Hip to Be Square Hop

Thanks for joining our "Hip to Be Square" hop tonight! It isn't often I'm able to do many of the wonderful card making challenges online, (especially not the same day it's posted!), but this week's SCS Technique Challenge to create an easel card (posted by Lynn Mercurio, easel design by Penny Wessenauer), was just too charming not to and too perfect for the "Hip to Be Square" frame in this set, I had to sit right down and make one! I'd been wanting to make a little "mini art gallery" for this grid, and now I have an easel to go with!! Here is the outside of my creation, which also uses "A Year of Flowers"...
This was so simple to do! I stamped two sunflowers on Pure Luxury White and then stamped the square outline from the set four times randomly to capture these little sections. A 1 1/4" square punch fits these perfectly so I just punched them and popped them up onto my grid and colored the border with a yellow Copics. Base is Pure Luxury Black Onyx. Card measures 4.25" square. Now comes the "easel" part!

The front pushes back and props up with a button, which I placed over another stamped sunflower, don't you love that?? Greeting is from "Say it With Flowers". Expect to see more easel cards from me because I just love this design, want to combine the new frame with all sorts of Gina K sets!

This next card is just for fun, these spooky Halloween cookies just like the ones mom used to make!

I stamped the grid onto Basic Grey Junebug DP (this dotted print is I think actually navy, but almost black and makes a great base for a Halloween card) and filled in the border with Orange Copics. Next I stamped my round cookie from "Have a Cookie" four times onto white CS and colored, then added my different pumpkin and ghost (made from the pumpkin eyes and the round eyelet image) faces and Halloween greeting from "Hip to Be Square" and colored. Isn't that fun creating seasonal cookies with these little faces?? I'm so excited about this!

I added a layer of Crystal Lacquer just over the icing on each cookie for shine and dimension, give it plenty to time to completely dry before popping up the cut (and cooled! LOL!) cookies onto the grid. See how the lacquer makes them look like they're really iced?

And finally, a "Hip" Snowman card without the grid, I thought it would be sweet to use the faces and circle to create a snow couple that could stare into each other's coal black eyes by turning the carrot around. I used four different prints from the Jolly by Golly pack, each DP inspired a different detail of this card. I drew some simple stick arms and cut out some little mittens from one of the DP prints, they were the perfect size for these snow people! The large and small striped prints were perfect for the scarves and knit hat, I just used some scraps to make the scrap ends and made a neck that would perfectly cup the round head by punching part way into the paper with a circle punch, then shifting the punch about a half inch again and you are left with a little curved piece!
Want to win this stamp set? Leave me a comment below telling me which of these projects you like best. I will announce a winner tomorrow night.

For even more ideas with "Hip to be Square", visit the GinaK Idea Center here: Hip to Square. My tip sheet has been added to the Idea Center as a PDF so you can print out all the tips and suggestions for a handy reference tool!
Here's all the Designer's Blog Links to check out tonight:

Melanie Muenchinger
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Lee Murphy
Nina Bracket
Theresa Momber

September's Center Stage Spotlight Team:

Giovana Smith
Kay Simmons
Linda Payne

and finally, my Guest Designer for Hip to be Square:

Karen Knegten
and Special guests:

Tina Gilliland

Selma Stevenson

Geri Utterback