Frantic Stamper Happenings: Kathy Berger

Showing posts with label Kathy Berger. Show all posts

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Halloween Slimline Slider

by Kathy Berger

I enjoyed making the slider cards so much that I just had to give one last thing a try. I wanted to make a slimline slider, and wanted to use only things in the Simple Slider Maker die set to make the card; it turns out it was simple to do! Everything in the die set works just fine without modification except the pull tab, which is too short for the slimline format. I found a really simple solution, though! I simply cut two strips of card stock 8 1/2" long and 3/4" wide, and then used the die for cutting the thumb cutout to round the end of each. Once I had my new pull tab pieces, assembly of the slider card was exactly like the assembly of my other basic simple sliders! I hope you like today's card. Even though I designed this die set, I didn't realize how versatile it would be! And it is so much fun!

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Monday, August 10, 2020

Stacked Banner Cards

by Kathy Berger

These stacked banner cards are pretty quick and easy to make; with just a simple background, the stacked banners, and a flower or two they can be made in mere minutes!

Here is a little video to share how I made the banners that I used in these three cards.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Porthole to Adventure

by Kathy Berger

I made the porthole that is on this card using the porthole die set from the June release the same day that I got my dies, and I set it on my desk for me to use to make a card to share. that was nearly 6 weeks ago. I swear, this porthole nagged at me for most of those weeks, but I just wasnt inspired to use it. I knew I needed to get a card made with it before the end of the release month, and time was ticking!

I finally sat down with my paper stash and looked for some papers that sort of matched the colors in the porthole, and that had something to do with travel. I came across a 6"x6" piece that had the map and the tickets, and several other travel-themed items. and I came across a piece of black and white paper that had a grungy grid on it. With a little fussy cutting, some ink blending, and a bit of piecing to make my frame, I was able to finally get that porthole off of my desk!

I think this card has a marvelously masculine feel to it. What do you think? I hope you enjoyed the card!

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Thursday, June 18, 2020

Shell Greetings

by Kathy Berger

Today I am here to share a small card with big impact. The card only measures 3.5" round, but it packs a lot of wow into that little space! It shimmers and shines pretty much everywhere thanks to some really cool a pearlescent water colors from Yasutomo and some glitter from a Wink of Stella brush pen.

To make the base for this card I cut three 3.5" scalloped circles out of blue card stock. I diecut the new from one, and then used one of the blue pearlescent colors to add shimmer to it and one more of the scalloped circles. The third scallop circle i scored at 1/4" and 1 3/4", making sure the two scores were parallel. On the first score line I valley folded, and on the second I mountain folded. I then affixed the back scalloped circle with the current lines to the front of the folded circle ONLY in the area from the 1 3/4" fold to the far edge, taking care to line up the scallops. Finally, I glued the back of the folded card to the final scalloped circle ONLY in the area between the 1/4" score and the near edge, taking care to line up the scallops.

Next I cut two of the new Scallop Shell from white card stock. I watercolored both with the pearlescent paint, making sure that the color was very light and used the colors commonly seen in mother of pearl. While they were both still damp I lightly curled up the edges of each shell to give them dimension, and then I set them aside to finish drying.

While the shells were drying, I diecut and colored the sea horse from the Sea Creatures Icons die set, each of the Ocean Floor Icons set, both dies in the Seaweed & Anemone die set, and both of the dies in the Stag & Pipe coral die set.

I adhered one of the scallop shells to the front of the card mechanism, right at the bottom edge of the scalloped circle. I then added some of the diecut and colored elements to the shell and the scalloped circle to decorate both. I added a small sheer white bow to the bottom edge, at an angle.

I stamped my greeting on the remaining scallop shell, upside down. I then adhered the shell to the inside of the back of the mechanism, also upside down, and about 1/4" from the fold edge. I finished things off with the remaining Ocean Floor Icons, and with a large flat-bottomed pearl. The pearl acts as the stop for this tiny easle card, and isn't it appropriate to have in a shell?

