Smashed Bottle Cap/Soda Pop Top Spring Card

Ever since I went to Leadership in January, I have been dying to try out the technique of smashing the soda pop tops with your Big Shot to create these super cute embellishments.  For some reason I thought it was going to be super hard or complicated… or something that made me a little bit intimidated to give it a try.  But then one day I decided to just go for it and I was shocked at how easy it was!

So, I just had to put together a card to share with my group at my monthly team conference call/meeting.  I showed them how easy it was and then had supplies for everyone to make this card:

I just had to use some of my new favorites including Tea for Two designer paper and the Honeycomb embossing folder for the base of the card.

But check out this pop top… isn’t is awesome when smashed?!?

How to Smash Your Soda Pop Top in Your Big Shot

Ok, so if you want to do this yourself, this is what you need to do:

1.  Put your white multi-purpose platform on the Big Shot base with all of the tabs/shims flipped open

2.  Sandwich your bottle cap/pop top between the two clear cutting plates and place on top of the multi-purpose platform

3.  Run through your Big Shot

That’s it!  It smashes fast and like buttah!  I have way too much fun doing this.

I just used the 1” Circle Punch after I stamped my image from the Collage Curious stamp set (stamped on River Rock cardstock) and adhered it to the inside of the pop top.  Then I filled the inside with Crystal Effects. 

I will warn you it takes a long time to dry!  Like seriously, it took probably about 45 min for mine to dry because I used soooo much Crystal Effects.  But it looks so awesome that I just had to do it.

So if you haven’t tried this smashed soda pop top technique yet, you totally should!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

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Smashed Recipe:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Collage Curious
Ink: Crumb Cake, Markers: Calypso Coral, Certainly Celery
Paper: Very Vanilla cs, Certainly Celery cs, Tea For Two designer paper
Accessories: Big Shot, Honeycomb embossing folder, Glue Dots, Crystal Effects, Paper Snips, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

In Color Fun Flower Thank You Card

I needed a hostess thank you gift for a recent private class and while deciding what to do, I stumbled upon these cute 2011-2013 In Color Pizza Boxes by Kymberli (those are the Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, and Island Indigo colors for those of you – almost everyone – who doesn’t know the In Colors by their years…hee hee)

Anyway, I LOVED how the colors went together so awesomely using the Fun Flower Big Shot die.  So, I put together a box for my hostess – only I did a bigger box so it would fit the cards she was making at her event.  Of course I totally forgot to take a picture, oops!

But then I had some left over pieces and an amazing friend (Annie Lee) who was doing me a big favor and so I wanted to make her a card to say thank you.  And this is what came out:

It was quick to put together and a great way to use up some scraps.  I just ran a scrap of Pool Party cardstock through my Big Shot with the Chevron Embossing Folder to accent the sentiment (the Thanks from Oh Hello stamp set).

Then for a final touch, I added Crystal Effects to the center circle of my flower for a bit of shine and dimension for the flower.

Hmm, seeing this card again is making me want to make more.  Maybe this will have to be my next set of Thank You cards for my amazing friends and customers.  Ooooh… and change out the sentiment to the “Oh Hello” sentiment and send it out to people who need random sunshine in their day.

Ok, guess my Big Shot and I have a date with some In Color cardstock!  So, while I go off and do that I hope you have a bright and sunny rest of your day!

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Fun Flower Oh Hello Thank You Card Recipe:
Stamps:  Oh Hello
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper: Whisper White cs, Pool Party cs, Calypso Coral cs, Lucky Limeade cs, So Saffron cs
Accessories:  Big Shot, Chevron embossing folder, Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Crystal Effects, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Scrapbooking Sunday: Sunburst w/ Sunshine & Sprinkles

Look, it’s back!  It’s Scrapbooking Sunday!

I love, love, love making cards.  But boy did I miss making scrapbook pages.  I have photos piled up in my craft room and that is only the ones I’ve printed in the last year thinking I was going to be getting way more scrapbooking done than I did!  So, I decided to play along with a sketch challenge at ScrapbookSteals and um… I think I jumped back in at a challenging time.

We had to make a sunburst on our scrapbook page! I had never done that before and it was a challenge for me.  But I just LOVE how it turned out!

I used the Sunshine and Sprinkles designer paper because I liked the bright and cheery colors and how they matched so well with the summery colors and feel of the photo (that is my daughter Caitlin last summer in our new inflatable swimming pool.  Also one of my favorite pictures of her!)

