die cutting

Heels and Handbags

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Dawn W has chosen the theme of ‘heels and handbags’. Here is my card:

This was challenge to me as I couldn’t find anything in my stash which would fit the theme. Once again – I took to searching for digital images, and came up with this one from Etsy – StylishFantazy – there are some absolutely gorgeous images on there……I was certainly stuck for choice.

I used a square card base, and some Creative Expressions card stock which I have had for ages. The background panel was dry embossed using an older Sue Wilson/Creative Expressions A4 embossing folder, and I also used some Sue Wilson die sets to create the panel and aperture.

I also decided to off-set the main image panel, and I didn’t add a sentiment this time round.

I hope you can come and join us for the heels and handbags theme. xx

Floral Christmas Tree

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started their next challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

I began by die cutting all the elements needed from the Spellbinders die set in a selection of card stock from Spellbinders and Concord & 9th.

I die cut the base green leafy layer a couple of times more and layered them together for stability. As you can see, I didn’t use the base rim for the tree, as I wanted the florals and leaves to stand out, and have the background panel show through the gaps in the arrangement.

I also decided to use a dark grey background panel, embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, to create the dramatic look.

I added the small red atg, backed with gold, to the top right of the card base – not intruding on the tree itself.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Halloween and other Occasions Crafts – occasions

MAWTT – flowers

Aud Sentiments – foiling and/or flowers and a sentiment

Jingle Belles Rock – Christmas and tic tac toe – middle column – red or green/embossing/die cuts

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas (or not) Bingo – column ‘I’ – free – die cutting – tag

Seagull Hello…

Hello again. A few days of no crafting – no idea why I didn’t feel like it – and then I created this card with a new Waffle Flower die set:

I used Crushed Olive Distress Oxide to create the ink smooshed background – several layers, drops and sprays of water, then I let that dry. When dry, I added some white splatters.

I die cut the seagull from some ‘Fog’ card stock, and die cut the beak from a cut-off of the ink smooshed panel.

The sentiment and it’s shadow layer are from a past ‘Let’s Stamp Together’ set – the letters die cut three times for added stability and dimension.

I actually die cut a couple of the larger seagulls, and a couple of the smaller ones – played around with the layout, and then decided I would have a large seagull just popping down to say hello – quirky I know….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – gray, olive, white

Crafty Calendar – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Christmas Bingo – or not – column ‘N’ – create own background – free – splatters

Especially For You

Hello everyone. It’s been a busy few days but I managed to find time to create this card using the colour scheme from the Color Throwdown Challenge:

The background is using a piece of card stock from Concord & 9th and a Spellbinders embossing folder. Once embossed, I used Hero Arts white pigment ink to swipe across, which meant it highlighted the raised areas.

I then used a Spellbinders die set to create the flowers, and some ‘Marmalade’ card stock from concord & 9th, which they discontinued last year – but I do have a stash of that still.

I also used two shade of purple for the stamens, and the centre of the larger flower.

Once adhered to the card background, I added a foiled sentiment. I also wanted that to pop, so used black with white foiling, and then added some black gems.

I shall be entering the foloowing challenges:

Color Throwdown – orange, purple, aqua

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of flowers taken

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Craft Rocket – flowers

Cut It Up – die cuts and ‘send me flowers’

MAWTT – flowers

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Have A Bee-utiful Day

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, Caz is hosting, and has chosen the theme of ‘World Bee Day’ which is May 20th. Here is my card:

I created a slimline card to enable me to add all the large elements. The background panel was dry embossed using a Spellbinders Embossing folder.

The other elements were die cut from a few Spellbinders sets, layered and added to the card panel, ensuring I left enough room for a bee to be on each flower.

I hoe you can come and join us with your bee themed creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – blooms or birds

Make My Monday – florals

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of flowers taken

2 Crafty Critters Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Craft Rocket – flowers

MAWTT – flowers

Aud Sentiments – foiling and/or flowers and a sentiment


The Magic of Baubles….

Hello – after a little hiatus, the Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge is back with a new challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

I used a stamp and stencil set for the baubles – heat embossing the outline with gold, then using the matching stencils to colour them in. I wanted a soft look to them, as I knew I was going to add quite a bit of gold.

