Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order! Summer Seasonal Distress Ink Fairytale Frenzy Stampers Anonymous Steampunk Shabby French Stamp Collection Air Travel Bitty Grunge Mini Muse Sizzix Cargo Stencil Number Set Sizzix Umbrella Man Sizzix Harlequin & Stripes Sizzix Pennants Die Sizzix Pocket Envelope Die Sizzix Embossing Diffuser Sizzix Little Sizzles Kraft Core Sizzix Harlequin Border Barn Door Distress Ink Black Soot Distress Ink Ranger Fall Limited Edition Distress Ink Idea-ology Kraft Resist Vagabond Idea-ology Long Fasteners Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners Idea-ology Alpha Parts Inkssentials Blending Tool Idea-ology Sanding Grip Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black InLinkz.com I have one more cool thing to share with you. A couple months ago, I was asked to be the guest artist for a Canadian scrapbooking blog called Art du Scrapbooking. Each of their DT members chose one or two of my cards to 'lift'. Their creations are amazing! I love seeing how other interpret my ideas. Speaking of cool creations, I'm submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes challenge. Make sure you visit to see all the gorgeous artwork that's been posted!

Hi everyone! Today I have one of my CHA card samples to share with you. This was displayed in the Sizzix booth and features TONS of new products from Tim Holtz. I have to tell you, this Sizzix release has some of the most exciting and innovative dies and Texture Fades I think I've ever seen. Here's a quick breakdown of how I created my card. The background was created by embossing manila cardstock with the new Blueprints Texture Fade. I inked it with Weathered Wood, Bundled Sage, and Brushed Corduroy Distress inks. I layered it onto a torn panel of the new French Industrial paper and then onto kraft cardstock, trimming the bottom with a strip of black Kraft Core'dinations that was cut using the Washer Border die. Finally, I added some of the new Elements Tissue Tape (love!!) along the edges. It's so hard to pick a favorite from the idea-ology release, but I think these ring fasteners are close to the top of my list! Here, I threaded it through a Sprocket Gear and attached it to my card. I added one of the new Tag Labels and a Swivel Clasp. I think these are going to be a definite must-have for me! The Pocket Watch Frame die is another one of my favorites. The exciting thing is that it's a Movers and Shapers die, so you can cut shapes out of the center. For this element, one of the Sized Circles Movers and Shapers was placed into the center when cutting the chipboard, creating the perfect frame for my watch. I stacked four of the watch frames and glued them together. I painted them silver and antiqued with black (my go-to metallic technique). The background paper is from the new French Industrial collection. I stamped the guys from the Stampers Anonymous Steampunk collection and added some of the new Remnant Rubs and some Sprocket Gears and Mini Gears. The 'glass' on the watch is recycled plastic packaging. Wouldn't this make a cool shaker card?! Inspiration Emporium has lots of the new product from CHA available for pre-order. You can order via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10%! Sizzix Pocket Watch Frame Sizzix Sized Circles Movers & Shapers Sizzix Blueprints & Gears idea-ology Ring Fasteners idea-ology Tag Labels idea-ology Elements Tissue Tape idea-ology Remnant Rubs - Numbers idea-ology French Industrial Paper Stampers Anonymous Steampunk idea-ology Game Spinners idea-ology Jump Rings Idea-ology Chit Chat Stickers Idea-ology Swivel Clasps Idea-ology Sprocket Gears Idea-ology Long Fasteners Idea-olgy Mini Gears Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners Idea-ology Sanding Grip Sizzix Washer Border Sizzix Little Sizzles Kraft Core Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Silver Adirondack Dabber Jet Black Archival Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Weathered Wood Distress Ink Bundled Sage Distress Ink Inkssentials Blending Tool Inkssentials Kraft Cardstock Inkssentials Manila Cardstock Tim Holtz Paper Distresser InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'm hoping to get my other promised posts up in the next couple days, so be sure to check back!

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a couple more card I created for CHA earlier this year using Tim Holtz's new release from Stampers Anonymous. I love the style of these stamps and think they're perfect to use for Father's Day cards or any masculine card you want to create. For the card above, I created the main panel by using the winkle-free distress technique to color two panels of manila cardstock. I stamped the collage image on both pieces, then cut the silhouette of the man from the second piece and layered it onto the other stamped image, giving it a cool 3-d effect. It was then layered to a piece of black kraft core, embellished, then adhered to a corrugated panel. Super easy! For this card, I wanted to experiment with brayering ink to create a background. First, I loaded my brayer with a small amount of gesso, then rolled it onto a piece of manila cardstock. After cleaning off the brayer, I ran it through a green ink pad and brayered over the gesso. Next, I did the same thing, but with brown ink. This is a super fun way to get inky without having to think much about what you're doing! There's no right or wrong. :) After my ink was dry, I stamped the image, then embellished with the new Dapper design tape, one of the new mirrored hearts, and some twine. Another super simple and fun card to make! All the supplies I used can be found at Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2016 EVOLUTION CMS262 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2016 SIDESHOW CMS263 Tim Holtz Idea-ology DAPPER DESIGN TAPE Paperie TH93261 Tim Holtz Idea-ology SPROCKET GEARS Watch Parts Hardware TH92691 Tim Holtz Idea-ology MIRRORED HEARTS Findings TH93269 Tim Holtz Idea-ology GILDED ACCENTS REMNANT RUBS Findings TH93287 Tim Holtz Idea-ology SMALL TALK Stickers TH93193 Tim Holtz Idea-ology JUTE STRING TH93139 Tim Holtz Core'dinations KRAFT CORE NOSTALGIC 12 x 12 Paper Stack GX-1920-00 Ranger Inkssentials 8.5 X 11 MANILA CARDSTOCK Surfaces ISM28246 Tim Holtz Idea-ology TINY ATTACHER Stapler Tool Mini Staples TH92800 InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by - have a great week!

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a pretty fall accordion card I made for this month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge. Our theme is 'Happy Fall, Y'all' and I thought that a flurry of colorful leaves would be perfect for this theme. I combine a couple of different techniques for my card. First was Karen's Staggered Charm Accordion, where she flipped the orientation of the panels. To that, I added the 'floating gear' idea from a card I made a few years ago. Since it might be hard to figure out from just looking at it, I thought I'd do a quick tutorial (I'm on a roll!) so you could make one of your own, if you wanted. Read on to see how it all came together... Begin by cutting two panels from kraft cardstock and two panels from transparency/acetate using Karen's Charm Accordion die set. Cut the kraft panels in half and cut out the center pivot panels. Cut just the center pivot panels from the transparencies, leaving a tab on each end to attach to the card. Stamp the kraft panels with a woodgrain stamp and ink the edges with brown ink. Cut three charm frame connectors from transparency. Cut six hinges from black cardstock and heat emboss with silver powder. To create the leaves, use the wrinkle-free distress technique to color two panels of watercolor paper. Next, using a small brown ink pad, apply ink directly to the cutting side of the leaf dies from Karen's new Autumn Elements die set. Be sure and get it on the embossed veins. Die cut leaves from your prepared paper. Sponge brown ink on the outer edges of the leaves. Sponge additional ink on the leaves, if desired. Assemble the card as shown above, first linking the panels with the hinges and brads. Adhere the clear panels using the small tabs, being sure to align them carefully. Add the leaves and clear charm frame connectors to complete your card. To finish the front (and to hide the tabs and brad ends!) I cut a panel from kraft core'dinations using the Charm Accordion die, cut it in half, removed the center, and adhered it to the front. The sentiment is from the new Word Set 7 - Autumn. You can find the supplies I used via the links below. Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. Be sure and check out Karen's blog tomorrow for an awesome video and lots of fall inspiration from the whole team!

