Out of Practice - makes me blue....

Yep, its really me.

FINALLY posting punch art after ?? years.....

I recently started scrapbooking a little bit which is LOADS of fun.  Toyed with the idea of trying to punch but eh... didn't excite me.  Then I got an email request and thought "oh, why not"

I am soooooooooooooooooooooo out of practice.  It makes me feel a bit blue.  Just like this requested smurf.

He looks a bit like a blue ELMO.  His eyes need to be narrower and his nose smaller but hey, I tried.  You can tweak him a bit - and give him some props to cover any bits you don't like. I'm happy I could figure out how to post this.  

Its been years since I've even looked at a Stampin' Up! catalog so I don't even know what punches are current - I suspect lots of these are retired but maybe you have them deep in your stash...

Here's the how to help:

• Hat - Full heart - trimmed by sticking in a circle punch
• Head - 1 1/4 inch circle - trimmed by stick back in the same circle and just taking off a tiny sliver
• Nose and ear (not shown) the wing from two step bird punch
• Body - owl - ears and feet trimmed off
• Pants - owl - feel off - trimmed by sticking in a circle punch
• Hands - modern label - trimmed with circle (or oval punch)
• Arms (and legs) - medium oval hole with two slivers punched beside it - toss the oval - keep the slivers
• NOT SHOWN - brim of hat - large oval around small oval hole - giving you an oval ring - trim a piece of that 
• NOT SHOWN - eyes - circles - don't do what I did - it looks like Elmo - trim some circles down
• mouth is drawn on

Edit:  Couldn't stand the Elmo Smurf - did a quick eye change shown on the right smurf below- better - I can live with you copying THIS one.....  (drew on eyebrows too - he needs them)

Running Dog

Running Dog - sounds like the name a young boy would pick for his Indian Guide name...Do they still have Indian Guides?

Well, in reality, it is the description of this:

A lot more complex than yesterday's puppy.


Here's the 411:

Body - 1.75 inch circle, curved line drawn for leg
Scruff - small oval (don't ouline ALL the say with black - leave it open and it will look more like part of the body)
Collar - medium oval, repunched with small circle itty bitty punch pack, details drawn on
Neck - word window
Head - large oval
Eyes - word window cut in half to get 2 - standard hole punch in black - add gel pen highlights
Ears and Tail - Wing from 2 step bird
Muzzle - large oval repunched to shorten with 1.75 inch circle
Nose - wide oval  medium oval (wide one would have looked ridiculous!)
Mouth - 3/4 inch oval
Tongue - narrow heart to heart - cut in half
Back Paws (that are in front) medium oval
Toes - standard hole punch
Front paws (that are underneath him) 3/4 inch circle
I added a wide oval behind the body - basically to give something to put the far right paw on.

Center paw and head are adhered on a dimensional

Simple Pose Change

Same girl as yesterday - but she put on a clean shirt, found her hands, and decided to water her garden.

All you have to do is shift your full heart, shorten the cuff and attach the shoe at a different angle.

Queen of Something...

Here goes another of those "I don't know why I made it" punch arts... 

or should I have said it makes me WONDER why I made a villain from Wonderland?

The Queen of Hearts is pretty complex - like a 4.5 on a 5 point scale so don't try this as your first punch art creation.  I don't want you shouting "off with her head" if you get frustrated!

Parts:
Skirt - full hearts
Chest - wide oval in red, 1 inch circle in black
Sleeves - medium oval
Her right arm (left side) 1/2 inch circle, modern label repunched with circle from itty bitty pack
Her left arm (right side) medium oval and same hand as above
Collar - 2 large ovals and medium heart to heart
Face - 1  1/4 circle, 1 inch circle
Mouth - 1 inch circle trimmed
Teeth - 1 inch circle around 3/4 inch circle
Eyes - small heart
Tongue - small heart to heart
Crown - hole from scallop circle - trim toward the hole so you have points on top
Eyebrows - leaves from 2 step bird
Hair - 3 tails from 2 part bird, 1/2 inch circle. circle itty bitty pack, scrap of red

I can't remember what I grabbed for her nose but a leaf from the 2 step bird would work.

The Stone Age

I thought I was done with the Stone Age with Fred and Wilma, but the Inspiration Fairy found some really funny clip art and I thought it would be great for a birthday or masculine thank you when you need to say....

YOU ROCK!

Elf

Something to entertain you while I'm gone...

Ebenezer

Someone (can't remember who) did a great Scrooge last year but since I can't remember who - I also can't link you to it (amazing how that works).  But this is my Scrooge using tag punches which I rarely grab (need to work on that).

EDIT:  Thanks to Ruby (who is evidently WAY more organized than I can imagine) - THIS is the link to the "other" Scrooge which was created by Carrie Gaskin.

Here's the details in case you NEED to make this Ebenezer

Hat – 1.25 circle trimmed on each side, modern label on edge of paper so you just get one bump width

Face – small oval

Chin – circle itty bitty punch pack

Nose – wing from two step bird

Eye white – small heart

Eye black – tiny owl or marker

Hair – large oval – cut in like grass

Coat – small tag, tag, ½ small oval for pocket, modern label trimmed for sleeve

Pants – modern label stamped with solid stripes stamp – trim flat at bottom

Shoes – narrow heart to heart cut in half to get 2 shoes

Draw on mouth and cleft in chin

Add ribbon for scarf

What is it with me and old men lately?

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

Always HOT!

The lil' devils can be used for more than Halloween.

For example, here is the front of hubby's birthday card...

I will not reveal the personalized inside sentiment but you can come up with something like...

• 'Still Hot'
• 'You old devil'
• 'It's Hotter than _____ with all the candles on THIS cake'

And then there are all the innuendos you can make having to do with horns.

- too many possibilities to list them all!

The important thing for me to say today is...

 Happy Birthday Honey!

Oh you Little Devil!

On a Halloween roll this week...

Lil' Devil is loosely based on a clip-art devil I spotted.

Parts Photo - list is below

Head - owl punch with feet cut off
Cheeks - small oval
Ears - wing from two step bird
Nose - 1/2 inch circle
Eyes - narrow heart to heart in vanilla, standard hole punch in black, gel pen highlight
Beard - small heart to heart - bumps cut off (I curved my cut just a little bit, it wasn't a straight snip)
Mustache - small heart to heart - cut in half
Horns - 1/2 inch circle next to 1/2 inch circle hole
Neck - small arrow (retired) or just a thin strip of paper
Body - 3/4 inch circle
Arms - piece of an oval ring (large oval around small oval hole)
Hand - circle from itty bitty punch pack at tip of modern label
Tail - branch form two step bird - most leaves cut off, small heart to heart
Feet - small ovals - layer together - at same time punch tip with scallop oval
Pitchfork - 1/2 or less word window in black, 3/4 inch circle around 1/2 inch circle hole - snip part of the circle - add a scrap for middle tine - trim to point with scissors

Assembly Photo

The horns attach to the owl ears - so don't cut them off.
That is also why I left the end leaf on the branch - to attach the heart for his tail end.
I cut the "arm" piece in half before attaching - so one arm could turn up and one down.
Sponged real red cardstock with cherry cobbler ink
Sponged crumb cake clothing with soft suede ink
Drew on eyebrows and mouth with marker.

Simply by leaving off the facial hair and making the nose smaller you can have

Lil' Devil Baby!

I think he is so cute!

The smaller nose is one of the circles from the owl punch.

Definitely NOT Edward

If you are on the Halloween Punch Art Blog Hop and arrived here from Kim Score's Paper Punch Addiction
            

WELCOME!

(And those of you didn't come from Kim's site are welcome too!)

If you weren't hopping but want to, you can go back and check Kim's work then continue on the rest of the hop.

Ready for Punch Art?

Today, I give you a FRUSTRATED Vampire...

--- he is frustrated because his nose is soooo big,

he can't get close enough to bite any one's neck.
(grin or groan - I can't see or hear you so it won't hurt my feelings)

Parts list and tips: (you can easily give him a smaller nose if you prefer)

Head - large oval

Hair - 1 inch circle around the top of narrow heart to heart HOLE - see photo below

Nose - wing from two step bird

Mouth - end of word window

Fangs - tiny scraps

Ears - end of word window - slanted with scissors

Eyes - small heart to heart in white, a standard paper hole punch in black- gel pen highlight

Eyebrows - small heart to heart repunched next to the same hole at the top - which gives you a weird sliver to cut in half for two eyebrows that will fit exactly above the white of his eye

Neck - word window

Neck of cape - 1.75 circle repunched with smaller circles to get curves on each side (bottom)

Cape 'wing' - wide ovals repunched twice with small oval - layer and punch both 'wings' at the same time

Shirt - small oval

Collar - small heart to heart - trimmed with scissors (you are trimming from the middle of one side to the top of the next 'bump' to get this collar shape)

Pants - breast from owl (upside down)

Bow Tie - plus sign looking thing from itty bitty punch pack- cut in half

Shoes - small heart to heart - cut in half


I did his skin in blue since I am so "culturally aware" (hee hee) and read in a highly popular vampire series that vampires are cold and hard to the touch.

Why does Bella like him best if he feels like cold stone when she could have the super hot werewolf?  Please note: That was a rhetorical question - all you Edward fans need not respond. 

Of course, if  I was going to be true to that book series, I could never have given him that big honker of a nose - since all vampires are extremely attractive (this also makes casting for the movies much easier, I'm sure) ;)

This photo isn't the entire vampire, but it shows the hair piece and part of the assembly, so it might help you.

For the hair - the point goes on the front of the oval and the sideburns slide behind the oval
It just slips right on
(trust me)

In the mood for more Halloween Punch Art?
Of course you are!
Click HERE to see what Vicki at It's a Stamp Thing has prepared for you.

Enjoy!

By the Sea...

Yes, we were at the beach last week.

We did see dolphins in the water.

I saw (and photographed) lots of coastal birds.

But I didn't see one of these....




I don't really know why I punched this.

Or why I "saw" it.

Or what I (or you) could use it for.

But it is what you get today....

What I spied was actually a sea shell on a decorative item in the condo we rented.  But in the dark (by the light of the TV screen the kids were watching) it looked like an octopus to me. (edit: but has now been clearly identified as a jelly fish)  So the next morning, I sketched it and now you get to see it.

The only thing that makes sense here is that one of the blues is called "marina mist".

Body is part of 1.25 circle - I stamped with the solid stripes stamp.
Body "edge" is small oval next to small oval hole
Legs are branch from 2 step bird snipped at the first leaf.  Remember you don't have to punch the "whole bird" - you can put a strip of paper in the upside down punch  - make sure the paper is where you need it to be to get the branch.
Eyes are combo of circles from the owl punch and the circle from the itty bitty punch pack.  You just need 2 sizes of circles.  Add a white highlight with your gel pen.

Background is random circles - positive and negative.

Halloween Thoughts

So.... I've accepted that the calendar reads August.
I've admitted I'm only ready for mid March.
But worst of all - now I'm being FORCED to think Halloween!

My dearest upline, sidelines, and downline are meeting tonight and our shoebox swap is "Anything Halloween". 

Mine isn't finished (yet) so you won't see it until tomorrow but I can show you part of a reject project - nothing wrong with it - it just didn't fit the final "thing".

Remember Wino Kitty?

I altered her to become a black cat for Halloween

For Halloween (or anytime you need a black cat... maybe you are superstitious and need to make a Book of Me Scrapbook page about it?)

Wino Kitty directions are HERE

The changes I made were:

Lose the arms - assume her front paws are straight down her body

Add a tail - you can make one by punching any oval near the edge of a circle or oval hole - this particular tail is the wing from the two step bird around a word window HOLE - that just happened to be what I grabbed.

For the whiskers - instead of drawing - I took a small rectangle and fringed in with scissors on each side then just bunched it up in the middle and stuck it on with a glue dot.  Punched a nose with part of the 1/2 inch circle on the corner of a piece of scrap black.

Instead of drawing on the eyes - I used the 1/2 inch circle in white, trimmed flat- and a tiny scrap of old olive for eye.   If you will punch 2 circles and lay them on top and trim both at the same time - you will have a LOT better change of getting your eyes the same size.  (Voice of experience)

The eye slits are so thin I can't use my "preferred" mini glue dots to attach - this is one of the FEW times I am forced to pull out a glue pen.

And don't forget to add some highlights with your white gel pen - it REALLY makes a difference.  Doesn't seem like it would but TRUST ME - if you don't have a white gel pen GO ORDER ONE RIGHT NOW.  (sorry for screaming but I mean it)

If you shape the eyes differently or add eyebrows - you can change the "mood" of the cat.  Look HERE for a lesson in eyes.

By the way - you might want to go back and check out the comments on the Wino Kitty - that was the post where I asked for sentiment ideas - Carol came up with my favorite (from MANY great suggestions).  Hers was "Only one glass of wine -- another CATastrophe!!!"

Gift Frame

I have a friend who's faith is very important to her - and this frame scripture project was for her.

You could do something similar with favorite quotes

 or spell out something like "friend" and have a flower or stamp with each letter.

Use your imagination!

Most Requested Punch Art

I continue to get frequent requests to finish the tutorials for the 7 Dwarfs.

I don't wanna.

The fun for me in all this is the creating not the explaining.

I have showed you Sneezy, Doc and Grumpy so I won't do separate posts for the other 4 dwarfs (boring) but I will give you some tips so you can go it on your own from the photo.

Happy is similar to Doc
leave off the glasses
add tiny scraps of white for eyebrows instead of pen marks
draw open happy mouth
eyes are pieces of big heart from Heart to Heart punch - snip off to get shape AND you will have to slim them down - making them more narrow - blacks of the eyes are just drawn on with pen/marker

Bashful is similar to Happy (above)
Beard is the same scallop oval but you don't need to trim it - just turn it lengthwise
Eyes should be trimmed even more narrow than Happy and add eyelashes, pen/marker eyebrows and mouth
I also flattened out the top of his nose with scissors

Sleepy has Sneezy's hat but the face is like Bashful (above)
except I flattened the bottom (instead of the top) of the nose
Make the eyes from blush blossom. His eyes do not have to be narrow like Bashful
add pen marks at the bottom of eyes and draw mouth
his eyebrows are slivers punched with a standard hole punch around a standard size hole.

Dopey
Sneezy style hat but point the oval up
No beard
wing from Two Step Bird for his ears
blue eyes
black pen work was too stark with those eyes so I think I just grabbed a caramel marker


You should also check out Glenda Mollets' blog HERE and scroll down - she put all my dwarfs on cards but she also added some of their bodies.  Really Cute!  She did a fabulous job.

Not Rabbit Stew...

I am lucky #27  (Twenty seven is your lucky number, isn't it?) on the VC Rocks blog hop this weekend.  Which is almost the tail end.  We have 29 ladies on this 2nd ever VC Rocks Blog Hop.

You may have come here from Brandy's blog or you may be a regular reader.  Either way, if you want to start at the beginning of the hop or if you get lost along the way - you can find all the links HERE.

One day this week, kid who lives at home (boy, does she need a better name) and her best buddies were BORED so I suggested they grab a cookbook, pick a new recipe, do some grocery shopping and cook my dinner.  (My $ for the shopping, of course)

It was a great idea. They learned something new and I didn't have to cook. They made me a very nice dinner.  But that got me thinking about recipes and then recipe cards and well, of course, a punch project.

He isn't hard - here is the "how to"
Head - modern label

Hat - scallop circle trimmed -look at the photo,count the bumps at the top - that is how much you leave when you cut.

Nose - wing from two step bird

Moustache - curly label next to curly label hole - (if you have your punch upside down you can see what you are doing)

Arms - pieces of oval ring (large oval punched around a small oval hole)

Hands - circle from itty bitty shapes pack at the tips of the modern label

Body - 1.75 circle snipped at neckline with circle punch (size not that important -1 inch or 3/4 inch - it won't matter)

Soup pot - approx 2 inch by 1.75 inch rectangle - stuck bottom corners as far as possible into 1.75 circle to round them - Let me clarify - I have the biggest SU circle punch upside down and I put the rectangle into the circle's opening so that only a corner is "in the punch" - push in as far as you can and PUNCH.  Repeat for the other bottom corner.

I really was just going to have the chef adding carrots to the pot...

But being near the "tail end of the HOP" - I couldn't resist making a rabbit tail end.

Rabbit rear - 3/4 inch circle in soft suede
Rabbit tail - puffy from itty bitty shapes pack in very vanilla
Carrots - narrow Heart to Heart cut in 1/2 in tangerine tango
Carrot tops - leaves from Two Step Bird in always artichoke

Base of recipe card is Riding Hood Red and Cherry Cobbler (both available July 1) - Don't all these food names make you hungry when you craft?  yum, cobbler sounds really good right now.

When I do get around to adding a recipe to this card, I can just rename the recipe I choose  "Not Rabbit Stew".  Oh don't groan at me - it will bring out a chuckle every time I look at it.  And lord knows, I need a chuckle if I am having to cook something.

Now keep on hopping to see what Kelly Mayou, the Weekend Stamper, has created for you!  It is the weekend - she is bound to have stamped something (unless her blog name is an evil lie and she punched something instead).  You won't know unless you go check it out right HERE.

Looks like we have a missing link - so after you check out Kelly - click HERE to see the final blog on the hop - Loni Holt.  She has blog candy so you don't want to miss it.

Enjoy the HOP!

Pool Boy!

On the VC Rocks group I talk about, we have a "virtual" hotel and there is lots of silly talk about who the "pool boys" would be.  I issued a scrapbook challenge to them this week and the winner is to get a punch art creation from me - so I thought a punched pool boy would be the appropriate prize.

Well, it is a BOY in a Pool!

Oops! His arm and foot are supposed to be in the water - I'll adhere that arm a little better before I mail it off!

There are a few days left to join the group - on May 30 the doors lock.  VC Rocks

EDIT to add the "parts list"
Head - word window


Nose - wing from Two Step Bird

Body/Suit - small oval

Hat - small oval and modern label

Sunglasses - scallop border

Legs - square next to square hole

Arms - oval next to oval hole

Foot - modern label repunched with word window

Hand - modern label repunched with new small circle in the punch pack

float - rectangle - rounded ends with large circle punch

Pool - coluzzle (dust off first)

Set to Serve Love

The title of this post includes every detail I know about tennis.  But I have received NUMEROUS requests for a punched tennis player so .... here ya go punch fans










While I consider this a woman it is almost a unisex player.  The hair is the new COG punch  (makes me think of short dread locks)

Change the hair and make a smaller nose to make her more feminine.
Fatten the belly or lengthen the shirt a bit and you'll have a man.

To make the tennis player:
Head - 1.25 inch circle
Nose - wing from two step bird
Mouth - piece of small oval, draw on teeth
Hair - Cog
Neck - My way arrow
Body - word window
Shirt - 1 inch circle, trimmed flat at belly, snipped with small star for neck
Sleeves - ends of word window
Arms  - oval ring from large oval around small oval hole
hands - 1/2 inch circle at end of modern label
Shorts - 1/2 butterfly punch trimmed at leg holes
legs - wide heart from Heart to Heart next to the hole from that same heart
Shoes - butterfly re-trimmed with small oval
Racket - ring from large oval around small oval hole  and strip for handle and retired canvas background stamp on oval for strings
Ball - 1/2 inch circle - draw on white line

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....

Smart Mutt

I'm a smart puppy.... I am not playing favorites....

This little mutt is a combination of a Scottish Terrier, a Schnauzer and the Lady bowler- you can modify to fit your breed.

Here he is without the silliness:

 

Here are the parts and a photo

Body - 1.75 circle trimmed flat for back

Head - 1.75 circle punched with 1 3/8 circle to get curve

Ears - 3/4 inch circle - cut (less than half)

Eyebrows - butterfly edge punched offset from butterfly hole - snipped a bit for hair look

Nose - 3/4 inch circle punched at corner of paper

Facial hair - wings from two step bird punch - snipped a bit for hair look

Eyes - standard hole punch - white gel pen

Legs - modern label trimmed diagonally (see photo below)

Tail - slot punch

Glasses - see lady bowler post

I had to trim just a little off the top of his head at final assembly - see below

Please don't start with the dog breed requests again. 

I'll get dogs done as the Fairy inspires. 

Thanks!