I hope you liked today's tiny card!

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Monday, June 15, 2020

Oceans of Love

by Kathy Berger

Slimline cards seem to be all the rage these days, and I decided I needed to see what the craze is all about. I think I figured it out! Making these long slender cards allows a lot more of a scene to be captured. It reminds me of when televisions switched from the old 4:3 screen ratio to the newer 16:9 format that is so normal to us now. When I first saw an older movie on a flat-screen TV with that new format I was amazed at how much I had been missing because the old format cut off the picture. It is almost exactly like that with the slimline format.

At first I felt like the card was too wide to be able to be filled, and then I thought it felt too short to get in enough to create a scene with depth and background, but in the end it felt just right, and like I had more horizontal space to tell my story.

Will this cardstyle become my goto style? Probably not. But it does feel good to have it in my back pocket when I need it!

I really loved coloring the new Sea Buddies dies from the June 2020 release and the assortment of sea bottom dwellers and ocean creatures that helped to round-out my story. I hope you will enjoy the card half as much as I enjoyed making it.

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Friday, November 15, 2019

Merry Christmas 2019 (Kathy Berger)

Merry Christmas 2019

by Kathy Berger

This has been a very busy crazy year and I just haven't been able to work on the blog for Frantic Stamper (or my own blog, for that matter). I have been busy making kinetic cards for the monthly card kits from Frantic Stamper along with videos of the cards being made and detailed instructions for making the cards. It has consumed far more time than I expected! So with that, caring for my terminally ill kitty (she passed in July), and then dealing with kittens with resistant ringworm (daily vaccuming, laundry, and more bleach water than one could imagine) and just life in general, I just haven't had the time to edit blog posts. I apologize for dropping the ball. I will be trying to post regularly in 2020, sharing each month's cards from design team members along with links to their blog posts for each card.

As a bit of a start on better habits, here is a Christmas card I made using some great Frantic Stamper products.

This card is an open-front card based on a technique shared by Jennifer McGuire. The clouds were cut from two layers of cardstock and one layer of velum using the Stitched Cloud Builders. The velum cloud layer was sandwiched between the two layers of cardstock cloud. The same was done for the snowy hills, cut using the Stitched Scene Builders. I made a hinge on the left edges of the cloud and the snowy hill layers, and wrapped the hinged portion around a smoky blue piece of cardstock that was 4"x5 1/4" in size.

Next, I cut two copies of one of the Lil' Snowmen and four of the Small Oregon Fir. I added faux snow to two of the trees and colored one of the two snowmen, using a tiny scrap of cardstock behind the face and buttons. I then sandwiched the clouds and hills between the two copies of the snowmen (both with right side facing the outside front of the card) and between the two pairs of trees (again, with right side facing the outside front of the card). Finishing off the front, I added a Script Merry Christmas that I cut out of red cardstock.

I added another little hill shape to the card front and covered it with faux snow. I then layered the card to a 4 1/4"x5 1/2" piece of the same gray-blue cardstock that I embossed with a Swiss Dot embossing folder. I then backed the whole thing with a plain piece of the same gray-blue cardstock to give the back a smooth finish. I stamped a saying from a clear stamp set made by Stampendous on the inside of the card where it is hidden by the snowy hills when the card is closed.

I hope you have enjoyed today's card. I hope to post a few more times before the end of the year, and then more often in the new year!

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Friday, February 02, 2018

Thinking of You AND New Product Release (Kathy Berger)

Thinking of You

by Kathy Berger

I made this card for my 95-year-old aunt who has just come through a really rough patch; I just wanted her to know I am thinking of her, and that I love her so dearly. I hope the card will brighten her day.

I used the brand new Botanical Spray die from Frantic Stamper. I colored the flowers and leaves in the spray, and the extra little blossoms that are included with the spray with Copic markers. I then used a styus and a foam pad to shape some of the petals and leaves slightly. I also shaped each of the little blossoms, and then glued them on top of the flowers that had similarly shaped blooms to add more dimension to the piece. I set it aside for a moment while I sponged a light blue circular shape made using a piece of masking paper from which I had diecut a circle onto a layer, which I then matted and mounted onto a white card base. I then affixed my spray onto the card, overlapping the sponged circle, and added a few sequins. I stamped the thinking of you stamp from the Get Well Soon stamp set on a thin strip of cardstock, cut flag ends on it and on a mat of blue cardstock, and used foam tape to attach it to the card.

I hope my aunt will enjoy and you have enjoyed my card!

But as much as I hope you enjoy my card using a new release die, I hope you will enjoy the new release video for the February 2018 product release from Frantic Stamper, in which you will find my card and many others from the fabulous Frantic Stamper Design Team .

*** Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com.

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

Cute Winter Card (Kathy Berger)

Cute Winter Card

by Kathy Berger

Sometimes when I find a look I like for a card I use the basic layout of the card front but change up the kind of card by using different popup mechanisms on the inside of the card.

This card is one I made for my brother and his wife, but I also thought I would share it with you!

All of the diecuts used to decorate the front of this card make it look very similar to the slider card made with the largest of the lift-flaps that I also recently shared. I again used a Copic-colored Sweet Holly Snowman on a snow-covered Stiched Scene-builder Edger hill, along with the Joy from the Slender Peace and Joy set. I think it is a sweet card, but what makes it truly special is the inside!

This is a twisting popup card that I decorated with more Frantic Stamper snowmen, a snowflake, and a stamped and heat embossed snowbuddy sentiment.

I didn’t just want to share the photos of the card, though. I also want to share how to make and decorate the Twisting Popup Mechanism. So...here we go!

Make the Mechanism

Score full size sheet at 5 1/2” in landscape orientation.
Cut off 1/8” from each end, making the piece 8 1/2”x10 3/4”.

Score at 2 1/4”, 4 1/4”, and 6 1/4” in portrait orientation.

Fold on 5 3/8” score line. Reinforce the fold with bone folder.

Mark 1” from the fold on both edges.
Mark 1 1/4” from the fold on the first score line from each edge.

Draw a line from the 1” mark to the 1.25” mark on both sides.
Cut away the piece formed by the drawn line and the score, from edge to edge.

Open the mechanism. Make sure it is in portrait orientation.
Mark 2” from horizontal center fold to each vertical edge of the mechanism.
Score diagonally across the center of the mechanism, from mark to mark.
Fold on both scores and reinforce the fold with bone folder.

Squash fold the mechanism so the wings are inside the mechanism, and the mechanism resembles a pocket.

Decorate the Mechanism

Cut two pieces 3 3/4”x5 1/2”. Mark the center of each piece in portrait orientation, then mark 1 7/8” from the top on each edge.
Cut diagonally from edge mark to center mark on both sides.
Trim bottom to be 1/8” from bottom of mechanism.

Attach mechanism in a top fold card, 5.5” tall x 4.25” wide, making sure the mechanism is strait and the point is in the fold.

Make the Accordion Panels

Cut strip 2 3/4”x11”.
In landscape orientation score at 2 3/4”, 5 1/2”, and 8.25”.
Accordion fold the piece; valley, mountain, valley.

Attach the Accordion Panels

Put strong adhesive on the lower left and upper right outside edge of the mechanism.

Place the folded accordion panels centered on the lower edge of the mechanism, folds at the top.
Close the card carefully to ensure the adhesive on the top right does not touch the accordion panels.
Open the card. Close the card again, pulling the folded accordion panels to be on top of the right side of the mechanism.
Open the card.

Decorate the Accordion Panels

Cut four pieces of the decorative paper to 2 1/2” square and affix to each of the four panes of the accordion panels.
Decorate with stamped images or die cuts.

So now that you have learned how to make the mechanism, I hope you will make a twisting popup card of your own! Feel free to share a link with the inlinkz button below.

Happy crafting!