Making Shamrock Ornaments with Connor

Last weekend Connor and I made shamrock ornaments for our decorative birch tree.

Here's how we did it - and what keeps my son (who is on the spectrum) interested in our craft projects.

So why am I showing a Valentine tree and a St. Patrick's Day tree? It's the SAME HEART PUNCH - DIFFERENT HOLIDAY! Get the most out of your punch! 

Connor's job: Punching the hearts and circles

My job: Supervision and assembly (and cheerleader)

I shared previously that my son is on the spectrum and a sensory seeker, which means Connor really loves anything related to a Comic Book sound effect: Boom - Bam - Crunch - Splash - Pow, etc. He enjoys splattering paint, splashing in water, throwing birdseed and making just about any kind of mess. He's also very active and one of our goals (and challenges) is getting Connor to stay focused on a task for more than a minute.

He prefers to stand, fidget or move when he's working on something and we encourage that since it helps him to succeed. He also loves height which is why we do most projects on the Dining Room table. 

Here are a few things I wanted to share that help Connor succeed with crafting.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a therapist or medical professional. This is just "Mom" experience that works for my family and I always recommend you do what works best for you and your loved ones.

Tips for Success with this project: 

1.) MAKE IT SHINY - My son likes flash and sparkle so I will usually go for Foil Sheets or Glitter Cardstock (flocked paper is also good, very sensory) when it's available. It's also more durable.

2.) PUNCHING & CRANKING are PREFERRED activities for Connor so those are the things I use to keep him at the table. 

3.) TURNING THE PUNCH UPSIDE DOWN - A word of caution, Stampin' Up! did not design their punches to be punched this way. You should always read the instructions and safety guide provided with your products. Children under 3 years old (physically/ mentally) could pinch their fingers if the punch isn't used properly or without assistance/ supervision. 

HOWEVER, if you are in an adaptive or special needs circumstance, as is the case here, you already know that it's not uncommon to improvise use of a product to better fit the circumstance/ child.

When the punch was face down (the proper way) Connor couldn't see the shape that was being punched so he was less interested in punching more than one circle or heart. When I turned the punch face up (adapting) so he could see the shape as it was being cut, he was much more cooperative when it came to punching multiple hearts for the shamrocks. It's a very sensory thing for him to see and hear the shape being punched as its happening. If you have a sensory avoider it may be just the opposite. They may not want to see it punched but like the result. Every circumstance is different. Use your best judgment.

I taught him how to punch safely this way and stayed with him to be sure it was all good.

Punches are heavy (for kids) so depending on the size and age of your little helper you may have to assist them with punching or do the punching for them. You can give them the job of feeding the cardstock into the punch or scoring the hearts. There's plenty of ways to incorporate your little one.

4.) CUT STRIPS SO THE PUNCHING IS FASTER - When you have a kid who has trouble standing still or, even better, loves to bolt, its always best to make the task go as quickly as possible. I find cutting the cardstock into strips is easier and faster for you and the kids.

My son Connor (5) punching circles for the back of the shamrocks.
He likes to see the shape as its being punched. 

Safety: Remove the "cutting" blade from your
Paper Trimmer (and put out of reach) before letting your little ones score the hearts

To make the hearts look more like clover leaves, 

you can score right down the center of each heart. 

If you hold down the plastic scoring guide as you score, 

you can score multiple hearts at one time

This is the 2 Inch Punch which we found to be a little too big
so use a smaller circle or punch again so its not visible behind the shamrock.

Step 1: Add ribbon with adhesive

Step 2: Add Stem

Step 3: Add heart leaves - I like them at a slight angle

Step 4: Secure your top heart leaf

Step 5: Show off your Shamrock Ornament!

Just a note about products used and sizes: I used a retired shaded spruce ribbon and retired Green Foil Sheet that I had on hand but any green cardstock and/ or ribbon will do.

Measurements: The stem is 1/2 inch and then the length of stem is up to you. I would say about 3/4 inch but we were not precise. It was really more about the fun and quick assembly.

Ribbon was cut at 6" per ornament.

My preferred adhesive for ornaments is the Tear and Tape Adhesive.

Just for fun, here is a series of photos as Connor punched out shapes. He stayed with the project for about 3 minutes. Had a quick run around the house and then back for about 3 more minutes with the  heart punch.

