die cutting

A Heart Filled Birthday

It is time for the new challenge at Happy Little Stampers anything goes birthday. Here is my card:

All the dies used for this card are from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar last year.

I started by creating the background, by die cutting the wavy strip seven times in white card stock and adhering them to the card base.

I then die cut the heart background piece in white, then the inner piece in gold card stock. The inner pieces can be used with coloured card stock to create a rainbow heart, which I may try in the future. The heart was attached with 3D foam – a piece in the middle of the back – as I knew I wanted to tuck some florals around it.

I die cut the flowers and leaves, layering them all together and then played with the placement around the hear until I was happy.

The sentiment is from a previous foiling session.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps and More – birthday

Krafty Chicks – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Octopus ‘Hi’

Hello, I hope you are doing well. I have a card to share using some products from the June release at Spellbinders which I haven’t got around to using yet:

I started by ink blending my background panel using the two inks you see in the main picture. I splattered them with water and set it off to one side to dry.

This piece of card is an older Distress Heavystock – some of the batch which doesn’t take water well, so I had to be very careful with the amount of water I added – but the effect came out as I wanted.

Once dry, I die cut the bottle, and then used a Spellbinders embossing folder to create the bubble effect. Onto that embossed bottle I then rubbed – very gently – some of the Hero Arts white pigment ink so it would pick up some of the edges of the bubbles.

I then used a previously created ink smooshing panel of green – a lighter green panel and a darker green panel – to die cut the octopus layers and the seaweed.

I put the layers together, added some black for the eyes and mouth, and stuck them down onto the bottle.

The cork was from some brown cardstock, as was the board and sentiment, slotted into one of the arms of the octopus.

This was fun card to create, and I can see I’ll be playing with this die set again.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Color Throwdown – pink, green, magenta, white

Cut It Up – die cuts and under the sea

Shopping Our Stash – any wild animal

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Die Cut Divas – anything goes with die cuts

Grab My Button

Friendly Florals

A Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and some time for crafting. I created this card with some recent purchases.

I created the floral arrangement using Concord & 9th card stock ‘Four Petal Thank You’ die set from Spellbinders. Layering flowers and leaf die cuts seem to be my new joy………and a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near any tiny, little fiddly pieces – now I quite enjoy them.

I die cut the favourite Pinkfresh Studio ‘Art Deco frame’, and die cut the middle out too. I used this middle piece of card with the new purchase from Catherine Pooler – the ‘woven‘ background panel. I wanted to insert this into the frame so instead of cutting the panel out wholly, I just used this inner piece.

The ‘woven’ panel was added as a ‘might as well’ when I was ordering recently, and I’m really glad I did. I think this die will be used a lot – it adds interest when used this way – white on white – and I am sure it will stunning in different colour schemes too – watch this space….!

A white card base, the deco frame adhered with 2D foam strips, the inner die-cut woven piece inserted, the florals added with 3D foam, a foiled sentiment strip and I thought I was done……but no…….I added some iridescent gems because they would pick up the colours near to them.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafts Galore – anything goes

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

Here Is A place To start – anything goes – option trees and/or leaves

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Paper Funday – anything goes

My Time To Craft – use die cuts

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Birthday Florals

Hello everyone. I have created this card for a few challenges:

The card base is in Cobblestone from concord & 9th – a nice light grey colour – and the front half dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder.

I then added the white piece after die cutting with a Pinkfresh Studio die – ready for the addition of my florals.

The die set is from Spellbinders ‘Sealed Wildflowers’ and cut from a light green, then an aqua, and darker aqua layered behind for one of the flowers. The flowers were layered and then attached with wet glue to the white label piece.

I added a foiled sentiment, and then some gold embellishments to the centre of the smaller flowers, and larger gems dotted around the background as you see.

I really do like the way Spellbinders provides layering die cuts for their flowers – so many choices and uses…

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – grey, aqua, green

Krafty Chicks – occasions

AAA Birthday – anything goes birthday

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

My Time To Craft – use die cuts

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Have A Sweet Birthday

Hello there. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘K‘, and Melanie has chosen the theme of ‘Kitchen – anything related to food‘. Here is my card:

I decided to create a slimline card to allow me to get more images into the scene. The oven, kitchenware and mice are all from Lawn Fawn – stamped, coloured with Copics, then die cut with their matching dies.

