Cherry to my Sundae

Happy Friday!

Gosh the weeks fly by, don't they???  Tomorrow is my Breakfast Stamping with my downline and tonight I'm hoping to meet up with one of my dearest friends and her husband for dinner.  They are up from Calgary for the Garth Brooks concert.  We've only seen each other a handful of times in the last 10 years which is RIDICULOUS given that they are only 3 hours down the road.  THAT has to be rectified!  So, as always, it's a busy day … starting off with posting THIS fab little card!

WOW do I love this card!  I used the Cool Treats Stamp Set with the Frozen Treats Framelits.  As always, you save 10% when you buy the two together (until May 31st, that is!)  Last weekend the family was watching a movie but I *needed* to create … so they watched, I listened from the comfort of my Craft Cave and I came up with this card.  Yes.  It's adorable.  Yes.  I love it.  Yes.  It was a TOTAL pain in the straka (I have no idea how to spell the Polish word for ass … that's my best attempt!) … BUT … I love the card so much and wanted to use it in my class next week that I found a quick hack so my stampers can make it too WITHOUT running pieces through the Big Shot 10 times, like I did.  Yes, 10.

So!  For MY card I pulled the colour palette directly from the coordinating Sweet Treats Designer Series Paper (DSP) in the catalogue - I used Watermelon Wonder, Pool Party and Peekaboo Peach.  FYI - I OFTEN use the DSPs in the catalogue to come up with my colour schemes … that and the (retired) colour coach.  That was by FAR my most used tool and I wish it still existed.  Alas …

So I ran all the ice-cream balls through the Big shot with the coordinating framelits.  I cut the bowl out with the framelits as well, using the Sweet Treats DSP for the great waffle pattern.  The spoon is Smoky Slate, through the Big Shot, and the Cherry on top … yup, framelit.  Oh!  The chocolate syrup is also made with the framelits - Early Espress card stock.  The white circle is ALSO a framelit piece, using the Stitched Shapes framelit.  All in all - 10 passes through the Big Shot.  I used my fine tip glue pen to glue all the pieces together.

I used a 5" x 1 1/4" piece of Pool Party card stock for the back piece and stamped it with the sentiment in Early Espresso ink.  Before attaching it I used the Gorgeous Grunge splatter and Peekaboo Peach ink for some background interest.  I attached the sentiment piece and popped the sundae up on dimensionals.  Done!

Now … as I said, I love the sundae but didn't love all the work to get it!  I wanted to make it in class but knew my stampers would want to stab themselves in the eye with the pokey tool rather than cut 10 pieces with the Big Shot and glue them all together sooooooo ……

Rather than making the ice cream balls with the Big Shot I used my 1" circle punch.  Bam!  3 fewer passes through the big shot!  I then used the chocolate syrup STAMP in Early Espresso ink to add the syrup to the circles.  BAM - 3 fewer passes through the big shot!  Now we only need to use the Big Shot for the Bowl, the spoon, the cherry and the Circle (which we COULD use the retired 2 1/2" retired punch for … but I like the stitched edge of the framelit so we're using that).  3 or 4 passes instead of 10!  MUCH more acceptable :)  As always, there is USUALLY more than one way to skin a cat (as Pa would say).  Use the framelits or use punches … or stamp the image and use SCISSORS!  You have options.  Different methods, same great card.

That's my share for today.  I hope you get some quiet crafting time in today.  Until next time - have a stampy Friday!


Tam