Gone Stampin'!

Scallop Card Tutorial

I keep showing you square scallop cards like this one, assuming you know how I'm making them. By the e-mails I've gotten clearly I'm wrong! So - here is a little tutorial on how you can make them with your Big Shot Die-Cut Machine and Scallop Square Die. It's really very easy to do.

First, cut your card stock to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and fold it in half (making your card a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4").

Lay your card on your Scallop Square Die, with the folded edge just inside one of the scallop edges. This allows that fold to remain in your card and is what makes the one edge not scalloped. You could put your folded edge a little higher, with just the edges of the scallops showing above in order to still get a slight scallop on that edge, but to use an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock you don't have enough room to also get the full scallop on the bottom edge of the card. It's a really tight fit just like this.

 

At this point you simply run your card stock through your Big Shot with the standard cutting pad 'sandwich' and voila! You have a square scalloped card.

You can do the same thing with your Scallop Circle Die - with that one I just leave about 4 scallops peeking out above the card stock when I run it through the Big Shot.

There are so many fun things you can do with the Big Shot - I can't imagine not having mine since I am constantly reaching for it!

When you do purchase your Big Shot and a few Dies to go with it, remember that when you place your order at my Stampin' Up! website, you will receive hostess benefits when your order reaches $150. This will allow you to choose free hostess stamp set(s) and free merchandise (even another Big Shot Die)! If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

Sneak Peek & Pinwheel Tutorial

Ok...the Pinwheel Tutorial is here! And since I know you want to see new products & colors that's what I've used in this card.

 

The main card is Rich Razzleberry while the pieces behind the pinwheel and the Thanks oval are Melon Mambo. I also used our new Designer Series Paper "Razzleberry Lemonade", the new 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon in Melon Mambo, and the new Modern Label Punch. So...how do you make this card? It's simple really. Here's a step by step tutorial to help you.

First, punch 8 squares with your 1 3/8" square punch - 4 each of 2 different designs. Then you'll also punch one additional square out of whatever card stock you would like. (This piece will be on the back side so you won't see it in the finished project).

Next, line up 4 of the same design squares into one large square (thank goodness for pictures!). Make sure that every piece is right up against each other. Once they are together, take the extra piece that you punched (the one that can be out of any card stock) and cover it with Dotto adhesive. Lay this piece adhesive side down in the center of the 4 squares. What this piece does is hold things together for you so that you can put together your pinwheel. You'll then turn it over so that the card stock holding the 4 squares together is in the back.

         

Now you're ready to add your complementary pieces of Designer Paper. To do this, fold back one Razzleberry square to the center of the piece. Insert one of your complementary pieces - lining up the points so that one point is at the center of the Razzleberry paper square and one point is pointing toward the outer point of the Razzleberry square it is partially covering (again-thank goodness for pictures!). Continue to add the remaining squares in the same way.

       

When you've added all 4 of your squares this is what your piece will look like. At this point I rotate it around and make sure that from every angle the lines of the same colored squares are straight. Sometimes you can add a piece a little crooked, but as soon as you turn the piece you'll see how it's off just a little bit. Once you're happy with where everything is placed, lift up each piece and add a little Snail adhesive to hold it in place permanently.

And your basic pinwheel is finished! Once it's done I layer it onto a slightly larger piece of coordinating cardstock before adding it to my project. Then I also add something to the center of the pinwheel-on this card I used a Build-a-Brad with the accenting Melon Mambo color but have used our corduroy buttons and rhinestone brads in the past also.

Please e-mail me if you need some clarification on my instructions. I'm hoping the pictures do most of the explaining for you! I tend to be a visual person, so I know that's always very helpful to me.

I'll be back with more sneak peeks, information on an upcoming class, and the winners of the Retiring List contest!

Paper Flowers

The paper flower tutorial is here! These were fun to make although I can't see making bunches of them due to their finicky nature (you'll see what I mean when you make one!). But in just making a couple they were well worth the time to do! Here are the two I made last night:

 

So...let's get started! First you'll need to choose your patterned papers. I used the Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper for both flowers since I wanted them both to coordinate. Then you'll need to print the mini flowers pattern that Stampin' Up! has provided. This provides you with the template for the flower petals for these two flowers and a guide for the flower centers. The flower that I'm showing you how to create is flower #2, but both flowers #1 and #2 are put together the same way. Once you have your patterned paper and template printed, you're ready to go!

Step #1: Cut out your pieces. For the center of your flower you'll cut a strip of patterned paper 1 7/8" x 12" long. Then you'll make approximately 1 1/4" long cuts every 1/8" - 3/16" or so. This piece is the top one in the picture above.

Then you'll cut out your flower petals. Flower #1 has 6 petals for each layer while Flower #2 has 5 petals for each layer. To cut the petals I first attached the petal template with Dotto adhesive to the patterned paper. Then I attached two additional pieces of patterned paper with the Dotto behind that first piece. This way I can cut out 3 petals at a time without the papers moving while cutting them. (Tip: The Dotto is an awesome adhesive for a project like this as it is removable. Once you have your pieces cut you simply pull them apart and wipe away the dots of adhesive.)

Your final piece to cut is the piece that goes around the outside bottom of your flower once the petals are all put together. This piece is in the bottom right corner of the picture above and measures 7/8" x 2 7/8".

Here are the pieces you'll end up with once everything is cut:

Step #2: Now we'll start assembling your flower. First take the long piece that is the center of your flower (the top piece in the picture above) and start rolling it up. I didn't use a tool to help in doing this, but you could use the tip of your paper piercing tool to get it started. Also - it doesn't look like it in the picture because the center has moved up while rolling it, but you do want to roll it tightly.

When it is almost completely rolled up, you'll want to put a piece of sticky strip in the corner which you'll use to hold it together.

 

Here is what the finished piece, the center of your flower, will look like:

 

Step #3: Attach your first layer of petals around the base of the flower center you just made (these will be the smaller of the petals). I put a little of the Snail adhesive at the bottom of my petals and then attached them around the outside. The petals will overlap each other. If you find that you're not attaching them closely enough you should still be able to easily move them at this point and reposition them closer together. Here's what your flower will look like after the first layer of petals have been attached:

     

Step #4: Attach the next layer of petals in the same way you attached the first layer of petals. Again, these will overlap each other in order to fit them all around the outside of your flower.

Step #5: When all of your petals have been attached, you'll then attach the outside bottom piece using sticky strip to hold everything together. This will cover up the base where all of your petal are attached. You'll simply wrap this piece around the base of the flower. (The picture is deceiving - it looks like only my first layer of petals is attached when you look at the patterned paper, but I forgot to take a picture of this when doing flower #2 so this picture is flower #1 at this point in the process.)

 

Step #6: Now your flower is together & you just need to fold back the petals. Be careful when you do this since the paper will tear. Here is your finished product:

I hope you enjoyed my very first tutorial on the Gone Stampin'! blog. Now have fun creating these paper flowers on your own! Click here to purchase your designer series papers and adhesives to make this project. E-mail me if you have any questions. ~Valerie

             

Products used in this project: Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper (#113975); Dotto Adhesive (#103305); Snail Adhesive (#104332).