Rubber Stamping & Card Making with Yapha

My brother’s birthday was early this week, and since I was giving him a gift card, I thought it would a great time to learn how to make the Top Note Gift Card Holder. I used the great tutorial over on Dannie Grave’s blog. It was super easy and came out really cute. I used a tiny dab of Dotto repositional adhesive in the lower right hand corner to keep it closed until he opened it.

Here’s what it looks like when you open it up to reveal the gift card:

Stamps: Delightful Dozen
Ink: Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Peach Parfait, So Saffron
Paper: Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
Other: Top Note Bigz Die, Word Window Punch

I am definitely going to use this gift card holder idea again. I love how it came out!

What a fun color challenge from ColourQ this week! It’s black, white, and one other color of your choice!

I used a picture from last New Year’s Eve, and chose Melon Mambo as my third color. My title is a play on words, since my daughter’s name is Eve. It was New Year’s Eve, and she IS New Year’s Eve!! Yes, I love bad word plays. They make me chuckle.

The background paper is from the digital version of the Night & Day Designer Series Paper. Many retired papers are still available digitally. This one is gorgeous for black and white.

(Oh, and that’s sparkling apple juice in her glass, just in case you were wondering…)

One of my colleagues at work is having some pretty significant surgery over break, and I know a lot of people are pitching in to help her out. I figured in light of this that she might need some thank you notes. I asked her what her favorite colors were, and she told me jewel tones in blue, green, & purple. So I made her a pack of thank you notes based on that, four each of three designs.

Here’s a look at each one separately.

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Pacific Point, Pear Pizzazz
Paper: Pacific Point, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack
Other: Pear Pizzazz Poly Ribbon, 1″ Square Punch, Top Note Bigz Die, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Scallop Oval Punch, Punch windows Mover & Shapers Die, Big Shot

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Regals Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack
Other: Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Top Note Bigz Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Punch Windows Mover & Shapers Die, Big Shot

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Night of Navy, Garden Green
Paper: Garden Green, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Regals Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack
Other: Night of Navy Satin Ribbon, Top Note Bigz Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Punch Windows Mover & Shapers Die, Big Shot

The Night of Navy Satin Ribbon is retired, but you might want to keep an eye on the Clearance Rack. Retired ribbon has been showing up often.

Run, don’t walk, over to Stampin’ Up’s Clearance Rack!! There are amazing deals to be had on punches, ribbon, Big Shot dies, even the Watercolor Wonder Crayons! Here’s an important tip — to be sure to choose “Show All” from the drop down menu on the right. Otherwise you will miss the last few pages of goodies. Happy shopping!

We gave out Tootsie Rolls for Halloween. Or tried to, at least. Not a lot of trick-or-treaters came by, leaving us with a lot of Tootsie Rolls. We donated some to Operation Gratitude at school, and I figured the rest could be used for crafts. As I was thinking about how to use them, I remembered these super cute Top Note Owl Bag Toppers that were all the rage about three years ago. I decided it was time to bring them back!

Paper: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Top Note Bigz Die, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1″ Circle Punch, 1/2″ Circle Punch, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Small Cello Bags

This little owl is so cute, I almost feel bad eating the Tootsie Rolls. Almost.

It’s funny, because when I first saw it, I really did not like the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, but the more I use it, the more I love it! When I saw this gorgeous quilted card by Rita, I knew I wanted to make my own as well.

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Soft Suede, Pool Party
Paper: Pool Party, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Other: Scallop Oval Punch, Punch Windows Movers & Shapers Die,  Top Note Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon

I love how rich and textured this came out!

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog over the weekend! as I promised during the hop, I have a combo tutorial for you today — how to enlarge your Matchbox AND how to create an easel for it as well. First of all, you need Stampin’ Up’s Matchbox Bigz XL Die. (If you don’t already have this, read to the end for a special offer.) This is what the final project looks like:

The to create the regular matchbox bottom, you need a piece of cardstock that is approximately 6″ x 5″. This creates an adorable box that is unfortunately about an inch to short to hold a gift card. To compensate for this we are going to start with a piece of card stock that is just a bit larger than 7″ x 5″. Fold this in half so that your folded piece is now 3 1/2″ x 5″. Place this on the Matchbox die so that the folded edge is towards the middle of the die, and the two open sides are just at the edge of the cutting line. (Thank you to Carmen for the original tutorial on this.)

Run this through your Big Shot as usual. When you take it out, unfold the piece that you cut. It should look like this:

Fold on all of the score lines, and put it together just as you would a regular Matchbox. As you can see your final project is slightly larger than a regular Matchbox, and can now hold a gift card!

The next step is to create a cover and the easel. For the cover you want to start with a piece of cardstock that is 6 1/2″ x 3 3/4″. Score this on the long side at 3/4″,  2 7/8″, 3 5/8″, and 5 3/4″. (Have I mention recently how much I love my Simply Scored? Love it!!)

Next you need to create a base for the easel mechanism. Start with a piece of cardstock that is 2 1/8″ x 4 3/4″. Score it on the long side at 1 7/8″ and 3 3/4″.

Now fold under the piece that is 1 7/8″ and glue it to the underside of the cover. Next fold up the bottom part, so it is touching the top. (Is this too confusing? Do I need a video?)

Create your focal point image and attach it to a mat that is 2 1/8″ x 3 3/4″. The top of this mat is then glued on to the folded up part of the easel mechanism. (Are you still with me here?)

Now fold the cover on its score lines and fold into a sleeve for the matchbox. For the final step, attach something to the cover that will catch the end of the easel and prop it up. Here I used a little cut out coffee cup on a Stampin’ Dimensional.

I hope this tutorial was helpful. I welcome your questions and comments!

Oh, right, the special offer! From now through October 31st, I am offering free shipping on any order that includes the Matchbox Bigz XL die. Send me an email for complete details. And don’t forget! If you join my team of Craft Therapists before the end of October, you can get either a FREE Big shot or $100 worth of the Stampin’ Up products of your choice. Click here for more details.

Hello and welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop! In honor of Stampin’ Up’s amazing sign up special (where you can get a free Big Shot!) we are featuring a variety of Big Shot dies. Each blog will focus on a different die, and all the blogs connect in a circle. So whether you are starting here, or have just arrived from Sarah’s Ink Spot, with the fabulous Fancy Favor die, you will have a chance to see them all!

I am super excited to be featuring the Matchbox Die. This is a Bigz XL Die, so it does need the extended cutting pads. It also works best with the Extended Crease Pad. The die cuts and scores the two pieces that make up the matchbox, plus 3 fun tags.

My first project for you today is a little red wagon. I only used the inside of the Matchbox, plus two circle punches to make this adorable wagon. How fun would it be to use these as place cards or favor holders at a child’s birthday party? The last time I made one of these, my daughter took it to use with her Polly Pocket dolls! As you can see by the tag on the back, this one is for my nephew. That silver tag is one of the three tag shapes included on the die.

Stamps: Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Brushed Silver
Other: Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Big Shot, 1″ Circle Punch, 1/2″ Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Neutral Brads (black)

My next project turns the Matchbox into a little purse. I did not change the structure of the box at all, I just added the scalloped circle piece and the ribbon so it would look more purse like. This adorable little purse can hold 3 lip balms, to make a sweet party favor as well.

Ink: Wild Wasabi
Paper: Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi, Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper
Other: Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Big Shot, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Square Fire Rhinestone Brads, Peach Parfait Poly Ribbon

The fun really starts when you combine multiple Matchboxes to create larger items. I have seen a variety of single, double and triple stacks of Matchboxes to make dressers, desks, and more! Below is a fairly simple dresser, two stacks of two Matchboxes each. This is for my daughter’s teacher, who is about to have a baby. I filled the drawers with samples of baby lotion and body wash, but they could fit a variety of small objects, including baby socks!

Paper: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Other: Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Printed 2011 In Color Designer Brads (Pool Party), Mono Multi Adhesive

When the Matchbox die was first released, some people were disappointed that it was not large enough to hold a gift card. I am happy to tell you that it is fairly easy to modify the die cut to create a box large enough for a standard gift card. My final project is an elongated Matchbox  with an easel top. Since it is a Starbuck’s gift card, I chose a coffee theme for the Matchbox. (Easel matchbox inspired by Becky Roberts.) I will have a full tutorial on how to create this next week, so be sure to stop back.

Stamps: Morning Cup
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Garden Green, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Garden Green Whisper White
Other: Match Box Bigz Die, Big Shot,  Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Pretty in Pink Dotted Scalloped Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensional

Thanks so much for joining me on the Blog Hop today! Your next stop is Lisa over at Add Ink and Stamp, where she has some amazing ideas for the Box #2 die. Wait until you see the card file!

This week’s Paper Players challenge is a monochromatic challenge, featuring three great shades of pink!

I was working on an entirely different card, for a Holiday Wow! swap over at Stampin’ Addicts, and using the the Polished Stone technique. This was the first time I had tried it, and I was amazed at how fun and easy it was! I realized it would be perfect for this challenge too! (Not sure how to do this technique? I’ll have a photo tutorial posted later this week.) It almost makes a camouflage style background. Sorry for the glare on the picture — it’s the glossy white card stock.

Stamps: Word Play
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Basic Black, Glossy White
Other: Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Basic Black 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon, Top Note Bigz Die, Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Cotton Ball, Rubbing Alcohol

Shockingly, I do not have any Regal Rose reinker! It was neat to see that where Rose Red and Pretty in Pink blended, they made a close approximation of Regal Rose!

I had a bunch of leftover pieces of the Pink Pirouette Patterned  Paper after I finished the pack of Baby Carriage cards that I showed you yesterday. I needed to make a card to go with the gift pack, so I used the scraps to make a Top Note Quilt Card. I embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper folder afterward to make it look even more quilt like.

Stamps: Baby Bundle
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Pink Piouette, Chocolate Chip, Subtles Designer Series Patterns Stack
Other: Top Note Bigz Die, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Basic Pearls, Chocolate Chip Dotted Scallop Ribbon

The patterns are very subtle in the picture, but it looks quite quilt like in real life.