Category Archives: Punches

Card layout for using up scraps

30 Thursday May 2013

Posted by in Cards, Cupcake Builder, Fancy Flower, General occasion, Punches, Using up scraps

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So far I’ve focused on little projects and ideas for using up left over pieces of pretty paper.   If you’re anything like me though, you probably have a pile of paper that you have been saving for a rainy day, because it’s too beautiful to throw out, or because you haven’t quite figured out what to do with it.

Today’s post is a suggestion for a simple card layout that can use up some of that gorgeous paper by turning it into cards.   These cards are really easy – if each one takes you 10 minutes I’d be surprised!  Probably more like 5 once you get the hang of it!

This Soft Suede card is 14 cm x 14cm.   The Pool Party background is 13 cm x 13cm and the DSP (from the free Everyday Enchantment set from Stampin’ Up!’s 2012 Sale-a-bration) was 12.5 x 12.5cm.    I added a doily, a Pool Party and Whisper White circle and used the Cupcake punch and matching stamp set to make the centre embellishment.

20121210_154540The great thing about this card layout though is that it can work with pretty much anything in the middle.    Here’s another one with a Fancy Flower in the middle.

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Pretty much any flower, heart or circle punch would work, as would a butterfly.  You could also turn it into an age birthday card by adding some die cut numbers in the middle.   The possibilities are endless really!

Thanks for reading.  I hope you’ve gotten some ideas to try out in your own card making 🙂

Elmo invitation

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Big Shot, Circles #2, Dies, Invitations, Kids cards, Large Oval, Scallop circle

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The other day I showed you the invitations I made for my son’s 4th birthday party this year.   I’ve already had some great feedback about how excited the kids were to open the card and see a big ball pop up!

That all reminded me of an invitation I made for his birthday party when he was 2 and obsessed with Elmo from Sesame Street.

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I used the Stampin’ Up! Scallop Circle Die with my Big Shot to cut out all Riding Hood Red circles for the invitations.    The white eyes were cut from the Circles #2 die and I think I used my smallest circle punch for the black centres (you could also use the larger circles from the Stampin’ Up! Owl Builder punch).    The nose was cut from Tangerine Tango (but Pumpkin Pie or More Mustard would also work).    The black mouth was half of the largest circle from the Circles #2 die.

I stamped a basic invitation block on the back and I was done.

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Too easy – and the kids adored them!

Covered notebooks and matching pencils

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in 3D projects, Decorative Label, Gift tags & wrapping, Modern Label, Notebooks, Using up scraps

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The other day I showed you how to make mini notebooks covered with DSP.  Today I wanted to show you how effective it can be to take ordinary A4 exercise books and decorate them with DSP.

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This was a little present we gave to a family friend who was starting university.   I covered a bundle of A4 exercise books in coordinating DSP and covered some matching pencils.

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I made a label where she could write her name or a subject name for each book.  The larger pink label is punched out in melon mambo using the Stampin’ Up! Decorative Label punch, and the smaller white label is punched out using the Stampin’ Up! Modern Label punch.

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To make the covered pencils, measure the distance between the end of the eraser and the beginning of the wood at the bottom.  Cut a piece of DSP to that width, with enough length to wrap around the pencil 2 or 3 times.    I’ve found it’s easier if you wrap the paper around the pencil a few times before trying to glue it on – it just works a bit better when you come to stick it down if it’s already a little bit “bendy”.    I run a line of Sticky Strip (double sided tape) along the edge of the paper which will be the last to stick down and use Snail adhesive to cover the rest of the DSP and stick it as I wrap around the pencil.

This is a really nice idea for a simple gift for someone – particularly someone like me who loves their stationery!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Peg magnets

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in 3D projects, Beautiful Butterflies, Blossom Builder, Gift tags & wrapping, Notebooks, Tutorial, Using up scraps

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Here is another idea I borrowed from the very talented Tanya Bell’s blog – this time, making magnets or paper holders out of pegs covered with DSP.

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These are so easy to do!  Step one, measure the size of your peg (cheap wooden pegs are the best).   Step 2, cut out lots of strips of DSP (this is such a great way to use up tiny little pieces you couldn’t figure out what to do with but couldn’t bear to throw away!).  Step 3, stick onto the peg!   Snail adhesive works well but starts to lose its “stick” after a few months so double sided tape like Sticky Strip is best.

I turned my pegs into magnets by sticking some magnets onto the back side of the peg.   One tip I learned here – if you want to use the peg as a magnet, either don’t decorate the reverse of the peg, or definitely use sticky strip to adhere the DSP to the paper.  Snail adhesive is not strong enough to keep the DSP stuck to the peg once it is stuck on the fridge with a magnet!

Here are a bunch of pegs with the DSP stuck on, waiting to be decorated.

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And here are a bunch more, after being decorated with butterflies, birds and flowers.  I’ve used die cut and punched butterflies, the bird from the Stampin’ Up! bird builder punch, and various flower punches.  Pearls and rhinestones can add some added ‘bling’.

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They can look quite cute packaged up in cellophane bags for a small gift for someone.

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Adding some pegs with a little covered notebook (see yesterday’s post) can also look really cute.

20121209_220108So next time you finish a project and have a thin piece of DSP left over, why not turn it into a cute little peg fridge magnet?

Home decorations with flower punches

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in 1 3/4 inch scallop circle, 3D projects, Big Shot, Blossom, Boho Blossoms, Fancy Flower, Home decorating

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Hi there

Continuing my recent mission on using up paper from my enormous stash, my son and I recently decided to make some flowers I can keep in my office all the time.

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We used a variety of Stampin’ Up! punches – Blossom, Fancy Flower, Boho Blossoms, and various scallop and circle punches as well as some die cut flowers.   Stick them all together with glue and dimensionals to make flowers, and finish off with a button or brad in the centre.   We used Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy and Poppy Parade (retired) card stock.

I attached these to ordinary kitchen skewers and put them inside an old vinegar bottle which had lovely leaf designs built into the glass.

Mr 3 is very pleased with the flowers in my office!

A quick Quintessential flower card

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by in 1 inch circle, 2 3/8 inch scallop punch, Cards, Embossing folders, Mini scallop, Perfect Polka Dots

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I needed to make a birthday card very quickly the other day so I thought I’d show you what I came up with.    It was so easy to make this card I made a few at a time.  I just used various shades of pink C6 cards and added some Whisper White (10cm x 14.2cm) which I’d embossed with my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

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I stamped a bunch of images from the Stampin’ Up! quintessential flower stamp –  in Pretty in Pink, Blushing Bride (retired but about to return!), Rose Red and Melon Mambo.

I then punched out at least one colour each of the various flowers/circles in the image using my 2 3/8 scallop punch, 1 3/4 scallop punch, mini scallop punch and 1 inch circle punch.      Then just mix n match, layering up with Snail glue and dimensionals.    I popped a Glimmer brad and some pink pearls I found at a $2 dollar shop in the centre, but you could also use pearls and rhinestones.

Here’s a close up of some of the flowers.    I think they would also work really well on gift tags or even stuck directly onto a gift wrapped present.

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Looking at these pictures I think next time I use this flower I am going to have to put some bling in those little dots around the edge of the widest flower!

I hope you enjoy.

A simple butterfly card

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Bitty Butterfly, Cards, Elegant Butterly, Using up scraps

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Today’s post is a good example of how you can keep things simple but I think still get a very striking result.

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I’ve used Whisper White card stock with a rectangle of Blushing Bride DSP (retired, but Blushing Bride is coming back in the new Stampin Up catalogue, yay!) to make the basic card.   I also stuck on some (retired) Blushing Bride ruffled ribbon.

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I then stamped a small butterfly image from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set on a scrap of Whisper White, and punched it out with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  I teamed this with a punched out Blushing Bride butterfly from the Elegant Butterfly punch and added the butterfly with dimensionals.    Too easy 🙂

Using up some scrap paper

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in 1 inch circle, Blossom, Cards, Gift tags & wrapping, Love notes, Uncategorized

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If you’re anything like me, you probably have a ton of left over paper lying around that is too pretty to throw away, but you’re also not quite sure what to do with?

I’ve recently started donating some of my extra paper to my son’s daycare – the kids love using it in their craft and I’m sure they get more happiness out of using it than having it stashed away in my stash!

I’ve also started hunting around for ways to use up small bits of paper in my crafting.    One really simple idea is these small gift cards made out of some scrap paper and the Stampin Up blossom punch.

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I made a 7 cm x 7 cm card in Whisper White and punched a blossom shape out of some retired Stampin Up designer series paper (DSP).   I then used my 3/4 inch circle punch and a spare button I had lying around to make the centre of a flower.

Another variation is to us a scrap of DSP (I used 6 cm x 6 cm) and overlay with a white punched blossom image.    A small circle of DSP in the middle (3/4 or 1 inch punches work best) and you’re done.  You could add a button or another punched flower in the middle to give it some extra dimension.

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Very simple, but I think they are quite effective.  What do you think?

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I’ll try to always put the ‘ingredients’ for any cards at the bottom of a post.  If you would like to buy any of the products I use on the blog, please email me at caroprettythings@gmail.com

Thanks for reading 🙂

Ingredients:

Whisper White card stock

DSP (retired)

Blossom Punch (item no 125603 Stampin Up! Annual Catalogue p185)

3/4 inch circle punch (item no 119873, catalogue p184)