Fair Project - Thank you card - Plus a tip or two :)

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday.  It is almost fair week around here. When I was little we lived on the East Coast - there weren't any fairs there.  Then when I was almost 11 we moved to the Midwest and while we went to the fair I was still adjusting to the change in atmosphere (not to mention lifestyle) and never even considered entering anything.  For the last several years I have helped to host the pie contest with my Home Ec. group at the fair and was able to really experience all of the different kinds of projects that could be entered.  This is the first year I have really investigated it all and lucky for me there are a few different categories I can enter into! The categories I'm entering in are Rubber Stamping - Pop-up cards (an easel card almost identical to this one with love stamped instead of cut), Christmas (you will see it on July 22nd for the Christmas in July blog hop), and Rubber Stamping - Stationary/Cards (that's this one). 

 For this card I used the gate fold (my first time).  I didn't follow a tutorial, I just made my own dimensions (see them below) knowing I wanted it to fit in a 5.5" x 5.5" envelope.  It compliments the card I made for my grandmother's birthday (seen here).  I used the same butterfly cut with the vellum layer on top.  This butterfly is found on my Potpourri Basket cartridge, but was originally found on Home Accents.  For both cards I only used the shadow feature.  After I cut it I made a few modifications by hand as well.  I cut off the antennae and changed the side with all of the bumps on it to make it more smooth (see the original here).  The designer paper is from the dollar spot at Target (I really wish I had gotten more than 1 pack!) and the cardstock is all by The Paper Studio.  The "Thank You" is from TPC Studio - Greetings. I stamped it in purple and traced with a glitter gel pen to give it some sparkle.  The purple gems are also by The Paper Studio.  The ribbon is just from Hobby Lobby.  I used my fabulous Cuttlebug with my swiss dots folder to emboss the paper the butterfly sits on.

Directions for this card:
* Cut a base at 5.25" x 10.5"
* Score it at 2 5/8" & 7 7/8"
* Bottom Rectangle Mat (white) x2 -5 1/8" x 2.5"
* Middle Rectangle Mat (dark purple) x2 - 5" x 2 3/8"
* Top Rectangle Mat (polka dots) x2 - 4.75" x 2 1/8"
* Bottom Square Mat (light purple) - 2 7/8" x 2 x 7/8"
* Top Square Mat (white) - 2 5/8" x 2 5/8"
* Butterfly from Potpourri Basket cut at 2.35" (I used my gypsy)

Now on to a tip or two.  Usually I'm asking for tips not handing them out, but I came across a few that were very helpful to me and wanted to pass them on.  First... to all of my gypsy friends.  Don't you just hate trying to look at your gypsy screen while it is laying flat on a table plugged into your Cricut? It is super hard for me to sit down, hold my gypsy, press the buttons and load the paper at the same time, plus the glare makes it nearly impossible.  I found this easel at Hobby Lobby for the low price of $3 (you could even get it cheaper with a 40% off coupon this week, I just couldn't wait!).  I found them in three different sizes (I found the medium sized one that is linked to be the best) and 3 colors (black, silver, and gold).  They are all along the decorative middle aisles holding plates and signs (I'll admit I removed a plate to get mine :) ).  It has been amazing!  I can set my gypsy on it and see the screen perfectly. My other tip is for the 2 way Zig glue pen.  I use the chisel tip pen to glue any small pieces and add glitter.  I leave them open all of the time, when I run to put dishes in or switch over laundry and come back hours later to find it dried and hard.  I tried taking out the tip and switching it to the other end, but it made a horrible mess. So for the longest time I just gave in and purchased news ones.   Then I decided there had to be another way.  After some thinking, I tried putting just the tip in a mug of hot water to see what would happen (I figured it couldn't get any worse!).  I left it there for 10-15 minutes and game back to find that some of the glue had dissolved.  So I removed the tip, dumped out the water and repeated the process.  After 3 or 4 times (keep in mind it was quite dried up) the glue was gone and the tip was soft again!  Luckily I hadn't throw away the previously dried out pen and I cleaned that one too :) Hopefully these will help someone else out too!

So sorry to have written you guys a book this time, but I was so excited about the tips I had discovered and wanted to share them with all of you! I'll be back with another project in a couple of days.  Also, don't forget the Christmas in July Blog Hop is on July 22-24!  There are some amazing blogs in the line up and not to mention wonderful blog candy.  Be sure to check back :) *~*Thanks for stopping by*~*

I'm linking this up to: