Interactive card – Stamped Smiles

Cards From My Heart

Hello friends! With this not cooler, but COLDER weather we’ve been having, it looks like it may be a hard winter ahead and I’m already feeling it in my body unfortunately. So with the heating pad and warm slippers, I’m still crafting on! 🙂

Today I’d like to share some cards that I have made for my hubby using some of the adorable stamps from Lawn Fawn …which I love:

At the end of October hubby and I celebrated our 20 year anniversary and I made this card for him to let him know how I feel about him after all these years. This would be something that we would certainly do where we live! We always enjoy looking at the night sky together.

I started with some watercolor paper and blended some distress inks for the background and spritzed it with water. I then made sure it was completely dry before white heat embossing the stars that I colored in the centers with a gel pen. I then took a white gel pen and added more “dots” in the sky.

I’ve used Upon a Star and the Winter Skies stamp sets for both the images and sentiment. I took the Little Town border die to add over top of the starry sky and layered it onto a navy card base that has some more die cut stars (from Upon a star coordinating dies) at the top sponged with white ink.

For the sentiment, I had to piece together a couple of words from different sets to get it to say what I wanted it to. I cut it out with a long banner die from My Favorite Things.

Here’s a closer view of the sky and the images. For the fox couple, I black heat embossed it and then used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to color them with and then popped them up over the corner of the scene with foam dots.

I actually used a color palette and sketch from a challenge blog, but missed the deadline to post it, but I think it turned out great and hubby enjoyed it. He said, “Yes, this is something we would do!” He also likes the color blue.

Here’s another card I made for hubby as his birthday was this last Friday:

Although this one is a bit simple, it has a really fun interactive element to it! If you’ve known me for a while, then you may know that my husband is an electrician, so this card was very fitting for him!

I have used the Lawn Fawn Turn Me On stamp set and coordinating dies along with the Life is Good stamp set for the sentiment and the Push Here stamp set to make this card. I also have a large stash of Lawn Fawn papers that I’ve used for this which I don’t think are available any longer.

I used vellum for the light bulb that was heat embossed over it and then I colored it yellow on the backside of the vellum to place behind the die cut opening from the blue panel. That was die cut with the coordinating dies. I stamped and colored the light switch as well and also die cut it out over the blue panel. I then white heat embossed the sentiment and cut it out with a sentiment banner die from MFT. It was sponged with white ink and glued over the blue panel.

The best part of this design is that when you push on the light switch, the light bulb turns on! I’ve used the Chibitronics to create this feature.

You can see here what it looks like when you push on the light switch!

You can also check out this quick few seconds video to see it in action below: (CLICK HERE if you want to see it on You Tube.)

Although this looks like a pretty simple card, mechanically it had it’s difficulites with the light up interior portion of it and it was met with some challenges and patience as I had to keep testing it to make sure it worked right! At one point I had to tear it apart because the battery accidentally flipped over! I also had to use like 4 layers of foam tape so that the light wouldn’t continuously be on all the time! LOL!

It was all worth it though as it was for the love of my life and he really did appreciate the efforts that went into making it as he even took it to work with him so that he could show it to his fellow co-workers! LOL! They seemed to be pretty impressed with it and even offered some advice on how much to charge for something like this! LOL

The card was thick due to the amount of foam on it, so it didn’t fit into a regular envelope. Since it went to hubby, I just hand delivered it to him! 🙂

Hope you’ve enjoyed my share of creations today that I made for hubby! I will be seeing you again soon! Thanks for dropping in friends…I will be visiting soon!

Challenges:

Lawn Fawnatics – Cards for Guys
Creatalicious – Anything Goes with optional: For a Man
Crafty Friends – Anything Goes
Cardz 4 Guyz – All Wrapped Up (top card with scarves)
Get Creative – Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
Retro Rubber – Anything Goes + stamps older than 1 year (ALL listed are at least 1 year or older!)

