Waterfall Card Tutorial

I've been wanting to try and make a waterfall card for a while now. However, I was honestly intimidated to try. Something about the engineering involved sort of frightened me. Now that I've done it, I have to say that it is much easier than it might look at first glance. If you haven't tried one, I hope this tutorial will help you to give it a go.

Supplies you will need for this project:

--cardstock (two complimentary colors)
--decorative paper
--eyelets
--adhesive
--eyelet setter
--paper trimmer
--stamps
--ink pad
--scoring tool
--colored pencils

First, you will need a base cardstock that your card will be built upon. I chose to use Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in Raven. The base card should be trimmed to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". You then need to cut a mat for your base out of a decorative paper. I chose to use DCWV Once Upon A Time Mat Stack for my decorative paper and trimmed it to 4" x 5 1/4".



The next few cuts will form the backbone of the waterfall mechanism for your card. You will need to choose a solid cardstock that coordinates with your mat and base colors. I chose Bazzill criss-cross textured cardstock in a Burnt Orange. The following pieces need to be cut from this cardstock:

--waterfall slider bar at 2" x 9"
--mat squares for your stamped image: you will need four (4) of them at 2" square



The final set of cuts are for your stamped images and for the keeper bar that will be attached to the front of your card. You will want to use white cardstock for your stamped images (I chose Bazzill again in the color Snow). The keeper bar should be cut from the same cardstock as your base color (in my case the raven).

--stamped image squares: you will need four (4) of them at 1 7/8" square
--keeper bar at 3/4" x 4"



We'll begin the card construction by creating the scores in our waterfall slider bar (the card's backbone). Take your strip of cardstock (2" x 9") and grab your scoring tool. I use the Scor-Pal.



You'll want to make four score lines at the following intervals: 2", 2 3/4", 3 1/2" and 4 1/4". The folding is a simple back-and-forth accordian fold.




Set your slider bar to the side and take your card base and decorative paper and adhere them to one another. I used my Xyron 510 to run the decorative paper through and smooth on to the cardstock (TIP: A couple of passes with a bone folder works wonderfully to assure that you have no trapped air pockets between your mat and decorative paper).



Next you'll want to position your holding bar on top of your card face approximately 1" from the bottom of the card. We will be using eyelets to attach this piece to your card. You will need your preferred eyelet setter. In my case, I used my Crop-A-Dile and a couple of 3/16" copper-colored eyelets.





Next, we'll take the 1 7/8" white cardstock squares and adhere them to the 2" colored cardstock squares. Again, I just ran my white cardstock through the Xyron 510.



At this point some people would advise to begin stamping your images. However, I think it works best to wait until the card is fully constructed to stamp your images. The main reason for this is to make sure your images are positioned properly on your squares and they are "covered" by the waterfall square above it. If you stamp now, there's a chance your images will not align properly.

It's time to adhere your stamping squares to the scored and folded waterfall strip. For this job, you'll need to use an adhesive runner or your favorite glue. I used my ATG 714. Each square will need to be adhered just below the score lines on your waterfall strip. Place a strip of adhesive on one side of your first square and adhere it just below the fold of the first score line on your waterfall strip.



You will continue to repeat this process, attaching one square just below the crease of your next score line until all four squares are adhered to your strip.





The rest of your colored cardstock will now fold right behind your stamping squares.



We are now ready to attach the waterfall slider bar to your base card. First, you'll want to slide the folded portion of your slider bar behind the keeper bar. Once it's behind your bar, I used three strips from my ATG gun to put on top of the keeper bar. You'll want to use the width of your slider bar as a guide for how far to spread your adhesive. You do not want to apply too much adhesive or it will show through the sides of your waterfall panels.



You will pull the strip with your stamping squares down until the edge of the bottom stamping square is aligned with the bottome of the holder bar. When aligned just press down to adhere the stamp square to the top of the keeper bar. Believe it or not, this is the only place your waterfall mechanism is adhered to your card. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it works wonderfully.



