I hope there’s room for more Darling Donkeys in your heart. I’ve been working on Valentines, and what says I love you any better than a donkey with a rose in his teeth?
The technique is really simple. I used a heart shaped die placed overlapping the edge of the top panel on the card. The DSP just needs to be big enough to cover the opening, and once they’re secured I added a mat and adhered it to the card front. My donkey is fussy cut with snips and set up on mini-dimensionals, and I unraveled the grey twine to make it softer and less bulky.
Stampin’ Up! has set me up! What is with snails and donkeys? I didn’t anticipate falling for such off-my-radar critters, but here I am. After I finished the January DIY calendar, I was on a Donkey Bender – but I didn’t really want to cut him out. I mean, I’ll fussy cut with the best of them, but enough is enough.
Stamps: Darling Donkeys
Color Palette: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Gray Granite, Daffodil Delight, Petal Pink
I’ve based this card on a design by Mary Knabe of Stampin’ Peace. I loved her concept and color palette, and reinterpreted them for this card. One of the delights of this design is that by using an opening on the front of the card, the image can be expanded when you open it:
The Blending Brushes are VERY easy to use, and in this case I didn’t even bother to mask off the donkey before I created that Daffodil Delight aura. (You know donkeys have auras, right??) I also added an additional message in the corner that isn’t visible from the front of the card. (I am quite proud of myself, as I normally struggle to use images AND sentiments from the same set, and on this one I have used 3 of the 4 sentiments!)
But wait, there’s more!
You could call this technique a card within a card. The card base is 11″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 5 1/2″. The white card inside is 10″ x 3 3/4″, scored at 5″, so it fits well within the first card. The bottom panel is completed adhered to the card base, much as a layer would be. That leaves a front for artwork to peep through the window, and an interior page for your message – or more artwork!
As you can see, I accidentally inked up this kick-up-your-heels donkey in Bermuda Bay instead of Memento Black, and had to be extra careful to avoid pulling in the Bermuda Bay ink when I colored with my Blends.
I prepared quite a few of these for a virtual stamping event, and I wanted to be sure I had the ovals in the center every time. To simplify that task, I made templates to use with the BIG BOSS:
There’s a little math involved, so bear with me. I began by measuring the height and width of each die, then subtracting that number from the height and width of the card panel. For example, the plain oval is 2 1/4″ wide, and the card front is 4 1/4″ wide, so the difference is 2 inches. I divided that number by 2 and measured in that amount from each edge, drawing a line at 1 inch. That gives me the left-to-right guideline for placing my die.
I went through the same process with the height of each die, creating two panels that had a rectangle in the center of each one. I centered the appropriate die in each panel (note that I wrote which panel was which on the template, I am famous for mixing up things like this!) When I ran the centered die through my BIG BOSS I created a template that I could use repeatedly without having to mark each piece of paper.
Just place the template squarely on top of your card or panel, drop the die into the pre-cut opening, and crank ‘er through! When you have a bunch of cutting to do, this is a real time saver.
Welcome 2021! Last night at midnight we opened all the doors to the house – and a few windows for good measure – and said goodbye to 2020. It wasn’t a terrible year for us, but I don’t need to repeat it anytime soon. I learned a lot of things, and I’ll cherish those lessons. But let’s be honest: if you have to stay in one place, I’m in a pretty good spot for that!
Stamps: Darling Donkeys (SAB 2021.1), Enjoy the Moment, Dragonfly Garden
Color Palette: Whisper White (retired!), Blushing Bride, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write markers, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals
My donkey is kicking up her heels in anticipation of the New Year. She knows things could stay as they are for a while, but that they will eventually get better. She also believes in a positive attitude and a spirit of hope, and she embraces those things because she CAN. 2021 will be about the power of choice.
Hope – that’s her name – is colored with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends. I fussy cut her with my paper snips. (Confession: I have a ridiculous number of snips. It’s my CHOICE.) I used the butterflies from Dragonfly Garden, and used the direct-to-stamp method with Stampin’ Write markers to color only a couple of the butterflies. I tried using the stamp as-is, but it felt overwhelming to have so many butterflies back there. And yes, I fussy cut one of the smallest butterflies, and one was enough, but clearly it was necessary.
About that Whisper White…Stampin’ Up! learned that the business producing our signature card stock was sadly a casualty of the pandemic. A new white card stock called Basic White has been sourced and is being produced, but it will be a couple of weeks before it’s available.
As you can see, my printer has attitude. I’ve tried all the DIY fixes, but I think this one is headed for recycling. It’s mildly annoying, but honestly, one of the gifts of 2020 is that I can say there are worse things than a printer with attitude!
Please hop over to see what Cheryl and Crystal are doing with their DIY calendars for January 2021. If you’re ready to shop, these products will all be available on January 5th right HERE. Well, unless you’re a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator – we’ve had them for a month or more. If you’re interested in joining, message me or check HERE for more information.
If you’d like the 2021 DIY Calendar pdf to print on your own printer it’s just $5. Send me your email address and I’ll send an invoice via Square.
And don’t forget there are just a few days left for the Year-End Closeout! There are still some great deals available, but you’ve only got a couple of days. Time to get shopping!
The Maui Stamper 