Dies & Punches for Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! It’s time for a new Cute Card Thursday challenge! This week we’d like to see those “Dies &/or Punches” on your creations this week! These are some of my favorite tools to use in my craft room and we’re looking forward to seeing your take on this challenge!

Here’s what I’ve made for it:

Vicki-CCT600

Nothing says “Fall” to me like those ripe apples ready to be picked and especially to make a yummy carmel apple with as well! I had so much fun pulling out several of my Lawn Fawn stamps and dies to make this interactive card design! I haven’t played with my Lawn Fawn stuff for quite a while, so it was time! 🙂

For the interactive pull tab mechanism, I’ve used the Lawn Fawn Magic Color Slider dies along with the Caramel Apple , Thanks a Bushel and Jump for Joy stamp sets to put together this card. I’ve also used the Jump for Joy and Thanks a Bushel dies to cut out some of the images on my card. For the pull tab at the top, I took a sentiment from the Push Here stamp set to stamp the “pull here”.

For part of the layers in the card, I took an older Scallop rectangle die no longer available from Lawn Fawn for the white layer. I’ve also used some Woodgrain cardstock that I’ve sponged with Vintage Photo Distress ink along the edges of it and the plaid paper which is no longer available from LF. For the layer behind the apple panel and the base of the card I’ve used the LF Sunflower cardstock.

Here’s a closer look at the image that I’ve got colored up with Copic markers. I just stamped them over some Copic blending card. For the inside slider where the caramel apple is, I didn’t want to add any layers to it so that it would slide freely.

Vicki-CCT600-upright

Here’s what the card looks like with the slider hidden inside. I just added some twine to the end of the pull tab at the top.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my interative card design today using lots of fun dies! Be sure to stop by the Cute Card Thursday blog and check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team and play along with us this week!

Thanks so much for dropping in today and I’ll be seeing you soon!!

Challenges:

Lawn Fawnatics – Awesome Autumn
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Interactive
Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Lawn Fawn Collaboration – LF products
Double Trouble – Thing 1: Mad for Plaid, Thing 2: Use Your Stuff Challenge entry (see below), Thing 3: Tag &/or Frame
Use Your Stuff – Tag &/or Frame
Sheepski Designs – Die Cuts &/or Punches
Little Red Wagon – Fruit

Triangle Corner Pop Up Card for Brutus Monroe + video tutorial!

Today I’m sharing another version of the Triangle Corner Pop Up Card that I had previously made during my time as a guest for Brutus Monroe. You can check out that blog post by CLICKING HERE. After posting that card, I have actually received several messages and comments that people wanted to see a video tutorial on how to make one. So I thought I would come up with another version of this same style of card, but using different Brutus Monroe products to show the many different variations that you can come up with and the fun you can have with it!

Vcki-BMBeHappy-TriCornerPop-opened

This style is a much more elegant approach which is much different than my other one. I love that you can change the look and have fun playing with different stamps and elements to fit inside the design!

For this one, I have taken the Brutus Monroe Happy Rose and Take Flight stamp sets to stamp (with Raven Detail ink), color (with Copics and Stylefile markers) and cut out for the images on my design. All of the cardstock is from Brutus Monroe using Jurassic 100# and Alabaster White 100# cardstock. The decorative paper is from the BM Rustic Florals paper pad. I stenciled the bottom of the Jurassic panel with a past stencil from BM using some Unicorn Horn Glitter Glaze. Both of the rose images along with the small heart circle on the easel card were popped up with some BM foam tape.

For the circle easel design, I’ve cut out a scallop circle with the Alabaster cardstock in the size that I thought would fit within the design. Then cut the body of the card with other circle dies in the Jurassic cardstock and then the front with some more of that Rustic Florals paper that I’ve used in the background. The sentiment below the butterfly and the hearts on the small circle came from the Brutus Monroe Super Sentimental stamp set. All of the white panels (with the exception of the scallop circle) was ink foam blending with some grey distress ink. To keep the card “locked” in this position, I’ve used the Brutus Monroe Mini Disc Magnets shown in the video below.

