die cutting

Christmas Four Ways

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas’ challenge. Here is my card – and the additional makes:

This is only one of four cards created using an idea from a recent online event. The idea is that you stamp half of an A4 piece of card – then cut it up to create four cards.

I decided to try this with a range of snowflake stamps from Gina K Designs, a few different blue inks.

I also added some silver dots as added extras then followed the cutting guide from that class. Here are the other three cards:

I added some extra detail into the white part of the card base, by adding an embossed panel, and on one card I added dies cuts – like the main picture.

Some strips of navy card stock the complete the card base.

The sentiment was die cut from a Time 4 Tea Designs die and adhered in strategic places on the four cards.

I hope you can come and join us in our challenge – and maybe have a go at the half-sheet stamping then cutting technique. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – Christmas

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes – option of cute critter not taken

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – make your own background

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Bluebells For you

Hello. I created this card to use one of the wax seals I previously made:

The bluebells are from The Greetery, and the wax seal is from Spellbinders. Previously created, I decided it was time to use it.

The background dry embossing panel is using a Spellbinders border embossing folder from the Christmas Advent Calendar, and embossed three times across. I tried connecting the rows at first, but the edge of the folder flattened out the circle row below it, so I tried again and kept a border between each row.

That panel was cut down, layered with a blue panel, then attached to the card base.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Daring Cardmakers – circles

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – optional theme of ‘weather’ not taken

The Four Seasons Challenge – anything goes Spring

Craft Rocket Challenge – layer it up

Triple B – birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Flying By To Say Hi….

Hello. I was inspired by several challenges to use the new products received as part of ‘Let’s Stamp Together’ from Scrapbook and cards today – this time the featured company was Taylored Expressions.

I first stamped the images in Gina K amalgam ink so I knew I would be save using Copics to colour. Once coloured, I used the matching die cuts.

The background was created using similar colours and using the stencil which also came with the kit – this is a stencil you can rotate to cover more of the background. I rotated it three times, and used green on one rotation, yellow on the second, and then pink for the third time.

I trimmed this down slightly smaller than an A2 card base, and adhered with 3D foam.

The sentiment was stamped and cut out, attached with 3D foam, as were the three images.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Hand Stamped sentiments – photo inspiration

Color Throwdown – pink, green, yellow

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes – option to include a cute critter taken

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Hats and Inky

Hello. It’s time for the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. Carol is hosting this time round and having reached the letters ‘H’ and ‘I’ the themes are:

H is for Hats

I is for Inky

Here is my card for both themes:

I started with the background, as I knew I would need drying time for this – something I am a little too impatient for usually.

I applied some crackle paste through the Tim Holtz stencil in the middle of the panel – not straight, very haphazard – and set that aside to dry. I left it until the following day, then took out my Mica sprays – and just sprayed, added water, sprayed again, moved it around, added some drops of water – you know how it goes……then let that dry…..

I then used some Tim Holtz die sets for the foliage, which were die cut from a couple of previously created ink smooshing panels, with the berries die cut from Spellbinders red glitter foam.

I used a Lawn Fawn die and silver glitter foam for the large sentiment, backed with a layer of white card stock for some stability.

I wanted to add a Christmas hat so Tim Holtz to the rescue again with one of his die sets – and red and white glitter foam from Spellbinders.

This background is really shimmery in real life – difficult to capture in a photo – but I think you can make out some shimmer and shine.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps and More – die cuts and stencils

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Craft Rocket – layer it up

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

A is for Adventure

Hello everyone. The Alphabet Challenge has started at the beginning of the alphabet again. Deborah is the host, and has chosen the theme of:

A is for Adventure

Here is my card:

The camper van die set is from Elizabeth Craft Designs, and despite having it for quite a while – I have never used it. I decided this was the time…

All the elements were die cut from patterned paper from Lawn Fawn and odds and ends of metallic and black. I did have to watch the YouTube video on what little piece goes where, and which to add first to all the layers, but I am pleased with how it came out.

I added some vellum behind the windows to give a more realistic look.

The background paper is also from Lawn Fawn, and I had to use a larger card base – a 5 x 7 inches this time – to ensure I could adhere the camper van and all those suitcases – as well as the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘adventure’ themes projects – the design team has come up with some amazing ideas as inspiration. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

A Flurry Of Snowflake Kisses

Hello there. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas‘ challenge. Here is my card:

For the background panel I used a piece of Distress Kraft and sprayed with Distress Oxides, splattering a little but liking how the brown Kraft came through in some places.

Whilst that panel was drying, I die cut the snowflakes using Heffy Doodle dies and Concord & 9th glitter card stock, and used the same glitter card stock to die cut the Pinkfresh Studio frame.

I adhered the snowflakes towards the top of the purple panel, die cutting more smaller ones to fill the gaps, and then adhered the frame on top.

