The House That Stamps Built

Happy Monday, everyone! Today is my turn to share a Pick of the Week with you. A few weeks ago, RI Rock Star, Esther Asbury created a fabulous card for one of our challenges and she used my Cheese Heart Mouse stamp as the focal image. I’d forgotten how cute he is and decided I just “had” to try to put him to good use myself.

Knowing it would be my turn soon to create something for our Pick of the Week post, I had to put my thinking cap on. Needless to say I was coming up empty, until one sleepless night last week when a few ideas started rolling around in my head. Geez… Why they wait until 3am is beyond me, but at least the creative juices finally started flowing. So in the middle of the night I decided I’d bring back a simple oldie, but goodie… a gate fold style card. But with a bit of a twist… to go with my sweet Cheese Heart Mouse I became obsessed with the idea of making the gate flaps look like swiss cheese. Ha!

After a bit of tinkering with how to keep the card closed, everything else just seemed to fall into place as I had envisioned it. It’s a pretty simple card really, but I’m quite pleased with how it turned out considering I rarely do any stamping anymore these days. Here is my final result.

The supplies used are as follows:
Repeat Impressions stamps 4205-G, Cheese Heart Mouse and 8608-D, Special
8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ yellow card stock, plus a scrap piece of the same
4 1/8″ x 5 1/2″ white card stock
Momento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger Beach Ball Yellow ink
EK Success 2″ Circle Punch
McGill 1 11/16″ Circle Punch
Marvy 1″ Circle Punch
1/4″ round paper punch
Sponge or dauber
Markers
Dimensional tape
3M Double-sided tape
Scor-pal
Scissors

Start by cutting the card stocks to size. Then use the Scor-pal to score the yellow card stock for a gate fold card. The Scor-pal board is pre-marked for a gate fold which comes in very handy. But if you don’t have their scoring board then just position your card stock the wide way and measure in 2 1/8″ from both ends and score.

I wasn’t sure when I got this idea if the big punch would work as I had hoped, but it turned out just fine. So after scoring the card stock, fold it closed on the score marks and then slide both the flaps into the punch together (the base of the punch will actually be inside the closed card at this point). Just eyeball it for as close to centered as you can. Punch out the big circle that will create the frame for the mouse.

Now I used my scrap piece of yellow card stock to punch out 2 circles… one with the 1 11/16″ punch and one with the 1″ punch. Then I sponged yellow ink around the edges of both circles. These circles will be used as the closure for the card.

Apply a small piece of double-sided tape to the back of the larger circle, taking care to position the tape close to one edge. Affix the circle to the front of the right gate panel with a good portion of the circle extending beyond the edge of the gate.

Affix a small piece of dimensional tape to the back of the smaller circle. Fold the gates closed and affix the smaller circle to the left gate panel making sure that this circle overlaps the other one a bit. This is the “latch” that helps to keep the gate closed.

Now that we have the mechanics of the gate done, its time to have some fun and turn the rest of the gate panels into swiss cheese. Use the 1″ and 1/4″ punches and to create the look you like.

After you finish punching, open the card flat with the outside facing up. Put a piece of scrap paper under the yellow card stock. Using the yellow ink and a sponge or dauber, apply some ink around the circle cut outs to add a bit of dimension.

Fold the card back to closed and slide the white card stock panel inside. I recommend not affixing it to the card base yet in case you have an “oopsie”. With the white card stock in position, ink up the mouse with black ink and stamp it inside the circle. If you are pleased with the results then go ahead and stamp the sentiment an inch or so below the mouse. But if you mess up don’t despair, just flip the white card stock over and try again. Use markers to color the mouse.

While you have the mouse stamp handy, ink it again and stamp it on a scrap of the yellow card stock. Color the mouse hands and add some highlights to the cheese. Use scissors and fussy cut out the mouse hands along with the cheese. Use a small piece of dimensional tape and affix this cheese on top of the cheese stamped on the white panel earlier.

Use a little double-sided tape and affix the white panel inside the yellow card base. Slide the larger yellow circle under the smaller one to close the card. It may want pop open at first, but by pressing it closed and letting it sit for a bit it will be just fine.

I hope you enjoyed my middle of the night brainstorming and might give this card a try. And remember, Pick of the Week stamps used are always available to you at a discount, but only for the week they are posted.

Thanks for stopping by and we hope you’ll join us for our next challenge starting on Wednesday.

Happy stamping… always!

~ Wendy

For this week only (Feb. 18-24, 2019), get 20% Off the stamps used in Wendy’s creation above when you use the coupon code POTW21819

Happy Monday, everyone! Today is my turn to share a Pick of the Week with you. Since it’s getting to be the time of year when my thoughts start turning to the holidays, I decided to share one of my favorite ways to use my stamps for something other than card making… adding stamped images to candles. This is an oldie, but goody technique and candles can be great for holiday gift giving or to decorate your own home.

These samples are for Christmas, but stamped candles could also be decorated for other holidays and special occasions like weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. Use this technique on pillars, tapers and votives. Make a set of themed candles and tie them together with a pretty ribbon before wrapping as gifts.

Supplies:
Repeat Impressions stamp 8806-N, Penguin Trio
White candle
White tissue paper
Black permanent ink
Markers
Scissors
Heat gun
Wax paper

Instructions:
1) Gently stamp images on tissue paper and color with markers as desired. I stamped the Penguin Trio twice so that they would encircle the candle. (Tip: Be sure to have some scrap paper under the tissue paper as there will usually be a little bleed through.)

2) Cut out your stamped image loosely following the contour of your image and trimming fairly close to edges of the design.

3) Cut a length of wax paper large enough to cover your stamped image and long enough to wrap all the way around the candle and still have plenty of excess length.

4) Lay the stamped and colored tissue image on the candle in your desired position. Lay the strip of wax paper over the stamped tissue and candle. Wrap the wax paper around the candle smoothly, pull tight and hold together at the back.

5) Use the heat gun to adhere the tissue to the candle. Take care to aim the heat gun at the stamped tissue and away from your fingers. Do not aim the heat gun too long in one spot or your candle may begin to melt and run. Heat the tissue until the stamped image appears through the wax paper and looks bright and shiny. As soon as all the edges of the tissue paper have blended into the candle, quickly peel off the wax paper.

6) Wave the heat gun briefly over the stamped tissue image once again if necessary to blend away any remaining signs of the tissue paper edges. (Note: If you are adding multiple images to your candle then repeat the steps above for each image added.)

And voila… super cute candle and so easy!

Here is a pair of taper candles I created using the same technique. The Repeat Impressions stamps I used were…
1011-D, Gingerbread Boy
1018-D, Gingerbread Girl
1021-D, Gingerbread Tree

And here’s a closer look.

TIPS: When designing candles with multiple images you should apply one image at a time. The wrap around wax paper used to hold the image in place may be used several times over. Discard the sheet when it begins to get a waxy build-up or you may end up peeling off your stamped image. Take extra care not to burn yourself when working with taper or votive candles. You may also use the heat gun to melt unstamped areas of the candle and press embellishments like charms or beads into the softened wax.

If you are looking for something fun and a little different from your usual card making, then I hope you will give this technique a try.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

~ Wendy
Repeat Impressions

For this week only (Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2018), get 20% Off the stamps used in my creations above when you use the coupon code POTW102918