SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 5: SUNFLOWER SURPRISE

We've hit it! Week 5 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! Can you believe that 5 weeks has gone by already? I sure can't. What's really got me is that there is only 2 weeks left to the blog hop. I have looked forward to each project every week...so I have no idea what I'm going to do after...'cept maybe BEG Eileen, Karen and Brenda to just send me things at random. What do you say ladies? Help a crafty sista out? LOL

So, this week we are featuring another incredible die designed by Karen Burniston. I was particularly excited about this week's project because I am a huge of fan of pop-ups. Yes, that's right people...Karen's die is a pop up! As usual, I couldn't decide on a concept. I only knew that I was definitely using this die as it was intended! No worries...there are pics of that pop up coming up. But first...in case you wanna make one just like this...here is your weekly supply list:

Sizzix products:

Sizzix Bigz XL Die #656740 - Gift Card Holder w/Phrase For You 3-D (Pop up)

Sizzix Big Shot Machine

Sizzix Accessory - Cutting Pad, Extended, 1 Pair

Sizzix Accessory - Premium Crease Pad, Extended

Other supplies:

Blank greeting card (no smaller than A-2 size)

Neutral colored cardstock

Yellow cardstocks by Bazzill

Vellum

Stickles in a coordinating color

Distressed Ink by Tim Holtz

Stipple Brushes

Red liner tape

Mod Podge

Foam brush

Xacto knife & cutting mat

I am from the northeast. I love it here...and the change of seasons (although I've been known to whine...cough...about it being too hot or cold at times). The one thing, however, I can absolutely do without is Daylight Savings! Boy, do I hate it when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. Plus, the weather has been miserable to boot! This is exactly why I was particularly drawn to the bright sunflower pictures that my best friend's daughter (who's 13) took. Plus, sunflowers are my very fav flower!! It really helped cheer me up! Who wouldn't want a blast of warm cheeriness during these winter days with a Dunkin Donuts gift card to pick up a nice hot coffee! I know I'd love to get one of these babies in the mail! (feel free to email me for my snail mail ... he he)

Oh my, it seems I have digressed yet again. My apologies.

Soooooo....I started with a blank, white greeting card. Of course, the first thing I did was grab some ink and my stipple brushes. Yes, I have a thing with those. I just swept some color across those bare white edges...on the front of the card...and on the inside as well. Because I was using these gorgeous, bold yellow sunflowers, I went with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint as my Distress Ink accent colors.

I mentioned last week how I love to print photos on vellum because I like the effect. I did the same this week. This particular sunflower I cut out with my Xacto knife. Please be sure that you remember to use a cutting mat. :)

I layered two pieces of yellow card stock, the lighter of the two on top. I lightly brushed some Mod Podge onto the back of the vellum sunflower and layered it down. While that was drying, I went back to my computer and found part of a sunflower poem that I liked a lot, drafted up a saying for the inside of my card and printed those up onto another piece of vellum. I'm fond of vellum, too! I tore around my sayings and brushed on some Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy. I glued the poem to the front of the card and set the inside saying aside for later.

In the kit that Karen sent, there was a frame type piece that was cut out in white. I glued another one of my sunflower pictures (printed in vellum, naturally) to the front and cut the excess off. This piece inserted perfectly into the pop up. Wait...you'll see!

Next, I was ready to assemble the pop up! Following the directions carefully, I used red liner tape to secure the pop up inside the card. It was very simple and the directions were very well written! Once that was attached, I used double stick tape to attach the extra sunflower framed piece. I only taped across the top of the frame. It is important to note this because if you tape across the bottom, it will stick to the card and prevent the card from opening all the way! That, my friends, would be bad!

I used some Stickles on the "FOR YOU" just to make the letters stand out a little bit more...and, honestly, who doesn't love a little sparkle?

When it was assembled, it looked like this:

Just to finish the card off, I added the light yellow cardstock and glued my vellum saying over that.

Then I added my gift card like this:

This is really just such a special die. You can use it anytime, for any occasion. It is like getting two gifts in one! Can you imagine how special you will make someone feel handing them a gift card in a completely customized card? It's perfect for a teacher's gift for Christmas or end of year...and would make a spectacular vehicle for a personalized birthday present! Sure beats the socks off those cardboard holders that come with the gift card, I say!

I hope my Sunflower Surprise gift card holder has brightened your late fall days! Can't wait to get a start on next week's project which will feature another versatile die from Brenda Pinnick. Time to hop forward....

Artfully yours,

Theresa

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 3: MY VINTAGE GARDEN

Welcome back! We are now on Week 3 of Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop. I had so much fun this week playing with the featured die...which was designed by Brenda Pinnick. So go grab a cup of java and settle in...I have lots of pictures this week!

Let's start with a list of supplies:

• Sizzix Original Die #655455 - Flower, Beauty Bloom by Brenda Pinnick
• Big Shot cutting machine
• Felt from National Non Woven
• Fabric - Couluer Vie by Brenda Pinnick for Henry Glass & Co.
• Off White cardstock

Other Supplies:

• 12x24 stretched cotton canvas
• Sizzix Sizzlets Die Set # 656539 3PK - Flower Layers #3
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink: antique linen, tea dye, vintage photo, walnut stain
• Stipple brushes
• Make-up sponges
• Small brads: pale yellow, bright yellow, antique brown
• Mod Podge: paper and fabric
• Paper piercing tool
• Folk Art High Definition Visual Texture by Plaid: sunflower, yellow ochre, forest moss, hauser green medium, thicket
• Textured stamp
• Vellum
• Bazzill papers

I started with a blank canvas. It matters not what size you choose. I selected 12 x 24 because I wanted to have a lot of surface on which to add texture. I did not treat the canvas with Gesso or anything else. I left a completely bare surface.

Then using Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in my fav colors, some makeup sponges and stipple brushes I start to distress the surface of the canvas. I stippled and I sponged...and I even went direct to canvas with my pad. If you are not familiar with the process, you simply rub the surface of the ink pad directly onto the surface where you want the color. **IMPORTANT NOTE: Canvas is a textured surface...so be aware that the stamp pad surface can get a little bit chewed up. I have doubles of all my pads, so I have a set just for this purpose.**

When I distress anything I start with the lightest color and work to my darkest. I also start at the edges and work my way in towards the middle. I use my darkest colors towards the edges.

Brenda was very generous with the amount of blooms she supplied and so I took one of the paper bloom and used it as a stencil. I placed the bloom onto the canvas surface and then stippled some tea dye and vintage photo around the edges of the bloom. It created this effect:

Next, I printed out a poem that I really liked onto vellum. Now I realize the poem refers to daffodils...but I am taking artistic license here! I tore the edges and then I stippled on the BACK side of the vellum one of my lighter color inks, again working from the outside to inside. If you can see in the photo below...I didn't stipple the color over the entire piece of vellum. When you do this technique, the color should be darkest at the edge and gradually lightens as you work towards the middle. Then, I flipped the vellum back to the front and with the next shade darker ink...I stippled just the very edge of the vellum.

Using a very thin coat of Fabric Mod Podge, I adhered the vellum to the canvas. Now don't worry if the vellum resists sticking. What I did is put a book under the canvas, then I placed a piece of wax paper over the vellum and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. I left it for a a while. Once that adhesive is dry, it's on there! **NOTE: always put wax paper or butcher paper between layers that are still wet from glue so that they don't bleed on each other or stick together!

I really love using vellum. Because it is translucent, you can still see the stenciled blooms behind it.

Next, I began to layer the pieces of the blooms together. Brenda sent such a variety that no bloom looks the same! I did stipple some ink onto the paper pieces and some onto the fabrics and felt to mute down the color to go with my vintage theme. Isn't that beautiful!

I cut a few extra blooms with another Sizzix die I had so that I could cover more of my surface and compliment the Brenda's big flower blooms. I altered some of the blooms with the ink and a textured stamp. I assembled the flower layers and pierced the centers with a paper piercer so that I easily slide in the brads.

I used Mod Podge for fabric and for paper to adhere the blooms to the canvas...then I let it dry completely.

Once everything was dry, I started to add some details by doodling some vines and leaves onto the canvas with the Visual Texture by Plaid. I just love that stuff! It adds a lot of dimension. I also added some extra details right onto the flowers!

I was really pleased with how my project came out this week. It is very me! I can't wait to see what everyone else has done...I am sure you feel the same. So, go ahead.....hop forward!

Artfully yours,

Theresa

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 2: B is for BABY

Hello again! Welcome to Week 2 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! This week features Karen Burniston's Twist Cube Die. Lemme tell ya...it is a really fun die to play with because it is interactive. When using the die as originally instructed, it twists and pops up. Very cool effect. I, however, decided to do a little something different with it. Hope you like!

The materials you will first need to get started are:

#656739 Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Cube, Twist, 3-D by Karen Burniston

Sizzix Big Shot cutting machine

Sizzix Accessory - cutting pad, extended

Sizzix Accessory - premium crease pad, extended

Die Cuts With a View cardstock

Here are some other materials that I used:

ATG Tape Runner

Paper Trimmer

Xacto knife and mat

Family Treasure's Scalloped edged scissors

1/16th" hole punch

PPA

Golden's Fluid Matte Medium

Baby Feet paper, Stemma

Pastel colored card stock, Bazzill

Pale green satin ribbon - 1/8"

Yellow organza ribbon - 3/4"

Plaid's Folk Art Paint in light blue, jamaican sea, lemonade and baby pink

Doodlebug Design Sugar Coating lily white glitter

Stickles

Tissue paper

Candy

Karen and the lovely staff at Sizzix were kind enough to send me a nice neutral color...black. The first thing I did was assemble the box. I am going to be very honest here! I had no idea what I was going to do with it after I'd assembled it. I only knew that I wasn't going to make it pop up. Don't take that the wrong way though. It wasn't that I couldn't think of what to use it for...quite to the contrary! Did I want to make a photo box? Or an ornament? Maybe a bat...because that is what those top pieces remind me of? Get the idea?

As I was looking at it I thought, "that would make a great alphabet block!" However, having only one to play around with....and of course, I'd gone and assembled it already...it occurred to me how cute it would be as a baby block that one could use for a baby shower favor!

So, I worked a little bit backwards. If I hadn't put the cube together first, I probably would have covered the individual pieces with paper first. Since I didn't do that, I had to work a little bit backwards. Now a note to all....if you are going to use your diecut as a pop up, will want to do your assembly with really super strong glue! As I knew my box would be stationary, I used my ATG tape runner to put the actual box together.

I covered the top tabs first. I used PPA to apply the paper to the cube. I have found that once the glue dries, it adds a little stability.

Then I covered the sides also using PPA. I didn't cover the bottom, but of course, if you'd like to on yours that's just fine! I also chose to cut away the part of the tab that looks like a wing.

Next, I used 1/8" pale green ribbon to finish off the top edges of the box. It hid any black sticking out and gave it a cleaner look.

I used my pastel colored solid papers to adhere to the sides of the cube. The first layer I cut 3"x3" and taped them to the sides of the box. I cut another set the same size and trimmed the edges with my Scalloped edged scissor. How did I get that so straight? You can take a look at the technique I used at this past Tuesday's Tips, Tools & Techniques post. I layered the scalloped pieces on top of each square. Plus I made sure to have a different color combination on each side.

I love Stickles! It is glittery and sparkly without the mess. Not that I mind mess, of course, but it is fun and easy and quick to use. Here I applied a little dot of Stickles in the center of each scallop.

Don't those Stickle dots look great? Now my favorite part of the cube is the letters. I used chip board letters that spelled out B A B Y. I painted each letter a different color with acrylic paint and let them dry really well. Then I applied a thin coat of Golden's Fluid Matte Medium to the front of the letters and then dipped those into that Lily White Glitter. It is a super fine glitter and the paint color shows right through it. Love it! Then I glued one letter to the center of each paper panel.

Finally, I punched two tiny holes using my 1/16th" hole punch into the tip of the triangular side tabs. I threaded the organza ribbon through each side and tied a simple knot. The hole is so tiny that the big knot I made will not go through it. Plus the layers of paper, glue and the ribbon lining should keep anything from ripping. I mean, I wouldn't load this thing up with change...but for it's intended purpose here, it is perfect.

I threw in some tissue paper in baby colors to bring it all together. Then I filled my baby favor up with candy. Hmmm...I think I am detecting a theme. I dunno, maybe I'm always hungry when I'm working on these types of projects!

I hope you enjoyed this week's project. I really think it looks so sweet.

Artfully yours,

Theresa

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 1: GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Hello and welcome to Week 1 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop. This is so exciting and I have been having way too much fun playing at the studio here. This is a long post, so I'm going to get right down to it....but just remember to click "Hop Forward" (or back) on the Sizzix icon in the sidebar to see what everyone else has done with this fantastic house die, which was designed, btw, by our own talented Eileen Hull.

So, with no further adieu, away we go....

Sizzix supplies:

#656836; Sizzix Scoreboards Pro Die - House, 3D, by Eileen Hull

Sizzix 12x12 matboard, white

Sizzix Big Shot Pro die cutting machine

Other supplies:

Plaid's Folk Art Acrylic Paint, Bark Brown

Plaid's Fold Art, High Definition Visual Texture, Wicker White

Golden's Gel Medium, Regular Gel (Matte)

Foam Brushes

Paper Plates

Scissors or Xacto knife

Pencil

Ruler

Plastic Baggie (1 gallon size)

Styrofoam disc, 6" diameter

Styrofoam balls, 1.5" round

Canvas board, 9x12

Buffalo snow

Glitter

Candy: Twizzlers (pull 'n peel), M&M minis, Jolly Rancher Pops, Mike & Ikes

Shredded Coconut

After the die was cut and pulled apart, I used Plaid's Bark Brown acrylic paint to paint the board. Depending on the look you're going for will determine how many coats. I wanted a dense look, so I used 3 coats. Above shows what the paint looked like after one coat.

Once the paint dried, I made a lattice pattern on both sections of roof. I did use a ruler and pencil to mark where I wanted the lines. I then traced the lines freehand with Plaid's High Definition Visual Texture. It really works well for this effect as the bottle has a pointed applicator and it holds the dimension so you have that raised effect.

Make sure everything is dry before you start assembling the house. I used Golden's Gel Medium to glue my house together. I like the consistency of it. Plus it is really strong. Resist the temptation to touch the roof before the glue has time to set. After it is mostly dry (yes, I'm very impatient lol), I started to add the M&M Minis. They are the perfect size for this. I adhered them with the Gel Medium. I kind tilted the house on it's side, added the candy and let that set up before starting the other side. Doing this will ensure that none of the M&Ms fall off.

Just to make it a lil sweeter, I outlined the door and the underside of the roof with the Pull 'n Peel Twizzlers. I glued on the smaller roof, then, using that High Definition Visual Texture again, I made a scallop design all over the front, sides and back of the house. I also added some little details like piled snow on the fence, around the windows and around the door.

This is what it looked like...

Now just to backtrack a little bit, I don't want you to think that there is a lot of sitting around eating Snickers while waiting for glue and texture paint to dry. NO WAY! See, I was having such a good time that I went a little crazy. I decided to make this into a display piece. So here is what I was doing in between working on the house...

The base is simply a 9x12 piece of canvas board. I keep it around my studio all the time. The styrofoam disc I glued to the canvas board with Gel Medium. I sketched out a pathway so I would have an idea as to where I wanted those styrofoam balls to go. There are 6 in the picture above, but I ultimately went with 5. Those are also glued down with Gel Medium, but before gluing them down, I wanted to flatten the bottom a bit. To do that, just rub two of the balls together and they sort of just file each other down. Doing that before you glue helps make them more stable.

Next, I used a foam brush and put a light coating of Gel Medium all over the board and styrofoam. I covered the whole thing with Buffalo Snow. I pulled the snow very thin. I then glued Mike & Ikes to construct the path that leads from the house.

Set the house onto the display, so the door lines up with the path. To simulate trees, I pushed Jolly Rancher lollypops into the styrofoam balls.

Coconut!! Now, it's messy...but a cool effect. Take some shredded coconut and put it in a ziplock bag. Add glitter to it! Close the bag. (yep, I said it...cause someone will forget. I guarantee it lol) Give it a good shake. The coconut is moist, so the glitter will stick to it. Then sprinkle that mixture all over. I added a little extra glitter just for good measure.

That's all there is to it! This was an amazingly fun project. I sure hope you will try it out at home. Be sure to let me know how it turned out.

Artfully yours,

Theresa

Sizzix Blog Hop is Coming!!

Hey all...I am very pleased to announce that a new Sizzix Blog Hop will begin in early November! I'm thoroughly excited because I am actually taking part in this blog hop which features projects created with Sizzix dies.

This should be particularly exciting because there are over 60 professional designers taking part in this fantastic event! Each of us will design 7 different projects...which means that each week you will see over 60 different design concepts all using the same die. Do you realize how incredible that is? I don't know about you all...but I am very excited to see what my colleagues come up with...the talent that has gathered for this blog hop is outstanding!

Very shortly (like later today lol), there will be a link on my side bar which will enable you to view all the projects contained each week in the blog hop. Of course, you will see mine here along with directions and a materials list. I have to admit, I am a little nervous as this is my very first blog hop, but in general I am excited because there is nothing I am more passionate about than art!

Keep your eyes peeled...I'm looking forward to reading your comments on all the blogs.

Here we go.......

Theresa