Revised Measurements for Pleats

I had to revise the measurements for the pleated card I just posted last night! (See it HERE.) I think I need to go to bed earlier so my brain can function properly - LOL! The first pleat is created by scoring the paper at 3/4" and 1" , then the next pleat is created by scoring at 2" and 2 1/4". Continuing adding a score line at every inch and quarter inch until you get the number of pleats you desire. This birthday card shows 5 pleats and is an A7 (5 x 7") card. The trick is to make sure your score lines are straight!

Any Occasion Fall Cards

Here's a set of fall cards I just finished. I was running out of cards without sayings on the front that could quickly fit any occasion - and it's always nice to have some of those on hand!

The dark brown portion of the card (next to the fall leaf paper) is pleated using my Scor-Pal. Simply score a piece of lightweight paper at 3/4", 1", 2", 2 1/4", 3" and 3 1/4" then fold to pleat, adhere to the card front, turn the card over and trim all 3 sides for an exact fit. Finally, add the top DSP (Designer Scrapbook Paper) and the ribbon of your choice. Give your cards an unexpected dimension with this simple pleat technique!

Next, try creating a 3-D accent for any card by using a square of the matching paper and adding at least two complimentary but contrasting layers, then adhere it to your card or layout with foam tape. Here I used a 1/16" border of black and a 1/4" border of metallic gold behind the black layer to complete the rich look of this card. The card pictured in the front also shows how to take a large brad and some cording (or narrow ribbon) to create a little picture hanger effect with the 3-D accent.

The DSPs are all from K&Co. and the dark brown ribbon is BASIC BASIC (from Michaels). It's a dream to tie into knots! Grab a card and some ribbon then follow along with my YouTube videos on how to tie the perfect knots HERE.

Martha's Bat Punch

As previously promised, here is my Halloween bat card using my favorite Halloween punch from Martha Stewart. I used little amber gems for the eyes, and in person, those gems really make this card stand out! (FYI: The HANG IN THERE was printed on my computer and a stamp from Stampin' Up's ITSY BITSY stamp set was used to make the tiny black dots on the aqua blue background paper. The small star brads are from Making Memories at Michael's, and the skeleton ribbon was in the $1 bin at Michael's - gotta' love those dollar bins!)

A Chance to Spread Happiness!

Stamp: Bear for Paige (Whimsystamps.com)

Nestibilities: Labels 4

Note: Shading done with 2nd to largest Label 4 Nestie in place and sponging on Stampin' Up Bordering Blue ink.

I found this posting below on the whimsystamps.com website today. (See purple text.) If you enjoy using digital images to color with your Copics, please consider helping their cause by purchasing this cute little bear image shown here for $3. I have just donated a pdf with a bear saying that can be used with this bear image. To get this free saying - with 6 of the same sayings on one page for layouts or greeting cards, go to my MLO site and download it from the MLO DOWNLOADS page. If you purchase this image, thank you for making a difference in this girl's life! My saying to go with this bear image is:

In my next life,

I want to be a teddy bear…

EVERYBODY loves you,

the OLDER you get the more

valuable you become, and

you never have

to WATCH your weight!

Recently, Paige Welch, a young NH girl, was seriously injured in a boating accident. This child is the neighbor of our DT member Erin Bailey. Paige will be facing many months of recovery and many more medical bills.

In an effort to help, Whimsy Stamps has designed a special digital image in honor of Paige. “A Teddy for Paige” is now available for download. All proceeds from the sale of this image will go to Paige’s Account at Seacoast Credit Union in Exeter NH.

Start Your Holiday Shopping NOW!

The second Used Stamp Sale at Cranberry Hill started today at 10am. Over 80 sellers and TONS of stamps, cutters, paper, tools...something for everyone. The sale runs through Sept 30th. I'm participating and dropped off a lot of new and nearly new stamps for the sale (at ridiculously LOW prices!), plus many other paper craft items and supplies. Check it out at:

Stamp On Over @ Cranberry Hill Mercantile 1014 W. El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA 94087 408-736-9151 http://stamponover.com stamponover@yahoo.com NOTE: Cranberry Hill is between S. Bernardo and Mary Avenues

Cards from Creative Friends

Here are two cards from my VERY talented card club buddies: The top one is from Mel Morgathaler and the lower one is from Janet Shannon. I love Mel's use of clear VersaMark ink to stamp a background on the gold (More Mustard) and green (Mellow Moss) cardstock. She also used a background stamp from Stampin' Up called "Linen" to put a subtle texture on the gold cardstock. These details enhance the overall style of this card, and the saying she used on this card is one of my favorites!

Janet's adorable little monkey card included a lined coordinated envelope - such a nice surprise when I opened the card! You can simply trace an opened envelope on the paper of your choice, then cut it out by cutting in approximately 1/2" along the top flap area (so the envelope glue is exposed), then adhere this piece inside your envelope with your favorite adhesive. Try this wonderful technique on your next card!

Another Pocket Silhouette Card

I LOVE this Stampin' Up set called Pocket Silhouettes! I used the butterfly punch by Martha Stewart, added some diamond gems to the center of the butterfly body, and stamped the card with the "Thinking of You" sentiment from SU's Bird on a Branch. The punch used in the background card is SU's label punch along with SU's scallop punch. I waited a long time before I ordered that scallop punch. I kept asking myself if I REALLY needed another punch (i.e. an exercise in delayed gratification - hehe!)...and it has turned out to be one of the punches I'm using the most these days -- so this time, the answer to my question was "OH YES YOU DO!"

Sneak Peak

I'm busy getting project samples ready for my October class and this is one of the projects we'll be doing for that class. I love this little owl and I hope the people in my October class will love her, too! This was a prototype and I'm still deciding on the final colors... I sure am having fun with this project :-)