Hi all! When I posted my last card in the Graphic 45 Facebook group, one of the members commented that it was a bit too complicated for them. I agree that it can be overwhelming when you first start making any type of pop-up or folded card, so I thought it would be fun to show a card that has a similar feel to it, but is much more simple to construct. What takes this one from simple to fabulous is all the amazing Graphic 45 papers! I am on a mission to stop hoarding all of my favorite papers and release them into the wild. Rare Oddities was one of my favorite papers from a year (two?) ago and I thought it would be perfect for this card. I used some of my favorite new dies from Karen Burniston - like this cool Halloween sentiment - and lots of fussy cut elements. Follow along below to see how I made it. Begin by cutting two pieces of black cardstock measuring 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" (an 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock cut in half). Score one piece in the center at 4 1/4". Score the other in the center, and then halfway between the center and each outer edge - from the left side your scores should be at 2 1/8", 4 1/4", and 6 3/8". Fold on all score lines as shown and burnish with a bone folder. Adhere a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" panel in the center of the mountain-folded card. Align the 4 3/8" oval die from Karen Burniston's Ovals - Crosshatch die set in the center and use your die cutting machine to cut through both layers of paper. If you don't have a die, you could hand-cut this section. Refold the card and ink the inside of the cutout with black ink. Cut decorative elements from paper. Here I'm using Graphic 45's Rare Oddities paper (retired). Adhere a 4 1/8"x 5 3/8" panel to the center of the single-folded card. To create the pop-out element for the backing card, score a panel in the center, and 1/4" from each side. (My panel was a bit small, so I added strips to widen it.) Fold as shown and apply adhesive to outer tabs. With both pieces lying flat, align the center fold of the small panel with the center of the card and adhere. Pop center panel out as shown and retrain the folds. To create a frame for the opening, nest two oval dies from Karen Burniston's Ovals - Crosshatch die set as shown and die cut. Adhere frame and other elements to card as shown. Fussy cut flowers or other elements to add to card. Die cut spider web and spider, both from Karen Burniston's Halloween Scene collection. Adhere die cut and fussy cut elements to the card as shown. Apply adhesive to the outer edges of the frame panel. Adhere frame panel to backing card, aligning edges carefully. Retrain all folds. Decorate front of card as desired. I just adore tunnel cards. It's so much fun adding little elements here and there and building a scene. Here you can see how it folds up when closed. So cool!! It is a bit bulky because of the paper I used and how many layers there are - it will most likely need extra postage. If you've never made a tunnel card before, I suggest using plain cardstock and making a sample card before you start cutting into your fancy papers. I do this with almost any new pop-up die or card fold and it makes it much less stressful when you don't have to worry about messing up! You can also play with where you'd like to place your elements, etc. My biggest problem with cards like this is knowing when to stop! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. It's been ages since I've done one and it was a lot of fun - I might have to do this more often. :-) You can find the supplies I used via the links below. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

This month over at the Inspiration Journal blog, we're challenging you to 'Go Fly a Kite'! For my challenge piece, I decided to play around with some Adirondack Color Wash sprays and some of my Stampers Anonymous rubber stamps. My base is a cast-off dollar store canvas that had been partially worked on. I added a bunch of different papers and then sprayed over them with the washes. I added texture using the new Colorwash Alcohol technique from the latest issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. To that I added some stenciling, a rubber stamped border, a hand cut kite, and a great quote from Lauren Bacall. The word 'imagination' was spelled using the new idea-ology Alpha Tiles. The string on the kite is the new Paper String. After I added the quote and kite, I outlined them with a Black Soot Distress Marker. The supplies I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% on your order! idea-ology Alpha Tiles idea-ology Paper String - Solids Red Pepper Color Wash Lettuce Color Wash Butterscotch Color Wash Denim Color Wash Stampers Anonymous Classic Favorites 6 Fairytale Frenzy Papillon Stamp Set Stampers Anonymous Apothecary Inkssentials Glue N' Seal Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Wild Honey Distress Ink Inkssentials Blending Tool Jet Black Archival Ink Distress Markers Idea-ology Sanding Grip InLinkz.com This was a bit of an experiment for me...still not sure I like it, but it was fun and challenging and that's what it's all about, right? We would love for you to join us this month. You could win a $50 shopping spree! All the deets can be found on the Inspiration Journal blog. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share one of the cards I made using Karen Burniston's latest release. Yay for Halloween!! There are so many great dies, stamps, and stencils in this release - definitely one of my favorite collections ever, and I couldn't wait to start creating with them. My card was created by cutting a piece of dark brown cardstock to 6" x 12" and scoring it into thirds. I used the wrinkle free distress technique to create three panels on watercolor paper. I love using these colors together - I think it makes such a spooky background. After the panels were adhered I attached the trees and stenciled the bats. The fence - seriously one of my all-time favorite dies! - was cut three times and attached flat on two panels and then as a pop-up element on the right panel. When the card opens, it arches out. So cool! Silver metallic rub on paint was used to highlight the edges. To finish the card, I added a stamped greeting using Karen's new Halloween clear stamp set that was cut using one of the frames from the new Labels and Circles die set. I used the die as a stencil and sponged on purple ink, then removed it and sponged the edges with black soot ink. I added bats and ravens using dies from the Halloween Scene and Iron Fence die sets. There's nothing like seeing one of Karen's cards in action! I love effect of the fence arching out, and this card makes a great Halloween decor piece after it's received. You can find a full video tutorial from Karen HERE. You might think it's complicated, but it's ridiculously simple! The new dies should be available in the next week or so, but you can check them out right now via the links below. I've also added links to Simon Says Stamp for the rest of the supplies I used. Iron Fence Pop-Up Halloween Scene Halloween Clear Stamp Bats Stencil Scor-Tape 1/4 Inch Crafting Tape Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad BLACK SOOT Ranger TIM19541 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad FADED JEANS Ranger TIM21452 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad DUSTY CONCORD Ranger TIM21445 Tim Holtz 4.25 X 5.5 DISTRESS WATERCOLOR CARDSTOCK Ranger Ink TDA39549 Ranger MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS IBT40965 Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick CRAFT SHEET 15 X 18 Reusable NSC20677 Plaid 264 MINI POP DOTS All Night Media Foam Adhesive 73MIN InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! I have lots more fun Halloween inspiration coming this week so be sure and check back. Have a great week!

For the past couple days, I've been puttering away in my studio, trying to get my desk clean. I'm a bit of a hoarder and I tend to save everything 'just in case'. It's a horrible habit, but I can't help myself! Today, I looked at the little massive pile of project cast-offs and decided to use a few things to make a quick tag for Inspiration Emporium's quotes challenge. The tag was one I used to mop up the leftover ink from my Remnant Resist project. The bird was a CHA project reject that was too pretty to throw away, and the flowers were cut from kraft paper when I made my Sizzix Mother's Day card. I put them all together with one of my favorite stamps from Tim Holtz' Way With Words stamp set. I just love that quote! The bird was cut from Grungeboard using the Bird Branch die and painted with Adirondack Dabbers. When the paint was dry, I lightly sanded the edges and then inked with Corduroy Distress Ink. Some of the flowers were painted with the same paint and then given a spritz of Gold Perfect Pearls mist and layered with the plain kraft blooms. I added a strip of Tissue Tape at the top and bottom, and tied a Distress stained ribbon through the tag. Finally, I added a Remnant Rub to one of the new Tag Labels and attached it to the ribbon with a Wire Pin. Everything I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% on your order! Sizzix Bird Branch Sizzix Tattered Flower Garland Way With Words Stamps Iced Spruce Distress Stain Distress Stain - Salty Ocean Distress Stain Collection Adirondack Paint Dabber - Pool Adirondack Paint Dabber - Espresso Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist Idea-ology Remnant Rubs - Words idea-ology Tag Labels idea-ology Elements Tissue Tape Idea-ology Wire Pins Jet Black Archival Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool Tim Holtz Paper Distresser Studio Multi Medium Idea-ology Sanding Grip Non-Stick Craft Sheet InLinkz.com Have you joined in with this month's Inspiration Emporium challenge? You can check out all the details HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great week!

Hi all! I have a fun card to share with you using one of the new stamp sets that Tim Holtz released today. If you haven't already seen his post, you must check it out! The card samples are absolutely inspiring. The images on this card are all included in the Mini Halloween 4 set. Of course, I couldn't resist using this mini version of The Chemist - one of my all-time favorite stamps. The background of the card started as a Giant Manila Tag that I first stamped with the script stamp using Picket Fence Distress paint. After it dried, I colored the tag with Tim's wrinkle free distress technique. The Chemist was stamped and colored and adhered to the card with foam dots. The base of the card is black Kraft Core-dinations that was sanded lightly. I added a torn page from a vintage math book (I also stamped the label on paper from the same book) and layered the inked panel on top. My favorite part of this whole card is this little row of bottles. I first stamped the bottles image and then colored it in with coordinating marker colors, highlighting it here and there with a Picket Fence Distress marker. I wanted more dimension though, and hit upon the idea of adding some die cut bottles. But, they were way too big! Hmmm...what do you do when a die cut is too big? You shrink it! I cut the bottles from Ranger's Clear Shrink Plastic and inked the back of one with silver alcohol ink. On the other bottle, I stamped the poison label using StazOn ink. After shrinking them with my heat tool, I applied a Remnant Rub to one and then adhered them to the stamped image. It's hard to see in the pic, but it looks so cool! Most of the supplies I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10%! Sizzix Mini Apothecary Bottles Inkssentials Giant Manila Tag idea-ology Adornments - Crossbones idea-ology Remnant Rubs - Apothecary Ranger Clear Shrink Plastic idea-ology Paper String - Solids Kraft Core Paper Distress Marker - Picket Fence Distress Paint - Picket Fence Seedless Preserves Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Dusty Concord Distress Ink Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink StazOn - Black Jet Black Archival Ink Black Soot Distress Ink Xyron Mega Runner InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! I have lots more cards to share, so stay tuned!

Hi all! Today I'm sharing another card I created for CHA using Karen Burniton's new Pop it Ups dies release. You may have seen the card I shared last week where I used the new Eiffel Tower Pop Stand die and made a gatefold card with the Eiffel Tower standing up. The great thing about this die set is that the Eiffel Tower can be used apart from the Pop Stand! For this card I decided to combine it with Karen's Lots of Pops die set to make this glittery, spring-y, pastel card. To glitter the Eiffel Tower, I first applied an Elizabeth Craft Designs adhesive sheet to a piece of kraft cardstock. I diecut the paper, peeled of the release paper and then applied my glitter. It's amazing how easy and tidy it is to apply glitter this way! The little bunting was made with the banner and pole dies that are included in the Lots of Pops set. The small tag is from Karen's Tag Pivot Card set (wait 'til you see the card I made with that one!) and the hello is from the Accordion Rectangle Card set. Since the main action is on the inside of this card, I kept the outside simple. The paper I used is all from My Mind's Eye Up and Away collection, which apparently has been discontinued. :( I found a 6x6 pad at Michaels so you may still be able to find it there. I might have to stock up - I love this paper! The video shows how sparkly the ECD Microfine glitter it. Just gorgeous! I think this would make a perfect birthday, thank you, or Mother's Day card. The products I used can be found at Elizabeth Craft Designs and Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Karen Burniston Eiffel Tower Pop Stand Karen Burniston Tags Pivot Die Set Karen Burniston Rectangle Pull Card Elizabeth Craft Designs Double-Sided Tape Sheet Silk Microfine Glitter - Antique Gold *Hero Arts 42 Accent Pearls PALE PINK ch170 *We R Memory Keepers AQUA Baker's Twine Spool Scotch CAT 085 Advanced Tape Glider with 2 Rolls of 1/4-Inch by 36-Yard Acid Free Tape,Cure Pink *PRE-ORDER Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 *Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 656850 InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed this pretty Parisian card. I have so many ideas for this die set - I can't wait to share them with you!

Hi all! This month we're kicking off a new format for the Karen Burniston Designer Challenge. Instead of a monthly post, we'll be doing challenges twice a month, with a new theme each time. Double the inspiration, right? This week's challenge theme is 'Up'. I decided to use birds as my theme since they are 'up' in the sky! Over the weekend, I got together with my friends to make some napkin cards. You might remember I was inspired to try fusing napkins to cardstock after finding some pretty sea-themed ones at Tuesday Morning. My friends and I started the day at Tuesday Morning, rifling through all the gorgeous napkins there. My favorites are by Michel Design Works. They have the most beautiful patterns. See what I mean??? Gorgeous! We each bought several packages and then shared with each other. It's a great way to get lots of different patterns without being stuck with a huge supply of napkins. To read more about making cards with Pop it Ups dies and napkins, check out THIS post from last month. Cyndi is my friend who is always hip to the cool new products that I never know about. She's been talking about Wink of Stella glitter pens lately and I admit I was skeptical that they were anything great. Well, I was wrong!! After she let me try hers, I was hooked! I love the subtle sparkle of glitter it adds and the pen is so easy to use! And so tidy. On my card, I added cutouts of the birds and flowers, popped up with foam dots. Then I used the pen to add highlights. I wish you could see this sparkle in person. It's so beautiful! I used Karen's Katie Flourish Frame edges to decorate the front of the card. So pretty! My friend Michelle had the great idea to add more cutouts to the card edges. I love the layered look it gives the card. Just be sure that your mechanism can still pivot when you're planning your placement. Yes, that's the voice of experience speaking. ;-) One tip I have with using the napkins and Pop it Ups dies is to make sure you get the larger, rectangular shaped napkins if you want to use dies like the Accordion Rectangle die I used above. That way you have plenty of napkin graphics to fit the whole card. The supplies I used can be found at Elizabeth Craft Designs, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below. I can't find the same napkins to link to, but I found some pretty ones on Amazon, as well as paper placemats. I have a feeling those are going to be showing up in my studio very soon - imagine the possibilities!! Karen Burniston Accordion Rectangle Card Oval Landscape Accordion Katie Flourish Frame Edges Karen Burniston Accordion Rectangle Die Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet - 6" x 6" - 5 pack (503) Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape - 6mm (506) Soft Finish Cardstock 8.5" X 11" 270gr /100Lb 10 pack (PSF102) Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad FADED JEANS Ranger TIM21452 ZIG Wink of Stella GLITTER CLEAR Brush Tip Marker 025320 Michel Design Works 15-Count 3-Ply Paper Hostess Napkins, Peony Michel Design Works 20-Count 3-Ply Paper Luncheon Napkins, Peony Michel Design Works 25 Count Peony Paper Placemats InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure and check out Karen's blog tomorrow for inspiration from the whole team and a great tutorial from Karen! I'm also submitting this for the Simon Says Stamp Flora and Fauna challenge. Love that theme!

