Paper Seedlings: MEERKAT CELEBRATE

During Sale-A-Bration, which is going on until March 31!, have any of you ordered the SAB freebie, The Gang's All Meer (page 3 in the brochure)? A darling -- very nonserious -- set, it can be used in so many ways. For example, do you remember the huuuuge gang I shared with you in this post, where I incorporated lots of masking?

In these very uncertain times, we definitely will want to grab all the levity we can. Don't you agree?

I had lots of <technical> fun figuring out the card my girls made at the March Stamp-In, shown below. With a vision in my head of how I wanted the card to function, it took some trial and error to get it right, so it opens and closes smoothly without any glitches.

The photo below shows the card starting its opening process.

A little closer, more detailed photo of the grand opening,

I wanted to highlight the beautiful texture of the background

made possible by a great new embossing folder, Coastal Weave Embossing Folder,

found on page 39 of the current Mini Catalog.

Here is a tutorial on how to recreate this card on your own. If you don't already have the Sale-A-Bration set, The Gang's All Meer, now's the time to make a $50 purchase and get your own set for free!

SUPPLIES:

Crumb Cake cardstock

Cherry Cobbler cardstock

The Gang's All Meer (Sale-A-Bration brochure, page 3)

Retired Celebrate stamp (still have yours??)

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Light Crumb Cake Stampin' Blend

White Gel Pen

Big Shot

Layering Circles dies (page 193, Annual Catalog)

Coastal Weave Embossing Folder (page 39, Mini Catalog)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, and, with the Simply Scored, score at 2 1/8", flip it around, and score at 2 1/8" again. Fold on the score lines and burnish the creases with a bone folder. You just made a traditional gatefold card.

Run two pieces of Cherry Cobbler cardstock that measure 1 7/8" x 5 1/4" through the Big Shot inside the Coastal Weave Embossing Folder. Adhere these to both gatefolds of the card base.

On a 3" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, stamp the meerkat gang in Memento Tuxedo Black cardstock. Use the Light Crumb Cake Stampin' Blend to color them all in. No need to be careful with the coloring, except skip the teeth on the middle guy. Use a white gel pen to whiten his teeth. Set this aside so the white pen can dry completely.

Using the 2 5/8" die from the Layering Circles Dies, cut a circle from Cherry Cobbler cardstock. Surround this cut-out circle with the scallop die that measures about 3" in diameter. Once you have it centered in place, carefully add a few strips of sticky tape to hold it. Run through the Big Shot. You should have a scalloped open circle.

By now, the white gel pen should be dry. Take that piece with the meerkats on it, and using the same circle you used on the Cherry Cobbler cardstock, center the gang and cut it out.

Adhere the meerkat piece to the left gatefold, putting adhesive only on the left side. This should be approximately centered and about an inch or so from the top of the embossed piece.

Add adhesive to only one half of the scalloped circle. Carefully holding it in place over the meerkat piece for positioning, attach this frame to the left gatefold.

In black, stamp "celebrate" on a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that measures 1 1/4" x 3". Adhere this piece to the left gatefold.