Tonic Studios July Release Sneak Peeks

Today is the first of three sneak peeks at nine brand new punches from Tonic Studios, which are being released at CHA in July. Not only am I going to show you the cards created with these punches, but you have a chance to win the punches!

The first card features a couple of Tonic Studios punches. The butterfly is 925 Multi-Detail Butterfly, and the flower embellishments at the bottom were created with the brand new Simplicity Pattern 765 Floral Border 2 Punch. All of the new Simplicity Pattern border punches are geared and make punching the designs so easy.

“The ingenious (and patented) gearing mechanism takes all the effort out of punching from the user, meaning even the most ornate shape can be punched effortlessly.”

They really do punch quite easily, even through Bazzill card stock, and the paper doesn’t get stuck in the punch!

The flower circles were first punched with the border punch, leaving a little space between punches, then punched out using a 1” circle punch. I paper pieced the green for the grass and leaves, and layered them on to a pink 1” circle.

Supplies: Tonic Studios Simplicity Pattern 765 Floral Border 2 Punch and 925 Multi-Detail Butterfly, Spellbinders Labels 4, Sentiment - Hero Arts (Good Friends Clear Set), Patterned Paper - 3 Bugs in a Rug Chloe Collection, green & blue gemstones.

This card features the Simplicity Pattern 766 Doily Strip Punch. It creates a continuous border design which could be used in many different ways to embellish your projects.

Supplies: Tonic Studios Simplicity Pattern 766 Doily Strip Punch, Memory Box Woven Circle Die, Sentiment - Outlines (Posy Greeting Centers), Lifestyle Crafts Embossing Folder, circle punches.

Last, but not least, the Simplicity Pattern 761 Scalloped Arc Border Punch was used to create the circle border on this card, as well as the edge on the sentiment tag.

Supplies: Tonic Studios Simplicity Pattern 761 Scalloped Arc Border Punch, Sentiment - Hero Arts (Find Joy Clear Set), Patterned Paper - SEI Mimosa Collection and BoBunny Buttercup Dots, yellow gemstones, Baker's Twine - The Twinery, Copic markers R24 & Y17, adhesive foam tape.

To get the circles using the Scalloped Arc Border punch, start with a 1-1/8" strip of card stock. Place the end at the First Punch line and punch once.

Flip the piece over so that the area you just punched is at the top and insert it back into the punch, using the same First Punch line.

You should end up with something that looks like this! Just keep lining up the design and punching along until you get the length you need. Trim up the ends and adhere to your card.

So, without further ado, here are the punches you could win.

Simplicity Pattern 761 Scalloped Arc Border

Simplicity Pattern 765 Floral Border 2

Simplicity Pattern 766 Doily Strip

One winner will receive all three punches. Just leave a comment on this post telling me which card if your favorite. You have until midnight Friday, July 6 to enter and I will post the winner on Monday, July 9 (which also happens to be my husband’s birthday). You will have 48 hours to contact me before I choose another winner so don’t forget to check back. (The contest is limited to the US only)

Check out what the other designers have done and enter their drawings while you’re there:

Missy’s Tonic Gallery

Amy’s Blog – Cute & Nice Designs

Come back tomorrow for 3 more cards and another chance to win 3 punches!

Product Review

This is not exactly a stamping related post, but those of you who love pens the way I do may well appreciate it.

A few weeks ago I signed up with JetPens.com to review products and they sent me this Zebra Sarasa pen to review. I am not a huge fan of red ink, but this pen writes so smoothly and effortlessly I may have to reconsider my stand on red ink.

JetPens.com has a huge selection of writing instruments to choose from - everything from very inexpensive pencils and gel pens to finely crafted, elegant fountain pens, markers, erasers, journals & notebooks….too much to list here. Please do visit their site and have a look around, I’m sure you will find something you *need*. They have free shipping on orders over $25, too, and having ordered from them before I can assure you that they ship quickly and stand behind their products.

I have decided to find some pen pals (remember those?) since pens and paper have always been an obsession of mine, and there’s nothing like getting a handwritten letter in the mail, is there? I could even include them in some of the cards I have made but not found the occasion to send yet.

So, hop on over to JetPens.com and have a look around. You might just find that hard-to-find pen or journal you have been looking for, and help me out at the same time. The more traffic coming from my blog, the more likely they are to send me more products to review, which could come in handy when I start writing lots of letters!