Simple and Masculine Graduation Money-Card

Hello Crafty Friends!

I just got back from out of town having celebrated one of my brother's awesome accomplishment... graduating from UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) with his bachelor's degree in Software Engineering! 

Since I couldn't find a fitting gift for him, I decided to give him the choice of getting his own gift by giving him some money. 

This is simple, quick and masculine money holder was received well by my brother. FYI... I gave him a lot more than the $10 you see. For the sake of a picture, I slipped in a $10 real quick.

 I love how simple this money holder came together with just a few products.

CARDMAKING TIPS

• Cut a 7-1/2″ x 7″ piece of Basic White Thick cardstock for your base, then scored at 2-1/4″ and 5-1/4″ along the length.  
• You'll need two pieces of In Good Taste DSP that measure 2-1/4" x 7" to adhere onto the card base.
•  The belly band is cut from Brushed Metallic Cardstock at 1-1/2" x 6-1/2".  
• The stamp is an old retired set from 2014 that I really like to use and is called Pomp and Circumstance.
• The word "congratulations" is stamped-off throughout the pieces of DSP using Early Espresso ink. The stamping off helps so that the word is more subtle.
  
• For the front label, cut a piece of Basic White cardstock using the middle-sized die from the Hippo & Friends dies.
• Stamp the sentiment onto a piece of Brushed Metallic Cardstock using Staz-On ink. Cut it out with the smallest die from the Hippo & Friends label die. Attach this piece onto the white label using dimensionals. This will adhere onto the belly band as shown below.

• For the graduation hat, stamp the image onto some Basic Black cardstock using versamark ink. Then heat emboss with white embossing powder. Add a little Wink of Stella for some shimmer, if you'd like.
• For the inside, 
• Use some Tear & Tape Adhesive to adhere the left and right edges of the bottom panel of the card base, to create the money pocket.
• Cut a strip of Brushed Metallic Cardstock at 1/4" x 7" to adhere it about 1/8" below the top edge of the bottom panel.

All you have left is to write your personal message on the top panel of the inside and VOILA!!!

CARDMAKING SUPPLIES

Click on the links below to view any of the supplies used for this project.

• Cardstock: Basic White Thick, Basic White, Brushed Metallic Cardstock (not available until 1st week of January), Basic Black
• Designer Paper: In Good Taste
• Stamp Set: Pomp and Circumstance (retired)
• Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark, Staz-On
• Dies: Hippo & Friends
• Other: Basics Embossing Powders , Adhesives, Cutting Tools
  

BLOG GIVEAWAY!

The In Good Taste DSP is such a great pack of variety of paper that I want to give 1 away! 

If you comment below by telling me what occasion you would use the money-holder template for, you will be entered to win!

Winner will be announced on Friday, December 17th at 12pm (CST). 

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

 

Super Mario Punch Art for Birthday Card

 HAPPY SATURDAY! Welcome back to my new blog post that will feature some punch art that is not Christmas related.... ha ha ha. 

I'm taking a break from Christmas projects just for this weekend so I can focus on my son's 8th birthday! He's all about video games like Minecraft and Super Mario. I must mention that this is the first year he's requested me to make him a card. I GLADLY obliged!!!

This card was inspired by a card I found on Pinterest, made by Melanie Makes, which you can find here. Below is the image of her card. I love the layout of the card along with how she made a starburst in the background so that Mario's face is the focus.

Below is my version of the Mario card. 

I made a "pipe" for the inside of the card from Garden Green Cardstock so that it would hold a prize inside. I love this unique money pocket! I cut out one rectangle to 2" x 2 1/4" and another to 3/4" x 2 1/4". I popped these pieces up with mini dimensionals along the bottom and sides, making sure to leave room for the $20 bill.

I had to come up with my own ideas of doing the punch art and put together a little tutorial of the punches I used for each piece which looks similar to Melanie's punch art with some slight differences.

You may access the *.jpg version of the tutorial in the "Tutorials & Cheat Sheets" tab towards the top of this blog page. 

Allow me to share some TIPS about the process of putting this little guy together...

• Not all the punches I used are available in the current catalog and therefore are retired. If you don't have a certain punch, see what else you could use that has a similar shape for what you're needing. 
• I highly recommend using grid paper to help you align and measure your pieces for accuracy.
• I found that using Tombo glue is the best adhesive for adhering your pieces because it give you a chance to move things around until you get it where you want it.
• Begin by taking a 3" square piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock and use the Ivory Stampin' Blend Marker and color it, let dry. Then punch out Mario's face, ears, and nose.
•  Punch out the 1 3/8" scalloped circle from Basic Black Cardstock then use a 1" circle punch to punch out the sideburns. I measured the size of the sideburns by counting 5 scallops. For the mustache, I counted 9 or 10 scallops and cut straight across using my scissors.
• Put together Mario's face first by adhering the nose with a mini-dimensional in the center of his face. Adhere the sideburns slightly above his ears.
• Use post-it notes to help you punch out a sliver of the hat rim and eyebrows. 
• For Mario's hat, I used my grid paper to mark 4 points as shown below so that I could cut along the solid line for the shape of the hat, making sure to round the corners.

• Mario's eyebrows were a little tricky for me. I made 4 of these Mario's and they all turned out differently. You could trim them until you like their shape and thickness.
• For Mario's tongue, I placed a post-it note towards the top half of the heart punch out and then used the watermelon punch to punch out the tongue.
• After you complete Mario's face, adhere his ears behind it, then adhere to the hat. 
• The rim of the hat is the last thing I adhered to Mario's forehead using mini-dimensionals.

Below is a list of SUPPLIES that I used for the front and inside of the card. These items are current Stampin' UP! products except for those noted with an * :

• STAMP SETS
• So Many Stars (2019 Holiday Catalog) *
• BYOB (2015-2016 Annual Catalog) *
• Poppin Birthday (March 2019 Paper Pumpkin) *
• DIES
• Stitched Stars (2019 Holiday Catalog) *
• Up & Away (2017 Mini Catalog) *
• Sunburst (2016 Mini Catalog) *
• PAPER/CARDSTOCK
• Gingham Gala 6"x6" DSP - Balmy Blue (2019 Mini Catalog) *
• Balmy Blue cardstock
• Granny Apple Green cardstock 
• Whisper White Cardstock
• Daffodil Delight Cardstock
• Real Red Cardstock
• Basic Black Cardstock
• Very Vanilla Cardstock 
• Garden Green Cardstock
• INKS
• Real Red
• Granny Apple Green 
• MARKERS
• Real Red Stampin' Marker
• Ivory Stampin' Blend Marker
• RIBBON: 
• Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack 
• PUNCHES:
• 1/2" circle (2019-2020 Annual catalog) *
• 1" circle (2019-2020 Annual catalog) *
• 2" circle 
• 2 1/4" circle 
• Owl Punch (2010-2011 Annual catalog) *
• Itty Bitty Fruit Punch Pack - watermelon (2018 Mini catalog) *
• Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack - heart (2014-2015 Annual Catalog) *
• 1 3/8" scallop circle (2018 Mini Catalog) *
• MISC. 
• White Gel Pen (non-Stampin' UP!)

This is all I have for today's post. I sure hope you are able to put together some punch art cards and although it can get tedious, have some fun making art!!!

Until next time ... 

Christmas Card Buffet 2018

I'm super excited to share with you the details of my Christmas Card Buffet that's coming on Friday, November 2nd! 

Here are the details:

• This is a "come & go" event meaning that you can show up at my home anytime between 9am and 9pm. You will not need the whole time to create your cards but you may need up to 2-3 hours.
• Choose from 10 different designs using current products from the 2018-2019  Stampin' UP! Annual Catalog and the 2018 Holiday Catalog.
• Cost is $15 for a minimum of 6 cards then $2 for every additional card. Cost covers all supplies needed.
• Sign up's begin today, October  8th and will end on Monday, October 22nd. 
• Payment is due at the time of RSVP. 

The following samples are the designs you get to choose from. Remember that you are free to choose any design so long as you get a total of 6 (minimum) cards to create.

*Please note: Design #3 is a gift card holder and Design #5 is a money holder.

 Here's a closer look at each design:

Once you have an idea of what designs you'd like, sign up by e-mailing me at the link on the top right of this page with the following:

1. Design number you choose
2. Quantity of each design you choose
3. Time range you expect to attend 
4. Paying with PayPal, Venmo or Zelle?

Once I receive your information, I will then send you a request for payment via PayPal, Venmo or mobile banking with Zelle (view participating banks here).

To-Go Option
I've had a few people request for a To-Go option and I'm happy to announce that I will provide this. For To-Go kits:

• If you are local and want to do a porch-pickup, let me know and I can hold for you. 
• If you would like the kit mailed to your home, please add $7 for shipping.
• Any designs you choose will be cut and stamped for you. All you need to do is assemble. 
• You will need to provide your own tape adhesive, glue dots and dimensionals.

Sign up by e-mailing me at the link on the top right of this page with the following:

1. Design number you choose
2. Quantity of each design you choose
3. Porch pick up OR mail? If mailed, please provide the mailing address.
4. Paying with PayPal, Venmo or Zelle?

Please feel free to contact me for any questions. I'm always happy to help!
Until next time...

A Retro wedding money holder

Phew!!! What a MONTH!!! I just don't understand where all the time goes....

On another note, I finally got to get in some crafting time to create a special money holder for some friends of ours that tied the knot this past weekend. 

This money holder features the "Retro Fresh" designer paper that will be coming very soon in the Stampin' UP! Occasions catalog 2014.
While I was creating this card, I came to the realization that I do not own 1 single wedding stamp set from Stampin' UP! so I had to resort to my non-SU! stash of stamp sets.

My Tips:

• create the holder by cutting a piece of CS to 8 1/4"x 7".
• score at 3" and 6" along the 7inch length.
• use the envelope punch board to create the middle tab as shown in the bottom right picture before your assemble the holder.

Supplies used:

• cardstock: crumb cake, tangerine tango, coastal cabana, so saffron, very vanilla, baked brown sugar
• DSP: retro fresh (coming soon)
• stamp set: wedding (by Inkadinkado), everyday expressions (by stampabilities) 
• ink: soft suede, tangerine tango
• embellishments: pearls
• punches: heart
• envelope punch board

Interested in the upcoming "Retro Fresh" paper Suite? Sign up for my mailing list and get a FREE Spring catalog by e-mailing me at jretana06@gmail.com


Thanks for reading my post! Until next time....