If you are interested in learning how to create one of these cards for yourself, then please be sure to check out my video below. CLICK HERE to view on You Tube.

These cards can look really intimidating, but once you see the measurements of how to put one together, they’re really easy and fun to make!

Vicki-BMBeHappy-TriCornerPop-unfolded

Here’s what the card looks like completely opened up. You can see on the left bottom panel that I’ve taken that rose from the stamp set again and stamped it in the corner with some grey ink after ink foam blending around the edges of it. This will be the area that I’m leaving for a personal message.

To fold it down to a 4″ square card that’s close you will start by folding down on the top and then fold it over from the right side to the left. This will completely close it up.

Vicki-BMBeHappy-TriCornerPop-front

Here you can see that the card is completely closed to a 4″ square size minus the rose leaves sticking out which I don’t mind.

I took another panel of the Jurassic cardstock for the front of the card and sponged around the edges of it with the Alabaster Ink and then also stamped the rose again in the corner of it. Because I had several dimensional and extra layers on this card, I had to use a ribbon to tie it together to help it stay closed up. You might need an envelope that is slightly larger than an A2 envelope, but if you use less layers and dimension, it should fit in an A2 size envelope.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my interactive card and tutorial today! Thanks so much for dropping in with me!

Please be sure to check out the links below for more interactive fun for this Wednesday’s Brutus Monroe Inspirational design team hop:

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Cardz 4 Galz – #103 Wings
Crafty Cardmakers – It’s a Bug’s Life
Through the Craftroom Door – Anything Goes
Try it On Tuesday – In my Garden there is….

Triangle Corner Pop-Up Card with Brutus Monroe GDT part 2!

Hello friends!! I’m SO excited to share another project with you using some awesome products from Brutus Monroe!

If you remember at the beginning of June with THIS POST I announced being a June guest designer and well…things fell apart health wise as you know and I was completely heart broke about giving up my time in my “happy craft space”. Of course they are all awesome people over at Brutus Monroe and they were happy to pick me up where we left off so I could finish the second half of my guest design spot! 🙂 Yay! I am completely honored as I adore their fun products!

After discovering this company just a little over a year now, I have enjoyed watching Christopher’s videos and crafting along with him in my stamp room! Since he was someone that was inspirational to me (without knowing it), I dedicated this card to him and sent it his way!

Vicki-BM-Trifold Easel Card

This is quite a unique card and one that is new to me, but it’s called a “Triangle Corner Pop-Up card” and I’m not quite sure as to exactly who to give credit to other than I know it came from a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator somewhere! (If someone knows the individual to give credit to, please let me know!) I also started this card back in June, so putting it together piece by tiny piece as I went along with being in pain was a feat in itself! LOL! So you could say this one took me a little over a month to complete! WOW!

**If you’d like for me to do a video on how to make this type of card, let me know as I’m sure I could duplicate it! (pain free and much quicker than a month! LOL!)

I’ve used this adorable Brutus & Friends stamp set for my design. The dog next to the dog house is represented as “Brutus” which is the beloved pet (crossed rainbow bridge) that the company was named after. The other pup in the background peeking out is his other fur family named “Benny”. CUTE!!

Vicki-BM-Trifold Easel Card-images

I’ve stamped them out with the BM Raven Detail ink and colored them with Copics and some of the Brutus Monroe StyleFile markers too. I then fussy cut them out with my BM Fussy Cutting Scissors and set them aside while I assembled the rest of the card.

As for the circle design in the center, it forms a little mini easel card inside the ‘box’ design. I’ve made the easel card with the BM Lunch bag Cardstock and cut it from circle dies. I’ve also heat embossed the sentiment with BM Alabaster embossing powder from the BM Super Sentimental stamp set and made a separate panel so that it holds the front of the circle easel flap in place.

