My Little Yellow Cottage

This is the second card that I created with "Sunflower Songs", to be released by Clear Dollar Stamps on April 1st. This set has sunflowers that are outline stamps, that you can colorize as well as solid stamps, for basing stamping, which is what I've done with this card. I wanted to do some background stamping with the solid stamps as well as some paper tole. This stamp set is such a joy to create with, and it is such a sunny, happy collection of stamps...I know you'll love it and it will fast become one of your favorites. For ordering information and more details on this stamp set, click here. And, don't miss seeing my fellow team designer's work on "Sunflower Songs" -- Candy Fosta, Monique Hawrelluk, Katie Renz, Kim Teasdale & Laurie Wilson.

Stamp Sets Used: Clear Dollar Stamps"Sunflower Songs"
Cardstock & Papers: K&Co. Remake "Sunset Oranges" & "Grass Greens" Mat Pads, Making Memories "Chloe's Closet" Designer Paper, Paper Trey White Cardstock
Inkpads: Memento Rich Cocoa, Stampin' Up! , Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie & Green Galore Inks
Markers: Copic Sketch Markers: Sharpie Orange Marker
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities Regular & Scalloped Oval Dies, Martha Stewart Border Punch, Sewing Maching, Thread, Adhesives, Stampin' Up! Dimensionals, All Night Media Mini Pop Dots, Scotch Pop-Up Foam Squares, Zots, Pebbles Designer Ribbon, Making Memories "Chloe's Closet" Decorative Stick Pin, KaiserCraft Green Self-Adhesive Pearls
Special Techniques: Basic Stamping, Background Stamping, Machine Stitching & Paper Tole

INSTRUCTIONS:
A 5"x 10" card base was cut from Paper Trey White Cardstock and set aside. Two square mats were cut to size: Orange & White Polka Dot to 5", and White to 4.5" I cut two rectangular strips of equal size: Yellow Print to 2-1/8" wide x 4.25" high, and a plain White strip . Using Stampin' Up! Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie and Green Galore Inks, as well as Memento Rich Cocoa Ink, I background stamped on the plain White strip for the inner right panel. I glued the two rectangular panels to the White and the Orange & White Polka Dot square mats, and using my Janome Hello Kitty Sewing Machine, zig-zag stitched around the four sides using pumpkin colored thread. I cut a 3.5" wide x 4.25" strip from White Cardstock and using a Martha Stewart Border Punch, I created the scalloped edge on the left and right and these were glued to the card layers in place.

The sentiment focus was created in the following manner. Using Memento Rich Cocoa Ink, I stamped the sentiment onto Paper Trey White Cardstock, and then die cut using Nestabilities Regular Oval Dies. I die cut a green scalloped oval mat to compliment the white oval. Using the same Stampin' Up! colors again I stamped the sunflowers and leaves twice...once on the sentiment panel and again on a separate piece of white cardstock. I hand cut the ones that were stamped separately from the sentiment and popped them up over top the stamped sunflowers and leaves on the sentiment panel, using All Night Media Mini Pop-Up Dots. I Then glued the paper toled sentiment panel to the coordinating die cut scalloped oval mat and set aside.

To embellish, I ran a strip of Pebbles, Inc. Designer Green & White Polka Dotted Ribbon vertically down between the two white eyelet border edges, securing to the back of the card front. I attached a matching bow to the ribbon strip. I then popped up the paper toled sentiment panel with the green scalloped oval mat using Scotch Pop-Up Foam Squares over top the vertical ribbon strip. To decorate, I added a decorative yellow flower stick pin from Making Memories "Chloe's Closet" and three KaiserCraft Green Self-Adhesvie Pearls to the bottom right corner for balance. To finish, I glued the layered card front to the 5"x10" white cardstock base.

A yellow horizontal strip was cut to 4-1/8" wide x 1-1/8" high, and a brown border was cut to 4-1/8" wide x 1-5/16" high. Using a Marvy Corner Rounder Punch, I clipped the bottom left and right corners of all 3 mats. Using a Cuttlebug and the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, I embossed the yellow horizontal strip. Using a Stampin' Up! Slot punch and after marking the center of the brown horizontal strip, I starting punching from the center outward, first to the right and then to the left so that the scallops on the border were be balanced and centered. I paper pierced 3 decorative holes in each of the brown scallop points. I glued the plaid, the burgundyand floral mats together, and then glued the yellow horizontal swiss dot embossed strip along with the brown horizontal scalloped border together and then on top of the 3 glued mats. Using my Janome Hello Kitty Sewing Machine ; ) I machine stitched around the 4 sides of the larger, plaid mat and the floral mat with the yellow horizontal strip at the bottom.

The sentiment was stamped onto Paper Trey White Cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Using a Marvy 1.5" circle punch I punched out the sentiment, cutting it about 3'4 from the top of the circle, horizontally. Using a paper piercing tool, I hand pierced around the semi circle sentiment mat, and then, using Stampin' Up! Apricot Appeal ink, I lightly sponged around the semi-circle and then again, a little more heavily using Stampin' Up! Only Orange. I glued the sentiment to the yellow horizontal swiss dot embossed strip. The stamped focal image, the toaster was stamped onto Swarthmore Watercolor Paper, and colored with Copic Sketch markers and blended. Using Nestabilities Regular Round Die, I cut out the stamped image, and then using a paper piericng tool, I hand pierced around the circular focal image. I cut a pinked circle burgundy mat for the stamped image using the Nestabilities Large Pinking Circle Die Set. I added Crystal Effects to the toaster to add dimension and interest to the toaster. I glued the stamped toaster image to the burgundy pinked mat and set aside.

Using Offray Brown 5/8" wide Satin Ribbon, I glued down a ribbon strip veritcally down the right side of the card, anchoring it to the back of the largest mat. I "v-eed" the end of the ribbon by folding the ribbon in half, and cutting a slant cut from the folded edge outward. I popped up the matted, stamped toaster image overtop the Offray Brown Satin Ribbon strip, and then added two bow knots to the ribbon strip above the stamped image. Using thread, I anchored sewed the three button embellishments and then adhered them to the card front using Zots. To finish, I added Kaisercraft Self-Adhesive "Bliss" Pearls to the flower centers of the floral print interior mat. The card was finished off by glueing the card front to the 5"x 10" white cardstock card base.