Grungy Gatefold Birthday Card

For the past week I have been feeling particularly low on creative energy. You know...the times you sit at your desk, look at all your stuff and then just have no clue what to do with it all? Today, I wanted to make a birthday card for my brother, but didn't know where to start. That's when I reached for a Technique Junkie CD! It never fails - I always find something cool to spark my creativity. This time it was the Fancy Gatefold card from the 3D and Fun Folds CD. One of my all-time faves!

My card is quite a departure from the tutorial. There are supposed to be three panels across the front. My first thought was that I was going to split the Umbrella man into three pieces - his head and feet would go one way when you opened the card, the torso would go the other way. I decided I really wanted him in one piece. Plus, I loved the look of the idea-ology Kraft Resist paper and really didn't want to cover it up! On the left side I used the new Sizzix Cargo Stencil Numbers dies to cut out his birthday number (I can't believe he's going to be 32! He's the baby!). Behind the cutouts, I added sanded Kraft Core'dinations paper.

Here is my guy! I cut him from chipboard and painted him with a Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded here and there. The Harlequin Border was a scrap that I had lying on my desk. My hubby came up with the idea of using the closure from the Sizzix Pocket Envelope die. He's very proud of his contribution. :)

Here is the card opened - how awesome is that fold?! I can imagine all kinds of ideas now.  The center section was embossed using the Harlequin Texture Fade  and the oval Embossing Diffuser. I love the look of just that section being embossed. When I was opening and closing the card, I thought it would look really cool with a little banner that would unfurl when you opened it (I have a sneaky feeling that the idea was planted by Karen Burniston's card(s) on the Sizzix blog). I created one using the Sizzix Pennants On the Edge die and idea-ology letters and strung it with some twine.

I totally love how my card came out and can't recommend this Technique Junkie CD enough! It's such a great resource when your muse seems to have taken a little vacation.  Click here for a full list of the techniques - there are lots!

Inspiration Emporium carries all the supplies I used for my card - AND you can pre-order the new Distress inks! Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save 10% off your order!

Summer Seasonal Distress Ink	Fairytale Frenzy	Stampers Anonymous Steampunk	Shabby French Stamp Collection	Air Travel
Bitty Grunge	Mini Muse	Sizzix Cargo Stencil Number Set	Sizzix Umbrella Man	Sizzix Harlequin & Stripes
Sizzix Pennants Die	Sizzix Pocket Envelope Die	Sizzix Embossing Diffuser	Sizzix Little Sizzles Kraft Core	Sizzix Harlequin Border
Barn Door Distress Ink	Black Soot Distress Ink	Ranger Fall Limited Edition Distress Ink	Idea-ology Kraft Resist	Vagabond
Idea-ology Long Fasteners	Idea-ology Tiny Fasteners	Idea-ology Alpha Parts	Inkssentials Blending Tool	Idea-ology Sanding Grip
Ranger Dabber - Pitch Black

InLinkz.com

I have one more cool thing to share with you. A couple months ago, I was asked to be the guest artist for a Canadian scrapbooking blog called Art du Scrapbooking. Each of their DT members chose one or two of my cards to 'lift'. Their creations are amazing! I love seeing how other interpret my ideas.

Speaking of cool creations, I'm submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes challenge. Make sure you visit to see all the gorgeous artwork that's been posted!

Sizzix Steampunk Pop-Up Card

Hi all! I just wanted to share a project I created for the Sizzix blog using Karen Burniston's awesome Spinning 3-D Pop-Up die and lots of cool Sizzix dies and Texture Fades from Tim Holtz. There are lots of techniques featured in this card, so be sure you take a peek and let me know what you think!

I said it on the Sizzix blog, but I'll say it again, this is one of the most fascinating and versatile pop-up dies I've ever seen. Your pop-up piece lays flat and then, as the card is opened, rotates around and up. It's like magic, I tell ya! I thought the gears/Steampunk theme was perfect for this type of motion card. Very fun! Sadly, this die is being retired - but, that also means you can get a great deal on it from Sizzix. Click here to visit the Sizzix site and check it out. You are gonna want to snap this one up!

Make sure you check out the full tutorial here!

TH June Tag + CC2 Challenge

I was so happy to see that one of the techniques Tim Holtz used for this month's 12 Tags of 2012 was Marbled Stains. I had just made a tag using that technique a few days ago and was dying to use it! It ended up setting the whole tone for my piece. I needed to create something with a beach theme for another challenge and thought this pic of my kids would be perfect for the other technique he used. I don't have the nibs yet, so I used my Distress markers instead.

One of my favorite things from the old 12 Tags of Christmas was finding substitutions - living so far out in the country, it's not always easy to run to the store and pick up supplies. These days I have so much of the stuff, but I still think it's fun to try something different. For my little tab on the right, I used the Sizzix Tiny Tabs and Tags die to create a little paper tag. I punched a circle, colored it, stamped it with a tiny number set from 7 Gypsies, and then attached it with my Tiny Attacher. I really wanted the metal number to be a two, but I didn't have that one. So, I used my 25 Movers and Shapers die and cut one from thin metal. I love that the die kind of shaped it too! At the top I added sand in an Idea-ology Corked Vial and another tag marked with the name of the beach we were at.

This week's Compendium of Curiosities challenge is all about reusing packaging. I love this technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter for making little flowers! When my tag started turning into more of a scrapbook piece, I decided to adhere it to a block and make it something that I could have out to remind me of that trip (look, I'm totally turning into a scrapbooker!). I scrounged a wood block and painted it with Frayed Burlap Distress Crackle Paint. I added some twine and a couple shells and I was done. I am just thrilled with how it came out!

If you'd like to purchase any of the items I used - including Tim's wonderful book - they are available from Inspiration Emporium through the links below. Make sure you use my coupon code - stamptramp - to save yourself 10%!

Compendium of Curiosities II	Sizzix Tattered Florals Die	Sizzix Tiny Tabs & Tags	Sizzix Movers & Shapers Reindeer & 25	Idea-ology Screw Eyes
Idea-ology Long Fasteners	Idea-ology Word Bands	Idea-ology Corked Vials	Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist	Idea-ology Tiny Attacher
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink	Stormy Sky Distress Ink	Antique Linen Distress Ink	Distress Markers	Inkssentials Manila Tag
Vagabond	Inkssentials Glue N' Seal	Papillon Stamp Set	Stampers Anonymous Postcards	Aqua Alcohol Ink
Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool	Faded Jeans Distress Stain	Picket Fence Distress Stain	Broken China Distress Stain	Inkssentials Blending Tool
Scotch Tape Glider	Tim Holtz Paper Distresser	Jet Black Archival Ink	Frayed Burlap Distress Crackle Paint	Idea-ology Sanding Grip
Sizzix Little Sizzles

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Thanks so much for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend! :)