Fairless Stampin' Flair: January 2024

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

LET'S HAVE ANOTHER ICE CREAM CONE!

Today our treat is a Strawberry and Vanilla Swirl Ice Cream Cone. This one is just for you because I don't like Strawberry Ice Cream. I know, it's probably hard to believe, but if it were a choice between Strawberry and most any other flavor, I'd choose something else, or maybe no ice cream at all.

However, Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream does make a pretty card. So, I decided that is what I would share with you today.

This card is made with the fun and colorful Bright and Beautiful Designer Series Paper (DSP). Whenever I want a "happy" card I tend to reach for this DSP. It has so many cheerful colors that it just makes me smile.

This card is an interesting take on a fun fold. It is called a Back Fold, but in my opinion, the fun fold portion of the card is really more about function than being just for fun.

The ice cream cone is attached only to the right most portion of the card -- the section with the colorful scalloped DSP. When the card is closed, the left side of the cone overlaps the striped portion of the card front. So, if there wasn't a score line, and thus a "fold" between the scalloped patterned paper and the inside of the card, the card would be quite difficult to open. With the 1-1/4" scored section on the far right, you can just fold that section rearward and the ice cream cone pops up and the left front flap of the card opens. Clever right?

While "typically" the backside of a card's front flap is left blank, on this card it is decorated for two reasons.

1. The right side of the card's "normal" inside is about half covered by the ice cream cone when that flap is lying flat. So, there isn't much room to add a sentiment. The vertical Happy Birthday from So Sincere works perfectly in the narrow area, and there is still room to sign the card, but that is about it.
2. It's a fun surprise to add color on the left side, and it also provides room to cut up a larger sentiment into smaller bits and scatter them on the backside of the flap.

If you still aren't quite sure how this card "works", use this link to download a tutorial. It will give you all the cutting and scoring dimensions and step-by-step directions on how to make the card.

A list of the products used are also included on the tutorial as well as in the list below.

Product List

Add All to Cart

SALE-A-BRATION

It's difficult to believe, but the first month of Sale-A-Bration is nearly over. That means we are already half way through this awesome event.

Sale-A-Bration is that one-time-a-year event where you can choose a free product every time you order $50 worth of Stampin' Up! merchandise. A few choices require a $100 purchase, but the majority only need a $50 purchase. Some of the Sale-A-Bration choices also coordinate with products in the Spring Mini. For example, you could purchase the Trusty Tools Bundle and get the awesome coordinating Designer Series Paper (DSP) for free!

Or maybe tools aren't your thing but you love flowers. Purchase the Stippled Roses Bundle and choose the coordinating DSP for free!

If you have a LONG wish list, then signing up for the Starter Kit is the way to go! There are two options*:

1) Purchase the Starter Kit for $99, select $125 worth or products and get the Glass Mat Studio for FREE ($60 value). That's a total of $185 worth or products for $99.

2) Don't need or want the Glass Mat Studio? Select $155 worth of products for $99.

Both options include FREE SHIPPING! There truly is no better deal than this, but when Sale-A-Bration ends, the deal ends, too.

*All amounts are shown in USD

If you have questions, please ask. I'd love to have you take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

Monday, January 29, 2024

MINT CHOCHOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM = YUM!

This week I have lots of treats for you. Ice Cream Treats that is! I will be using the new Ice Cream Swirl Bundle from the Spring Mini Catalog. It's making me want some ice cream, even though it has been very cold here in Michigan.

For my first card this week I chose to have a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cone. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is one of my favorite flavors, so of course, I thought I would start with that first.

This bundle includes several dies and one of them makes a double cone that when folded in half makes the cone into a card base.

This is what it looks like when the die cut is made. There is a cone on the bottom and an upside down one at the top. My cone was die cut from Crumb Cake cardstock, and then I used the same die again to cut just the bottom portion from Basic White cardstock to line the inside for my greeting.

Now that you hopefully understand how the cone card base was made, let's return to the front of the card.

I stamped my ice cream with Soft Sea Foam ink on Soft Sea Foam Cardstock and then used Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends to add some shading to provide some depth to the ice cream swirls.

There are also ice cream "embellishment" stamps like strawberries, cherries, a peppermint stick (or whatever that stick is), etc. I gave my ice cream cone a strawberry and a peppermint stick. I'm not sure that I have ever had either on my ice cream cones, but it needed a little color!

The sleeve around the bottom of the cone and the envelope flap were made with designer series paper from the BEE Mine Collection. It reminded me of an awning you might see over the window of an old fashioned Ice Cream Parlor.

What do you think of this card?

If you would like a tutorial with all the dimensions, supplies and step-by-step directions, use this link to download a copy. I had a lot of fun making this card and I hope you will give it a try!

The products I used are shown below. Click on any image to learn more about each product or to purchase this fun bundle for yourself!

Product List

Ice Cream Swirl Bundle (English)

[162771]

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146988]

Bee Mine 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[162546]

Soft Sea Foam Classic Stampin' Pad

[147102]

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

Sweet Sorbet Classic Stampin' Pad

[159216]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Sweet Sorbet Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[159224]

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154885]

Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154902]

Lost Lagoon Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161680]

Baker's Twine Essentials Pack

[155475]

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

Add All to Cart

Friday, January 26, 2024

FROSTED FILTER NOTES OF NATURE

The background for the leaf stem on today's card was made using the Frosted Filter Technique.

This technique requires minimal supplies, is easy, fun and a little messy! In other words, just my style. For some reason, I like messy. I don't necessarily like cleaning up the mess, but I think a beautiful result is worth a little mess! And this "mess" is easily contained if you are prepared.

If you aren't familiar with this Frosted Filter Technique watch the Learning with Friends replay on my YouTube Channel and you will see just how easy it is. I hope you grab your rubber gloves and give it a try.

As I mentioned in the video, the most difficult thing about this technique is choosing which colors reinkers to use. For this card I used Petal Pink, Old Olive and Wild Wheat. It's a bit of an unusual combination, but I was going for kind of a moody, aged feel to the card.

After completing the technique element and wrapping it on a piece of Wild Wheat cardstock, I stamped it with the Notes of Nature stamp to give it a little more "grunge".

The leafy stem die was one of the mail reasons I purchased the Notes of Nature Bundle. I liked the image variety within the stamp set, but it was this and one other die in the coordinating die set that really sealed the deal for me.

I struggled a bit with coming up with a sentiment that I was visually happy with. I first stamped the sentiment with Copper Clay ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock which really looked stark on the dark and moody card. Then I stamped the leaf with Wild Wheat ink over the stamped sentiment, but it still was too bright. Next I tried stamping the leaf on Wild Wheat cardstock and stamping the sentiment over the leaf, but that looked too dark. I was about to give up and go with my Very Vanilla leaf sentiment, but as I grabbed it, for fun, I laid it slightly offset behind the Wild Wheat leaf. Voila! The tiny edge of Very Vanilla provided the bit of "highlight" that was needed. Sometimes we only figure things out through trial and error, right?

One of the nice things about this Frosted Filter Technique is that it generates leftover technique scraps. I used a scrap to add a decorative strip on the inside of the card. I also used a scrap to decorate the flap on the envelope. There wasn't quite enough to cover the complete envelop flap, so I added a strip of Wild Wheat cardstock across the top of the flap. The 2nd and 3rd photo in the post probably give you the best image of the envelope.

I'd love to know what you think of this technique. I know I am looking forward to doing it again and experimenting with more colors.

Use this link to download a tutorial for today's card. The Tutorial also includes links to the Technique Video.

A list of products used are shown below.