{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 7 -- Technique Tuesday: Z-fold

Hi, there, and welcome to another installment of {12 Weeks of Christmas}!  This week, I've got a fun technique that adds *WOW* to your project without adding any cost (we love those, don't we?!).  It's called a Z-Fold and there are all sorts of variations.  I thought we'd start simple; I'll show you a more complex one in the future...

Start with a half-sheet of Riding Hood Red card stock, cut vertically.  Next, score (using Stampin' Up!'s fabulous new Simply Scored tool) at 5-1/2 inches and 8-1/4 inches.

I fed the (end) 2 3/4-inch piece through my Big Shot, using my Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The accents on that little flap include a piece of Baja Breeze (suggested by my Color Coach) that I edged using the Scallop Edge Border punch, a piece of 1/4-inch Whisper White grosgrain ribbon (which I tucked around the edges of the Baja Breeze so that the "Behind the Scenes" isn't visible on the card), and a Scallop Oval piece of So Saffron with the sentiment stamped in Baja Breeze and punched using the Large Oval punch.  Finally, I stamped the little bloom from Season of Joy on whisper White (using the Riding Hood Red Classic Ink) and cut it out, using my super-fine Stampin' Up! Paper Snips.  A "Faux Bow" of the same Whisper White grosgrain ribbon finishes off the front.

For the "inside" of the card, I inked the big blossom from Season of Joy in So Saffron and stamped it first (it's barely visible in the photo, hiding behind the sentiment), then followed it up with the square image/sentiment stamp that I colored using my Stampin' Write Markers (that's how I got parts to be Baja Breeze and the three blooms in the upper left to be Riding Hood Red).  The same big blossom is inked in Riding Hood Red on the envelope to tie the two together (remember, no naked envelopes!).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Season of Joy (#110384, $26.95)

Paper:  Riding Hood Red (#111348), So Saffron (#105118), Baja Breeze (# 111352) and Whisper White (#100730) card stocks

Inks:  Riding Hood Red (#111836 pad, #120971 marker), So Saffron (#105213), and Baja Breeze (#111833 pad, #120965 marker) Classic Inks

Accessories:  Simply Scored Scoring Tool (in the Holiday and Occasions Mini Catalogs, #122334), Big Shot (#113439), Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#116824), Scallop Edge Border (#119882), Scallop Oval (#119856), and Large Oval (#119855) Punches, Paper Snips (#103579), and Whisper White 1/4-inch grosgrain ribbon (#109025)

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Season of Joy: Day 4

"JOY!" is right! I have been meaning to write and publish this post for a few days now, but as luck would have it, I've been busy out with the kids, playing in the *snow*! It's a rare treat for us in the Pacific Northwest to get enough snow to sled and play in... With two snow days from school, this feels like a mini Christmas Vacation!

This card was made for another sketch challenge... I used my Color Coach for the color guidance; not a traditional combination of colors, but I really like it! We've got Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze and Rose Red at work here...An easy way to add oomph to a card is with a bit of texture. I used the Perfect Details Texturz Plate with my Big Shot on the Baja Breeze here...To achieve the two-tone stamping here, you can use the masked inking technique that I demonstrated in this post: http://www.studio-sara.com/2010/04/technique-video-masked-inking.html .

The sparkly brad comes from the Holiday Mini Catalog. It and four other colors can be found in the Glimmer Subtles pack.
Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Season of Joy

Papers: Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red and Baja Breeze Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Scallop Circle and Scallop Edge punches, Rose Red stitched ribbon (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you for visiting!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Season of Joy: Day 3

Love the swirls in this set and this card shows them off. With a little VersaMark, they add a lot of visual interest and they were a snap to make!

This card was created for a sketch challenge at 365 Cards:

I wanted it to look like we were seeing the Christmas tree through a window... The sentiment is also part of this set. I love the dots beneath the words; there's a lot you can do with rhinestones or paper piercing to add a little more oomph to the sentiment!

The tag is made using the Ticket Corner Punch (on River Rock). I've just tied two knots in the narrow grosgrain and glued them down with Mini Glue Dots.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Season of Joy

Papers: Cajun Craze, So Saffron, River Rock and Whisper White

Inks: Always Artichoke Classic and VersaMark

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Whisper White Narrow Grosgrain, Mini Glue Dots

Thanks for the visit! Day Four of the Stamp Set Spotlight is coming soon!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Season of Joy: Day 2

I'm sure that the botanically-minded readers will know that the bloom pictured here is a poinsettia. However, I'm willing to bet that I can use this stamp pretty freely all year long. I used it to make a winter-themed card.


I paired the Regal Rose with the Blushing Bride (which I'd run through the Big Shot, using the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions folder). It's adhered to a sueded piece of Early Espresso.

The poinsettia is stamped on a tag from the Two Tags Bigz die, which comes with a ready-made slot to keep the "mini card" closed. Narrow Pretty in Pink grosgrain makes for a sweet knot.

I'm going to make a few more of these quick and easy cards for December birthdays and winter "Thank You" notes...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Season of Joy

Papers: Regal Rose, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Regal Rose Classic (I "stamped off" to give it tonal distinction)

Accessories: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions folder, Two Tags Bigz die, Pretty in Pink Narrow and Early Espresso Grosgrain Ribbon

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Season of Joy: Day 1

As I plan my cards this year, I have been trying out a couple of different ideas using the set, Season of Joy. I love its versatility; the swirls can be used all year long, as can the "hand stamped" stamp with the star. I love the flower and I'll get use out of the snowflake all winter long. I love the possibilities that abound with the block of sentiments, too (more about that later this week)!

For this card, I'm using a new color combination for me, courtesy of the fabulous (and indispensable) Color Coach. I've used Basic Grey, Baja Breeze and Cajun Craze. Three colors I never would have thought to combine, but I like what I got here!

I love how the Perfect Details Texturz Plate coordinates with the swirls from this set. I fed the Baja Breeze piece that backs the Christmas tree through my Big Shot and voila -- instant texture!

I also added a touch of glitter...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Season of Joy

Papers: Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Baja Breeze and Basic Grey Classics, VersaMark

Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, White Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Punch, Oval Punch (#119855)

Thanks for the visit! I look forward to sharing more of my Stamp Set Spotlight this week...

This Week in the Studio...

Whew! I hope you had a fun and safe Halloween! We had a lovely time celebrating with family (we get to eat a big dinner together first and then head out to Trick-or-Treat). We had a house full of grandparents, aunties, uncles and two especially darling nephews/cousins. Fun, fun, fun!

Here's my crew as they're ready to board the Hogwarts Express. We've got Harry in his Quidditch robes (see the snitch in his right hand?), Hedwig, his owl, and Hermione Granger. Go, Gryffindor!

Here's a sneak peek at the projects I'll be posting this week. I'm starting to plan for my Thanksgiving and Christmas cards -- this is a really fun part of preparing for the holidays.

I realize that in my last post, I said I'd show you my son's birthday invitations; I'll do that, but I'll also share his thank-you notes, as well. We'll take care of that later this week.

Hope your week has gotten off to a good start and I look forward to sharing the whole stories behind these projects, a new blog header and buttons and some videos...

Take care! Thanks for your visit!