I added the foiled sentiment and decided not to add any more bling as the card is very glittery in real life.

I hope you can come and join us – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Sparkles Forum Christmas – Christmas and non-traditional colours

Jolly Cow Greetings

Hello. A little crafty fun and playing with the cow dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs:

The theme at ‘Everybody Art Challenge‘ is Farm Animals. I knew I had a cow die and decided to have a play.

I die cut all the layers out of white card stock and coloured them with Copics. I wanted a brown cow with darker brown splotches so this is what I created. The hooves and the splotches are individual die cuts, coloured and glued on. The eyes are small black gems from Spellbinders.

The background is a stripe of sage card stock from Spellbinders, and the middle white panel was a fall-out from a previous die cutting session, dry embossed with an old Darice embossing folder, and adhered with 3D foam.

The flowers were created using dies from the recent Concord & 9th ‘In The Classroom – Spring Edition‘, layered and assembled.

Once I decided on the layout, I attached each piece with a combination of glue and 3D foam squares, then added the previously foiled sentiment.

I may have to play with this cow die a little more, maybe create a whole herd of different coloured cows – maybe even rainbow cows…..hmmm……brain working overtime now….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge – farm animals

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – emboss it

Lil Red Wagon – animal antics

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Cherry Blossom Birthday

Hello there. I have another floral card today, created by using some layering dies from Pinkfresh Studio:

This set consists of layering stencils and dies. All the flowers and leaves are on one stencil with the different layers labeled and segmented. The die is one piece to cut the whole of the images out.

I used some pink and green inks, with grey for the branch. After die cutting the panel, I decided to do another so I had more images to play with and cover the card panel.

The background is a die cut with matt gold layered behind.

Once the flowers were arranged, I snipped any that were hanging over the edge, and added them also into some more open areas.

The sentiment was added – a previously prepared foiled strip.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Addicted To Stamps – any occasion

Cut It Up – die cuts and Happy Birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Lots Of Love…..

Hello once again. This card was created as I was totally intrigued by the current challenge at ‘As You See It’. The challenge theme is ‘Spring Flowers – in under 10 minutes’……

So – this was my second attempt at creating a card in under 10 minutes. The first card I was still using the stencil and not even got around to the die cutting part at the end of 10 minutes.

I had a rethink, and decided to go with some Washi tape from Pinkfresh Studio – that would take care of some stamping, colouring and die cutting all in one go – but little did I know that trying to get that Washi down smoothly would take more time than I anticipated.

However, it worked…..Here is my timer:

Just in the nick of time.

A plain white card base, a circle frame I die cut – within that 10 minutes – the Washi die cut pieces attached with glue and some 3D foam squares……the sentiment was also stamped and die cut (2 layers), then glued down…..I can see I’m also typing quickly – I still think I’m on a timer….!

I was going to add some bling – but time was running out and I hadn’t prepared for that….

So -an interesting challenge, which made me realise just how much time it takes to create a card generally – definitely far longer than 10 minutes……

As You See It – Spring Flowers in under 10 minutes

Peony Friend

Hello again. A little messy play to create this card:

The peony was created using the ‘Lovely Layers: Peony‘ from Honey Bee Stamps, and the colour scheme from the current Color Throwdown challenge.

My first job was to die cut each of the layers for the flower, buds, and leaves from water colour card stock. I used Crafters Companion water-colour card, not one I would normally for water-colouring, but for this flower I was going with messy and imperfect.

I used Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, smooshed onto my glass mat, spritz of water, then just dolloped and swiped it onto the die cuts. I tried to keep the lower die cuts darker, and added a little more colour into the back areas I knew were going to come through and be seen.

I did the same with the leaves, a couple of shades of green – only because my first green wasn’t dark enough for me so I went darker – and even messier. I didn’t get full coverage, but that is what I was aiming for – just a dollop and a swipe of colour.

Whilst the die cuts were drying, I used a large panel of white card stock – this card is 5 x 7 inches – and used a Hero Arts layering stencil and some yellow Distress Ink to create the subtle background. I used all three layers, but the same colour.

I wasn’t concerned about getting full coverage with the stencil either – some areas softer than others, and an uneven edge.

Once that stenciled panel was adhered to the card base, I glued all the floral and bud layers – rolling the edges of the leaves round a pen to create more dimension in the leaves – and played around with the layout until I was satisfied.

The sentiment was added – a hot foiled strip – and I added some black enamel dots instead of splatters – and some clear dots onto some of the petals of the peony.

Every now and again I get into a messy playing mood, and just create backgrounds, use paste, and generally get my hands inky. That way I have panels I can use in the future, especially when I want to die cut for backgrounds, or die cut elements to add to a card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – pink, yellow, green

Try It On Tuesday – use a stencil

Lil red Wagon – florals

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers