die cutting

Teal and Silver Christmas

Hello again. I have a card to share created during the snowy and cold weather snap we are having here in the UK. A lot of time spent in my craft room this past couple of days.

I started with a darker teal background panel from Concord & 9th, and ink blended slightly around the edges to create a central halo effect.

Whilst this was drying, I then took some snowflakes and die cut them from white glitter card stock several times, these were then adhered haphazardly to the dark teal panel using wet glue. I went over the edges with them, and when those extra pieces were snipped off, I found small places to add them too – not much wasted here.

The sentiment was die cut from silver glitter card stock, added to an even darker teal shadow layer, then attached to the snowflake panel with 3d foam.

I decided more bling was needed, so I used some facetted silver gems for the centre of the snowflakes, and smaller ones dotted here and there around the background.

It was difficult to capture all the glitter and shine with a photo, but it really is sparkly in real life.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown – Christmas and sparkle

Try It On Tuesday – sparkle

Creative Fingers – anything goes

MAWTT – sparkle

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

A Cut Above – die cuts – option ‘warm it up’ not taken

Craft Rocket – Christmas and/or Winter

Be Merry

Hello everyone. I wanted a little messy play today, so created this mixed media card:

There are times when I do want to get my fingers dirty, and times when I don’t mind waiting for things to dry. This card took me a couple of days to create for that reason – drying time.

I started with the background panel and applied some white gesso. I then used a couple of Distress Sprays – Peeled Paint and Weathered Wood, also adding extra water and let them flow around. Not to cover every inch of the background, just to add some colour.

I dried this with the heat gun, then took some Nuvo Glacier paste and a spatula and smeared it around. No rhyme or reason, and leaving some chunkier areas. I also used a snowflake stencil and applied some ink through that for the larger background snowflake, another stencil and added some gold and some silver glitter paste dots. Mores mearing with glitter paste on top of all this, then more splatters of teal ink.

Whilst this panel was drying I turned to the die cuts. The poinsettia leaves were cut using purple card stock, and several layered together to give a fuller flower, then silver glitter paste spread across the leaves for shimmer and shine.

The leaves are actually a snow flake die – the large Snowflake Card Creator. The leaves are actually a snowflake die – the large snowflake card creator from Spellbinders/Bibi Cameron. This die was used on a dark teal card stock, then some glitter paste dragged across the whole thing whilst before the die cut was removed.

To create the finished panel – which I did the following day, allowing everything to dry fully – I added the large snowflake to the top left corner with collage medium. The poinsettia leaves were plumped and shaped a little, then added with collage medium again. When the glue had dried, I cut the snowflake arms which were sticking off the edge.

The final touches were some gold glitter to the centre of the flower, and a foiled sentiment from Lawn Fawn.

I created a few more panels using most of the same products and colours, just slight variations:

As you all probably know by now, I don’t have a particular style for my cards. I’ll have a go at most things – but I do gravitate towards die cutting and perhaps embossing folders more than anything else – these were fun…. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – Christmas

52 Christmas Card Throwdown – Christmas and sparkle

Tuesday Taggers – sparkle

Addicted to Stamps and More – make your mark

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

MAWTT – sparkle

Gingerbread Collage

Hello once again. Using the Waffle Flower ‘Gingerbread Collage‘ stencil, I created this card:

I first used the collage die then placed the die cut on my sticky mat. Each stencil was used, and Pinkfresh Studio inks. I decided to use tones of brown with a teal contrast colour, and a pink background for each portion.

Once ink blended, I added a matching brown panel behind, then attached to a white A2 card base.

I can see that this could be one of my batch-making cards – an enjoyable process and quite quick to put together.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Jingle Belles Rock – Christmas Feast – holiday sweets and treats

Krafty Chicks – Christmas

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Creative Inspiration – anything goes

Die Cut Divas – any holiday in the year

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas – option of ‘stitched up’ not taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Hello everyone. I am back from a few nights in gloriously sunny Tenerife – hubby and I decided to have a short break away. Fabulous time – but back from 24 degree temperatures to the UK forecast saying a little snow on the way here….

Here is a card I created using some products from several companies:

The background panel – cut slightly smaller than the A2 card base – was hot foiled using a Lawn Fawn hot foil plate and Spellbinders rainbow stripe foil. I liked the variety of the colours for the snowflakes. This was adhered flat to the card base.

The dies are from Spellbinders ‘Merry Mug‘ die set. I used Pinkfresh Studio gold glitter card stock for the stars, and the other die cuts using card from my stash from Heffy Doodle, Pink Frog, and some unbranded.

The mug was die cut from two different shades of teal to create a darker piece behind, and the front panel raised with low 3D foam pieces so I could tuck things down.

The candy cane from white glitter card stock, then the red pieces adhered on top – that was a challenge, getting the red to stick to the glitter – patience is not my forte….

I flued the mug flat to the foiled piece, then played around with the other elements, adding the marshmallows and the chocolate pieces haphazardly into the top of the mug.

The last thing to be added was the foiled sentiment – I chose a black strip foiled with silver for a striking contrast.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Jungle Belles Rock – Christmas Feast – sweets and treats

MAWTT – Sparkle

Crafty Calendar – anything goes

Craft Rocket – Christmas and/or Winter

Sparkles Forum Christmas – Christmas and snowflakes

Inspiration Station – photo inspiration – inspired by the hot decadent drink

Love To Craft – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – Christmas anything goes

Thanks So Much

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Dawn has chosen the theme of:

Add Texture

Here is my card:

I used a couple of die sets from Spellbinders to create the floral elements. One way to add texture is to layer things up – there are lots of layers on these floral and leaf images.

The second way I added texture was by using an embossing folder.

The background panel was created using a deep purple card stock, then I took a piece of white cut down slightly, then another piece of the purple and ran them through my die-cutting machine at the same time – one piece of top of the other. That way, both pieces are embossed, and the pattern runs continuously across both pieces.

These were adhered down, the the floral elements added, extra little flowers and leaves placed where I thought they were needed.

For more texture, I added Pinkfresh gems to the centre of some of the flowers.

The foiled sentiment was added at the end.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations highlighting and featured texture. xx

Inlaid Bauble

Hello there. I have had more time to play with some Concord & 9th products:

This die set is the ‘Ornament Inlay Die’ and I created lots of colour variations. As I was die cutting from lots of different colours of card stock, and generally having a good time playing – I just went with it:

I started by taking an A2 piece of card and laying down a double-sided sticky sheet. I pulled back the protective sheet then adhered the outer piece from the die cut. All the other little pieces I kept in piles of colours. Then I began to piece them all back in where I thought the colours would work.

Once inlaid, I then used my Teflon bone folder to burnish them all, making sure they were good and stuck down.

Here are some other colour ways:

I must be in a mood to be fiddly – loving these inlay dies from Concord & 9th.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Everybody Art Challenge – silver and/or gold with red or blue

MAWTT – Sparkle

Die Cut Divas – any holiday in the year

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

Love To Craft – anything goes

Poinsettia Collage

Hello there. I have been playing with a collage stencil from Waffle Flower Crafts:

Following the colour choices for the current Color Throwdown Challenge, I made a couple of variations.

The first card, I used all the stencils, including the background for each tile. Using Pinkfresh Studio inks, I stencilled the background with a medium grey, then used the orange, red, and green on the next layers. I cut apart the collage tiles, and chose the images I wanted for the card.

The background panel was cut down and then dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder. The images were then laid out and attached with 3D foam pieces, before adding the foiled sentiment. The final touches were some red pearls in the centre of the flowers.

For the second card, I didn’t use the background stencil, only the three layers for the leaves and the flowers, and I also used the same three colours of inks.

I die cut the background collage die several more times and layered them together with the stencilled piece, instead of using 3D foam pieces.

The white card base, a red panel showing around the edge and through the holes of the collage die, and glued together.

I added more of the red pearls – the centre of the flowers, the red berries on the holly, and a few more for good luck……

Personally, I think I prefer the stencilling without the grey background – but that may be the colour choices I made. I will play around with colours a little more – loving the collage stencils – and perhaps post some more variations.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – orange, moss, cranberry

Beautiful Blossoms – florals

Addicted To Stamps – die cuts and stencils

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Polkadoodle – anything goes

Aud Sentiments – glitter and/or Christmas and a sentiment

Christmas (or not) Bingo – column O – stencilling, free, pearls

Love To Craft – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Washi Christmas Wreath

Hello. I have been busy crafting and have made a Christmas card using some Pinkfresh Studio washi tape:

The first thing I did was to place the wide washi onto a piece of card, and use the matching dies to cut out the images.

I created the background using a Spellbinders embossing folder, then wiping over some white pigment ink to bring out the details more.

I then arranged the images in a wreath format, adding the dangly baubles at the bottom. Before using a combination of glue and 3D foam.

I have a selection of this washi tape from Pinkfresh Studio – the trickiest part is not applying it to the card before die cutting – it’s making sure the die is very well stuck down to the card piece surrounding the washi – low tack tape doesn’t stick to washi and the die can move – a lot! Ask me how I know…….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Crafty Catz – anything goes – option to use dies/punches taken

CYHTP – embossing folder – option to use pumpkins not take

Krafty Chicks – anything goes

Allsorts – magic of the season

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Joyful Birdies

Hello. I have been spending a lot of time in my craft room to escape decorating work and have another card to share:

I used some Pretty Pink Posh products which I ‘found’ when I was searching for something else. I was inspired to use the bird house stencil, and the bird dies.

I first created the birdhouse stencilled background using Pinkfresh Studio inks. I used coral and pink tones, and then cut that panel into a 5.5 inch square – knowing I was going to use a 6 inch square card base.

I then die cut the birdies out of white card stock, then ink blended a brown and a red Distress ink. I wanted them to look like Robins. The beaks are so small I used an orange Copic, and the eyes are little black gems.

After placing the birdies on the background panel – they didn’t really stand out very much so I looked for a way of still showing the background stencilling and found this Polkadoodles vellum with silver snowflakes….

I cut that 5.5 inches by 6 inches, used a bone folder to score each end, then wrapped it around the sides to hold it in place, then added double sided tape. This way, there is no glue on the front of that snowflake acetate.

I then die cut the word ‘Joy’ from a Stamps Of Life die set provided to us for a virtual event – the shadow layer from a mat silver, and the word itself from a silver glitter non-shed card stock.

I die cut the word a couple more times and layered with the silver glitter word for a little more dimension and stability.

I first added the word with glue, then each of the little birdies was added with small pieces of 3D foam.

This is a very shiny and glittery card which makes it difficult to take a photo of – but I think you can see all the shine.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge – things with wings

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – stencil it

Shopping Our Stash – birds and/or feathers

Polkadoodles – anything goes

Allsorts – magic of the season

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Addicted to Stamps and More – die cuts and stencils

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

P is for Party

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. We have reached the letter ‘P‘ and Melanie has chosen the theme of ‘Party’. Here is my card:

I decided to release my Copics for this card – they have been neglected recently….

The Images are all from Mama Elephant – ‘Flying With Friends’ and ‘Yay A Party‘, and ‘Celebration Hamsters‘. I stamped the images with Gina K Amalgam, then set to colouring them all. The colouring didn’t really take me too long, it is the colour choices which take me longer to plan out, but I kept with the pink, blue, and green theme – obviously with greys and browns for the critters.

I also added some rosy cheeks, and white gel pen.

Once the colouring was completed, I turned my mind to the actual scene. I used the Mama Elephant ‘Slim Woodland‘ die and cut out of white card stock. I then used Distress inks in green and brown to colour the trees and the grass, masking off as required.

I wanted a blue sky behind the party, so took a white piece of card and ink blended a couple of blue Distress Inks – a light one first, then the darker one nearer the top.

A white picket fence – another Mama Elephant die set – and now to lay out the images……

The tree and grass layer was added the blue sky piece of card, with the white fence slotted in behind the grassy hills.

The animals were added one by one, some overlapping, with either glue of 3D foam.

The sentiment was stamped and cut, added to the top right corner.