Once the baubles were coloured and die cut, I also heat embossed, coloured, and die cut the foliage, adding some shading the the leaves by varying the pressure when blending.

The background is a piercing cover plater, and added the frame with some strategically placed foam strips. I then added the foliage and the baubles, tucking them into the frame, and lastly added the heat embossed sentiment.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Up – die cuts – add a sentiment

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge – J and K

Hello everyone. The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘J’ and ‘K’, and we want to see your Christmas creations featuring the following themes:

J is for Jesus

K is for Kings

Here are my cards:

I was really stumped by these themes, I don’t have very much in the way of traditional Christmas, except for some Tim Holtz products.

I used a Tim Holtz die for the three wise men, layered a couple of times, and adhered it to an ink blended background panel.

The Jesus themed card took a little longer to sort out. I eventually found an SVG file which I bought and downloaded to my Scan’n’cut. This in itself is something I have rarely done, but I managed to figure it out – resizing then sending to my machine.

The SVG file was from ‘Craftables’ and is a free download – how cool is that?

The ink blending on this panel was just an idea I had – instead of going across, I decided to go in a downwards direction, and I like the outcome.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas projects following our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers – anything goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – Christmas atg

You Are A Wonderful Friend

Hello everyone. I have a card to share inspired by some challenges:

The background is a dry embossed panel using a Spellbinders embossing folder – one of my favourites – and Spellbinders ‘Fog’ card stock, adhered flat to a card base.

The frame is from Pinkfresh Studio, and is actually a square die set, but I did some partial die cutting to make it a rectangle, big enough for the A2 card base.

The flowers – also from Pinkfresh Studio – were stamped in a grey ink, then ink blended using the matching layering stencils, Pinkfresh inks, and then die cut with the matching die set.

I played around with the layout of the flowers until I was happy, and added them with a mixture of glue and 3D foam.

I added the foiled sentiment with 3D foam strips and some iridescent gems, as the foiling is iridescent.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – grey, magenta, aqua

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder, option of feminine taken

Fab’n’Funky – embossing

Festive Friday – three items from list (4 for this card)- grey, flowers, pink, foiling,

Car Shaker

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘C‘, and Billie A has chosen the theme of ‘Cars‘. Here is my card:

The shaker element was created using Spellbinders ‘Stylish Ovals’ dies – two dies together to create the frame – cutting the shape several times in white, then a top layer of a light blue/teal. I prefer to use die cuts for the walls of the shaker instead of 3D foam as I think it keeps the edges neater.

Once the white layers were stacked together, and glued to the card base, I added the sequins, then added the top layer to which I had adhered the acetate.

I used a Spellbinders die for the car, from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2023, assembled all the layers, then glued that down to the acetate – slightly overhanging the lighter blue/teal as though this was the road……

A foiled sentiment was added for completion.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Seize The Birthday – birthday – option off the edge not taken

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Classic Design Challenge – anything goes – option birthday taken

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Halloween (and other occasions) Crafts – any occasion

Pop-Up Celebration

Hello everyone. A new challenge has started at Cardz 4 Galz, Pamela has chosen the theme of ‘celebration’. I believe there is Mother’s Day coming up in the USA, also think graduation, babies, weddings etc…. Here is my card:

Please excuse the angled tweezers, but they are holding the card closed to photograph as the inside is a pop-up:

The inside was so very difficult to photograph, here are my other attempts:

The pop-up dies are from Concord & 9th and a virtual event from 2022. I did have to go back to the videos to see how it was put together, but thankfully they will be available indefinitely.

I first created the background panel for the front of the card by ink blending through a stencil. I then stamped the balloons, heat embossed the sentiment in white, then used the matching dies to cut them out.

Then turning to the inside of the card and the pop-up element, I used the same stencil and all three ink colours to cover the whole of the inside, die cut the letters from some striped rainbow card stock, die cut the pop-up pieces, adhered the letters, then assembled the pop-up as instructed in the videos.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Avenue 613 Create – anything goes -option of splash of colour/colourful

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – feminine

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes