VC Blog Hop #2!

Welcome to my blog! And to some of you, welcome back! We can again use retiring goodies for this VC Blog Hop, so I am. Of course, I cannot let another hop go by without some piratey goodies! I have made a star explosion card for your viewing pleasure. (Ye scurvy dogs!)

I started with a 3.5" square of Whisper White CS. I stamped it with our Pirate Time set, which you can only order until June 30th! Perfect for your favorite pirate! I used Real Red, Going Grey, Sahara Sand, and Soft Suede. I sponged the edges, as well. You will need to stamp five squares, both sides.







This piece is not stamped so that you can see the score lines easier. You need to score vertically and horizontally at the center (here at 1 3/4"). Then FLIP THE PIECE OVER and score diagonally, but just once, as shown.










Fold the score lines inward, making this cup-like piece:


You will repeat this with the remaining four squares.

Now you need to add adhesive. When the above cup-like piece is closed shut, you will have an un-scored square showing on either side. Run some SNAIL around the edges of one square, then do the same on a second piece of stamped, scored CS. Match up those two squares and press together to stick them tightly. Repeat with remaining three pieces.




Once you have the five pieces together, DO NOT ADHERE the ends together, unless you do not want to be able to close this card.

Now you need two small 1 3/4" squares of Whisper White CS. Stamp these as you did the larger pieces, but just on one side. Set aside.

Adhere two twill tape pieces to both ends of your card. Mine are each about 4" long. Adhere your 1 3/4" squares over the ends on the card to cover them.

When tied closed, your card will look like this:



When tied open it will look like a star:




I hope you liked this project! It is a classic, but a fun one to come back to from time to time. I especially like this one with Christmas stamps and some Real Red grosgrain ribbon. Give it a try!

Now it's time to hop along to someone Barb Furlong's blog, The Love of Stamping. If you would like to start from the beginning, just head to the VC Rocks Blog.

See you next time!
Shari

VC Blog Hop!

Welcome to my pitiful blog! If someone could explain to me how to make my own stuff on the sides of the pages, I would love that!

This is my first Blog Hop, and it is the first Annual Blog Hop for VC Rocks! VC is a super-fun group of stampers and SU! addicts. I have so much fun all summer in our virtual hotel, doing swaps, taking classes online, and so much more!

I have been so impressed by all the different punched bouquets out there, that I decided to make one of my own with daisies and black-eyed Susans. For our first VC Blog Hop, we are featuring retiring colors and/or Summer Mini products. I am using both!




Materials:

Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun, Yo-Yo Yellow, Green Galore, Gable Green (all retiring), Chocolate Chip, Whisper White.
Ink: Going Gray (retiring) and Chocolate Chip used for sponging and inside greeting.
Ribbon: Wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain
Punches: 5-Petal Flower, 3/4" Circle, XL 2-Step Bird, Scallop Edge
Big Shot: Square Lattice embossing folder (Summer Mini), Little Leaves Sizzlit, Birds and Blooms Sizzlit 4-Pack
Adhesives: SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals

Directions:

I made this up as I went along. I started with the flower pot, made from Creamy Caramel CS, 11" x 4.25"

1. Score at 5.5"
2. Fold in half, and measure about 1/2" in from the folded corner on both sides, and make a small mark with a pencil.
3. Cut straight from the open corner to the mark you made on both sides. This gives the pot the tapered look.
4. Punch Scallop Edge punch on both open ends.
5. Fold ends about 1" down and crease with bone folder to create lip of flower pot.
6. Sponge all edges with Chocolate Chip classic ink.
7. Use two small pieces of Sticky Strip to keep the pot closed. Put them inside the lip of the pot vertically, close to the edge to be sure you have room for your card to move up and down. You can also use some Sticky Strip to keep the lip of the pot down. Set pot aside.
8. Punch daisies and black-eyed Susans from Whisper White and Summer Sun card stock. Two punches for each flower.
9. Sponge one of each pair of white flowers very lightly with Going Gray classic ink. Do the same with the Summer Sun flowers with Chocolate Chip.
10. Mount the sponged pieces behind the clean ones. This implies shadow and gives definition to the petals.
11. Run Yo-Yo Yellow and Chocolate Chip cardstock thru the Big Shot in the Square Lattice embossing folder.
12. Punch circles out of the textured pieces with the 3/4" Circle punch. Adhere to flowers.
13. Punch the branch and wing from the XL Bird punch with Green Galore and Gable Green. I did two of each color.
14. Run some more Gable Green and Green Galore thru the Big Shot using the Little Leaves Sizzlit die. I used just one of each color. I also have a couple of the larger leaf from Birds & Blooms, but you don't need to do that.

Now we need to make the pull-out card. My inside card is 5.25 x 3. You might need a different size, because you'll cut it to fit your pot so that your flowers are positioned correctly when the card is in the pot.

15. After making your inside card piece, plan where you will adhere your flowers and leaves. Put three flowers on the edge of the pot, up high enough that you can see your scalloped edge, and three on top of the pull-out card. Be sure that they will sit the way you want BEFORE you adhere. I used a Dimensional on the center flowers.
16. Cut a pieces of Whisper White CS to go on the pull-out for your greeting. Mine is 3.25" x 2.5" and I would like it better if I had mounted it on some Chocolate Chip! So you do that. ;o)
17. Stamp your greeting in Chocolate Chip.
18. Adhere Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon to the pot, and you're done!

So... you likely arrived here from Stampin' Stace. Your next hop will take you to Maddiebug Designs. If you'd like to start the Blog Hop from the beginning, start here: www.vcrocks.blogspot.com

I will have blog candy!!! Oooooooooo what will it be???

Going Away Stamp-a-Stack

Let’s celebrate our old “friends.” Just like Birthday Card Bonanza, you can make as many as you like of each card for $1 each, including the envelope. Supplies are limited, as I am using the stock I already have to make room for the new! RSVP ASAP, and no later than April 22nd.

Shown are the first four samples. I hope to make three more, so you'll have seven card options!

Class on Sunday, April 25th at 2PM. As always, dates will change if necessary to meet the needs of the group! If you’re interested in a class, just let me know and we’ll all find a date that works.

Stampin' Up! Color Renovation

Remember back in the 70s when we all had appliances that were Avocado Green or Harvest Gold? Would you want those in your home now? Would you go out and buy those colors today? Of course not. Your kitchen would be outdated. That is why Stampin’ Up! has decided to update their own color palette - to keep us fresh and current!

SU! has done extensive research over the last two years, watching fashion trends and crafting trends; they’ve done surveys of customers, demos, and artists; they’ve had study groups; they’ve closely watched what has sold well and what is getting dusty in their inventory. As a result, in July we will have a gorgeous new group of Core Colors.

In a nutshell, thirty colors will be leaving us at the end of June. We will have five brand-new core colors, and several of our favorite past (and a couple present!) In Colors will become Core Colors. We’ll have four new Color Collections (instead of Families). They are: Bold, Regal, Subtle, and Neutral. There will be ten colors in each Collection.

Our In Color program is changing a bit, too. We will still have five new colors every year, but now, they will stay with us for TWO years! For the new 2010-11 catalog year starting in July, we’ll have 45 colors with the In Colors. When the next catalog comes out in 2011, we’ll still have those 45 colors, and five more In Colors! From then on, we’ll have 50 colors to play with and use each year. Every three to five years, we will see some minor color changes to keep us current and on-trend.

I am SO excited about this!

April Birthday Card Bonanza

I have two cards for this month: one feminine, one masculine.

We'll be using up some of my soon-to-be-retired colors! This month it's Orchid Opulence with Barely Banana, and Mellow Moss with Close to Cocoa (and a bit of Not Quite Navy, which is not retiring).

Same deal as always: $1 per card, including envelope. Let me know how many of each you'd like to make.

Easter Card Class on March 18th at 7:30PM

PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE!

This will be just like Birthday Card Bonanza, but I'll have a couple different Easter cards available. One will use the bunny from Holiday Blitz, and the other one is this giant sheep! STINKIN' CUTE! $1 per card, including envelope. RSVP by March 15th.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Class: April 16th

RMHC Class on Friday, April 16th at 7PM

On the back inside cover of our catalog, you can see this year's RMHC set, Very Thankful. For each set purchased, SU! donates $2 to RMHC. For this class, you will get your own set, mounted and ready to use. We will make two each of five different thank you cards. The duplicates will be sent to a local Ronald McDonald House for the residents to use. Cost for this class is $27.50. If you already have the set, the cost is just $10.

Please RSVP by April 5th.