Hi all! I have a super fun card to share with you today for Karen Burniston's Designer Challenge. It was a labor of love and I totally adore it! I think it's the most stamping I've done in ages. I was inspired to try some coloring and stamping after trying out some Copic markers at my friend Cyndi's house. After I came home, I couldn't get them out of my mind. I've never been big on coloring, but I guess the time was finally right to dive in and try it! I didn't have a lot of money in my craft budget and wanted to get started right away, so I chose to buy the Spectrum Noir markers which are significantly less expensive than Copics. And I'm really happy I did - I love them! I knew I wanted to do another tunnel card like THIS one, but using Karen's new Accordion Rectangle die. When deciding what stamps to use, I came upon two sets of brand new circus-themed stamps from Oxford Impression - Vintage Circus and Big Top - that I'd never even cut up! I guess I was just saving them for the perfect project. I cut the card panels from cream cardstock and then removed the inner panels. Next, I notched the cards where they would join. I stamped the stripes stamp on the front and back of each panel using black Memento ink, then colored the stripes with a red Spectrum Noir marker. I stamped the curtains twice, again with black Memento ink, colored them and then cut them apart to fit the space. For the big top, I stamped and colored a panel of cream cardstock and then cut it to shape. The flags were cut with the pennant die from Karen's Lots of Pops set and adhered to painted toothpicks. The stars are beads from my stash. The circus banner and all the other images were stamped on Neenah smooth white cardstock and colored as shown. I still have a long way to go on my coloring - but I'm having fun! Here's a fun little video to show the movement of my trapeze lady. I love the image of her hanging from a rope, and I knew I had to make her move somehow! To make that happen, I just cut slits in the outer fold of each side of the center panel and then cut a piece of shrink plastic to fit. I used that because it needed to be fairly stiff. You could also use clear packing. I added tabs to the ends so they wouldn't pull through all the way and then adhered my lady where I wanted her. I wanted to make the dog flip too, but I couldn't figure that one out! ;) All the supplies I used, other than the stamps, are available from Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Karen Burniston Accordion Rectangle Die *Elizabeth Craft Design LOTS OF POPS Pop It Ups Dies *Memento Luxe Ink Pad TUXEDO BLACK Tsukineko *Crafter's Companion ESSENTIALS SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404553 *Crafter's Companion BROWNS SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404607 *Crafter's Companion BLUES SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404614 *Neenah Classic Crest 80 LB SUPER SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets *Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD BRUSHED CORDUROY Brown Ranger *Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD BLACK SOOT Ranger Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 *Crafter's Companion YELLOWS SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404591 *Crafter's Companion SKIN TONES SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404546 *EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01 InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! Make sure you check out Karen's post on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog tomorrow. I've seen her card and you are not going to want to miss her tutorial! Did you know that Spectrum Noir has a challenge each month? This is the first time I've ever entered! You can check out the rules and entries here.

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for spring to arrive! We haven't had the horrible snowfall where I am, but it has been much colder than usual for way longer than it normally is. I've decided that if I start working on nothing but spring-y projects, it will have no choice but to show its face. And it seems to be working! Today we have beautiful blue skies with lots of sunshine. Spring is (almost) here! I have been obsessing over these pretty, lacy butterfly dies from Karen Burniston's new Butterfly Pivot Card die set and the companion decorator set. I thought it would be fun to show that, while they're gorgeous when used on a Pop it Ups card, they are also beautiful on their own. I thought they would be perfect for my Faux Tarnished Silver technique, and they are! It's hard to believe that they're not real metal embellishments. I will definitely be making more of these to have on hand for other projects. If you haven't tried this technique yet, you really need to! It's so easy and I guarantee you'll get great results. Since color is the theme over at the Inspiration Emporium blog this month, I decided to use this pretty paper from Prima. I added Tissue Tape here and there to give it a little more texture. The stamp (one of my faves) was inked with Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can ink, leaving the 'to be wonderful' uninked. After I stamped it, I added Chit Chat stickers and one of the new Alpha Parts to complete the sentiment. To finish it off, I added some of the new idea-ology Jute String and a length of Crinkle Ribbon that was dyed with Worn Lipstick Distress Stain. Speaking of which, I need to remember to use my stains more. Did you ever see this pretty sampler of ribbon I made a couple years ago? So pretty! I think I'll have a little dyeing party soon! Most everything I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save yourself 10%! Karen Burniston Butterfly Pivot Card Karen Burniston Butterfly Accessories Dies Sizzix Tag & Bookplates Die Way With Words Stamps Ranger Silver Embossing Powder Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel 8 oz idea-ology Alpha Parts - Framed idea-ology Jute String Distress Paint - Picket Fence Idea-ology Chit Chat Stickers idea-ology Ephemera - Thrift Shop idea-ology Tissue Tape - Symphony idea-ology Tissue Tape - Laboratorie Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon Worn Lipstick Distress Stain Archival Ink - Watering Can InLinkz.com I'm off to a spring-y tea party to celebrate my birthday (a bit early). I have the best friends! Hope you all have a fantastic and creative weekend. :)

This week, the Simon Says Stamp challenge gave us our choice of Paris, London, or New York as our theme. I chose Paris, because I really wanted to use this balloon from Artistic Outpost's Paris Exposition stamp set. How adorable is it all honeycombed up?! It was definitely a bit of a challenge since it was so small, but it was not as hard as you might think. I can't thank you guys enough for all the wonderful comments on my 12 Tags challenge tag! Without further ado, here is the tutorial you all asked for: Super Simple Honeycomb Supplies: StazOn or other permanent ink, glue stick, inking tool, hot air balloon stamp from Stampers Anonymous, Distress ink, tissue paper, white cardstock. Step one: Using StazOn, stamp balloon portion of hot air balloon stamp on tissue paper 7-9 times (the more pieces you use the smaller your honeycomb openings will be. I used 7 for this example). Ink well with Distress ink. Step 2: Cut out balloon portion of stamped image, trimming closely. I love how they look like petals! Idea for later, perhaps? Hmmmm.... Step 3: Fold each balloon in half. Even though this stamp isn't perfectly symmetrical, it's close enough. Notice that, since you used a nice, juicy StazOn pad and lots of Distress ink, the pattern and color show on both sides! Step 4: Note - this is going to look tricky, but it's really easy! Take a folded balloon and, using your glue stick (the drier the adhesive, the better, you don't want it soaking thru!), run a line of glue down the folded edge. Add another little horizontal strip near the top, and one near the bottom. Stack another folded balloon on top and press to adhere. Step 5: Open the folded balloon and add a small horizontal line of glue in the center. Refold and make sure it's adhered. Repeat this process until you've used all of your folded balloons. Each glued piece should alternate - one glued at the top and bottom, the next glued in the middle, and so on. Step 6: When you're done stacking and gluing, it should look something like this. You can check your glue points along the way to make sure it's all opening up correctly. Step 7: Stamp the balloon image on white cardstock, color with Distress ink, and cut out. This will be your base. Step 7: Cover entire cardstock balloon with glue. Step 8: Carefully align the folded, stacked tissue balloons on top of the cardstock balloon, the cut edge should be on the outside, the fold should be in the center. It doesn't matter which side you lay down first. Press to adhere. Step 9: Carefully open up your tissue paper and press the other side down. You can use a craft stick or something similar to reach in and smooth it down, if necessary. That's it! I hope this was somewhat easy to follow. It's so much easier to show than to tell! Feel free to email me with any questions, or leave one in the comments. Here is another peek of my original tag using this technique. I think I glued at slightly different points, but it still works! As long as you alternate your glue points, you will get the honeycomb effect. Here is the technique done on a much smaller scale! Isn't it adorable? This time I used a liquid glue and did not like it one bit. It doesn't take much moisture to get tissue paper saturated - definitely go with a glue stick for this! Just like my original tag, I stamped the rest of the image on a piece of scrap clear packaging and fit the two pieces together. This time, I used my heat gun to slightly soften the banners and then curled them while they were warm. The banner at the top was cut from white paper with Sizzix' Tattered Banners die, and stamped with another image from AO's Paris Exposition. So pretty! I love using heat embossing on pieces like this, but don't want a shiny finish on something that looks so vintage. To tone it down, I lightly sanded the embossing after it cooled with my Idea-ology Sanding Grip. After I made this, I wasn't sure what it was, exactly. Should it be a card? A hanging? I decided to add an easel to the back that was cut from chipboard using the Sizzix Small Easel die and make it a stand-alone art piece. I just trimmed a little off the top and it was a perfect fit. The frame for my piece was created using the large Movers and Shapers Cabinet Card die, and the small Mini Cabinet card die. After it was cut from chipboard, I painted it with a Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded it when it was dry. So sorry this has turned into a book, lol! I hope some of you decide to try this technique. If you need any of the materials I used, they can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. If you're looking to save a little $$$, use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order! Supplies Artistic Outpost Paris Exposition Stampers Anonymous Remnants Sizzix Vintage Cabinet Card Die Sizzix Mini Cabinet Card Die Sizzix Small Easel Die Sizzix Tattered Banners Die Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Festive Berries Distress Ink Ranger Silver Embossing Powder Idea-ology Sanding Grip InLinkz.com

Hi everyone! I'm posting from CHA today - so excited to be here! I'll be keeping this brief, but I did want to give you a peek at one of the projects I made for Tim Holtz using the new Idea-ology findings and papers. The new Idea-ology Pulley Wheels are probably my favorite thing of all - my piece is basically built just to show them off! I also love the Mini Gears and Box Corners. So cool! Here, I used a Wire Pin to hold a Mini Numeral and a Vial that I attached using a Screw Eye. A Clock Key sits atop a little clock I made using a toilet paper tube (more about that later!), some leftover packaging, and a clock image from the new papers. All the little houses were cut from heavy mat board using the Sizzix Artful Dwellings die. I added a little door to this one - one of the new Faucet Knobs is perfect as a handle! One of my favorite new products is the Word Bands. Love this sentiment! Ok, must run now - CHA is open in 10 minutes! I'll try to share pictures when I can. If you want to follow my Twitter feed, the link is near the top on my sidebar. Hope you enjoyed this first project!

Hi everyone! I have a sweet little pop-up card to share with you today. I found this pretty paper from Authentique at Tuesday Morning last month and thought it would be perfect for this dessert-themed thank you card. The front is decorated using one of the frame dies from Karen Burniston's Katherine Label Pop Up set. The thanks die is from her Greetings set, and the flourish is from the Cupcake Pop Up set. So sweet for a thank you note, right?! The Cupcake Pop Up Card die set is great for lots of different card themes. The sentiment was computer-generated and trimmed to fit the bottom pop-up. On the top, I used Karen's new wavy edge die to create a rick rack border. I love that stitching! You can find the supplies I used via the links below. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hi all! Today I'm over on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog with a tutorial for this cool, double z fold card. I have been wanting to make one of these for ages and thought the combination of Graphic 45's new Nature Sketchbook paper and Karen Burniston's Iron Fence die would be perfect for this card style. The best thing is that it folds completely flat for mailing! Pop on over to the ECD blog to see how to create one yourself! The supplies I used can be found at ECD and Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Iron Fence Pop-Up Lovebirds Leafy Branch 4 Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape - 6mm (506) Graphic 45 4501484 Nature Sketchbook 8x8 Pad Graphic 45 NATURE SKETCHBOOK 8 x 8 Paper Pad 4501484 Graphic 45 NATURE SKETCHBOOK 12 x 12 Paper Pad 4501485 EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01 InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by!

When I saw the theme for this week's Tag Tuesday, I immediately thought of this photo stamp from Oxford Impressions' Trick or Treat collection. Even after using photo-realistic rubber stamps for the past few years, I am still amazed by the images they produce! The background on my tag was created using the Distress Glue technique from the latest issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. Very easy and very cool results!

When I saw that 'Hats' was the theme for Sunday Stamper, I was thrilled - I had another excuse to show off my new stamps from Artistic Outpost's London Underground collection! This is a little 6 x 6 canvas that I created using everything from Idea-olgy parts to Faux Rust to a Rosette Die that's been turned into a border. Mostly, I just played and stamped and painted and messed around. Fun! Supply List: Artistic Oupost Rubber Stamps - London Underground, Ephemeral Backgrounds, Generation Redux Adirondack Dabbers - Red Pepper, Pitch Black, Snow Cap Sizzix Die - Weathered Clock Sizzix Die - Paper Rosette Distress Crackle Paint - Picket Fence Distress Stain - Fired Brick, Faded Jeans Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain Idea-ology Kraft Glassine Idea-ology Time Pieces Idea-ology Game Spinners Idea-ology Game Pieces Idea-ology Corners

This morning I was looking through some of the pictures I took at CHA and realized I hadn't shared this tag on my blog yet. It's perfect for the Go Green challenge over at the Inspiration Journal blog! I used the Sizzix Mini Cabinet Card die to create a background for my Steampunk men. After it was cut, I painted it with a Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded it. I used one of the Mini Gears from Sizzix to cut out the shape on the top. Then, I took the gear, painted it with a gold Dabber, and reinserted it into the Cabinet Card piece. To give the Mini Number an aged look, I dabbed it with Distress embossing ink and then sprinkled Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress embossing powder over it and heated it. I created a little custom embellishment by painting an Idea-ology Game Piece with a Pitch Black Dabber and then screwed in one of the new Idea-ology Screw Eyes. It's attached to a Wire Pin that is in turn attached to a length of Crinkle Ribbon that was dyed with Black Soot Distress Stain. The background was created with the Chalked Emboss technique from the Dec/Jan '12 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. This technique is a variation of my Chalk Pastel tech - super easy and a fun way to use those chalks! I used the Sizzix 'Rays' Texture fade to emboss my tag, and added strips of the new Commute Tissue Tape after embossing. On the side of the tag I added a gear border that was cut with the Sizzix Steampunk On the Edge die and painted with a silver Dabber. The bottom of the cabinet card is embellished with one of the new Idea-ology File Tabs. The little clock behind the men is from the new Destinations Paper Stash from Tim Holtz. Whew! Hard to believe there is that much going on on one little tag! Please make sure you visit the Inspiration Journal blog and join in with our Going Green challenge - we'd love to have you come and play! If you need any of the supplies I used, they can be purchased through Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Plus, you can use my coupon code - stamptramp - to receive 10% off your order! Stampers Anonymous Steampunk Sizzix Rays Texture Fade Sizzix Mini Gears Set Steampunk On the Edge Die Sizzix Mini Cabinet Card Die Idea-ology File Tabs Idea-ology Mini Numerals Idea-ology Screw Eyes Idea-ology Wire Pins Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon Idea-ology Tissue Tape - Commute Idea-ology Game Pieces Inkssentials Blending Tool Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder - Walnut Stain Jet Black Archival Ink Distress Embossing Ink Black Soot Distress Stain Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black Silver Adirondack Dabber Gold Adirondack Dabber Idea-ology Sanding Grip Grungeboard Idea-ology Paper Stash - Destinations InLinkz.com

