FALL PORCH POP-UP EASEL CARD

 

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, the majority of my stamping-related purchases come from Stampin' Up!  I have loved (and still love) their products since 2003--been a demonstrator since 2004.  But . . . I am a lover of card-making and paper crafts and, every once in a while, I find products that are simply irresistible and feel that I must have them.  That happened recently with the Winter Porch Pop-Up Easel Card dies from Poppystamps.  I tried REALLY hard to resist buying them.  Several times I would look at them online, trying to find a reason why I might not use them enough to justify the expense, telling myself that I don't have to have things just because I like them, etc.  I knew how to make a pop-up easel card and didn't "need" a die for that, but everything else about this die set seemed so neat.  Unlike my usual impulse to make an immediate purchase when I think I have fallen in love with a product, I decided to take a day or so to entertain second thoughts.  Ha!  That was amusing because all I did was pine for the moment that I would give in.  Somehow I knew that I would give in, and I began to think of the waiting as ridiculous since I was simply prolonging the wait for my order to arrive.  See how I flipped the script on myself?  Do you do that, too?

So my order arrived on a day that I was going to visit my parents, but at least it arrived in time for me to remove it from the mailbox and take with me.  I excitedly showed my mother the dies I had purchased (I couldn't buy just one set), and I think she enjoyed getting to see what a "die" looks like.  It seemed only fair that my parents would receive my first card, which I am sharing today.  Making this Fall porch card took some time, but it was quite fun to see it go from pieces to completion!

Those textured die-cut leaves?  They were one of my purchases, as was the die to cut that cute chair.  The die that cuts the house layer actually has a faint "siding" texture, but I really liked the look of Stampin' Up!'s Brick & Mortar embossing folder for the texture.  The die that cuts the front door and  its frame actually cuts in a way that the door can open, but I opted to glue it shut since there wasn't anything to see behind it.  For the stamped leaf and sentiment on the door mat, I used the retired Lighthearted Leaves stamp set.

Funny thing.  When I got home from my parents' house--all ready to play with my new dies--I was disappointed to discover that the largest die in the set required an extended platform.  Ack!  I had never purchased an extended platform because the XL dies that I had used with my Big Shot machine were thick, steel rule dies that didn't require anything other than cutting pads.  I did NOT want to spend more money just to be able to use that one die, but, after some time and thinking about what to do, I remembered that I have an Evolution Advanced machine (have hardly ever used it) that came with an extended platform.  Woohoo!!!  I dusted it off and gave myself a refresher course on how to use it, and it worked beautifully!  The only thing that was kind of bothersome was that the motor for the machine is quite loud, which I think is why I put the machine away to be forgotten.  Yes, I can use it without the motor, but I don't like having to crank, crank, crank, crank, crank to get that long extended platform through the machine for every cut.  So, as a joke, my son concocted a buffer for the sound.  It fits over the motorized doohickey that attaches at one end of the machine.  It looks quite strange, but it really did help buffer the noise.

As for the Winter Porch Pop-Up Easel Card dies, I have already cut more shapes and started the assembly process for some Christmas cards.  I'm so glad that I didn't talk myself out of this purchase because it does create a WOW card, but there is an undeniable truth . . . making a card such as the one shown in this post or my Christmas cards is quite a lengthy process.  I've spent a LOT of time already just cutting the parts and then working to assemble five Christmas cards, and I still (after one and a half days) need to cut and stamp additional pieces to complete them.  I wouldn't dream of making just one of these cards.  If you're going to take the time to choose colors, sentiments, decorations, etc., you might as well plan to make several cards at one sitting.  Lastly, another view of the Fall porch card.  I love that it folds nearly flat for mailing!

Wouldn't this be a fun card to receive?  It's definitely the kind you send to someone who likes to keep the cards you make.  Being able to send it with one postage stamp is fantastic!