Vicki-BM-Trifold Easel Card-unfolded

For the “grassy” looking area at the bottom and the “clouds” in the upper triangle sections of the card, I’ve used the BM Set the Scene Stencils with some Distress Inks and a Blending tool.

In order for the scene to come together and form this shape, there is a hidden aspect in the corners of the design to keep it together. I have used the BM Mini Disc Magnets and glued them behind the layered panels so you can’t see them, but they come together to hold the card scene in place. These are tiny, but they make for a nice sturdy closure!

I also wanted to mention that the “Brutus Monroe” in the cloudy area along with the woodgrain looking background came from a product packaging. I thought it was the perfect way to create the “fence line” area of the scene.

When you want to close up the design for mailing, you will take it apart so that it looks like this. See on the left side that there is even a spot so you can write a personal message or stamp something. Then you will fold the top panel down and then close the right side over.

Here’s a quick 80 second video so that you can see how it works in action: CLICK HERE to watch on You Tube!

Vicki-BM-Trifold Easel Card-closed

I thought it was pretty cool that you can lay this design completely flat and put it in an A2 sized envelope! I have taken a BM Lunch Bag envelope to mail mine in!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my interactive card today! Please be sure to have a look at the Brutus Monroe products and let them know I sent you over! Thanks so much for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Inkspirational – #192 Word Prompt: Fold
Tuesday Throwdown – Furry Friends
Crafty Animals – August Anything Goes + animal
Sheepski Designs – Animal Madness
Craft Rocket – August Anthing Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes

In Stitches for Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! Wow, this week has really been flying by! I seem to think this almost every week, but I know when the weather starts getting warm, I seem to get more busy outside and perhaps that’s why with the weather being so nice, warm and sunny. I am enjoying it!

Today starts a brand new challenge over at Cute Card Thursday this week and the theme is “Stitching (faux or real)“. There are all types of ways to incorporate stitching into your papercrafting and I enjoy adding it to my creations. So here’s how I’ve added it to my card for today:

Above is just a quick 20 second video to show the interactive details of the card. I thought this would be such a cute idea for a get well card.

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To make the slider for my card design, I have used the Lawn Fawn Magic Picture Changer and the Magic Picture Changer Add-On dies. It looks pretty intimidating, but it actually wasn’t that bad to put together as the measuring and cutting is done with the die. I’ve used the adorable Get Well Before ‘n Afters stamp set to create this and I know I’ll be making another one with the whale to make another card as I’m in need of one. The turtles were colored with Copic markers and I’ve used them to also create the grass and sky background behind the turtle as he needed something to “ground” him and not be up in the air. I took a water-proof pen and added a scribble above his head as he’s not happy being up-side-down!

I’ve cut the “add-on” pieces and the background of the card with the Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes and Really Rainbow paper packs. But before attaching the “add-on” papers to the turtle frame, I took a needle and some linen thread and added a few cross-stitch marks around the blue frame. I’ve also cut a few clouds from a retired LF die set and added the die cut “bottle” that I colored from the same “Get Well” stamp set.

Before I attached the turtle mechanism onto the card, I also die cut a strip of grass with the Grassy Hillside Pop-Up Add-On die in some green cardstock. I then took one of the sentiments from the same “Get Well” stamp set and white heat embossed it at the bottom of this piece. The turtle mechanism was popped up over the card front base with some foam tape which was all mounted to an A2 sized top folding card base.

I thought it would be fun to decorate the envelope too, so I die cut a piece of the grass again and used it as a stencil to sponge in some grass along the bottom of the envelope and then I also stenciled some clouds over it.

Vicki-CCT582-A

And here’s what the turtle looks like when you pull the tab out. He is much happier now that he’s back on his feet again! I think I played with this card and pulled that tab to watch that turtle get on his feet over and over! LOL! I hope it will have the same effect on the person who receives it too!

Here’s a closer view of the coloring that I’ve done. It was a small image and so I’ve kept the coloring pretty simple. For the “happy” turtle I’ve made a few clouds in the sky. To make the slider part work, you don’t want to add anything other than the coloring so that it slides smoothly.

Vicki-CCT582-flat

Here you can sort of get a better look at the coordinating envelope that I’ve made to go with the card. Although I have made some hand stitched marks on my card, the dies themselves already have lots of cool stitch details in them when you cut it out, so I think it just helped add to the design. This card is going to a male, so I didn’t want to create anything that was too over done. I think this might bring a smile, what do you think?

Please be sure to hop on over to the Cute Card Thursday challenge blog and take a look at the inspiration from the rest of the design team and be sure to enter YOUR “stitched (faux/real)” to the gallery this week! Would love to see what you come up with!

P.S. If you remembered my post the other day, I shared a photo of the Robin’s nest with one egg in it. Well, since I’ve last checked, there are a couple more in there now:

3 robin eggs

Every time we go out there, the mother watches for us to leave as she wants to sit on her eggs! This is why we can’t get a photo of her actually sitting on it. But we will see if anything happens in a few weeks! 🙂

Thanks so much for dropping by today! I hope you are enjoying your week and I’ll see you soon!!

Challenges:

Sweet Stampers – Animals
Pammies Inky Pinkies – PIP1919 Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Stitches
Watercooler Wednesday – masculine anything goes WWC221

April New Release for Whimsy Stamps with Interactive Card!

Hello friends! (If you are looking for my “Purple Day” Epilepsy Awareness Blog Hop winner’s post, CLICK HERE)

It’s the first of the month for April and this also means a new release for Whimsy Stamps! You can check out all of the new digital release by CLICKING HERE!

I’m excited to be sharing this really fun and unique interactive design that I’ve made with one of the cute images called Stretchy Giraffe digtial stamp from the new release!

Vicki-Giraffe Flies extended neck-April 2nd

This giraffe is so sweet and was fun to color up with Copic markers! (See below for the full list of the markers I’ve used.)

I took the extended neck version of the giraffe and made some fold marks in his neck so that when folded, it looks like the “regular neck” version of the image, but when you pull up on the purple balloon at the top, the neck extends up with it! LOL!

Check out this 18 second video below to see how it works:

I’ve used the Whimsy Stamps No-See Kinetic Basics die set along with the Kinetic Straight Basics die set to make the straight track behind the large cloud that is under the flying giraffe. This way there’s no track behind the giraffe to move the neck which I think is pretty cool with these special WS Kinetic No-See dies!

Because this was a giraffe with a long neck, I wanted to make a tall skinny type of card for this design. (It measures 3″ x 6″ when closed.) I’ve used a cloud die cut to hide the interactive track behind the giraffe and then I used a cloud stencil to sponge on some Wilted Violet and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks on the cloud die cut as well as the background white panel and the interactive pull behind the balloon so it all matches. I thought it would be fun to add some stars, so I took the star from the Snappy Birthday clear stamp set and stamped them with the Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink. I also took the sentiment from the Dachshund Balloon rubber stamp set and stamped it on the bottom of the white card front panel. (I thought it was the perfect sentiment to go along with this image! LOL!) I’ve rounded the corners of the white panel and cloud panel with a corner chomper.

The giraffe was popped up with the black string wrapped around his left “antler” and then secured on the back. The other end of the black string was tied around the balloon which is attached to the pull tab underneath the cloud area. I covered the stars with a clear glitter brush and added some sequins filled with some Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter Drops. I’ve used foam dots to pop up the giraffe over the design.

