The Wacky Watercooler September Blog Hop

Originally posted on September 18, 2014

Welcome! I’m excited to have you stop by on your way around the Wacky Watercooler September Blog Hop!  You landed here from Marsha Reed’s blog - didn’t you just love her creations!  Isn’t it fun to see the amazing projects from the 2014 Holiday Catalog? We have some very talented people participating.

Remember, this is a circular Blog Hop.  That means that wherever you begin, if you continue to go to the “next” person on the list, you will eventually wind up right where you first started.  You will find the “next” button (and the “previous” button – if you want to go backwards) at the end of this post. The “home” button will give you a listing of all participating blogs. I hope you’ll take time to look at all our blogs.

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My first card features the Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set and Framelits Dies Bundle from Stampin’ Up! This set is more than a Christmas set, as you can see; it makes a beautiful autumn wreath. The colors I used were Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, and Tangelo Twist.

The wreath stamps in the stamp set are design for you to be able to do the two-step stamping technique. Each wreath stamp has a tab on the side and if you mark the tab placement it is very easy to line up the images. I was actually able to line them up without marking the tab because you can see through the photopolymer stamp. And, if you choose to not line up the second layer of leaves or berries, no problem, it just makes the wreath fuller, and it looks just as amazing.

I am so happy Stampin’ Up! made the Wondrous Wreath Framelits to go with the stamp set. No fussy cutting, just a quick run through the Big Shot! Of course I love, love, love the words that go with this set. I can’t wait to make some Christmas projects with these framelits.

I love different techniques and came across the Bokeh technique and decided to give it a try for this next card. I love the look of this technique with the Seasonally Scattered set. The colors used for the background are Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, and Wild Wasabi.

How I did the Bokeh technique:

• Spritz water onto watercolor paper.
• Using an aqua-painter or paint brush, apply ink onto the paper then let it dry.
• Stamp desired image using VersaMark ink.
• Apply embossing powder and heat set.
• Create a reverse mask from paper by punching circles of different sizes.
• Sponge white ink through the holes to create the boken effect. For this card I opted to not sponge as many circles.
• Let the ink dry. You now have a beautiful creation! How fun is that!

My final project for this hop is a box made with the Gift Box Punch Board. Making the box is so simple, because Stampin’ Up! made the instructions easy to follow.  A few punches and scored lines and you’re done!  You can decorate the box, or  not.

I chose to add additional paper layers, a band using the Scalloped tag Topper
for more flair, and some embellishments.

To make the flowers:

The flowers are made using the Scallop Circle Punches – (size 1 ¾” for the large flower and 1 ¼” for the small flowers).

• Punch 5 pieces from card stock for each flower.
• Stack them on top of each other and then pierce through the center.
• Put a brad through the center hole.
• Apply a small amount of water to each scallop – this helps break down the fibers.
• Scrunch each scallop to the middle of the flower starting with top layer. I just scrunched each layer until I was happy with the tightness.
• Now gently pull the layers apart as desired and let dry.
• If you want to make leaves, use the Scallop Oval Punch. I spritzed my piece with water than folded it in half and then accordion folded it. I then gently unfolded it to shaped it and set it aside to dry.

I hope you liked my creations. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here – I love reading your messages!  Thanks again for stopping by!

Your next stop will be with the talented Heidi Weaver.  I know you’ll enjoy her projects. Just click the “next” button below to see what she has in store for you! Enjoy all your stops – I know you will be inspired!