The background scene was created with patterned paper for the floor and wall, a strip of black for the granite worktop, a strip of white card for the kitchen units, onto which I layered some stitched squares for the kitchen cupboards.

I added some very small black enamel dots for the cupboard handles.

All the images were added with a mix of 3D foam or wet glue.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Make My Monday – 3 images of anything (3 mice)

Craft Rocket – animals

Shopping Our Stash – Hot, Hot, Hot (cooking/baking)

Ellibelle’s corner – anything goes

AAA Birthday – birthday anything goes

Pinspirational – birthday and animals

Hello Bee Friend

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Sue is hosting and has chosen the theme of ‘cute animals or insects’. Here is my card:

I first stamped the images from Simon Says Stamp, then coloured with Copics, and cut them out with the matching die set.

I die cut the Sizzix honeycomb through a card panel, then die cut it again using the outer and detail die in a light Kraft card stock, and layered that on top.

I played with some orange and yellow Distress Inks and smooshing, and placed this behind the honeycomb, then added all to a card base.

I added the coloured bees and the foiled sentiment, and dotted some sequins around and about for more shine.

I hope you can come and join us with your cute animals or insects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media (Copics, Distress Inks, foiling, stamping)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (Copics, Distress Inks, Foiling, Stamping)

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

A Tweet Note

Here is a card I created using several Spellbinder die sets:

The background is dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and adhered directly to the card base.

The bird was assembled – the die set is a cardinal but I have used artistic license here – and all the other elements die cut and assembled.

I used Concord & 9th card stock – the bright orange is the good old ‘Marmalade‘ card stock, which they aren’t making any more, but I happen to have a little secret stash. The slightly duller orange is the new ‘Clementine‘ – which is a lovely orange, just not as bright as ‘Marmalade‘…….

The bird house was die cut from Tim Holtz card stock, and I used the rubber mat to enhance the details of the die – then used a sanding block to distress it, making some of the details a little lighter in colour, and giving the appearance of being a little weather-worn.

All the elements adhered with glue or 3D foam, and the foiled sentiment attached at the top.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – green, orange, brown

Cut It Up – die cuts – create a scene

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of stripes not taken

Allsorts – anything goes with a real animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Craft Rocket – animals

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

Sailing By To Say Hi…..

I was inspired to create this very colourful card by a few challenges.

I don’t often use block colours, no ink blending, no ink smooshing – just die cutting……and this card took quite a bit of working out – not as easy as it may look…..

The boat die set is from Heffy Doodle, and is called ‘Boats & Barns’ and – as the name suggest – you can a boat in varying forms, or barns……

I used Heffy Doodle card stock, some Concord & 9th card stock, and die the colourful layers. I wanted a bright and cheerful boat to go on a very blue water.

Once I had decided on the layout of the boat – where to out the funnel, how I wanted the portholes to look etc – I then used MFT stitched waves dies to create the – erm – waves.

Then I had to decide which wave I wanted the boat to be behind – so many decisions with this card…..which wave to use in which color, at what level to have it, is the boat going to be straight or wonky……? Goodness……..

This card was fun to create without getting messy for once – though I do like to get messy…!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Up – die cuts and create a scene

Farm Quest – boats

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Paper Minutes – no designer paper

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Just Because…..

A little bit of crafty time and this card was created:

I had this bunch of fruit from a Pinkfresh Studio washi tape left over after completing a previous card. The washi tape was placed onto a piece of card and die cut with the matching dies.

The background is a dry embossed hessian design, and a Pinkfresh deco frame added. I played with the frame position a while, before deciding to go with where it is now. You can see it, it doesn’t cover too much of the background up, and the piece of fruit washi doesn’t cover the frame up either – so I placed it centre bottom of the card panel. I like the odd placement.

Once the frame was attached, I added 3D foam to parts of the fruit bunch, attached, and added some sequins which I thought matched the colours.

A previously foiled sentiment to complete the card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers – use some sort of tape – washi tape (Pinkfresh Studio)

Hand Stamped Sentiments – photo inspiration

CYHTP – embossing folder with option of stripes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Ellibelle’s corner – anything goes

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes – option trees and/or leaves

Paper Funday – anything goes – option the great outdoors

Leafy Birthday

I decided to put one of my gel plate backgrounds to use with this card:

The background was created using acrylic paints and a leaf stencil, onto which I also sprayed some Distress mica stain, add some dribbles of water, held the paper up to allow some drippage, and then let it dry.