die cutting

Just Saying Hello

Hi there. A new challenge has started at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘C’, and Tee has chosen the theme of ‘Circle’. Here is my card:

The background panel is a cream piece of card, and dry embossed using an old Stampin’ Up embossing folder. This was layered flat onto a card base.

To create the colourful piece, I used Brushos and water-colour card – some sprinkling, some sprayed water – and a very colourful panel was created. Out of this panel I die cut a scalloped circle from a Gummiapan die set.

The main floral image is also from Gummiapan, and die cut from black card stock so it would stand out against the colourful circle, and layered again with a white die cut of the same image to give a little off-set look. This was adhered flat to the bright scalloped circle.

I then die cut a further scalloped circle from the same nesting circle dies, and adhered flat to the embossed panel.

The sentiment was hot foiled and die cut using the matching dies, adhered to the panel, and some ombre glitter gems from Pinkfresh Studio added.

I hope you can come and join us with your projects which feature a circle/circles. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Craft Rocket – flowers

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of paper piecing not taken

Love To Craft – anything goes

Things With Wings

Hello once again. It is my turn to host the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz, and I have chosen the theme of ‘Things with wings‘. Here is my card:

I used a Pinkfresh Studio suite called ‘Fluttering Butterflies’. I first hot foiled the butterflies and flowers, then used the matching layering stencils to colour them in. Once coloured, the matching die set cut them all out, and I could then decide what I wanted on the background.

The background panel was cut and dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, then attached to the card base.

The gold panel was die cut using a Pinkfresh Studio die set, then also adhered flat to the embossed panel.

I then played around with all the images until I was happy, and adhered them with glue, adding the foiled sentiment, and some Spellbinders gems as the final touches.

I hope you can come and join our ‘things with wings’ challenge. I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Craft Rocket – flowers

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of paper-piecing not taken

Love To Craft – anything goes

Butterflies – More Than Two

Hello again. Veronika is hosting the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. For the letter ‘B‘ she has chosen ‘Butterflies – more than 2‘. Here is my card:

I first started by ink blending the background panel. This is a layering stencil set from Spellbinders, and I used Pinkfresh Studio inks. This panel was cut down slightly so I could add it to a dark green card base allowing a small border.

I then used some Pinkfresh Studio washi tape ‘Fluttering Butterflies’, stuck down to white card, then die cut with the matching die set.

I chose three of the butterflies which would match but also be seen on the background and glued them down.

The sentiment was previously foiled, and I chose a black sentiment to stand out from the colourful background.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring two or more butterflies. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Make My Monday – things with wings

Crafters Café – anything goes – option of feminine

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Floral Thanks Gatefold

Hello everyone. It’s been a few days since I posted – I was out and about in the gorgeous weather we are having currently in the UK. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Billie A is hosting, and has chosen the theme of ‘flowers‘. Here is my card:

I decided to do another fancy fold, this time a gate fold, and used the last of the previously prepared washi panels from a Pinkfresh Studio suite.

I first created the gate fold base card, and used the stamps from the suite all over the front.

The washi panel was created using an embossing folder on the background, then adhering all the washi images, cutting away the overhang, then matted this with a dark blue panel. The gold foiled sentiment was added, then the panel attached to the left opening of the base card.

I also completed the inside of the card using a white panel, some of the washi floral off cuts, matted with another piece of blue card stock, then adhered to the centre.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring flowers. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Garden Party – anything goes garden related

Tic Tac Toe – top row – die cut, fun fold, flowers

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes floral/flowers

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Ellibelle’s I Spy – April showers and/or May flowers

Floral Birthday Frame

Hello again. I had time to play in my craft room using some flower dies from The Greetery I haven’t used as yet:

I used the current colour scheme from The Color Throwdown and a mixture of Spellbinders and Concord & 9th card stock.

I die cut all the elements in the ‘Embroidered Blooms‘ die set and set about arranging them. I didn’t use half of what I die cut, so I am sure they will be used on a future project.

As I arranged them, I decided to add a panel at the back embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and die cut a white frame using Pinkfresh Studio ‘art Deco Frame’. The fame was added using 3D foam squares in various places – I didn’t use foam strips as I didn’t really know if I wanted any of the foliage tucked underneath the frame as yet.

Once the frame was attached. I added the foiled sentiment strip at the bottom, then added the large flower with a few 3D foam pieces, and then arranged elements around and about.

The final step was – you might have guessed it already – adding some gold gems.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – sage green, yellow, coral

Die Cut Divas – die cuts and flowers

Aud Sentiments – sentiment with embossing wet or dry and/or flowers

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes with option of feminine birthday

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes flowers/florals

Holiday Cheer

Hello. The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge has begun a new challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

I started off with a lilac panel, and Pinkfresh Studio cover plate ‘Stitched Pinwheels‘ to the stitched background.

The frame image was hot foiled, then coloured using the matching layering stencils. I went a little darker with the blending for the centre of the larger poinsettias.

