Foxy Friends stamp set & punch

Picture (c) Stampin, Up!

I received the Foxy Friends stamp set & Fox Builder Punch this week & have been having a play around with them. 
 

Its a multi step stamping set (and the punch only works with certain elements)  so I really recommend looking on Pinterest & searching for images of how other people have used it when you start out, as the range of animals you can make can be a bit overwhelming.  I made a few horrors that wouldn't have looked out of place in South Park (I'm talking about you, badger with death rays coming out of your eyes). But after a bit of experimentation I worked out which pieces work best to make particular animals. So far I've made a convincing fox, cat, raccoon, badger and skunk (for nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like a skunk). I think a wolf, a beaver  and a squirrel are do-able but I haven't perfected them yet. 

You'll really want to buy the stamp set & the punch to get the best out of each. Buy them together as a bundle and save 10%. 

Moroccan Owl - how to

I posted a card made with the Owl Builder Punch & Moroccan Nights stamp set a few days ago. I said that you can section out the large patterned mandala stamp to make a feathered breast for the owl. Here's a quick how-to.

Stamp the large mandala stamp 3 times -  twice in the same colour for the eyes, & once in the colour you want his feathered breast to be.

Punch out the very centre of two of the mandala stamps with a small circle punch or die to make the eyes - I used a 3/4 inch punch, but you could go smaller if you want.

Position the breast section of the punch over the outer portion of the mandala stamp. Move it around a bit until you see the feathers "appear", then punch.

Punch out the whites of his eyes & a darker pupil & cut in the pupil with a little v shaped notch. Colour the heart in orange or punch from orange card. Punch the body in darker card.

Layer it all up - the breast on the body, then the beak. Layer the pupils over the whites, & the whites over the patterned circles & glue in place. Finally, position the completed eyes where you want them & glue in place.

And you're done!

I really like the texture this stamp set adds to the owl builder punch & I hope you do too! 

Moroccan Owl birthday card

The new Moroccan Nights stamp set is perfect for jazzing up the Owl Builder Punch. 

The pattern on the large stamp can be sectioned out and used to punch out the feathered breast of the owl, while its centre makes a good background for googly owl eyes. I punched them out with a 3/4" circle punch, then layered the punch out pieces from the owl punch over the top.

Quite the hootie cutie!

Here's what I used:

Moroccan Nights stamp set 141718
Owl Builder punch 118074
Layering circles framelits dies 141705
Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set 140273
Timeless Textures stamp set 140517
Kinda Eclectic stamp set 135350

Christmas in July

I'm making my Christmas cards at the moment. I like doing them now rather than later in the year because I have the luxury of time that I know I won't have later in the year. I can take time to experiment & play & make each card individual. If I only make one card in a session that's fine - come October time I'd be having to mass produce one design to get them all done, & I don't really enjoy doing that.

For this card I've used the Peace This Christmas stamp set (141570) from the new annual catalogue. I like the font & the foliage so it's great for cards where you want to make the text the focal point.

I've teamed it with the This Christmas paper pack (141628) which reproduces some of the images found in the stamp set. The colors are Garden Green, Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler. I've also used the Layering Circle Framelits (141705) to cut out and back the sentiment.

One thing I noticed was that the flower punch from the retired Itty Bitty Accents Punch pack cuts out the poinsettia from one of the stamped images - great for layering up & creating dimension, so dig it out & use it with this stamp set if you have it.
 

I used the Bow Builder Punch (137414) for the bow. It adds a nice touch but bulks up the depth of the card, so I'll be hand delivering this rather than mailing it.