Product Links:

Heart Punch Pack

2 Inch Circle Punch

Paper Trimmer

St. Patrick's Day Card Ideas for 2021

 I LOVE making cards for St. Patrick's Day! It feels like the first hint of Spring before diving into those Easter projects because everything is lush, green and bright, with talk of "luck" and good fortune and a rainbow that ends with a pot of gold! 

You can check out the YouTube Tutorial (for all 3 cards!) here: 

https://youtu.be/VeCBkmM5PGI

There are many different reasons to celebrate St. Patrick's Day regardless if you have any Irish blood in those veins. This holiday means different things to different people. There are those who care more about the religious aspect which is how I raised. I have Irish ancestry as well, but I chose to go the "fun" and "festive" route for today's card projects. 

I stuck to traditional themes (Greens, Gold, rainbows, shamrocks and Leprechaun Hats)! I don't think I have ever appreciated the bright, primary colors as much as I do now that I have a 5 year-old. It's amazing how much our kids influence our art as we dig into project after project with them during this virtual schooling phase. Pre-Connor, I went for the softer, subtle and more neutral tones but St. Patrick's Day cards turn up the volume on vibrant colors so I decided to try my hand at watercolor and the Brights ink refills, specifically: Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pacific Point and Gorgeous Grape.

There actually 10 shades in the Brights Collection but only 6
are pictured since those were the colors used for the rainbow

Love the pop of color! Had to google rainbows to get the order right!

Sequins for Everything were used to create the gold coins!

I purchased the Aqua Painters awhile back and I knew they had been replaced by the "Water Painters" but I didn't purchase the new ones so you are seeing the "discontinued" aqua painter in the tutorial and my apologies about that but, just know, with the Water Painters you get (3) and each is a different brush size which is so nice to have that variety!

I was nervous about watercolor but I did end up loving the results and it was much easier than I thought. I did have to practice a few times before I achieved the color saturation that I wanted but that's part of the crafty journey. I'll definitely use this technique more in the future.

For watercoloring with the Water or Aqua Painters (just depending on what you have in your craft stash) be sure to use the watercolor paper. It doesn't work on regular cardstock. 

I wanted to show an alternative way to use the Heartfelt Bundle: the stamp set and the heart punch, for another holiday - this one - by turning the hearts into a three leaf clover a.k.a. SHAMROCK! I'm certainly not the first crafter to use hearts for shamrocks but if its good enough for a pre-schooler it's good enough for me!!!!!! 

The Rainbow Glimmer Paper felt perfect for these cards whether it was as a layer or a card base. I actually ran out of it before I finished my YouTube video, ha! Best laid plans. I should always order more than I do. I tend to order conservatively when I know how much I use specialty papers. Let me know in the comments if you do the same!

For the "Top Hat" card, I also wanted to try an alternative idea using the "All Dressed Up" Dies. The design for the dies is to create these super cute purse or backpack treat bags. I have used these dies probably the most of any treat bag die since I've been a demonstrator. I have multiple videos featuring them so I guess it makes sense I would turn that purse die into a hat! It was the buckle that first sparked the idea. Such a cool and easy card and the Gold Foil makes that buckle! 

I highly recommend the Fine Tip Glue Pen if you choose to purchase (or already own) the Word Wish Dies. The Wish for Everything Stamp Set and Word Wish dies cover so many bases for holidays they are well worth the investment AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT SALE-A-BRATION!!!! It's still going on until 2/28/2021! With any purchase of $50 or $100 you earn FREE product! I definitely recommend products like these two when Stampin' Up! has a special offer like Sale-a-Bration! If you've been thinking about it now is the time!

I also wanted to share this GREEN color chart when I was trying to decide what colors to use on my cards. My clear favorites were Granny Apple Green, Garden Green and Shaded Spruce. I was happy with how each card turned out but you have a great variety to work with.

I included the Stampin' Blends color chart even though it was intended for a different project, it's still giving plenty of ideas for the green shades in Stampin' Up's color collections.

I really try not to show discontinued or retired products once they are no longer available but I made an exception here because Christmas was not that long ago and you may still have this beautiful, shiny, festive green foil sheet still on hand. If you, may I just say they make VERY COOL shamrocks! Just wanted to mention that in case you have green foil in your collection. 

Have fun making your cards and have a very safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

PRODUCTS USED TODAY: Heartfelt Bundle: http://www.stampinup.com/products/heartfelt-bundle-(en)?demoid=2212777

All Dressed Up Dies: http://www.stampinup.com/products/all-dressed-up-dies?demoid=2212777

Word Wish Dies: http://www.stampinup.com/products/dies-word-wishes-(en)?demoid=2212777

A Wish For Everything Stamp Set: http://www.stampinup.com/products/stamp-set-cling-a-wish-for-everything?demoid=2212777

Brights Collection Classic Stampin' Ink Refills: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-ink-refills-brights?demoid=2212777

Sequins for Everything: http://www.stampinup.com/products/sequins-for-everything?demoid=2212777

Water Painters: http://www.stampinup.com/products/water-painters?demoid=2212777 (NOTE: Aqua Painter I used Discontinued)

2 Inch Circle Punch: http://www.stampinup.com/products/punch-circle-2-(5-1-cm)?demoid=2212777

Rainbow Glimmer Paper: http://www.stampinup.com/products/rainbow-glimmer-paper?demoid=2212777

Watercolor Paper: http://www.stampinup.com/products/paper-watercolor-fluid-100?demoid=2212777

Pattern Play Stamp Set: http://www.stampinup.com/products/pattern-play-photopolymer-stamp-set-(en)?demoid=2212777

Basic Black Cardstock: http://www.stampinup.com/products/cardstock-8-1-2-x-11-basic-black?demoid=2212777

Shaded Spruce Cardstock:http://www.stampinup.com/products/cardstock-8-1-2-x-11-shaded-spruce?demoid=2212777

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-pad-shaded-spruce?demoid=2212777

Garden Green Cardstock: http://www.stampinup.com/products/cardstock-8-1-2-x-11-garden-green?demoid=2212777

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-pad-garden-green?demoid=2212777

Granny Apple Green Classic Stampin' Pad: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-pad-granny-apple-green?demoid=2212777

True Love Designer Series Paper: http://www.stampinup.com/products/true-love-designer-series-paper?demoid=2212777

Gold Foil Sheets: http://www.stampinup.com/products/foil-sheets-gold?demoid=2212777

Banners Pick a Punch: http://www.stampinup.com/products/banners-pick-a-punch?demoid=2212777

TOOLS USED:

Take Your Pick Tool: http://www.stampinup.com/products/take-your-pick?demoid=2212777

Stampin' Cut and Emboss Machine (full size): http://www.stampinup.com/products/stampin-cut-emboss-machine?demoid=2212777

Paper Trimmer: http://www.stampinup.com/products/paper-trimmer?demoid=2212777

Tear and Tape Adhesive: http://www.stampinup.com/products/adhesive-tear-tape?demoid=2212777

Stampin' Seal: http://www.stampinup.com/products/stampin-seal?demoid=2212777

Stampin' Dimensionals: http://www.stampinup.com/products/stampin-dimensionals?demoid=2212777

Fine Tip Glue Pen: http://www.stampinup.com/products/glue-pen-fine-tip?demoid=2212777

VALENTINES DAY 2021

 VALENTINES DAY 2021

Happy Valentines Day! Its been an evolutional process regarding my feelings on Valentines Day. There were times I loved it, didn't, and so on. As a crafter this is one of the best holidays for cardmaking and the cutest treat boxes ever, but I really love the projects I get to work on with my son, Connor. He is 5 and on the spectrum but he really enjoys (Certain) elements of crafting. He's mostly a fan of mess. He loves ink, he loves paint, he loves all things he can smear, splash, fingerpaint and spread. He's a "sensory seeker" meaning he loves to be adventurous and he's very active so he doesn't sit still very long (much like your typical 5 year old) so we stuck to SIMPLE STAMPING this year.

We used the Oh Snap Stamp Set. 

Note: "Hi Valentine" stamp is from the January 2021 Paper Pumpkin Kit.

Connor is much more into crocodiles and the color green than he is into hearts and the colors red/ pink, so I figured this would be much more "preferred" to make valentines. If he's not a fan of the stamps I can't keep him at the table so as soon as he saw that crocodile we were good to go.

In terms of the color theme - very simple - with Granny Apple Green Card Bases and Ink (Card Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, score at 4 1/4") We also added some Garden Green and Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

All kids are different. My little guy finds comfort in height so (with supervision) he was allowed to sit and stamp on the Dining Room table. 

We brought a crocodile sticker to the table for inspiration...

He also wanted to bring a crocodile I had fussy cut and shaded with the Stampin' Blends (the more advanced crafting to come later in this post, stay tuned) and it was fun to see which one he picked because I colored each one differently. He liked the more complex shading better, who knew! You can see that croc sitting on the card base on the next picture.

QUICK TIP: If you are teaching a child to stamp and have one of these padded area play rugs, if you flip it over it basically becomes a giant foam mat for photopolymer stamps!

Connor had much more success stamping this way because we know the bigger stamps (3 inches or so) it can be easy to not press down hard enough for kiddos and then there can be frustration if the image isn't perfect. Connor struggles if the image isn't right so this was GREAT for him! I highly recommend it.

Now, this rug is new and that's why its so squeaky clean, haha! But if your kids like to stamp on the floor this could be great for them.

So that sums up the simple stamping part of this post. Scroll down if you are interested in experimental crocodile coloring with the Stampin' Blends. 

Connor does need a little assistance and he taps out after about 5 minutes which is why simple stamping is perfect for him. In the end, he was smiling so big and was so proud when the cards were finished. Dad got his card last night when he got home from work. He was very impressed! 

I snapped this picture of Connor and I right before bedtime. (It was a night stamp sesh)

EXPERIMENTAL CROCODILE COLORING WITH STAMPIN' BLENDS & TIPS! 

This is by no means a "professional" colorist tutorial. This is just me experimenting with the Stampin' Blends (alcohol markers). I keep it pretty simple but I wanted to experiment with the greens and yellows I had on hand and I also wanted to the show the difference of using 1 marker, 1 combo or if you start blending multiple shades - which is the pure fun of alcohol markers - because you can layer and layer & blend and blend - and never ruin the image or the paper.

Here's they turned out...

ONE STAMPIN' BLEND ONLY - Just Jade Light

1 STAMPIN' BLEND COMBO PACK - Bermuda Bay Light & Dark (Two markers)

THREE DIFFERENT SHADES (4 Markers: Granny Apple Green Combo, Daffodil Delight Light, Old Olive Dark)

THREE SHADES: 4 Markers: Old Olive Dark, Shaded Spruce Combo, Daffodil Delight Light

Note: Old Olive was my personal favorite for the crocodile but I use that combo so much that the markers don't have much left in them. I need to replace him. Connor's CLEAR and RUNAWAY FAVE was Granny Apple Green!

TIP: For anyone in a situation where you have to move around a lot throughout the day, Connor is very active and very mobile so we bounce from room to room all day. There's so much going on in a day that I may only get 15 minutes here and there to play, especially when it comes to the Blends. So I toss them in a basket with the stamped image and then just take the basket with me. When I get that quick break - usually when Connor is playing independently or during tablet time - I grab the basket and start coloring. I am someone who finds coloring very therapeutic. This is by far one of my favorite ways to bring stamped images to life.

The Color Chart - Having a quick reference guide of the greens/ yellows on hand is also helpful and makes this process a bit faster when I do get the time to play with Stampin' Blends!

And last but not least is the cautionary tale of fussy-cutting this super cute croc. If you have followed me on YouTube for any period of time then you know I actually enjoy fussy-cutting (most) of the time. However, this crocodile has a LOT of teeth and a LOT of spikes. I, of course, did not realize this until I started to cut and I was committed at that point so I kept cutting. Ultimately, it wasn't that bad and Connor played with the cut out crocodiles like toys. He carried them all over the house so they didn't quite make it their treat box destinations, but if you DO NOT ENJOY fussy-cutting then just stamp this guy where he can live happily ever after on a card-front or scrapbook page.

And that is it for experimental shading for now! I hope you have a video out for you soon showcasing these guys on some fun treat boxes. Until then, a very Happy Valentines Day to you and happy crafting. Here is a picture of the stamp set "Oh Snap." You can find product links for the simple cards we made below.

P.S. Connor is the boss of the craft room, craft table, makeshift craft spaces and dining room table. Gotta love it!

Product Links: 

Oh Snap Stamp Set (product link here): http://www.stampinup.com/products/oh-snap-photopolymer-stamp-set?demoid=2212777

Granny Apple Cardstock (8 1/2 x 11): http://www.stampinup.com/products/cardstock-8-1-2-x-11-granny-apple-green?demoid=2212777

Granny Apple Green Classic Stampin' Pad: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-pad-granny-apple-green?demoid=2212777 

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad: http://www.stampinup.com/products/classic-stampin-pad-garden-green?demoid=2212777

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink: http://www.stampinup.com/products/memento-ink-pad-tuxedo-black?demoid=2212777

Intricate Die Cutting Foil Sheets: Classic Card Layout for Valentines Da...