Hi everyone!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! Ours was pretty great, apart from me having one of my mega headaches, that just don’t want to budge! Yesterday I was really down and out, and ended up taking my space cadet medication and slept most of the day.

Now I have come down with what feels like an ear infection! I haven’t had this kind of pain for many years, and boy it aint pleasant.

But I really don’t want to come and whinge, but rather apologize for the lack of inspiration this weeks Make it Monday will provide. Not having a lot of energy or a clear head today, I decided to just show you something that I have made recently at one of our technique stamp clubs, using markers and Crystal effects.

I have had lots of people email or ask about crystal effects, so this should show you how easy it is to use and how great it looks.

Materials required:

• Cardstock
• Stampin’ write markers
• Crystal effects
• Stamps
• Scissors
• Adhesive
• Brads
• Ribbon
• Stazon
• Stamp-a-majig

Step 1:

Ink up your stamp using the brush end of your Stampin’ write markers from Stampin’Up.l I have used Real red, Chocolate chip, and Old olive as the colours on my Inspired by nature stamp set by Stampin’Up.

Step 2:

Breath onto your stamp where you have inked it up before you stamp it. This adds some condensation to your ink, so it will stamp nicely. Then stamp it onto your cardstock. I have stamped it onto the whisper white cardstock, which I have already stamped with the reeds from the Inspired by nature stamp with Kiwi kiss ink.

Step 3:

Put your card together. I have mounted it onto Kiwi kiss cardstock, and then Real red for the base. I also added red brads, red ribbon, and the greeting which I stamped with Stazon ink, with a Stamp-a-majig to align it perfectly.

Step 4:

When you have a new bottle of Crystal effects, cut the tiniest bit off the top of the bottle. Then you lightly squeeze the bottle to allow the crystal effects to come out over your image. Use the end of the bottle to help you spread the Crytal effects around. I have done it to the tops of each flower.

Final product:

Here is the finished card. I can’t stand it up to photograph as the Crytal effects will run, until it is set, which usually takes about 1-2 hours depending on how thick it is. It just gives your creation that extra WOW feature and it goes a long way and last a long time too!

Hope that was a little interesting even though it was brief ~ I promise to do something 3-D for you next week!

 Hey everyone!

I hope you are all having a great Monday! I have, and also managed to get lots done today, the washing,  cleaning, baking, clean cupboards, ……..Ah it feels great to achieve lots at the start of the week. Let’s see how the rest of the week goes! Hopefully it will be a little more settled than last week!

Now a little while ago, I did say that I planned to mix the Make it Mondays up a bit with some technique tutorials as well. This way I don’t have to rack my brain for 3-D ideas all the time, as well as I can then show you some amazing stamping techniques as well.

The first technique I am going to show you is Bleaching. It is a real WOW technique, and so easy to do as well!

Materials required:

• Household bleach
• Dark cardstock
• Paper towels
• Plate
• Stamps
• Aquapainter
• Water colour wonder crayons
• Ribbon

Step 1:

Place your paper towel sheets (about 4) onto your plate and pour a moderate amount of Bleach onto the paper towels. It will absorb the bleach to create a kind of stamp pad.

Step 2:

Place your stamp into the paper towel to load it with bleach

Step 3:

Stamp your image onto dark cardstock. Be sure to make sure it is open or the bleach will bleed into the other side of cardstock as well.

Step 4:

Wait for the magic to happen.

Step 5:

Colour up some of your image with your watercolour crayons. Here I have used the Barely banana, Pretty in pink, and Rose red crayons.

Step 6:

Blend the crayon with your Aquapainter.

Final product:

Here I have added some Pretty in pink taffeta ribbon and a greeting from the Best yet, stamp set from Stampin’Up.

 Hi Ya……

I hope you are all having a great Monday! It is beautiful here today with the sun shining. What a great way to start the week.

SO here is the Make it Monday for this week…..enjoy!

Envelope Gift card holder  

Materials required:

·        Envelope

·        DSP

·        Bone folder

·        Scissors

·        Ribbon

·        Cardstock

·        Stamps

·        Stamp pads

·        Punches

·        Markers

Step 1:

Fold your envelope in half

Step 2:

Cut the top flap in the centre and then again over 1 ml, cut down so you have a small gap in the centre.

Step 3:

Seal down the top flap on the left hand side.

Seal 4:

Cut a piece of DSP to fit the front of the envelope and attach.

Step 5:

Add DSP on the two inside panels.

Step 6:

Stamp the front panel of the envelope when folded down.

Step 7:

Make a belly band that will fit around the envelope.

Step 8:

Place the gift card into the slot and close envelope. Place the belly band around the centre with the closed envelope.

Finished product:

 Hi again!

This weeks Make it Monday was one of the swaps I made for Convention. So some of you may have one of these, already, but I only made 25 of them so not many.

These I call these Teabag gift folders. I think there have been a few versions of them around, but I thought I would share with you the one that I make:

Teabag gift folders… 

Materials required:

• Cardstock
• DSP
• Ribbon
• Brads
• Slit punch
• Scallop edge punch
• Crop-a-dile
• 1 3/8 circle punch
• Scallop edge punch
• Stamps
• Teabags

Step 1:

 Cut a piece of cardstock to measure 9cm wide by 21.5cms.

