SU Stars Blog Hop - Fun Folds BLOG CANDY!!

This weekend I am participating in a fun blog hop for a group I belong to called SU Stars.  It is a group on Yahoo for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  If you are a demonstrator, head on over and join the group!  There are lots of kind, fun, supportive women there, and we have lots of fun!  You can join here: SU Stars.

The blog hop this month is for fun folds.  You are probably coming here from Monica's Add a Little Dazzle.  She always has gorgeous projects going on, and I can't wait to see what she came up with for this month's blog hop.  If you started here, you can go to the SU Stars home blog, and start from the beginning, or just loop all the way around - up to you.  :)

I have two cards for you.  The first is a Christmas card.  Big surprise there, right?  I wish Christmas wasn't so stuck in my brain - but it is.  (Maybe that means I'll actually be ready for it this year?)

Here is my closed card.  I wanted to keep it simple.  I had most of these pieces left over from a Christmas card kit Stampin' Up! sold a few years ago, and now that Wild Wasabi is a current color again - I have decided to use them up.  

The Bashful Blue snowflake on the left holds down the Real Red flap.  

I stamped a bit on the inside of the card.  I've seen quite a few people do that lately, and it just adds such a nice touch.

Now, onto the next card.  For this card I wanted to try a hidden message card.  A few weeks ago, I went away with a few girlfriends, and one of them had made one of these cards.  That was the first time I had ever seen one before.  I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to make one for this hop.  I forgot to ask my friend how she did it.. but google came to my rescue.  :)  I got directions from Vicki's blog.  If you email me, I'll send you a link.  I  knew as soon as I started working on this that I wanted it to be a birthday card for my best friend Jen.  Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and I want to be ready.  I know by posting the card here - that she won't be surprised when she sees it, but she will be surprised when she reads the hidden message, and that is good enough for me. 

This is what the card looks like on the front.  There are many elements just to this front that are unusual for me.  I do not usually emboss DSP.  But I love this!!  I also usually have a hard time using the pearls (or rhinestones) that come in a line, and don't usually use that heart punch.  And I usually only use the poppin' pastels technique once a year - guess this is it!  I am so happy I was able to use so many things that are uncommon for me, and still love the outcome!

This is the inside.  I am just loving the Bella Chateau DSP that Stampin' Up! has this year!!  I knew I liked it, but had no idea how much I loved it until I started using it.  I wanted my greetings to pop off of the DSP, so I stamped them on Very Vanilla and punched them out with the scallop square punch.  The squares looked a bit plain, even with their scallops (ha, ha, ha) - so I decided to give them some ink.  I punched out the small oval on a post it note, and positioned it in the center of the square.  I then sponged some Pink Pirouette ink in the oval.  I sponged the outside of the squares with Marina Mist.

To find the hidden message, you want to fold the center of the inside up into a point.  Then, using your two thumbs, gently separate the middle.  

When you are finished, the secret area is now visible.  The three Marina Mist squares here are hidden at all times unless the center is opened like the picture above.  The stripes DSP (which is the back of the Marina Mist damask pattern on the greeting portion of the card) are visible on the back of the card.  So, if you want your message to be truly secret - put it on the cardstock!

I am so happy to be offering blog candy again this weekend. (as I have done with each blog hop in the past)  Leave me a comment, and tell me whether or not you have tried these hidden message cards before or not.  I will put the total number of comments in at random.org, and the winner will be notified via email.  (So be sure to leave me some way to contact you!)  The blog candy drawing will be open until 11:59pm PST on Sunday. Be sure to check back on Monday to see who the lucky winner is!

For your next stop in the blog hop, you will be going to see Shelly at Stampin' & Scrappin' News.  Shelly has an adorable card up for you to see - so be sure to check it out!  

We have big plans this weekend.  I have been pulling junk.. oops, I mean priceless treasures out of my basement all week.  We are having a yard sale this weekend.  Wish me luck!!  

We will wrap up the weekend by having dinner with the in-laws. (Someone remind me to make the pie!  I keep forgetting...)

This is a Triple Berry Pie  I made earlier this week.  I need to make another one to take to the in-laws.