Retro stitches

Don’t you just love the retro look of these fab papers from the Mini catalogue? They’re called Sweet Stitches and are very funky.

They were perfect to make a thank you card for a very talented lady who has altered a coat for me. I made a buckle card, instructions for which are here. It’s a really simple card to make, with no waste.

There’s very little stamping on this card; there really was no need because the papers are so fantastic. I used a panel of the sewing machine patterened paper and an inchmark strip from the bottom of another of the patterned sheets. The finishing touch just had to be a button!

Stamps: Trendy Trees

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

Ink: Early Espresso

Accessories: Word Window Punch, 1/8” Taffeta ribbon – Daffodil Delight, Regals Buttons

All products by Stampin’ Up!®            

Buckle card

Card number 2 of 5 for the teacher tin was a buckle card... and pretty much the same design as used at my Word Window Punch class, which you can see here, with instructions.  No point in reinventing the wheel, right?

Stamps: Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Basic Black

Paper: Pink Flamingo

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Boho Blossoms punch, rhinestone brads, black brads, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon , Word Window Punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Buckle Card from Word Window Punch class

Sorry for the lack of blog action recently. I’ve not been well and it all caught up on me on Thursday so I took to my bed, had a very long nap and now I feel a lot better.

But it’s been a busy weekend, with my Word Window Punch class on Saturday morning, among many other things. On Saturday we made three projects. Each card had at least two different ways of using the Word Window Punch and, during the course of the morning, we used it to:

1. Make a decorative tab
2. Make a slot for a buckle card
3. Make a long slot for a double slider card
4. Make a tab to pull out a slider
5. Punch out a word with another punched tab behind it
6. Punch short tabs for shorter words
7. Make the box fold for a pop-up card

There are loads more uses for this punch but we couldn’t fit any more in!

This is the final card we made at the class, although I’m posting this first because one of the ladies had to leave early so has all her bits of cut-up cardstock but probably won’t know what to do with them without this picture.

This is a buckle card and it is very easy to make and also a “no waste” project.

Buckle Card

1. Start with a normal card base made from a sheet of A5 cardstock scored and folded in the middle. We used Basic Black.

2. Cut off 4cm from the front. Save this strip and round the corners of one end.

3. Decorate the front of your card – which is now smaller than the back.  We used Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper. Add a strip of Designer Paper to the black strip.

4. Now punch a Word Window in the front of your card. If you want to make sure you get it straight, you can punch out a piece of scrap paper and stick it on where you want the slot to appear. Holding the punch upside-down, you can then see exactly where to punch your window. Save the black piece you’ve punched out to decorate the front with later.

5. Take your decorated strip and measure 9cm from the rounded end. Score and fold here and apply adhesive to the shorter section (on the same side as the Designer Paper).  With the card closed, feed the rounded end of the decorated strip into the slot and stick the shorter, sticky, piece down on the inside of the card.

6. Now you can cover up the join with a piece of co-ordinating cardstock. I’ve used Summer Sun to match the Designer Series Paper.

7. Finally, embellish the card with a Word Window tab and flower at the top, and some ribbon on the strip.  I’ve just had another idea – you could punch out the flower from the Summer Sun piece to leave a black flower inside the card. That would work, too.

Stamps: Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Summer Sun, Basic Black

Paper: Kaleidoscope

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Word Window Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Silver Brads, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon

All products by Stampin' Up!®

The buckle card...

So... the Buckle Card, as demonstrated at my catalogue launch. I’ve wanted to demo this card for such a long time but only now do we have the necessary Word Window Punch in our catalogue. And we’re all thrilled!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE our new catalogue? My wish list is dangerously long. I’m chipping away at it but still covet so much more.

But back to the card. It’s really easy actually; you just make a standard card, then slice part of the front off (save the piece for another project!). The punch a Word Window, vertically, in the remaining flap.

Next you make a flap – or “buckle” - to slot inside the Word Window. The is the only important measurement – this buckle should be narrower than the Word Window.

If you make an inner piece to go inside the card – mine is Old Olive, unsurprisingly - this can be stuck on top of the end of the buckle/flap to cover any joins.

One thing worth knowing is that the Word Window Punch will NOT like it if you try to punch through two layers of cardstock. It will, however, happily punch through a sheet of Designer Series Paper and a sheet of cardstock. So, if you’re using paper and cardstock, go for it. If you’re using two sheets of cardstock, punch one layer then overlay the second layer and use that as a guide to punch again.

Of course, you don’t need a second layer or cardstock or DSP at all – you could always stamp the front.

Stamps: Animal Stories
Cardstock: So Saffron, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Paper: Tall Tales
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip, Word Window Punch, corner rounder

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.