Once coloured, I used the matching die to cut it out, and also cut out the sentiment from the same suite – also hot foiled.

The lilac panel was attached to a white card base, the frame image added, then the sentiment, and some gems to add some more interest.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

My Time To Craft Christmas – Christmas and use foil/foiling

Time Out – choose 2 or more – I chose stencil and florals

Die Cut Divas – die cuts and flowers

Sparkles Forum Christmas – Christmas Foliage

12 Months Of Christmas link up – Christmas anything goes – option of vintage not taken

Just Saying Hello

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a run through the alphabet again. For this challenge, hosted by Helen, we want you to choose your own letter from the alphabet, and create a card from your own choice of theme for that letter….

I chose ‘F’ is for Flowers’, and created this card:

This is actually a gate-fold card, so I created the blue card base first, then ran that through the machine with an embossing folder. This created an all-over pattern for the whole of the card base.

The front panel was created using the same embossing folder, onto which I adhered some Pinkfresh florals from one of their washi tape suites – attached to a white piece of card, then die cut.

Once the images were laid out onto the white panel, with images over-hanging the edge, I cut the over-hangs off. The foiled sentiment was added, as were some gold gems.

I placed another white panel on the inside of the card, also decorated with some of the washi florals.

I hope you can come and join us this time round – choose your own letter and your own theme following that letter – the world is your oyster. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps & More – die cuts and/or stencils

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of rainbow or rainbow colours not taken

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Die Cut Divas – die cuts and flowers

Creative Creases – anything goes with a fun fold

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes flowers/florals

Art Deco Thanks

Hello everyone. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Johanna is the host, and she has chosen the theme of ‘Art Deco’.

I had to do an internet search as I really didn’t know what that actually meant. I see that it describes bold colours, geometric or simple lines……I had a search through the products in my Color My Life app and came up items to create this card:

I used a Pinkfresh Studio suite of products (Overlapping Geo Leaf) which included a foil plate, layering stencils, and a die.

I first used the foil plate on white card stock, then the layering stencils, and then the matching die. The inks used were also from Pinkfresh Studio, and I chose bold colours which would work well when layered together.

Once die cut, I then used some Spellbinders brushed gold card stock, and used the die again, placing the gold outer frame ‘off cut’ onto a white card base. I decided to die cut again in white, and layered that with the ink blended panel then inlaid it into the frame, adding the smaller gold pieces. This made the ink blended piece stand a little proud of the background.

The foiled sentiment was added as you see.

I hope you can join us with your projects in the Art Deco style – I am looking forward to seeing all the bold and bright colours on our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Addicted to Stamps & More – die cuts and/or stencils

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Stencil Fun – use stencils – option of patterns taken

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Snowflake Swirl

Hello once again. It is time for the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. We have reached the letters ‘H’ and ‘I’, and we want to see your Christmas creations following these two themes:

H is for Ho Ho Ho (Santa) and/or I is for Ice

Here is my card for the theme of Ice:

This is quite a clean and simple card for me, with only a few elements, but I do think it makes an impact.

I first die cut the Snowflake swirl die out of silver glitter card stock. This die is from Simon Says Stamp and is quite delicate.

I chose to highlight the die cut with a blue textured piece of card stock from my stash – goodness knows how old this card is – and used two strips of the same silver glitter card to run down each of the side edges.

I added the silver foiled sentiment and some silver gems to the centre if the snowflakes, with some extra for the edge of the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one of both of our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Crafters Café – anything goes – option of CAS

Christmas (or not) Bingo – column I – free, Christmas, no stamping

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas Link Up – Christmas – option of vintage not taken

Christmas – Acetate Technique

Hello everyone. It’s the start of another ‘anything goes Christmas‘ challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. Here is my card:

The snowflake was created using a Simon Says Stamp die (Pixie Snowflake) and die cutting that out of a previously created panel of acetate, tissue paper, Brushos, and glue……

You take a piece of acetate, add some dries clear glue or lacquer, then alcohol inks or water-colour powder – the colours of your choice – then sprinkle on some glitter. Here is a Sue Wilson video to check out if you wish.

You then add some wrinkled tissue paper and press down so the tissue paper sticks to the glue and alcohol inks. This is the messy part, so I wore some disposable gloves and some kitchen roll.

This needs to then dry over night – I usually make several pieces at one time to have some available when I want them.

Once that acetate and tissue paper had dried, I used a Simon Says Stamp die (Grand Pixie Snowflake) and die cut out of the middle of an A2 sized piece. I did have to use my chrome plate for die cutting as the acetate and the layers it has on it needs a little more help than the usual plates.

I created a white card base and added a green panel slightly smaller. The white glitter card I cut down to a square just larger than the snowflake, then die cut the snowflake out of the centre, and inlaid the acetate die cut into the glitter square.

The sentiment is a previously foiled strip.