Step 2:

 Score your first line at 9cm’s in from the left hand side, and then 10cm’s so that you end up with a 1cm spine. I have then Scallop edge punched the right hand side of the cardstock, as well as used my slit punch in the centre which you can see on the image.

Step 3:

 Fold over the left hand side and it will fit nicely under the slit punch and will keep the folder closed as well.

Step 4:

 Cut a 17cm by 17cm square of DSP.

Step 5:

 Score in 8cm’s from the left on one side, and then move over another 8cm’s (so it will measure 16cm’s) and you will be left with a 1 cm strip on the right hand side. Fold up the DSP on the scored lines.

Step 6:

Fold up the DSP, and add adhesive to the 1cm stip and close it together.

 You will end up with a pocket like this.

Step 7:

 Score your pocket 8cm’s in from the open side, and then over another 1cm do another score line. You will end up with a 1cm spine right in the centre of the pocket.

Step 8:

 Take the DSP pocket and join the two open ends together, then with your 1 3/8 circle punch punch a half moon out of the DSP.

Step 9:

 Adhere the DSP folder to the centre of the cardstock.

Step 10:

 Punch two small holes at either end and dress it up with some ribbon.

Step 11:

 Make a small tag card with some plain cardstock 7 x 6 cm’s and dress the end up with Round tab punch. This will slip into the first pocket.

Step 12:

 Add a single wrapped Tea bag into the second pocket.

Finished Product:

As you can see I have decorated the front. On this project I have used Regal rose cardstock, and the Sweet always DSP, along with the Fun Pun stamp set. The greeting I have used the Large and small oval punches.

These are quite sweet and fun and a perfect wee gift for a friend. Enjoy!

 WOW it certainly has been some weeks since I have typed the words Make it Monday! But even more suprising that this is number 33~ I really can’t believe that I have now written 33 tutorials especially because they were something I was a bit daunted by, but I have really grown to love them!

So for this re-introduction to Make it Monday, and seeing as it is the Convention Project parade starting today…..and not to mention I have had a HEAP of requests for it……

I am going to show you how to put together a Double slider card. I did this on stage at Convention, and I am sure it would have been hard to take notes, so here is a photographic step by step tutorial for it, that you can all use.

Double Slider Card:

Materials required:

• Stamps
• A4 carstock
• Crop-a-dile
• Scissors
• 1 3/8 circle punch
• Word window punch
• Pencil
• Dimensionals
• 1/2 ” circle punch
• Ribbon
• Twine
• Pearls, or buttons
• Designer series paper

Step 1:

Cut your A4 sheet of cardstock vertically in half and then fold it in half.

Step 2:

Take a pencil and mark 1 inch in from the folded centre side of the cardstock. Then mark again with the pencil 2 inches in from the open end.

Step 3:

Take your Word window punch and  push it in at the side of the cardstock as far in as it will go, then punch the length in between the two pencil lines. You will punch once and then actually slide it along a little and then punch again to get the long window.

Step 4:

On the inside apply double sided tape as close to the edges as possible on both edges.

Step 5:

Take a smaller piece of co ordinating cardstock and line it up perfectly to the top of the carstock in the centre on the side that has the windows punched out.

Step 6:

Then punch a half circle with your 1 3/8 circle punch (with the two sheets of cardstock at the same time) and save the half circle in the opposite colour to the base.

Step 7:

Cut a 5 inch by 3.5 inch piece of cardstock and a slightly smaller piece of DSP to sit on top. Then cut a 2.5 inch by 3.75 inch piece of cardstock and another slightly smaller for your message. I have used the greeting from the Occasional greetings stamp set.

Step 8:

Take that half circle and adhere it to the centre of the large piece, punch a large hole in the centre with your cardstock with your Crop-a-dile. Feed some ribbon through and tie off with some twine, and a pearl or button.

Step 8:

Take the cardstock and lay in into the centre of the open cardstock, making sure that it lines up with the top edge of the base card.

Step 9:

Fold up the the top. The half circle will line up perfectly because you punched them out at the same time. Also you will notice I have stamped the large rose stamp from Stampin’Up’s Fifth Avenue floral stamp set on the front, and I have clear embossed it.

Step 10:

Punch out four circles of cardstock with the 1/2 inch circle punch. Then add a Dimensional to each circle.

Step 11:

Carefully lay the first dots with the dimensionals on the underside onto the cardstock piece in the bottom.

Step 12:

Take the front panel and carefully pull those circles through so that they now lay under the front panel.

Step 13:

Take the other two circles and adhere them with the Dimensionals facing onto the circles on the underneath panel. This creates the slider, for the two circles to slide up and down the window slots:

Step 14:

Add Mini glue dots to the outside of the circles, then adhere your smaller piece of cardstock which is used for your greeting:

This is what it should look like once your piece is attached to the front.

Step 15:

Take some co ordinating cardstock, stamps, ribbon etc, and a piece of cardstock that measures 4 inches by 3.5 inches. This is your front panel. I have used the Urban Oasis paper, Basic grey taffeta ribbon, and the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set which I have watercoloured.

Then adhere it to the front with thin pieces of dimensionals so that it is raised above the greeting piece of cardstock. It should just cover it.

The Front of the card:

The slider pulled out:

The finshed product

I hope that was clear enough and you are keen to now go and make one. They certainly have a great WOW factor. I did also make a couple others which you can view on this post HERE.

Well that is the Make it Monday for this week, and boy it feels good to have done one again!

Have a good night!