Here’s a closer view of the extended neck and the coloring I’ve done. Here is the Copic list that I’ve used to color with and you can purchase them at Whimsy Stamps by CLICKING HERE:

giraffe body – YR24, YR21
spots, muzzle, mail & tail end – E15, E13, E11
Hooves & horns – E49, E47, E44
ears & belly – R20, R11, R00, R000
balloon – V17, V15, V12

I fussy cut the giraffe and the balloon separately from the image so that I could add my own string and make this an interactive card design.

Vicki-GiraffeFliesExtendedNeck-April 2nd-pulled tab

Really enjoyed creating this fun interactive card in a unique way with this adorable new stamp! I hope you’ve been inspired with it too! Would love to see what you come up with if you purchase this image!!

Thanks so much for popping in today!! I’ll see you soon!

Here’s the list of Whimsy Stamps Products (with affiliate links) that I’ve used on my card for today:

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

TGIF Challenge – Balloons (TGIFC205)
Alphabet Challenge – ‘A’ is for Animals
Crazy 4 Challenges – C4C477 “Trick Card”
Pammies Inky Pinkies – ATG (PIP1913)
Crafty Animals – Anything Goes + animal
613 Avenue Create – Anything Goes with optional: create a kinetic card

Turtley Impossible

Hello friends! I really wanted to post earlier this week, but life sometimes gets in the way of all of the crafty fun that you want to do as I’m sure you know! 🙂

If you remember earlier this Summer my post about the fun stamp convention I went to in Collinsville, I shared a photo of the TONS of things I got while I was there. I still haven’t been able to play with all of it…yet, but there are a couple of companies that I fell in love with, so I decided to place an order for some things that I wished I had gotten while I was there! LOL!

This “new to me” company called Pink & Main was a booth that I went to and bought some items from. I had seen a video last year of something that I fell in love with and was determined to purchase that while I was there. I started following along with them and fell in love with these sweet turtles that I’ve used on my card today:

Vicki-Impossible Card-PM

Before I get to the details of this card, I wanted to explain what type of card this is. There are many challenge blogs I like to follow because I enjoy challenging myself while paper crafting as many of us like to do. So I came across this challenge that was asking us to make an “Impossible Card“. (I have linked a tutorial that I found on Splitcoaststampers if you want to learn how to make one for yourself. Just click on the card name.) I had not seen nor heard of one of these before, so naturally I had to play along! What I like about this card (NOT impossible at all…so easy!), is that the center panel naturally pops up like that AND you can fold it down to lay flat in a regular A2 sized envelope! (You can create different sizes and such, but I kept mine simple.)

To decorate this card, I’ve taken the very cute Pink & Main Turtely Amazing stamp set with the coordinating dies to color with my Copic markers and cut them out. I’ve also used the Pink & Main Sunset paper pad as well as the Waves Border Dies to decorate the background scene. The white strips that I’ve used for stability on the card was stamped with the sentiment from the same set and then layered with the blue polka-dotted paper around it. I added the cut elements and layered them on top of the strip. For the main popped up panel, I’ve taken the cut out turtle and layered him among the cut wave border at the bottom. I then took some of the Pink & Main Silver Glossy Dots to embellish the upper corner. I also took some ribbon and added a bow just below the turtle. For the light blue polka-dotted papers, I sponged some blue distress ink along the edges for a bit more color.

And since you can completely turn this card around, I wanted to decorate the other side as well:

Vicki-Impossible Card2-PM

For this side, I took a different turtle from the same stamp set, colored and cut him out along with the other elements to arrange on my card scene. I took some brown card stock and cut a strip with a stitched border die and inked up one edge for a sandy beach for the turtle to sit on. I also tucked the shell behind the border and added the star fish on the strip with foam tape. I also added some more silver glossy dots to the strip.

There would still be room to write a personal message on the bottom portion of the card if someone wanted to. You could also easily write something on the back somewhere on the lighter blue spots.

Super easy and fun to make which is something that I needed right now, so I’m glad I decided to give this a try!

Here are the challenges I’d like to enter this card for: