BANANA!!!!

Hello!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers today!  I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends celebrating all you are thankful for this year :)

I promise this is the last Minion card I will share for a while!  It's my little sis's birthday today and she was the perfect excuse to try my hand at an Evil Minion from the movie Despicable Me 2 (she's the one I also made the Minion Love card for).  And because Evil Minions love banana's so much I included a couple on the cake along with a sentiment inside that reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY! BANANA!!!!

Supplies:

Stamp sets: N/A
Cardstock: Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Brushed Gold, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Soft Sky Patterned DSP, Blushing Bride Patterned DSP
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride,
Accessories: Oval Framelits, 1/2" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle, Floral Fusion Sizzlits, Owl Builder punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Perfect Plum taffeta ribbon (retired), Rhinestones, white gel pen, Basic Black marker, sponges, Tombow liquid adhesive

This Evil Minion is done with a few variations from my original Minion tutorial available in my Tutorial Store. If you are interested in how I created this little guy, please leave me a comment. If there is enough interest I will create a tutorial ASAP!

Because it is Thanksgiving weekend in the States, and because I'm so very Thankful for ALL my readers, I've decided to give away a FREE tutorial.  I'll be announcing the winner of one of my Shimmery White Nativity tutorials here on Monday's post.  The only catch? You have to comment below to have your name entered. Please leave your email address along with your comment so I can contact you quickly and easily!

I'll also be giving away the same tutorial on my Facebook page the moment I hit 100 fans!  So if you haven't liked my page yet, be sure to - and spread the word.  The quicker we get there the quicker you can have a chance to win!

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Vintage Love

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We spent yesterday cheering on our Saskatchewan Roughriders to a Grey Cup victory!  I couldn't be more excited or proud of our team!

I decided to try something a little more vintage when I sat down to make this card.  I've always admired the soft colors, torn edges, and lace trim details of cards done in this fashion, but I find it hard to execute when I sit down to try.  Oh well, practice makes perfect they say!

Supplies:

Stamp sets: Stippled Blossoms, Woodgrain, Best of Love,
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Ink: Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Antique Brads, Crochet Trim, Sponges, Distressing Tool, Large Oval Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, post it notes, Tombow liquid adhesive, Sticky Strip, Stampin Dimensionals

Begin by stamping the brown flowers onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  Stamp the flower images onto a post it note and cut out with papersnips.  Overlay over the brown flowers and stamp the pink flowers and the green leaves.  Overlay all flowers with a post it and stamp the Woodgrain image onto any remaining white space. Using a Distressing Tool distress all edges of the cardstock.  Using a sponge and Crumb Cake ink lightly "burnish" the Woodgrain stamped area and all edges.  Cut a mat slightly larger than the Very Vanilla mat from Soft Suede.  Distress all edges before adhering the Very Vanilla mat on top.  Stamp the sentiment from the Best of Love set and punch out with the Large Oval punch.  Sponge the edges with Crumb Cake ink and adhere with a dimensional. Add a bow made from Crochet ribbon and add an Antique brad to the center before adhering to the cardstock with Sticky Strip.  Glue the layers onto a Blushing Bride card base.

I'm off to catch up on weekend projects that got pushed aside for football!  Stayed tuned later this week for Blog Candy - I'll share all the details tomorrow!  Have a great day :)
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Noel

Good Morning!

I'd like to take back my yesterday's complaint of -20 without the wind chill.  This morning we awoke to -38 degrees Celsius with the wind chill (for you Fahrenheit folks that's a balmy -36 degrees)!  Oh my how I was wishing today wasn't a school day for my son - packing up two little kids in that kind of cold is frankly not fun!  Our province is hosting the Canadian Football Leagues Grey Cup in a few days (and may I add a little WHOOP WHOOP in here since our Saskatchewan Roughriders get to play at home!) - I hope the rest of the country packed long underwear to make the trip to sit in an outdoor stadium LOL.

I think today's card is a perfect share given the weather, doesn't it remind you of a cold, crisp evening?  This card features one of the techniques I demonstrated at my monthly card class - the Reflection technique.

Supplies:

Stamp sets: Warmth & Wonder
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Baked Brown Sugar, Winter Frost DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Midnight Muse, Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Accessories: Midnight Muse marker, Window Frame Framelits, Oval Framelits, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Post it note, Basic Pearls, White Gel Pen, Sponges, Tombow liquid adhesive

First begin by masking off the bottom of a piece of Whisper White cardstock with a torn post it note.  Next blend Midnight Muse ink with a sponge; darkest along the edges and fading inward so the center portion remains almost white.  Add a small hint of Blushing Bride along the upper edge fading inwards.  Stamp the tree from the Warmth & Wonder set in Chocolate Chip ink and remove the mask.  Stamp the same image onto the smooth side of a Stamp-a-ma-jig sheet.  Flip the sheet over and line up with the trunk on the main image.  Rub the sheet to transfer the ink to the paper.  Repeat the same process with the tree ornaments using Real Red ink.  Move the mask down along the reflected portion of the scene and lightly sponge random snowbanks with Midnight Muse ink.  Stamp the sentiment in Midnight Muse ink (the Noel is a small portion of Cardinal stamp - I just ink the saying with a Midnight Muse marker before stamping).  Add snow to the sky and branches of the tree with a White Gel pen.

Well, I'm off to huddle by the fire and work on a couple of Christmas projects I hope to share in the upcoming week.  I'll be back tomorrow with another share - until then keep toasty!

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Snow Goose

Well winter has officially set in around these parts.  Its -20 degrees Celsius without factoring in the windchill today.  We still have tons of Canadian Geese right now but I'm guessing if the weather stays this cold they'll be making the trek south very shortly.  And I honestly can't blame them; if I could I'd pick sunny Florida over a cold winter I'd be gone in a flash!

I made this card for my Father-in-laws birthday.  I was inspired to use the Festive Flurry Framelits by a card that Michelle Zindorf made using the same Framelits in a similar fashion.  I changed it up a bit by adding an extra layer of matting around the outer edge of my Framelit.  If you'd like to see how I did it, check out my Decorative Edging & Matting Video for basic instructions.

The background was created using the sponging and masking techniques on Whisper White cardstock.  I began with my darker color (Coastal Cabana) along the outer edges and blended inwards to soften the color.  I then added my lightest color (Blushing Bride) just in the center of the image.  The snowbanks were masked with a post it and sponged.  I added the stamped grass last using two shades of ink (Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar) for some added shading.  The goose was stamped on Whisper White cardstock, shaded with Basic Gray ink and a blender pen then cut out with paper snips then adhered with a dimensional.  When I assembled the card I felt it still a little lacking and plain so I added dots to both the image and entire cardstock front with a white gel pen.

Supplies:

Stamp sets: Wetlands
Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Gray
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Blushing Bride, Elegant Eggplant, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Gray
Accessories: Festive Flurries Framelits, Burlap Ribbon, Antique Brads, White Gel Pen, Tombow liquid adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals

Before I sign off for today I must mention the amazing sale that's running from today, Nov 20th through December 2nd!

Holiday Sale

Each day there will be 24 hour only door crasher products on sale, in addition to a huge list of products marked down 20-40%.  Click on the link above, or in the sidebar to see the complete list.

Today's 24 hour only door crashers include Stampin' Trimmer, Diagonal Score Plate, and Many Marvelous Markers!!!! Check back daily to see the new 24 hour products - you'll not want to miss out on these!


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Happy Birthday from "Mr. Grey"...

Hello!

Two things ran quickly through my mind as I sat down to prepare this post...
#1 I think I may need an intervention when it comes to creating Minion punch art cards and
#2 I really hope I don't offend anyone with this card!

There's been many discussions within my monthly club group about the 50 Shades of Grey book series (let's be honest, meeting once a month is about more than just making cards...am I right?! LOL).  So when I happened across a picture of a Minion dressed as Mr. Christian Grey I knew right then and there I HAD to try recreate him in punch art form for the ladies in my class!

I used the Minion Tutorial found in my Tutorial Store to create the basic body shape then just altered the clothing color and details to make him a little more "Mr. Grey".  I printed out the sentiment using Word and then printed it onto Cherry Cobbler cardstock.

Supplies:

Stamp set: N/A
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Basic Gray
Ink: Crushed Curry, Basic Gray
Accessories: 1/2" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, Oval Framelits, Owl Builder punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Basic Black marker, white gel pen, Tombow liquid adhesive, Stylus Tool, Foam mat

That's all for today - I hope this has inspired you to think outside the box; a template is just a starting point to create so many more possibilities!

Have a great day - I'll be back tomorrow with a new card!
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Shimmery White Nativity

Good Day!

I have always admired Nativity scenes.  Many I've seen are done so beautifully in ceramics or varnished woods.  I myself have a little ceramic set painted brown passed down to us from my husbands Grandmother.  It has a few chips but I treasure it dearly and put it on display each Christmas far out of reach of little exploring fingers. I happened across an exquisite Quilled  Paper Nativity scene and it got my imagination going - I wanted to try recreate something similar but in the paper medium I love; punch art (of sorts LOL).

The finished measurements on the Manger are approximately 5" high x 6" wide.  The palm trees are 4" high and the tallest of the figures is close to 3".  I've created a detailed picture tutorial along with templates to recreate each item you see pictured here - 14 pieces in all!  Each finished item is extremely sturdy and will hold up to being unpacked and repacked year after year guaranteeing many years of enjoyment!

I really love designing and creating theses little labors of love!  I plan on placing a small tealight into the Manger so my Nativity glows in the evening - now to decide where I should put it so those little exploring fingers can't reach it!

If you are interested in purchasing your own copy of the template and tutorial, please visit my Tutorial Store tab at the top of the page.  And I always love to hear your comments and feedback, so please let me know what you think!

Have a wonderful weekend!  My desk is littered with projects to write posts on - so hopefully I can get caught up on those during the next week!  Until then...
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Fireside Tealight Holder

Hello!

I hope you had a great long weekend!  I spent a lot of mine wrapped up in a blanket by the fire trying to get rid of a nasty head cold.  I'm still not 100% but as the saying goes, "The show must go on!" LOL.  

Speaking of fireplaces, today I'm sharing the 3rd of 4 creations I made for U Stamp with Dawn, Knockout Punches.  I love the way this little fireplace scene turned out!  I really should post a video of it with the tealight turned on - it actually looks like the fire is flickering!  As I've mentioned before this round focuses on Stampin' Up! punches (every last one in the catalogues in fact!) so if you love punch art as much as I do or would like to give it a try with a little guidance just head over to www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com.  There are only a few days left in this session and then we get busy designing for the next, due to go live at the end of this month!

Until then I have lots of Holiday projects to share with you, so keep checking back or leave your email under the "Follow by Email" tab and all updates will be sent directly to your inbox!  Have a great day!

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Silent Night

Happy Friday!

As mentioned yesterday I have a quick video to share with you today talking about how I cut decorative edges and create matting using Framelits.  The card pictured above uses the same technique - I hope you find it helpful!

Supplies:

Stamp set: Warmth & Wonder (Hostess set in Holiday catalogue)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Baked Brown Sugar
Ink: Midnight Muse, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Sof Suede, Craft Whisper White
Accessories: Floral Frames Framelits, Northern Flurry embossing folder, 3/4" Circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponges, white gel pen, Tombow liquid adhesive

To create the image:

From Whisper White cardstock cut the second largest Floral Framelit.  Punch a 3/4" circle from a post it note and place in the sky area; tear a post it and place it along the ground line area.  Tear another post it and begin sponging Midnight Muse in the sky area; move the post it randomly across the sky to achieve the look of clouds.  Fill in some of the white space with Smoky Slate ink.  Remove all the masks.  Move the mask for the ground line further down the cardstock and randomly sponge snowbanks with Smoky Slate ink.

Place and stamp the trees with a Stamp-a-ma-jig using Basic Gray ink.  Slightly offset the tree images again with the Stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp with White Craft ink; this technique is called "ghosting" and makes the trees appear to have snow on them.  Stamp the deer using Soft Suede ink.  Using White Craft ink stamp a few snowflakes randomly in the sky.  Using a white gel pen add stars to the cloud/sky area.

To create the card base:

Follow the steps outlined in the video below to cut the card base and matting.  Emboss the Baked Brown Sugar card base using the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  Once the card is assembled add a few more stars to the card base concentrating around the embossed snowflakes.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I'll be working Holiday projects - how about you?

Until next time...
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Christmas Angel Ornaments

Hello!

I'm back today with another project I designed for U Stamp with Dawn & Friends - Knock Out Punches.  I am in love with how these little angels turned out!  It's nice to have a vision for something and it turn out just as you imagined it!  I'm definitely feeling like I'm in my element with this round of projects - for me punch art is where its at!

These angels are super quick to make too - I made these 4 in less than 20 minutes!  And the best part is you can match them to fit your decor; imagine how  fabulous they would look done in Silver or Champagne Glimmer paper! If you are interested in the tutorial for these angels visit www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com to be redirected to the Knock Out Punches site.

On a side note: I received a lot of wonderful feedback on the Splitcoaststampers Northern Lights tutorial I share yesterday - THANK YOU! One question that came up quite a few times was how I created the Framelit edge and matting on the cardbase.  The process is actually quite simple, but a little hard to put into words so I thought I would do a quick video on it.  I hope to film it today and post it tomorrow (depending on how quiet I can get my kids LOL).  If you subscribe to my videos on You Tube (Melissa Banbury) you will be notified as soon as I upload it.

Until then have a wonderful day!
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Northern Lights - For Splitcoaststampers

Welcome to mid week!

Today I'm over the top excited for my little blog!!  Close to a year ago I submitted some of my Northern Light artwork to Splitcoaststampers; a fabulous resource of tutorials and samples for paper crafters.  Shortly thereafter I received notification that my work had been approved and I was scheduled to do a tutorial on my technique for their site!  Well, today is the day!  I'm honored for my tutorial to be among so many other wonderful and informative projects and techniques.  If you've never been to the site, click HERE to see what your missing out on - you'll be there for hours browsing through all the resources and photo galleries of talented artists who have submitted their work!

The card pictured in this post is the one featured within the tutorial.  If you follow the link above a full list of supplies used on this card will be listed under the heading 'Northern Lights'.  I also made a video showcasing this card as well.  If you've watched my first video on the technique you won't find any new surprises within this one - other than the fact that I feel slightly more comfortable talking to myself while filming! LOL

And if you haven't been to my blog before WELCOME!  Please feel free to grab a coffee and take a look around.  I've done quite a few cards now with this technique; you can see the entire collection by clicking HERE.

I should also note before I sign off today that I've just set up shop over at Etsy; a site that sells any and every handcrafted item you can think of.  For now I've listed all my Tutorials that I currently have for sale here on the blog but I will be adding handmade cards and completed projects soon, so keep watching.  If you'd like to visit the shop, visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/PorchSwingCreations

Have a wonderful day!
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Gingerbread House Candy & Gift Holder

Hello!

It would seem I'm in a gift holder making kinda mood - I have another little gift box to share with you today! I created this Gingerbread House suite for the Knockout Punches Round over at U Stamp with Dawn & Friends.  How does it open you ask?  Simply by lifting one of the sides of the roof!  This would be great to give holding small treats to a neighbor or co-worker - and when the treats are gone it makes a cute stand alone decoration for the Holidays!

I tried to add as much whimsy as possible by focusing on the little details; the scalloped roof, gingerbread trim accents, cobblestone pathway, and even a "puff" of smoke from the chimney!  I've even taken all the guess work out of building it for you - when you download the PDF file I've included a template to simply trace and cut out!  It's so easy you could make an entire village of houses!

If your interested in downloading this file or any of the others offered (trust me the projects posted thus far are FABULOUS!) then just head over to www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com to sign up for just $14.99

I'll be back tomorrow with some exciting news that I've been waiting to share with you for almost a year! Until then have a most wonderful day!
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Hot Chocolate Gift Holder

Good Monday Morning!

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend and have gotten over your Halloween sugar rush!  It was the first year my boys went Trick or Treating and they were over the top excited to have received so much loot!

The moment Halloween is over my mind turns to coming up with designs for the Holidays.  I'm not a fan of the cold weather so this little project suits me to a T!  This little mug full of hot chocolate with a dollop of whip cream and a peppermint stick opens to reveal an a box suitable to hide a little gift for someone special! And, as I promised to give away a little Blog Candy in my Spookier Halloween in Owlville post, I thought this might jump start someone else's Holiday designing too.

So, without further ado, the winner of this tutorial is....Sue McNeill, who's comment was: "It has to be the Bride of Frankenstein...never saw one before!  You are simply amazing and I hope the blog candy is one of these cards!  I hope you can make use of this little gift holder tutorial Sue!  I'll be emailing your COMPLIMENTARY tutorial to you shortly!

The Hot Chocolate Gift Holder tutorial comes complete with a full list of Stampin' Up! supplies along with a detailed step by step photo PDF tutorial.  The finished measurements of the mug are 4" x 4" (the box opening is roughly 3" x 3").  If you would like to purchase your own copy of this tutorial, please visit my Tutorial Store.

I hope this has "warmed" you up to the idea of beginning your Holiday projects.  Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few more designs and tutorials to help you with your Holiday gift giving and decor.  My mind always spins with ideas at this time of the year - lets hope I can accomplish them all to share with you!  Pop back in here tomorrow as I'll be sharing the first project I designed for U Stamp with Dawn & Friends, Knockout Punches.

Until next time...
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