Oh, Canada! Paper Garden Contest

I was lucky enough to receive a wonderful paper pack from Tiffany at the Paper Garden filled with red and white papers to celebrate Canada Day and to enter her Canada Day Card Challenge! There are prizes - including the all important maple syrup!!  (I'm entering but don't vote for me!)  The Sign-Up page is here.  You can see the submissions here.

I was really curious what papers would cut on the Silhouette Cameo, so I used her papers for this week's submissions to the Silhouette Design Store.  I'm delighted to say that all the papers cut very well, even the very heavy Curious Metallic Red Lacquer.

So here are this week's red and white Canada Day projects!

 The Canada Day Accordion card or Decoration Silhouette cutting file can be found here on the Silhouette Design store.

I used the Paper Garden's
Aura Scarlett Linen Cover Weight Cardstock (which has a wonderful linen texture)
Aura Solar White Cover Weight Cardstock





The  Maple Leaf / Canada Day card appears like the one on the left on the Silhouette site, but the file includes a white panel should you wish to use it.  Silhouette wants pure white backgrounds to their photos, so the card with the white panel would have disappeared!  I used the gorgeous Curious Metallic Red Lacquer for this card and used blade depth 7 and a double cut.  It cut beautifully.  If you click on the image for a closer look, you might see the metallic shine.

The last Canada Day project this week is the Canada Day BBQ Decorations.  It includes a bottle tag (yes!  go ahead, use it on a wine bottle - a wine bottle was too tall for my photo!), a flameless votive wrap and a wrapper for your utensils and napkins.  If you make the votive wrapper bigger it could be a crown(!) or table or cake decoration.  For these I used Basis Red and Aura Solar White.

For our American friends, I also design a 4th of July BBQ set. You might want to change the colours around.  Again, because of the white background requirement, I had to use blue for the main shapes!  I wanted to use white!  :-(







Thanks for  having a look today!  Don't forget to enter the Paper Garden's Canada Day Card Challenge.  As well as cardstock (LOVE those metallics!) they carry envelopes, favour boxes, ribbon and more!

Happy Canada Day! I guess I should send these to my sweet younger son.  He arrived 22 years ago inside Burnaby Hospital with fireworks at the same time as the fireworks outside on Canada Day!
Smiles, Suzanne

Quietfire Design Winter Wonderland Blog Hop - Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of our Winter Wonderland Blog Hop. If this is your first stop, make sure you check back to the other blogs and leave comments to be eligible to win prizes.  Their links are at the bottom of this post.  The details for this blog hop are available on this blog post.

Now I have to start by apologizing!  I designed this stamp for the doodlers, the tanglers, the adventurers.  I'm not any of those!  But I decided to give it the old college try and here is what happened.... (This stamp is called JOY- Fill 'er Up and is similar to our Thanks - Fill 'er Up T stamp.)

The idea was to gild the inside of the letters.  Of course gilding is notoriously hard to photograph, so there is nothing like setting yourself up to fail!  Ultimately, I opted for painting in the gold and used Schminke Tro-Col Pale Gold gouache.

After stamping and thermal embossing, the first thing I did was spatter the gold onto the project.  Oh, well. Let's do it again! And again! And now it's a technique and essential element to the project.  And if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you.

The Tro-Col is easy to use, just mix it with a little water and spread it with a brush.  It flattens to a smooth surface and any indiscretions made by painting the embossed lines may be removed afterward with a brush dampened with fresh water. As for the spatters, well they helped disguise the other flaw - wayward embossing powder.  (Note to self: Wipe paper with dryer sheet before sprinkling embossing powder)

This project definitely needed some colour, so I popped in some red with a Tombow marker.

My first experiment with this project was using gold composition leaf.  It has potential, but I need to do some more work.  I'm used to using real gold leaf and can predict it better, but I know it's easier for crafters to get the composition leaf. It does behave differently.  Here are my results.  It looks better the more I drink.  Kidding, I'm virtually a teetotaler. (And yes, I had to look up the spelling of teetotaler.)

Another thing about this card was that I was originally thinking icy snow, and the card looked like this:

What do you like better?  I'm torn!

So that's about it for my project (the supplies are listed below).  I hope you enjoy this blog hop and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and holiday season!

Just a reminder that all Quietfire rubber stamps are 25% off their regular price during the hop. 

Here is the blog hop schedule because we don't want you to miss an opportunity to win!  Go to each of the blogs and leave a nice comment on their Winter Wonderland Blog Hop posts. You have until midnight Friday, December 19th to comment.  Good luck!

Monday: Diana 

Tuesday: Robyn,  Yvonne  

Wednesday: Wanda,  Teresa  

Thursday: Kathy Jo, Suzanne (you're here!)

Friday: Sherry,  Yogi

Here are the ingredients for making this card with thumbnail links to the Quietfire website:
Arches 140lb HP Watercolour paper
Schminke Tro-Col Pale Gold gouache
Coloured cardstock for card base
Foam adhesives for dimension

JOY - Fill 'er Up Versafine Black Black Embossing Powder Arches Watercolour Paper Schmincke Tro-Col Tombow Stamp Runner Romantic Rectangles Two Grand Calibur Glue Dots Tombow Markers

InLinkz.com

Invisible Tears

As Breast Cancer Awareness month draws to a close, we must remember to keep those who it affects in our thoughts year round.  I originally made this stamp for my mother, who suffered mostly in silence from a chronic illness for many years and kept herself going through love of life and friends.  As with so many, her illness did not show much on the outside most of the time. When Robin Williams died, this quote was the first thing I thought of.


 

Invisible Tears is this week's Tuesday Winsday giveaway.








Here are the instructions to make this card.

1. Cut white cardstock to 10" x 6" and fold in half to create card base measuring 6" x 5".  Cut white cardstock panel measuring 4 3/4" x 4" and a light pink panel measuring 1/8" larger all around.
2. Stamp Invisible Tears sentiment in Memento Rose Bud onto white cardstock panel.
3. Die cut a frame from white cardstock using Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles.  Using the diecut as a mask, position it over the quotation and sponge Memento Angel Pink through the cut out portions and around the outside.
4. Mount white decorated panel on pink panel with Permanent Glue Dots.  Attach pink panel to card base with Pop Dots.
5. Create a bow from hand-dyed ribbon and attach to the front using Permanent Glue Dots.

Thanks for stopping by and having a look!
Happy creating, Suzanne

Published in Uppercase Magazine

 

I really didn't believe it until I had the issue in my hot little hands!  In an issue filled with beautiful pointed pen lettering, there is my little broad-edge contribution.

I'm referring to the current issue of  Uppercase magazine.  It is a very cool publication.  It is very well produced and a joy to hold in your hands. And this issue is filled with beautiful examples of calligraphy and lettering.

What is Uppercase?

It is a publication for the creative and curious that sparks the imagination and inspires creativity. 

Uppercase magazine is the brainchild of Janine Vangool who is its publisher, editor and designer and who basically wears all hats (doesn't that sound familiar!?).

Janine is very active on Instagram where you may see wonderful photos of what inspires her as well as sneak peaks of what's happening and what's coming at Uppercase! 

In the issues I have seen, there is always an interesting insert - a challenge throwout.  The photo above is my Instagram photo from the last issue challenge.  I lettered and cut "Upper case" in my current favourite colours. Since there is heraldry in this new issue, the challenge is to design your own crest and share it on Instagram and Twitter using the card provided.  Another inclusion is a blank card, designed for you to send to a friend/family member who you have just bought a gift subscription for!  

These are the best inserts EVER!

Here is a link to the official page of this issue so you can have a look! There are lots of other issue pages for you to browse while you're there.  But there is nothing like holding the magazine in your hot little hands. 

My submission is on this page:

Interested in subscribing? (I did, even before I was included!)  I can share this discount code with you!

The discount code “letterlove” will take $15 off subscriptions, valid until October 31. Here is a direct link to the subscription page starting with this issue.  Don't forget the discount code!!

Happy reading!

A Faithful Friend

Here is a card created with one of our brand new stamps.  

And here is how to make it! Supplies are listed below.

Instructions:

1. Cut Aegean cardstock 12"x6.5" and fold in half to create a 6"x6.5" cardbase. Cut peach coloured paper to 5.5"x6" and round the corners.
2. Adapt digital cutting file so the opening is oval and measures 3" high. Cut from patterned paper. Cut a background piece without the leaf motif from Aegean cardstock.  Mount patterned paper on top so it only shows through the leaf motifs.
3. Stamp Those Who Find a Faithful Friend using VersaMagic Jumbo Java centered on the previously cut peachy patterned paper.
4. Create bow using Becca's Bow Maker. Attach to oval frame as shown.  Adhere house embellishment to frame as shown.
5. Die cut Spellbinders Fancy Tag from patterned paper, cut in half and wrap around frame. Adhere in the front with a Pop Dot and in the back with a Glue Dot.  Attach a pearl embellishment as show.
6. Adhere oval frame to stamped patterned paper with Pop Dots.

Supplies:
Cutting File: Quietfire Always
VersaMagic: Jumbo Java
Cardstock: Core'dinations Aegean

Always Be My Friend Set VersaMagic Charlotte's Dream Paper Pad Fancy Tags Grand Calibur Glue Dots Pop Dots Magic Removable Tape Ink Blending Tool Wedding Pearls House Icons in a Box Ribbon

InLinkz.com

Being Thankful - for You

This set is perfect stamp set to mix and match - or use them all at once!  Since Thanksgiving is family and friends and home, I added a little house embellishment with the pumpkins!  Love this patterned paper by Bo Bunny.  I hope helps you create your own quick and easy cards.
Thanks for visiting! Suzanne




 Instructions:

1. Cut natural cardstock to 10"x7" and fold in half to make a 7"x5" tent card.
2. Cut a pumpkin patterned paper strip to 5.5" x 1.5" and mat with brown cardstock cut 1/8" larger around. Mount this strip on orange patterned paper measuring 6"x2" with Pop Dots.
3. Cut 1.25" square from brown cardstock. Sponge house embellishment with frayed burlap and attach it to brown square using Micro Glue Dots.  Mount to center of patterned paper strip with Pop Dots.
4. Lightly pencil a baseline 1.25" from the top fold and 1/2" from the side of the card. Stamp Quietfire Being Thankful along that line with the help of a stamp positioner using VersaMagic Pumpkin Spice.  Lightly pencil another line 1" from the bottom of the card and finishing approximately3/4" from the edge and stamp For You using VersaMagicTea Leaves as shown in the example.
5. Adhere the patterned paper strip with house embellishment centered between the stamped lines.

Supplies:

Being Thankful Stamp Set Apple Cider VersaMagic Stamp Positioner Pop Dots Glue Dots House Icons in a Box Distress Inks Ink Blending Tool

InLinkz.com