The sketch called for buttons in your sun rays but as I was playing with my buttons I realized that my “x” buttons from the Bitty Buttons set looked kind of like stitches and I was sold. 

And as I tried to figure out what I would use for a title for this page, I remembered the Vintage Verses stamp set (on of the Free exclusive sets from Sale-a-Bration) and thought the “There’s Only One You” was a perfect fit.  Combine that with the cool background shape from Everything Eleanor, and BAM! Title done!

You can also see in that picture the Melon Mambo striped organdy ribbon (which I’m way more in love with than I thought because it is so soft and vibrant!) and the Delicate Details lace tape which I thought would be a great subtle accent for the page.

Finally, I have to show you the last touch that I’m kind of proud of… the Baker’s Twine flower!  I made it myself!

I started with a glue dot on the page and a piece of Island Indigo Baker’s Twine.  Then I formed loops and with each loop, I ran the twine back over the glue dot in the center  (I had to add a second glue dot over the first to help hold it all down but it all worked out).  Then to finish off the center I had a Wisteria Wonder printed brad that I covered in Crystal Effects and dipped in Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  Let it dry and then set in the middle of my flower for a cute finishing touch!

I love how this page turned out and hopefully you got some fun ideas for incorporating into your own scrapbook pages.

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Sunshine & Sprinkles Sunburst Scrapbook Layout Recipe:
Stamps:  Vintage Verses, Everything Eleanor
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Markers: Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Gumball Green
Paper: Sunshine & Sprinkles designer paper, Crumb Cake cs, Whisper White cs, Lucky Limeade cs, Very Vanilla cs
Accessories:  Bitty Buttons, Itty Bitty punch pack, Crystal Effects, Stampin’ Trimmer, Paper Piercer, Paper Piercing Template, In Color Designer Brads, Island Indigo Baker’s Twine, Delicate Details Lace Tape, Melon Mambo striped organdy ribbon, mini silver brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, glue dots

The Cool Effect of Embossing Vellum

Have you tried embossing vellum before?  I’ve done it a few times and never fail to forget how cool it looks until I get a great swap like this card to remind me what a great technique it is!

card designed by Jill Nolan

I received this card at an event last year and was struck by how simple yet elegant it was.  The Fancy Fan embossing folder created a cool background for the card and complimented the shape of the central sentiment… a stamp set that I could never see myself using until an example like this.

Plus, she did the awesome touch of using Crystal Effects to gloss and raise the heart in the middle of the card.  Cute, right?

So grab some Vellum and give it a roll… through your Big Shot that is!    See what kind of fun effects you can get.

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Button Buddies Flower Fun

I know we are in fall time and so a lot of the projects are rich colors and holiday themes, so I hope you don’t mind me going off in a completely different direction with this bright and cheery card!

This was one of my “scraps” cards.  As in, I have a terrible time throwing in my recycling bin any stamped scraps, embossed papers, or other rejects from working on one card that I just know could be used on another card later.  But then those half used papers pile up and I start to go a little bit crazy.   So, I’ve been trying to periodically make a card mostly or completely out of scraps I have left over.

So, first I had these flowers from when I was trying to pick a pink color for a different card.  Turns out they go great with a homemade glitter brad I created for a Crystal Effects class.  (That is a Cameo Coral In Color brad that has been covered in Crystal Effects and dipped in Dazzling Diamonds glitter!)

I had left over Wisteria Wonder cardstock that had been embossed with the stripes going the wrong way for a card I was prepping for a class one time and so it worked perfectly here.  And then I decided to break out my FAVORITE paper right now – Early Espresso Coordinations cardstock.  If this paper doesn’t stick around after the Holiday Catalog I will be (1) surprised and (2) so very very sad!

I ran a scrap through the Woodgrain embossing folder and my Big Shot and then punched out a Modern Label punch to use as a mat behind my sentiment punched out with the Word Window punch.

I really was happy with how the card turned out AND the fact that I used up a number of scraps!  It still doesn’t put too much of a dent into my scrap pile, but it’s a start!

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Button Buddies Flower Thank you Recipe
Stamps: Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Early Espresso core’dinations cardstock
Accessories: Big Shot, Stripes embossing folder, Woodgrain embossing folder, Sanding block, In color printed brad, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Stampin’ Dimensionals