It's the beginning of a new month and that means two things - a new monthly challenge from Inspiration Emporium and an awesome new tag from Tim Holtz. I couldn't wait to try Tim's new Remnant Rub resist technique, so I decided to combine two of my favorite challenges into one piece. Of course, it is impossible for me to make anything and not include at least a few of my favorite Sizzix dies! I'm still addicted to the Pocket Watch Frame and thought I'd experiment with making one that looked like an embossed and tarnished gold watch. I took a few quick pics while I was making it to show you how it all came together. Hope you like it! Begin by covering a piece of thin chipboard with a sheet of Ranger's Foil Tape. Emboss using Book Cover Texture Fade. Insert the largest of the Sized Circles into the Pocket Watch Frame die. Cut embossed foil. The opening of the frame doesn't exactly match up to the book cover, but you can get quite a bit of the watch embossed. You could also use a solid Texture Fade to get an all-over embossed effect. Apply gold and caramel alcohol ink to felt pad and pounce over foil until desired look is achieved. When the ink is dry, cover the watch with Walnut Stain Distress paint and wipe off, being sure to leave some paint in the crevices. Cut two more watch frames out of chipboard. Adhere the three frames together. Set aside to dry. Setting a heavy book on top will prevent them from warping. Apply Remnant Rubs to a piece of Ranger's Manila cardstock. I used the cutout from the watch to trace an outline so I didn't waste any of my rub ons. Following Tim's instructions, use stain to color the cardstock. I love this technique so much! :) I also added stamped images from Tim's Urban Chic stamp set (not shown). To create the card base, spread a large puddle of Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain on a non-stick craft sheet and drag a Ranger Giant Manila tag through it. Use heat tool to dry. Fold in half. Adhere a torn piece of paper from the idea-ology French Industrial paper pack to the left side. Stamp postage image on front with Brushed Corduroy Distress ink. Apply a piece of Tissue Tape to the bottom. Cut a Mini Film Strip from black cardstock and attach over tape, using a Tiny Attacher. To create the strap, cut a 1/2" strip of Grungepaper. Add stitching on either side. Use Brushed Corduroy Distress ink to color, then coat with Glossy Accents. When dry, attach buckle and adhere to left side of card with Wonder Tape. To finish card, glue Remnant Resist piece to center. Adhere watch frame. Stamp quote onto a manila scrap. Cut words apart, distress and ink edges, and adhere to center of clock using foam squares. To finish my card, I added a Swivel Clasp, a Ring Fastener, and an inked Enameled Tag. I wish the gold effect on the watch showed up better. It's so cool! I also inked a bit around the edges to give it more depth and dimension. I hope you're not getting tired of me using this die - because I'm still full of ideas! :) All of the supplies I used can be purchased from Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% on your order! InLinkz.com Speaking of Inspiration Emporium, you definitely need to create something quotable and join us for this month's challenge. One lucky participant will win a $50 gift certificate to the IE store. Think of all the goodies you can buy! Check out all the deets (and an amazing canvas by Pam Hooten) HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful weekend!

Hi all! Hope your week is going well. I have a fun project to share with you that all started with a group of friends getting together at my house this past weekend. My very talented friend, Cyndi, had discovered a tutorial for an awesome little mini book made with the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board and volunteered to teach us all how to make one. Let me tell you - trying to keep us all in line tested her patience, but she did an amazing job. Here is a link to the video if you'd like to try one yourself: File Folder Album. Update! Here are the links to the full YouTube tutorial: File Folder Album Part 1 & File Folder Album Part 2. Update #2! Apparently the links I posted above were changed to private. But I have something even better! My friend Cyndi went to the trouble of posting a very detailed tutorial for this album on her blog. You can find it here: Cyndi's File Folder Album Tutorial. Here are our finished books. Aren't they gorgeous?! I love how each one reflects our different styles. I always look at everyone else's and think, why didn't I do mine like that?! Is that just me? I can't help it - they're all so pretty! It's incredible to think these were made entirely from chipboard and paper. They look like premade albums to me. I'm actually pretty amazed that I made one. I totally credit Cyndi for giving us impeccable instructions and guidance. While we were working on our albums, she was like...wouldn't it be cool to put all kinds of pop-ups in there?? I was like...oh, yeah... So, here it is - my Pop 'n Cuts pop-up Halloween album! All the paper is from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Halloween collection. I have been hoarding this paper for SO long. It's my absolute favorite and it was really fun to finally use it on something. On the back of the front cover, there is a double door with interlocking tabs. So cool! I added idea-ology Hitch Fasteners to mine to mimic doorknobs. All of the tabs on all of the pages were cut with the Envelope Punch Board. This is what you see when it's open - how fun is that? I used idea-ology Striped Paper String to hang banners cut from Karen Burniston's Flagpole strip die. The letters were cut with Tim Holtz's new Spooktacular alpha die. This is the first pop-up page. I hadn't really planned my pages at all when I was making the book (I just had to hurry to keep up with everyone - I'm so slow!), so I was really excited to see that Tim's new Mini Apothecary Bottles die cuts would fit so perfectly with the paper. The pop-up mechanism was created with Karen Burniston's Sassy Label Pop 'n Cuts insert. I cut it from acetate and trimmed it down as far as I could without messing up the mechanism. Since these pages aren't very wide, I had to be really careful with where I adhered the pop-up elements. You definitely want to use temporary adhesive and test the placement when you're making one. The bottles were all done a bit differently. The one on the left was cut from leftover packaging and inked with caramel and slate alcohol ink. I cut the same bottle from heavy chipboard and adhered the inked bottle to it. The label was stamped and adhered to the bottle. The center bottle was also cut from packaging. For this one, I sprayed the back with several coats of Krylon mirror paint and then inked the front with a bit of alcohol ink, giving it a little faux mercury glass look. I adhered it to a chipboard bottle and added a Remnant Rub and some paper string. The last one was cut from heavy chipboard, given a coat of Rock Candy Crackle paint, then inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain. I added a bit of the new Trimmings and one of the new idea-ology Crossbones Adornments. To finish the page, I stamped a cobweb and added a die cut spider. One of the really cool things about this album is all the little pockets that hold pullouts. Behind each page there is a pocket, and there is a slot for a tag at the top of each page (you can see the file tabs sticking out). I didn't have time to decorate them, but I think I'll go back and add old pics of my kids in their Halloween costumes. This is the second pop-up page. This witch from Sizzix' Bewitching Hour die fit was a tight fit, but I love how it looks! I only used three pages in my book, but you can add as many as you like. With the bulky embellishments and pop-ups, I was glad I only had three. More would have been a very tight fit. The pages were bound using a Bind-it-All. This is the last - and my favorite - pop-up page. The little house was cut from Kraft Core'dinations using Karen Burniston's new House Thinlits die set. Doesn't it make the cutest haunted house? After cutting it out, I embossed (with the same die, how cool is that?) and sanded it. I added idea-ology Mirrored behind the windows. The bats behind the house were cut using Tim's Bats and Crossbones die. I cut them apart and added wire to give them a 3-D effect. The cover panels were cut using Karen Burniston's Funky Labels Framelits and popped up with foam dots. The little Happy Halloween label is one of the pieces from the coordinating accessory sheet. I love how perfectly it fits with everything. Whew! I hope you enjoyed this project. I had an absolute blast getting together with my friends and making it - you definitely need to grab a few buddies and do the same! I might be able to hire Cyndi out for the right price. ;-) Most of the supplies I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% on your order! Sizzix Funky Labels Framelits Sizzix Flagpole w/Lantern and Sign Sizzix Mini Apothecary Bottles Sizzix Mini Spider and 31 Sizzix Bewitching Hour Sizzix Spooktacular Strip Die Sizzix Halloween Words and Cobwebs My Mind's Eye - Lost and Found Halloween Inkssentials Kraft Cardstock Kraft Core Paper idea-ology Adornments - Crossbones idea-ology Tissue Tape - Laboratorie idea-ology Remnant Rubs - Apothecary idea-ology Hitch Fasteners idea-ology Mirrored idea-ology Trimmings - Black and Cream idea-ology Paper String - Stripes idea-ology Paper String - Solids Stampers Anonymous Mini Halloween 3 Rock Candy Crackle Paint Sizzix Bats and Crossbones Garland Idea-ology Sanding Grip Gathered Twigs Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain Caramel Alcohol Ink Slate Alcohol Ink Scor-Tape 1/4" Scotch Tape Glider InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! Oh, a quick reminder - Inspiration Emporium is hosting a new monthly challenge. You can find all the details HERE. Hope you join us!

I promised you a nice surprise earlier this week, and here it is! If you haven't heard, Sizzix is pre-releasing three new dies from Tim Holtz this month: Jumbo Tattered Florals - a Bigz XL die, Garden Greens - a Bigz die, and Spring Greenery - a Sizzlits Decorative Strip die. All of the dies can be used with the Big Shot machine or the Vagabond. The Sizzix DT members were invited to create projects using the dies, and this is what I came up with. It's a sweet little shelf that is perfect for holding your keys and displaying small treasures! Since the two Bigz dies are steel rule, I was excited to try cutting some aluminum flashing with them. They cut through that metal like it was nothing! I did end up adding a piece of folded cardstock under the die as a thin shim, just so it would cut the more intricate areas more easily. After I cut the flowers, I embossed the largest one with Tim's Springtime Texture Fade. I shaped it a bit and then painted it with Picket Fence Distress Paint. To give it a rusted effect, I dabbed Vintage Photo Distress paint randomly and then embossed with Vintage Photo Distress embossing powder. I used the same method on the other blossoms, using blue and green shades of Distress Paint. I also embossed some areas with a bit of Ranger's Weathered White Antiquities embossing powder. I can't stop using that stuff! I love that you can use the original Tattered Florals die with the new Jumbo version to make perfectly layered flowers. I used an awl to punch holes in the center and then connected them all with a brad. Aren't these just the coolest?! One of my favorite parts are these rusty leaves. To make them, I cut more flashing with the Garden Greens die and then painted them with Antique Bronze and Vintage Photo Distress paints. While they were still wet, I sprinkled them with more Vintage Photo Distress embossing powder and embossed with my heat gun. They really do look like they are totally rusted! The base for the shelf is a plain pine 1x8 that I cut to 16". I used Ranger's Vintage Photo Distress Stain to stain the outer edges. It might seem like it would be cheaper to use regular stain, but it ended up using just a tiny bit of my bottle and dried much faster than stain would have - plus, I had it on hand! After the stain dried, I adhered a piece of decorative paper from the idea-ology Crowded Attic Paper Stash, sanding the edges to give it a vintage look. It's a bit hard to make out, but I added some stamping using Picket Fence Distress Paint. To give it a finished look, I added a little piece of painted cove molding on the top. Finally, I glued idea-ology Curio Knobs to the bottom. If I'd had time, I probably would have drilled holes and attached them with screws, but the glue is strong enough to hold lightweight objects like keys. I hope you enjoyed my Jumbo Tattered Florals inspiration piece! Right now, Inspiration Emporium is offering all the new dies for pre-sale. Make sure you snag them ahead of the crowd! To make it even more enticing, you can use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% on your entire order. I think they would make a very nice Christmas gift! :) Sizzix Jumbo Tattered Florals Sizzix Garden Greens Sizzix Spring Greenery Sizzix Tattered Florals Die Sizzix Springtime Texture Fade idea-ology Crowded Attic Paper Idea-ology Curio Knobs Stampers Anonymous Spring Spring Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Vintage Photo Distress Stain Evergreen Bough Distress Paint Cloudy Blue Paint Dabber Distress Paint - Picket Fence Vintage Photo Distress Paint Walnut Stain Distress Paint Ranger Emboss It Clear Ink Pad Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo Studio Multi Medium Idea-ology Sanding Grip Vagabond InLinkz.com

Hi everyone! I'm back again today with another card to share for Karen Burniston's Spooky September challenge. For this card, I used Karen's Katie Label Accordion die. It's always fun to play around with the accordion dies - there are so many different ways you can use them. I love the look of floating or clear panels, so I decided to cut the centers out of the panels and replace them with transparency film. I didn't actually cut the whole card from transparency for this card. Instead, I cut the card panels from cardstock, just like you'd do for a regular card. Next, I cut the center from the panel using one of the companion dies, leaving a frame. To create the clear portion, I cut transparency sheets using the full die, then trimmed them, keeping just the center portion. I stamped the panels with spiderwebs and a spider from Tim Holtz's Halloween Cutouts stamp set using Stazon Ink. Next, I stamped the letters to spell 'boo' on coordinating cardstock and adhered them to the center of the panels. Finally, I glued the clear panels to the back of the frames that were left after cutting out the centers. I hope that makes sense! This technique is fun to use for any accordion card, no matter the theme. I hope you're inspired to try it yourself! Most of the supplies I used can be found at Inspiration Emporium and Amazon via the links below. Remember to use my coupon code - stamptramp - at IE to save 10%. Karen Burniston Katie Label Accordion Tim Holtz Worn Text Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamp Set, 7 by 8.5-Inch, Halloween Cutouts Black Rhinestones StazOn - Black Xyron Mega Runner InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure and check out Karen's post on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog on Wednesday for another amazing tutorial from Karen plus lots of inspiration from the whole team!

After getting back into the groove with my little Tim Holtz rosette tree yesterday, I decided I would buckle down and finish the last two tag from his 12 Tags of Christmas. I didn't think I was going to like this one, but I am in love! My background started with a script stamp from Artistic Outpost's new French Flight stamp set. Instead of washing over it with Picket Fence Distress stain, I used my Snow Cap Paint Dabber to tone it down. I don't have any of Tim's Tissue, so I made do. Instead of music, I decided to stamp snowflakes from AO's Snowy Woods collection. I used Brushed Pewter Distress Stickles for my dot outline. It seems like every year I find an excuse to use this gorgeous angel rubber stamp from Oxford Impressions. So hard to believe it's a stamp! I lightly colored her with Distress inks so she stood out a bit. My tissue flower was also hand stamped - this time using a music rubber stamp from Artistic Outpost's Ephemeral Backgrounds collection. I didn't have the Adornments snowflake Tim used, but I DID have the Sizzix Mini Snowflakes dies! I had so much fun cutting the metal-covered paper when I made the lace trim and letters, I thought I would try it with the snowflakes and see what happened. Well...magic happened! After I cut them, I was trying to figure out how to make them a bit bulkier - more like a charm. I stacked one on top of the other (they're slightly different) and a little light bulb went off - they fit together so well and looked like a really cool charm! After I stacked and glued them, I noticed that the die had created a little raised edge with a depression in the center. Hmmmm....I thought...what if I filled that with Rock Candy Distress Crackle medium (thanks to Tammy Tutterow for planting that little seed in my brain!)? As you can see, it is insanely cool looking! Love my icy little snowflake! It's attached to the tag with an Idea-ology Jump Ring and Charm Clip. Ok, I will just say that I didn't really want to post this! I am so not a retro kind of girl. I love when other people do it, it's just not my thing. I DO love these stamps from Artistic Outpost's Frosty and Friends stamp set though, and thought they were perfect for this tag. I didn't have shrink plastic, so I did a different technique for my holly. I cut thin metal using the Sizzix Mini Holly die. I used Adirondack Alcohol ink and dropped it directly onto the metal. When it dried, I inked my leaves with Distress Embossing Ink and then embossed them using Ranger's Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). I love the look of these! Sorry my pic isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. :-) I also inked my jingle bells with Adirondack Alcohol ink - they make perfect holly berries! In case you didn't know, you still have time to enter Inspiration Emporium's 12 Tags giveaway! Check out this post on the Inspiration Journal blog. We'd love to have you play along! If you need any of the supplies I used, they are listed below and can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Be sure and use my discount code - stamptramp - to save yourself 10%! Sizzix Mini Holly Die Sizzix Artful Dwellings Die Sizzix Mini Snowflake Die Sizzix Vintage Market Alpha Die Sizzix Vintage Lace Die Sizzix Festive Greenery Die Sizzix Tag and Bookplates Die Adirondack Paint Dabber - Snow Cap Ranger Distress Stickles - Brushed Pewter & Rock Candy Ranger Distress Crackle Paint - Rock Candy Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Bottle and Red Pepper Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black (the ONLY ink I use for photo image rubber stamps!) Ranger Distress Ink - Winter Limited Edition Collection Idea-ology Jump Ring & Charm Clip I'm linking up with Simon Says Stamp and Show a Tim Holtz Tag and Hels' Sunday Stamper - Santa Claus. Take care, everyone!

Hi everyone! I'm just popping up (!) to share a grungy steampunk birthday card I made using Karen Burniston's new Cake Pop-Up Card die. This card was so much fun to make! I started with a background that was created with Ranger's Distress Oxide inks. The metal looking strips at the top and bottom are kraft cardstock that I painted with Brushed Pewter Distress paint. I die cut the word celebrate out of a scrap of painted cardstock and adhered it to one of the strips, then added rivets that were made with the flower center die from Karen's Flower and Bee die set. I painted over everything with black Distress paint, then wiped it off, giving it an aged appearance. The cake layer were all created with different techniques. The bottom layer is plain white cardstock that I gave a wood appearance to by drawing lines with a brown marker. I die cut the paper, then added gold rub ons and a coating of glossy accents. The middle layer is more painted cardstock and faux rivets. The top layer was painted with bronze Distress paint and stamped and embossed with a gear stamp. On the top I added a mini gear. I adhered just the bottom and sides of the metallic strip so that I could insert a stamped tag and a gift card. On the front, I added another wood-looking panel created from white cardstock and markers. I cut a frame out using one of the square frame dies from Karen's Square Pop Up set, then added a stamped panel behind. The 37 was cut from silver painted cardstock using her new numbers dies. I made a little series of photos so you can get an idea of how the cake expands when the card is opened. It is SO cool!! The supplies I used can be purchased via the links below. I'm sharing this over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Grunge it Up! Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a great week!

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a tutorial for this pretty winter card that I made using Karen Burniston's new Gift Card Accordion die. As you know, I love using the accordion dies to make tunnel cards - it's a great way to get extra mileage from your dies! I've had the idea for this snowy woodland scene in my mind for ages. I just knew that Karen's All Seasons Tree die was going to look gorgeous covered with Elizabeth Craft Designs' Warm Diamond Glitter. So sparkly! The tunnel cards are such showstoppers. They lay completely flat for mailing, but expand into an amazing diorama. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't be thrilled to receive a card like this. And even though it looks complicated, it's incredibly easy to make. Here's how it goes together: 1. Begin by cutting a piece of 100 lb Soft Finish cardstock in half lengthwise, creating two 4.25" x 11" panels. Fold each panel in half. Place the folded panel on the Gift Card Accordion die, making sure you drop the folded edge below the cutting line on the die, so that the fold stays intact (you may want to tape it to hold it in place). Run the die and paper through your machine to cut. Repeat for other card. Cut out the center panels and cut off the tabs. Next, cut notches into the outer frame of one panel, and into the inner edges of the other, as shown. 2. Use a sponge or inking tool to lightly color the panels on both sides. 3. To give the card a bit more shimmer, stamp the two small snowflake dies from Karen Burniston's Merry & Bright stamp set onto the card using embossing ink. Cover with sticky embossing powder and heat. Immediately cover with Warm Diamond glitter. Let cool and tap off excess. Assemble the card. For a more detailed tutorial, see my original post. 4. Cover a sheet of white cardstock with double sided adhesive and die cut seven trees, being sure to cut with the release paper side up. Remove the release paper from the trees and cover with Warm Diamond glitter. Polish the glitter with your finger to completely adhere and bring out the sparkle. 5. To create the snowbanks, cover another piece of cardstock with double sided adhesive and cut several pieces using the wavy die from the Outdoor Edges set. Cut to fit the area of the card you're decorating. Remove the backing paper and cover with Warm Diamond glitter. Tip - for an easy way to adhere the panels, cover the outer edges with a bit of release paper before you apply glitter. Remove the release paper and stick onto your card. 6. To make the stickers usable for the card, adhere them to cardstock and then trim carefully with detail scissors. Once all your elements are glittered and cut out, it's just a matter of adhering them to the card. I love the way the ECD Glitter Stickers look in this scene - so gorgeous! Here's a quick video to show the expanding action of this card. I wish you could see how the glitter sparkles on the trees and snow banks. You're just going to have to make your own to see! :) The supplies I used can be found at Elizabeth Craft Designs and Simon Says Stamp via the links below. Karen Burniston Gift Card Accordion Karen Burniston All Seasons Tree Karen Burniston Outdoor Edges EDC Silk Microfine Glitter - Warm Diamond Glitter Deer Stickers Soft Finish Cardstock 8.5" X 11" 270gr /100Lb 10 pack (PSF102) Elizabeth Craft Designs Transparent Double Sided Tape Sheet - 8.5" x 11" - 5 pack (502) Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad FADED JEANS Ranger TIM21452 *Ranger Inkssentials INK BLENDING TOOL Applicator Foam IBT23616 EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01 Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 InLinkz.com Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you'd like to see more of my tunnel cards, click HERE to see my previous posts. Trust me, once you try one, you'll be addicted!