Waistcoat Card - Dapper Dad

Hello, and welcome to this blog hop, which is all about the BRAND NEW Spring/Summer Catalogue 2013 and the lovely products featured in it!

A very special welcome to those readers who have just joined me from Emily's BLOG! Thanks for visiting.

Today I'd like to share with you a card I made this week using the BRAND NEW Dapper Dad Stamp Set from the afore-mentioned catalogue (p.14). 

As the word "dapper" suggests, this card would suit a smartly-dressed, well-turned out gentleman, and I trust you already have a few of these in amongst your own circle of friends and family who would appreciate receiving such a card! :-) 

If you're anything like me, wondering what materials to use for men's cards, which (let's face it) can be tricky to make at times, then this set is for you! There are three stamps that go with it - a bow tie, a shoe, and a watch. There's so much you can do with these three images, from Father's Day cards to retirement cards, etc.

Here' s a simple, step-by-step, "all-you-need-to-know" guide about how to make today's card:

1. Cut out the waistcoat shape (according to the measurements shown in the picture) from Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Papers. (My card, by the way, measured 14.5cmx10cm or roughly 6"x4").

2. Trim away the diagonal portions at the top of the card, to give it the impression of "shoulders". Cut a 3cm slit in the centre of the top of the card and fold back two triangles to form the collar.

3. Cut and stick down two small strips of scrap Early Espresso cardstock to form the pockets on the waistcoat. 

4. Ink up the bow tie stamp in Early Espresso Ink (though you can use any other colour you like, making sure the paper you use for the "pockets" match the colour of the bow tie, otherwise our imaginary gentleman won't be as "dapper" as we first thought he was!)

5. Stick the bow tie down, just under the collar, and add three Neutrals Designer Buttons down the centre of the waistcoat to finish.

So, there you have it. Our gentleman is now ready to go out and face the world!

Thanks for 'hopping' by! I hope to see you again very soon.

Click here to visit the next person on the blog hop (hello, Erika!), and if you want to be inspired by some more Spring/Summer Catalogue creations, why don't you go ahead and 'hop' back to the Beginning of this BLOG HOP and carry on till you've visited all 14 posts. Enjoy! :-)

Products used: All Stampin'Up! unless otherwise stated

Stamps: Dapper Dad Set (Clear Mount) - Spring/Summer Catalogue

Inks: Early Espresso

Card stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Neutrals Designer Buttons (Early Espresso)

Elegant butterfly and Summer Silhouettes!

Happy New Year to you all!

I know it’s winter, and a stamp set like Summer Silhouettes makes summer sound like a long, long way off, but hey, that’s what creativity does to you! It makes you dream of sunny days, of bees and butterflies, of love and laughter… Before we know it, the buds on the trees will blossom again, and nature will sing its beautiful summer melody like it always does at that time of year.

I wanted to show off the Polka Dot Parade Designer Papers, so I used the Adorning Accents Edgelits and Adorning Accents Folder with the Big Shot machine to create a pretty edge on each side of the card – just big enough to see the paper through.

The vase is made using the Ornament punch (great not only for Christmas cards then!), to punch out the shape from the back of the same blue, dotted paper used on the edge of the card. Just snip off the bottom the ornament shape, and ‘Voila, you have a vase’!

The butterfly is from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set, and I raised it up using the Elegant Butterfly punch, and some 3-D Dimensionals.

In keeping with the light, fragile, and earthly nature of butterflies, I preferred using Baker’s Twine to ribbon, both on the side of the card, and on the button.

The greeting is from the Petite Pairs stamp set.

Here’s another card, using the same Summer Silhouettes stamp set, this time as a ‘Thank You’ card with a sentiment from the same Petite Pairs stamp set. The ribbon is Pretty in Pink. Inks used: Old Olive, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Pink Passion (now retired). Nice, if I may say so myself!