Here's a side view of what your waterfall mechanism should look like:



Now, all that's left to do is the fun part. Pick out the stamps you want to use and embellish to your heart's content. I decided to make an early Halloween holiday card. I used some of the new Studio G stamps with a Tsukineko Brilliance ink pad in Coffee Bean. After my images dried, I used my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol to give each image a bit of shading. I stamped the "Happy Halloween!" greeting (another Studio G stamp) with Tsukineko Brilliance in Black Graphite.







Now all that's left to do is put a ribbon pull on the end of your waterfall strip if you'd like. I chose not to on this particular card. You can also cut a half circle (or other notch) out of the card base for ease of pulling the strip. But, I think it works just fine without it. Again, the design possibilities are endless.

I'll bet you'll spend hours minutes watching the card flip back and forth.

Have fun exploring the waterfall card!

Card Spotlight

Today, it's a quick and simple greeting card. The main reason for the spotlight is to showcase some of the lovely K & Co. decorative papers from the new Mira collection by Brenda Walton. I fell in love instantly with this collection that highlights sunrise yellows and oranges with the contrasting deep spice colorations. It's a fusion of Indian and Eastern influences. The entire collection is gorgeous--and the coordinating embellishments are sublime. (My favorites are the Grand Adhesions Chinese Lantern set.)

This particular card is made from a 5 1/2" x 8" piece of "Golden Poppy" paper scored at 4" for a vertical orientation. Also, used is a small piece of "Paisley Ombre" from the Mira Collection for the tag. I made the tag using Making Memories Tag Maker (medium square aluminum rim). A sugar coated flower diecut and leaf adhered with a pop dot and glue dot respectively complete the look of the card. For the sentiment, I chose a Studio G clear acrylic stamp and Cat's Eye Queue ink in Raw Silk.





Life really is wonderful! I hope you have a super weekend ahead!

Keep Crafting!

Spotlight: Scor-Pal Mat & Tote Bag

Any of you who have read this blog before know that I love my Scor-Pal. It was another of the many purchases that were enabled by the members of the Cricut Message Board. As someone who loves cardmaking and paper folding, I'm not sure how I ever managed without a Scor-Pal. I know there are several brands and types of scoring devices out there--and in the end, there is a degree of personal choice and what works best for you--but, I highly recommend the Scor-Pal to any of you who may be in the market for a multi-purpose scoring tool.

So, I've had my Scor-Pal for a while now. But, Diana Crick and the great folks over at Scor-Pal have recently introduced two handy upsell items for the Scor-Pal.



The first is a handy and beautiful colored teal tote bag to safely store and carry your Scor-Pal. The water-proof nylon material is very sturdy and some obvious thought went into the design of the bag. It has a detachable black adjustable web carrying strap. It's designed with a large front zip pocket with the Scor-Pal log screenprinted in white and gray on the front of it. It also features a front pocked ID window for identification and personalization.



The inside is surprisingly roomy. It feature two large elasticized pockets on the back wall that will easily hold a 12" paper trimmer and a bulky tool such as the Crop-a-Dile. The Scor-Pal fits in there with the mat nicely and there's still room for current projects, paper pads or other supplies you might need to take to a crop or friend's house. The overall dimensions of the tote are 14" x 16 1/2" and it sells for $16.00.




But, the real treat is the Scor-Pal Mat, which is designed to be perfectly seated in the tray area of the Scor-Pal. It also is a reversible, double-sided dual-use mat. The translucent teal mat is nearly 12" x 12" and features a self-healing cutting mat with inch markings done in black and 1/8" increments marked in white. The reverse side features a shiny worksurface with a slight amount of cling to keep papers from moving or slipping. Now when you are through using your Scor-Pal for scoring or folding, you can put the mat on top and continue working on your project. The mesuring scales are extremely handy and the work surface is fabulous for stamping and working on your current page or card. At $15.00, it is must-have tool for your arsenal.

Buying a Scor-Pal (sells for $39.95), the mat and tote is a bit of an investment for the savvy crafter. However, it pays off in dividends. You'll find yourself reaching for this tool set constantly. I'm always coming up with new ways to use my Scor-Pal--and the mat just gives it all the more possibility and flexibility.

This is a five-star (*****) winner! You won't be sorry

Gamsol Technique--Attempt #1

Over the weekend, I tried my hand at coloring a stamped image sent to me by the wonderful AMKs_MOM. I had tried a couple previously, but I didn't use the correct ink and they smeared.

While I'm not completely thrilled with the end result, I must say that it was a lot of fun experimenting and I look forward to trying my hand at more coloring.

A Card From My Secret Sister

I have an absolutely terrific Secret Sister on the Cricut Message Boards. Her name is Kelly and she goes by KellpieJo on the message board.

She sends me some of the most cheery cards. I love this one because it showcases her work with metal and alcohol inks. The butterfly and center square are metal and hand painted with alcohol inks. The borders are also inked (I assume on photo paper).

Thank you KELLY! You are a true gift!

Idea: Putting Those Scraps To Use

If you are anything like me, you usually find yourself at the end of work session with a pile of odds and ends. I'm going to be honest. I'm not a very good example when it comes to saving scraps, especially paper. It always seems to be more trouble than what it's worth--and I never actually use what I save. I'm a bit better about saving bits and pieces of embellishments. It's just too hard to throw a pretty away.

After working on several cards yesterday, I had a few things left on my work table. I started eyeing them for a bit and became determined to do something with them. The key was finding an empty embellishment tin I had been saving. After a few mintues of playing with my pieces, this is what I came up with: a shadowbox/windowbox on which a card can be attached to the back of the box.







The material list for this project:

--empty metal embellishment tin with lid
--scrap decorative paper for shadowbox background
--chipboard butterfly from DCWV
--chipboard flourish from DCWV
--K & Co. Grand Adhesion flower
--miscellaneous flower, stem and bee stickers

So save your miscellaneous pieces and put them to good use!

Spotlight: Autumn Leaves: Rhonna Farrar

I've recently become a collector of clear acrylic stamps. I don't think that it was a matter of preference over rubber stamps, but moreso an issue of space constraints.



But one of the artists (and there are some very talented people out there) whose work I've become enamoured with is Rhonna Farrar. There's just something about her style and sense of design that connects with me.

Rhonna Farrar is a wife and mother of three children. She is also an outstanding artist and teacher. I recently purchased this set of stamps released by Autumn Leaves as part of their Stampology line. This set is entitled "Gypsy Style 2". I think it's amazing!

Tag In A Bag--Masking

For this particular project, I have chosen to use a tag in a bag from the Sara's Surfaces line by Hot Off The Press (which you can buy at Paper Wishes) .



However, it is the stamping technique that I wish to highlight here. So you can use this process on regular greeting cards, altering projects and scrapbook pages. The result is a project that looks much more complicated than it really is.

My supplies for this project include:



--Sara's Surfaces Tag In A Bag
--Colorbox Cat's Eye Queue Pigment Ink (Rain Forest, Rich Rustics)
--an acrylic or rubber stamp of your choice
--plastic sheets or transparency sheets
--ribbon

The technique highlighted in this project is called masking. You can think of masking as the reverse of stenciling. Heidi Swapp has introduced a line of mini and large masks that work very well. However, the only thing that really limits your options for masking is your own imagination.

You can create you own masks by using a sheet of plastic and tracing/drawing your desired design on it with a marker. Then cut around your mask. All that's needed to make your mask stick to your project surface is a little repositionable adhesive. My Xyron 510 comes in handy for this step. I've found you can also use clear transparency sheets as well. As for the images, you can draw something from your mind or trace an image from coloring book or clip art image.

For easier visuals, I have used a piece of black plastic cut out in simple leaf and branch shapes. They were run through the Xyron to put adhesive on the reverse side. Once you have prepared your masking elements we are ready to position them on your work surface. Make sure the edges of your mask are securely adhered to your project surface.



Once you have the masking elements in place, it is simply a matter of choosing the color of ink that you wish to use on the negative space of your surface. I chose to use the Colorbox Cat's Eye Queue Pigment stack in Rain Forest and chose Fresh Green as my color. Then you simply dab your inkpad all across your surface, avoiding stamping in an obvious pattern. You will want to leave some areas lighter and darker for visual interest.



Continue dabbing with your inkpad until your entire masked surface has been well covered will ink.



At this point, you will want to remove your mask material. I find you achieve better results if you remove them prior to the ink drying. You can either discard your masks or clean them and save them for another application.



After your masks are removed, you do want to let the ink completely dry before proceding to your final embellishments. I chose a sentiment stamp from Studio G and used the black ink pad from my Colorbox Cat's Eye Queue Rich Rustics stack. Be creative in your positioning of your sentiment.



Once my sentiment stamp is dry, I decided to use a piece of color coordinating ribbon to loop through the tag hole. This will allow it to be used as a card pull and allow for easier access once the tag card is in its paper bag.



After thinking about it a bit more, I decided I needed to add a little "something" to the bag envelope. I found another spool of ribbon (I love paisleys!) and cut a piece to go around the width of the bag. I used another piece to further embellish my card.



Now, my project is completed and ready for giving.



Have fun exploring with the masking technique and let your imagination run wild!

Keep Crafting!

Mosaic Tile Postcard

This project is modern take on the traditional postcard. It is done with a chipboard base, stamped images and distressing techniques. Your finished project will look something like this:


front side

reverse side

To do this project, you will need the following tools and supplies:



--a piece of chipboard measuring 4.5" x 6.5" (I chose to use a piece from the DCWV Chipboard Mat Stack Brights (wine), as it is already finished on both sides. If you use bare chipboard, you can choose to cover it with decorative papers that will match your stamped image or solid cardstock)

--a piece of white textured cardstock measuring 4" x 5" (I chose Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in Snow)

--a rubber or acrylic stamp of your choosing (I chose an Inkadinkado stamp from "Affair of the Heart" Collection)

--ink pad matching your base chipboard color (I chose Cat's Eye Queue in Ruby)

--a Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad (I chose the color walnut stain)

--several pieces of Kleenex or tissue

--adhesive of your choice (I used the Xyron 510 and Zig pen)

--glitter (I used Doodlebug Sugar Coating)

--a sheet of coordinating solid color paper

The key technique for this postcard is a trick using your favorite scoring device. I love my Scor-Pal. The use of textured cardstock also adds a lot of character to the distressing of this piece.

You want to take a piece of white textured cardstock and trim it to 4" x 5". Using your Scor-Pal (or other device), you want to score your cardstock at 1", 2" and 3" on the shorter side. Turn your cardstock 90 degrees and then score the 5" side at the following intervals: 1", 2", 3", 4". What you will end up with is a grid pattern of one inch blocks which will create the illusion of mosaic tiles in your finished piece.



Before stamping your chosen image, make sure that you stamp the side on which your scored your textured cardstock. It creates a deeper furrow on your scores and breaks up your stamped image for the desired effect. I chose to stamp the image multiple times to fill the cardstock.



Allow your stamped images to dry completely. Then you want to take your Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad. The secret tool you want to use for application is two pieces of Kleenex (or other tissue) balled up for hand application. You want to dab your tissue on the ink pad and then hand apply with strokes going in the same direction on each application.



The amount of distressing you want to apply to your stamped images is a matter of personal preference. You obviously don't want to use so much stain that it totally obscures your stamped images. However, the more ink you use the clearer your scored channels will be accentuated creating the desired mosaic effect.



Once you're happy with the distressing and all of the inks have dried, you can now adhere your cardstock to the chipboard base. I found it easy to run the cardstock through my Xyron 510. I then used a white rub-on (the word "LOVE") to accent the corner. Any further embellishment is up to your heart's desire. But, rememeber, you want your mosaic to be the centerpiece of the postcard and draw the most eye-attention.

On the reverse side, I simply glued a piece of solid pink paper and added another Inkadinkado stamped image to the corner. This leaves you the bulk of the space to do your writing.

Keep experimenting with this mosaic stamping technique. You'll be surprised what a versatile (and easy) technique it is. But, it will look like you spent a long time to achieve the effect. Afterall, who doesn't love immediate gratification more than crafters?

Keep Crafting!