More Blossom Petal Builder Punch

Maybe if I write the name of this punch a few more times, I'll actually remember it.  As of now, I'm still having to look it up.  Blossom Petal Builder is the one that looks like a feather duster to me - Haven't used it too much so I tried another project and I think you might like this..

Ok, maybe you'll like it better next Easter instead of now but I haven't been turning out too many punch ideas so you best just take what I can give and don't be picky about seasonal timing.

Body - large feather duster petal from Blosoom Petal Builder
WIngs - large feather duster again (cut int half)
Beak - narrow heart to heart, trim bumps end off
Feet - I cut the little flower from itty bitty punch pack - but I should have just used the owl feet
Hat - medium oval
Hat brim - combo of ornament and large oval
Flower - itty bitty punch pack, standard hole punch center

Heard you were under the weather...

It is a Splish Splash Flash Back...

I don't do a lot of challenges.  This is primarily because I'm usually a week behind on my blog reading and the due dates are past. But I have turned over a new leaf and hope to do someones challenge each week. 

This week I bought into the Color Combos Galore Inspiration 187.  I've been following this site for YEARS with good intentions yet this is my first time to play.  They "requested" more cards so that is what I did.  A get well card - "Heard you were under the weather"  is the inside sentiment -  yep, it's my usual corny stuff!  And since they required WET - I glazed up the umbrella, drops, and puddles. 

Changed the duck a little from the Splish Splash version:
Same butterfly punch feet and bill
1.25 inch circle for the body
Owl punch with ears and feet cut off for the head
And since it was already laying there on my desk - I cut the owl breast in half for wings (weird end is behind his body)
Eyes are the circles from the owl punch in white and black

Umbrella is the 1.75 circle punched near a scallop oval hole - this is the way to get the "scallops" inverted on the umbrella.

Umbrella handle is the word window around the slot hole - trimmed.  Like this:

In the beginning...

In the beginning...

No, not THAT beginning.  In the beginning days of this blog, I shared the tutorial for a punched crow that had been very popular - which you can find HERE.

Today I have another crow inspired by some clip-art I saw - it was just too fun not to try in punches.

Beak - large oval, opening trimmed with scissors and colored in a bit with black marker
Body - large oval - snipped in with scissors to make choppyish (is that a word?) feathers
Eyes - circle from itty bitty punch pack and black marker
Glasses - 1/2 inch circle around itty bitty punch pack circle hole - 3 times - 2 for circles, 1 for nose piece - 2 bits of word window for ear pieces
Legs - thin strip from trimmer
Feet - narrow heart to heart next to the same hole - then I folded it over on itself to make the toes closer together (making the V shape narrower - just try it and it should make sense)

I will be using this for a thank you card I need to make - maybe something like "just had to crow about it"
Any better suggestions for a sentiment?

Singles Ad

Seeking Three French Hens who prefer bread and wine

NOT

'pina coladas and getting caught in the rain...'

I don't know why I punched what I punched- other than they amused me.

I hope they made you grin too.

Will they lead us to a weird version of the 12 days of Christmas? 

It isn't in the plan - but since I don't know from day to day what I'm going to punch or post...it could happen.

Body – owl - feet off-ears off – trimming in slightly from fattest part

Neck – modern label – trimming in from fattest part to middle bump at other end

Belly – small oval

Feet – narrow heart to heart – trimmed – draw on toes

Wings – scallop oval – cut in half to get 2 wings

Beak – word window shortened by re-punching, narrow heart to heart folded over

Eye white – small heart

Eye black – tiny owl or marker

Eyelids – circle itty bitty punch pack cut in ½

Beret – small oval – scrap “button thing”

Cigarette – retired slot (can use scrap) color tip red

Both Props – word window trimmed

Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder...

I'm a pretty handy friend to have around when you are scrapping with limited supplies (You can't take EVERYTHING on a scrapping weekend).  Not only did I make a baby for Jenifer's card but I made a tropical bird for Becky's layout.

Pretty big "Mr. Bluebird" on her shoulder, huh?

Becky had these great pictures from a recent trip but needed "something else" on the page - she laughed but didn't use my suggestion to have bird poo dripping down the page so we went with the bird instead.

Here are the details:

Body – 2 step bird

Tail – modern label- timed like grass on one end – folded over – trimmed end on a slant

Head – 2 red wings from 2 step bird

Eye area – part of small heart

Beak – part of wide heart from Heart to Heart

Black on face – circle from itty bitty shapes

Yellow feathers – tail of 2 step bird

Feet – end of branch from 2 step bird – snipped “v” into 2 of the leaves – cut the rest off

It is just like Paper Dolls!

Did you ever play Paper Dolls?

Many of you just scratched your head and are wondering what crazy thing I'm talking about, aren't you?

Well, back in the good old days, little girls actually used to play with dolls made out of paper.  Paper, not plastic. 

You had a base doll (usually cardboard) and paper "clothes" with little tabs to fold over the shoulders.  That is how you "dressed" them.  Rather low tech, but still very fine for the imagination. 

Paper dolls could go to school, get married, have careers and do all the same things that Barbies or Brats (or whatever dolls little girls play with these days) can do.  You just didn't spend much money on them. They weren't as durable.  And they didn't come with a "Dream House" (except the one in your very own dream). 

Playing with yesterday's owl chef reminded me of paper dolls because dressing him as another character was as easy as moving a bit of paper.

EXACT same owl - just changed his chef hat (whatever you call those) into a bowler from the 3/4 inch circle and a strip from the 1 inch circle as the brim.

You could do a Santa Hat - or a Top Hat - add a prop or two and this little guy can be sooooo many things.

Get those punches out and get playing!

Guess HOOOO is Coming for Dinner?

Guess Hoooo is Coming for Dinner?

With all the cute little dressed up owls that are showing up on Stampin' Up blogs - I couldn't resist trying one myself.

This was inspired by the now retired stampset Viola! with the double buttons on the chefs coat.  All I did was lay a small oval on the "breast" and use that edge to draw the slightly curved line (then pitch the oval).  Dot on some buttons.

NOT my idea to add the wings - that is a borrowed idea from Peggy-Sue Stuckky (and I'm sure others). Wings are half a scallop oval punch - cut in half the other direction to get two wings.

Hat is scallop oval trimmed with scissors.

Eyes are the circles from the owl punch but I added a standard hole punch too - and a gel pen highlight.

Moustache is short end of curly label next to short end of curly label hole.

Beak is one of the small circle punches on the corner of a scrap paper.

Ran the owl through the square lattice embossing folder for some texture.

Could easily add some cooking props....

This will wind up on a recipe page I'm sure.

U are on My Mind

This weeks challenge on VC Rocks is to create a punch art animal or bird.

 Duh? 

Did anyone think I'd skip this challenge?

 I didn't think so!

Plenty of punched penguins out there - I have even done a dancing one before - but this is what the Inspiration Fairy sent me, so this is what you get.

White face is butterfly punch repunched with small oval (all this just to get that little indent above his eyes) - draw eyes
White belly is 1 3/8 inch circle - add sponging for shadow
Black head - large oval
Black wings - small ovals
Feet  - scallop square repunched with 3/4 inch circle
Beak - small oval - repunched one end with a circle for part nearest his face (draw a line and outline in black)

For "ice burgs" - large ovals - draw on crooked line - crookedly trim bottom - draw lines to connect - sponge slightly

For "U" - 3/4 inch square - rounded corners by poking in the middle of a 1/2 inch circle (couldn't hold onto it and get it in the normal corner rounder) - Stamped with U from Just Perfect Alpha -  finish off like the "ice burgs"

This was inspired by some clipart I saw - with the sentiment "You are on my Mind" but their penquin had an octopus on his head.   Feel free to try that - but the ice cube is much easier!

A Little Birdy Told Me

Just a quicky card using some bold bright paper that is being retired in June.  The bird was inspired by a card by Annaka Crockett on page 23 of the current Paper Crafts magazine.

SU Punches - beak just a triangle scrap.  Pattern Paper is from my stash.

Pink Leggo

Most of the time my projects have a looooooooooooong list of punches. Today I have a project that requires ONE punch and just a tiny bit of easy trimming.

Yes, I know you have seen flamingos from punches before - but this is a little different look and seriously - this is nothing but the two step bird punch.

Body - bird with beak trimmed off

Neck and Legs - branch with all but the end leaf cut off

Head and Beak - wing



Ta da! Flamingo or Pink Leggo as my girls used to call them....

Another Duck

You probably guessed this would happen today.  When you do one famous duck, how can you not do the other?  We want to keep this fair, right?

Donald has loads of  'poses' to choose from, and I almost did an "angry" duck because it was funny but I thought you'd be more likely to use him if he was in a happy mood:

Here is the 'in process' photo:

One eye is small ovals and 1/2 width word window

The other is large ovals and word window

For the hat - trim your wide oval into a "bean" shape (well, that is what it looks like to me - a blue bean)

I think you can see the rest.

And here is a comparison of outlining your pieces with a black marker versus leaving them plain

I did not outline the beak because I didn't want to draw attention to the "seams" of the punch pieces.

And I didn't outline the entire way around the smaller white eye oval

(Actually I did and then rejected it and had to make another)

Daffy

OK, he isn't as tiny and cute as Tweety but while I was on a Looney Tunes theme...

I have no clue how you would use him - maybe if you know a duck hunter?

I took several photos to show the "how to"

Eyes

two large ovals in black

two large ovals in white

two piece of black oval (see photo)

adhere the black "pieces" over the whites

top of head - wide oval

add while lines at top of eyelids with gel pen (see final duck photo)

trim 1/2 circles to small oval shape (they aren't trimmed yet in the above photo)

Beak: 

• 
  
  start with 2 3/4 square
  • 
  
  
• cut in half diagonally
• round bottom corners by sticking as far as it will go into the hole of the 1/2 inch circle
• snip twice with small oval at top
• cut by hand on the bottom to give slight curve
• outline edges in black,add curved line and two nostrils

Bottom of beak  - full heart  

Inside of beak - full heart (trimmed straight on each side)

Side of beak - large ovals

Neck - modern label

Top feathers (see finished photo) curves from punching oval close to oval hole (3X)

In Assembly:

And again - the finished Duck

Isn't he just "desthpicable"?

I Tawt I Taw a Tweety Pie!

So punch fans, this is one I have wanted to make for a long time - I am surprised it has not been requested.  And this is as close to an Easter chick as I'm coming. 

I decided the correct label for my malady is not Springtime Scrooge.  I'm ready for spring weather (and Spring Break!)  I'm just not "hopping down the bunny trail" this year, so using the correct terminology - my title would be: Ellen, Easter Ebeneezer.

Here is the 'how to' photo and punch info for this little tweety pie:

Head - 1.75 circle

Body & Tail - large oval trimmed as shown in photo - save trimmed out part as tail

Arms - oval ring from large oval punched around small oval hole

Cheeks - small oval snipped in a little (snip isn't shown in the above photo - look at the card)

Beak - tip of small oval

White of eye - word window

blue of eye - part of small heart to heart - see photo for part to cut off

feet - full heart - trim out "pie" shape as shown in photo

Go around the edges of each piece with a black marker.  Draw on eye blacks, eyelashes, eyebrows and toe line.

Spring Break is upon us here in North Texas, so this coming week my posts may be spotty - College girl will be home at least part of the week and hubby gets home from Paris today so I may not have much desk time.


Doesn't it look like Tweety is hiding something behind his back?  Whistling nonchalantly, hoping you won't notice?

Yes, I had to spell check nonchalantly.  I'm pretty sure that is the first time I have ever typed that word.

I'll post when I can.  Have a great weekend!

Thinking Baby Girl

Yesterday I showed you the prequel to a baby - and today I am showing a different path to parenthood...

I don't have a tutorial but a took a photo "in process" and while I changed some stuff  before I was done- it should help you out,

I switched to barely banana on the modern label beak

and the hat went to regal rose and a 3/4 inch circle (not the 1 inch shown in the photo)

I think by looking at close ups you can figure it all out

Guest Puncher - Realistic Birds

I'm guessing that you've noticed my punch art has a cartoon feel to it.  That is just how I roll.  Even the things that I draw are "cartoonish".  But some people have the ability to do punch art with a realistic feel.

Lucia Dawe's mother (I am sure she has a name, but all I know her as is Ink Me Baby One More Time!'s Mom) has been a faithful reader and 'caser' of my stuff for a few months but she has moved on past me and done two fabulous birds (quail and pheasant) on her own and you can see them here.

Then I got an email on Friday where Alene Humphrey used the Two Step Bird punch and her Field Guide to make realistic birds.  I'm sharing them here with her permission because she has no blog for me to link to.

Realistic looking punch art is really impressive - so when you are looking for a challenge - give that a try!

Recipe Rooster

My upline held our monthly meeting this week and we did another 6x6 Recipe Swap.  I got a yummy recipe from Eileen to use but whoa! - it was way too long to put on a 6x6 page.  So, I gave them one of the few things I can make that is g-r-e-a-t.  It is my mother-in-law's recipe for cocktail sauce.

Last time I showed you recipe cards, I yakked about how your embellishments don't have to "match" your recipe (lemons on lemon pie, etc.)  But y'all know me and my stupid sense of humor.  Can you guess what is coming?



ready?




it is really stupid.....

See, I warned you it was dopey BUT this really is a great recipe - don't let the stupid page fool you.

Here is is for easier reading:

Nelda's Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. salt

8 heaping tsp. horseradish

(the kind in the jar - what I buy says "prepared grated horseradish roots")

4 tsp. Worcestershire

6 to 8 drops Tabasco

Kemper tradition says that Christmas dinner MUST start with shrimp cocktail.  I was so nervous the first year it fell on my shoulders to make the cocktail sauce - but as you see, the recipe is simple.  The trick is getting the right amount of "heat" for the assortment of folks around the table.  We have wimps but also have family members with cast iron mouths - it is a delicate balancing act.

We did our swap shoebox style - which means you bring the parts but the swappers do their own assembly.  Punch art frightens some of these girls but our newbie/potential demo just jumped right in and had the first completed rooster.  Way to go Madeline!

large oval - old olive head
1.25 circle - natural body
two heart to heart - red comb
heart to heart - red wattle
Two Step Bird  (wing) - summer sun beak
(2) Two Step Bird (leaf stem) - summer sun legs
Flower trio - 1 petal cut off - summer sun feet
Small heart - natural eyes
Standard hole punch - black eyes
Wide oval trimmed with scissors - not quite navy breast feathers
Photo corners - old olive tail

To get the breast feathers just do random spikes and cut to the size shown - it should stick out over the circle body in front and stop about half way across the circle body.

To get the tail - cut each of the photo corners in half - stopping before you make the final snip.  So that the photo corners is still intact it just has a cut down the middle (long-wise, and yes you 'turned a corner' when you were cutting)

When you have the cut - you just fold one 'half' over the other.  Makes an odd shape piece. 

Repeat for the other size photo corner and then layer one over the other.  Makes this wonderful mess of cock tail feathers!  

Please Note:
This is not rocket science and it is just paper scraps - snip and fold until you get the look you want - it doesn't have to be exactly like mine.

Cold Birds on a Branch

Dwarfs on pause while I share something else.

I was catching up on reading some of the bazillion blogs I like to look at and POOF!  I HAD to make this card. 

The inspiration came from here - Kendra in Tuscon posts lots of fabulous pictures for inspiration on Wednesdays and I have earmarked many of them to come back to "someday" but this one just shouted PUNCHES - make this right now before it is the middle of summer and totally inappropriate! 

My card is not a direct "reenactment" of the t-shirt but I didn't stray too far.  The fourth bird is on the inside. 

Reminds me of our family  - Dad and Mom at home, one little chick about to hop off that branch and one that is basically gone.  I sure am proud of the little chicks I have raised!

But if this really represented our family, I'd have to be the short fatter bird... (scrunched up face here)

I am excited about the holly leaves because I figured out how to make them from punches without having to draw the lines - just my two little paws, the paper and the wide oval punch!  Problem is... I can't really teach it to you with just photos since I need both hands to do it.  If only I knew how to do videos...  and if only I had a tripod....

Learning to do video and learning to put it on the blog is on my list of things to do this year.  Hopefully before we start making Christmas items again, I'll figure it out.

Get a Ton Done - Part 2 - Plan

Planning is the most important part of getting a TON DONE with your scrapping - PLAN PLAN PLAN.

For years, I just sat down, thumbed through photos decided which to scrap, pulled out every possible combo of paper since I am a visual scrapper and have to SEE it to know if it works or not.  Then I'd think of a title and decide how to do it - then I'd move the photos and embellishments (if I had any) around to make things work, then I'd decide I needed something else, or try another background paper or crop some more - and then I'd realize I had  not left space for journaling.  I'd use up all my time and not have a thing adhered to my layout.

What I learned is to PLAN before I left on my retreat - PLAN before my friend comes over to scrap with me - PLAN before that precious nap time (applies to you - not me - hubby and I are the ones that take naps at this house)  There are lots of things you can do AWAY from your scrapping area, while you watch TV or wait at the doctors or in the car pool line -and all this planning will make your scrapping time more productive.

1) Once you know your subject (yesterday's post) - GATHER YOUR PHOTOS.  Yes, that means get the digital ones printed - if you LOVE a photo, go ahead and get a 5x7 but for most photos stick with the 4x6 size.

2) When you have your photos together, SORT THEM INTO POSSIBLE LAYOUTS.  This doesn't mean you HAVE to use all the photos on your layout, or that you can't later split them up into two or more layouts but get them sorted into approximately what you would use on a layout.

(Did you notice that both of these steps can be done anytime? and anywhere? - not during your precious scrapping time)

3) PICK SOME POSSIBLE PAPER for each of these layouts.  I look at my photos considering:

• colors in the photo
• colors and style that support my theme, topic, story
• focal point of the layout

Using these as inspiration choose at least

• one piece of 12x12 pattern paper (I usually choose more, I know my style and I am rarely happy with a layout unless it has a least a tiny pit of pattern paper - if it isn't your style, skip it)
• 2 sheets of 12x12 cardstock (I am more likely to choose 4 sheets - 2 each of different colors)
• a few sheets of coordinating 8 1/2  x 11 cardstock

Lay these papers in a 12x12 box with the photos on top of the paper chosen.  (I regularly scrap 12x12 layouts - if you do something smaller you obviously will have different paper requirements)

I repeat this for each layout, stacking on top of the previous.

If I have no paper in my stash that will work, I order some, or (gasp!) go to a store and buy some, or trade with a friend.

Sorting the photos and selecting the paper is one stopping point in your plan if you are rushed for time, but if you start your planning early, you can still do more.

4) Go back and look through your prepared stacks

• add any pre made embellishments from your stash that coordinate
• note any stamp-sets that coordinate (snowflakes if you are doing winter layouts, etc.)
• jot down title ideas - prepare in advance if possible
• get enlargements printed if you need them
• think about your journaling, pre-type your journaling if it is detailed or you just want it typed
• you can reprint it later if you decide you need it bigger/smaller/shaped differently or on different paper but at least you have it written
• you can use hidden journaling if you plan for it as you start your layout

5) Repeat step 4 as often as you like

You can go back through these stacks as many times as you wish or have time for - the more you look at your photos - the more time your inspiration fairy has to work on your brain.

Now your planning is complete.  Even if you are not going on a long crop, if you have this preparation done you can make the most of each little window of scrapping time at home.  Your photos, paper and embellishments are ready to roll and you can be very productive.

I have found the more I go through a stack of photos for planning purposes, the more they stay on my mind and as I visit blogs or look though magazines, I will spot ideas that I can use on my specific layouts.  I will find myself in line at the bank and the "perfect" title idea will come to mind because I was just thumbing through my photo/paper stacks the day before.  Using this "method" lets you make progress on your layouts before you actually sit down to scrap.

And in 99% of the cases I stick with the paper I originally chose during the planning.  Occasionally something new will appear on my doorstep from Mr. Brown and I have to make a switch in paper but almost always I can sit down with stuff I planned 4 months ago and get busy.

Here is a page I did very quickly at a scrapping retreat because the page elements I used were prepared - they came from a swap I had done.

I cannot tell you who made this title or chipboard star because I did this page before I was a blogger and did not make note of the stampers I swapped with that month.  They came from the Yahoo group HotSwappingMamas.  If you recognize them as yours, please let me know so I can give you credit.  They were just perfect for this beach shot from Martha's Vineyard - I just added paper, brads, fiber and photo.

If you are into this... come back tomorrow for my suggestions on packing for away from home scrapping.

If you aren't into this...  Here is a little punch project from my past to reward you for scrolling down this far:

Dancing Penguin

Hubby fusses at how much time I spend at my craft desk but occasionally I see a glimmer of interest in what I do.  Yesterday he pointed out a darling penguin on some wrapping paper in an ad from the "bull's eye" store.  My immediate response "Oh!  I can do that from punches!"  (a frequent refrain)

Since I hadn't shared a penguin this year here he it...

Wide Ovals, small heart from Heart to Heart (trimmed for top feathers) wings are pieces of 1 inch punch, feet are circle cut in half.  He is very easy and very happy.  And he'd be happy to dance on a gift tag - if you are needing ideas to finish up your wrapping!

I love you THIS MUCH Snowman

The Inspiration Fairy was nowhere to be found yesterday - maybe she is busy Christmas shopping? 

But it is okay, because inspiration was delivered to my inbox, thanks to Janine Wills, a member of the Stampin' Up Late Night Stampers yahoo group.

Janine stamped and shared the cutest card.  A snowman with the opossum (from the retired set Mini Mates) hanging from his very stretched out arms and her sentiment was... 

outside: "This Christmas, as always..."
inside: "I love you THIS much". 

So so so cute!  She mentioned that the inspiration for her card had 2 birds on his arms.

Here is my version - recycling a previous snowman - with Janine's idea and 2 birds on a tag...

This is a BIG old tag so let me show you each side

Left: 

buttons from my stash and my sloppy printing

And sorta the right side:

And in case you want to make a tiny cardinal:

blurry photo but you can get the idea:

half a 3/4 inch circle red

half a 1/2 inch circle red sponged with bravo burgundy

half a standard hole punch black

quarter standard hole punch summer sun

I can see using this idea in some form or fashion as a border on the bottom of a scrapbook page.  Alas and drats, there is no room on my desk for a sheet of 12x12 paper - MUST clean up before I scrap.