embossing folder

Happy Birthday Cat

Hello everyone, I am so excited that I am going to be the Surprise Party Guest at Seize The Birthday for the next couple of months.

The first challenge theme is:

Birthday and one or more numbers

Here is my card:

I was a little stumped at first, but then I remembered I had an older embossing folder from Spellbinders an ‘M-bossibility’ folder with letters on one side, and numbers on the other. This is at least 14 years old, but isn’t it surprising how you remember things?

I took a dark blue piece of card and ran it through my machine, then swiped some white pigment ink over the top to make the numbers stand out a little more.

The cat die and sentiment is from Simon Hurley/Spellbinders, all die cut and asembled as required.

For the sentiment, instead of popping out the letters, I left them in the banner, and used some double sided tape on the back to make sure they wouldn’t come out.

I hope you can come and join us with your birthday creations following our theme, but you can always have anything goes birthday instead.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Critter Crazy – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Daisy Chain Challenge – birthday

Friends Like You Are A Treasure

Hello everyone. There will be two posts from me today, and this is the first. The new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz has started, Debbie is the host, and she has chosen the theme of:

For a Friend/Friendship

Here is my card:

I first used the Hero Arts die set ‘Lotus Flower’ and die cut all the layers out of light blue and teal card stock, then layering together as per their instructions. It took a little planning, but once I had got my head around one flower, it was easier on the second. I also die cut the leaves and foliage on shades of green, unsure of how many I would need, so I cut plenty.

I took a white panel and die cut the largest hexagon from the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Nested hexagons‘ from the centre of it, the ran that through with a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The hexagon which came out of the centre I didn’t emboss.

I attached the embossed panel to a card base using 3D foam strips, then inserted the black white hexagon back into place, but gluing flat.

The sentiment is from Gina K Designs and was from a 2023 Let’s Stamp Together – stamped then die cut.

I placed the sentiment on the background then played with the florals and foliage until I was happy, adding with 3D foam and glue where appropriate.

As the sentiment was stamped in black, I added some black gems.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with florals

Crafters Café – anything goes with option of blooms taken

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

ABC Christmas Challenge – N & O

Hello again. It is my turn to host the new challenge at ABC Christmas, and we have reached the letters ‘N’ & ‘O’. We do have themes for the letters which are:

N is for No Stamping

O is for Once in Royal David’s City ( buildings)

Here is my card which covers the two themes:

I felt it was about time I used this die set from The Greetery. I was desperate to get my hands on them, and they have been sitting there for a couple of months.

I set-to die cutting – you know I love my die cutting – and picked traditional colours for all of the elements. I may have to explore other colours and choices in the future, but for this I went traditional.

All the elements I was going to use were die cut, mainly out of scraps, and assembles as I went along.

I then decided to use a 5×7 inch card base, added a gold layer, then a white layer, which I had run through with a Spellbinders embossing folder/

The house was then attached in all it’s glory.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one or both or our themes – and there is a prize for a randomly drawn winner….

I shall be entering the folliwing challenges:

Girlz Creative Christmas – anything goes Christmas

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Die Cut Divas – die cuts and Christmas in July

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Ciao

A colourful card created using some of the items in the list at Festive Friday:

The die and embossing folder used to create this card are from the Spellbinders Weekender 2025.

I first die cut the face and lips, using blush for the skin tone, and red for the lips, adhering the layers together.

The background was created using Tuscan and Poppy card stock from Spellbinders, cutting the Tuscan panel down slightly, and adding the red piece, and running both together through the Spellbinders embossing folder, to ensure the pattern was matching on both layers.

I then attached the face with 3D foam.

The sentiment was die cut out of yellow, layered three times and then glued down.

I added some yellow glossy embellishment hearts which I found in my stash – ;likely from another virtual event sometime.

This die set also comes with a string of spaghettis which can run from the mouth and makes it look like the word ‘Ciao’ is from Spaghetti – but I left that part off.

As mentioned, I will be joining Festive Friday for their current challenge, using yellow, red, glossy embellishments, face,

Floral Frame Hello

Hello again. A summery hello card to share with you today:

For this card I used the new Pinkfresh Studio stamp, die, and stencil set called ‘Sunlit Garden‘. I stamped the image with a brown to give a softer outline, then used all of the layering stencils to colour it in, adding some darker shading to the base of some of the flowers. This was then die cut and set aside.

For the background, I ink blended a white panel very lightly with blue, than used a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Cloud Nine’, and attached that panel to the card base.

For the inked image, I die cut another two panels and layered together for more stability and then glued down.

The sentiment was stamped in a brown ink – another Pinkfresh Studio stamp set – die cut and layered three times, then glued into the centre of the opening.

The final touch was to add some iridescent sequins:

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder, option of purple not taken

Crafting From The Art – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – florals/flowers

Crafters Café – anything goes, option of blooms taken

Tic Tac Toe – top right to bottom left diagonal – summer colours – die cut – layers

Happy Summer

Hello again. More play time in my craft room, this time to create a card with fruity goodness and a summer feel to it:

I used the Honey Bee Stamps die set called ‘Lovely Layers: Strawberries‘ and die cut all of the images from white card stock. I then ink blended each of the die cuts in the appropriate colour, using Pinkfresh Studio inks. The die cuts were then layered as required, then arranged as I thought they would look good together. I also added some white gel pen to the strawberry ‘pips’ to make them stand out a little more.

Then to decide on a way to ground the bunch of strawberries, and I used a Spellbinders/Susan Tierney die set ‘Gathering Basket‘ and die cut it out of light brown card stock, the ink blended some darker brown onto it.

The sentiment is using The Greetery ‘Summer Silly Straw‘ die cutting out of white card stock, then chopping off the straw bottom to leave the two words, and ink blending with green. I also die cut this a couple more times and glued together, to add more stability to the words.

Then I found that an A2 card base would not be big enough to get everything on, so I used a 5×7 inch card base.

The background needed something – I ink blended a white panel, then ran that panel through with a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Cloud Nine‘, and attached to the card base.

The strawberries and basket were adhered with 3D foam, then the two words were attached.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafting Happiness – anything goes, option of summer taken

Cupcake Inspirations – anything goes

Make My Monday – blend 2 or 3 colours

FarmQuest Challenge – fruit garden or orchard

Floral Hello

Hello there. After a little break from crafting – my mojo seems to have run away – I have a card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Helen is hosting and has chosen the theme of:

E is for Embossing – wet or dry

Here is my card:

I chose to go with the option of dry embossing, and used a Spellbinders embossing folder for the background panel.

The florals are from Elle’s Studio, a stamp and die set from a a 2022 virtual event.

The florals were stamped with Pinkfresh Studio inks, then die cut, as was the sentiment.

The oval was die cut, I think it is a Pinkfresh Studio nesting die set, then the florals arranged, the sentiment added, and a few gems for further interest – for the centre of the flowers, and some smaller ones around the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations using dry or heat embossing. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

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

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

Die Cut Divas – anything goes with die cuts

Crafters Café – anything goes, optional blooms

For Someone Special

Hello everyone. I am pleased to have been asked to be a special Party Guest for the new challenge at Ellibelle’s Corner Garden Party, after being selected in the Top 3 for one of her challenges with this card here.

The theme for the new challenge is – anything in or from the garden. Here is my card:

I must have been in a really fiddly and faffy mood to create this, as the butterfly – from A Pocket Full Of Happiness – takes a lot of die cutting in different colours, and then inlaying each itty bitty piece…….

I started by cutting the base outline, then the butterfly out of white card stock a couple of times, and glued it together.

The next steps was to gather colourful pieces of card for each flower, and the wings of the butterfly and set-to die cutting. Each colour was inlaid back into the butterfly, and then glossy accents applied to create a stained glass effect.

When that was dry, I added a top layer of the die cut butterfly, this time cut out of a blush card stock and laid that on top. This also covered any of the over-flowing glossy accents.

I wasn’t happy with those tiny areas on the edge of the butterfly wing, so I added small pink gems to each and every one of them – I told you I must have been in a fiddly and faffy mood.

I wanted a bold background for the butterfly, so used some Concord & 9th card stock, trimmed it a little smaller than the card base, and used a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The butterfly was glued down, and then the foiled sentiment added.

I hope you can come and join us at Ellibelle’s Corner for her Garden Party. I hope to see you in the gallery. xx

White Flowers

I was working on this card yesterday, and managed to finish it today, following the inspiration photo at Beautiful Blossoms:

Here is the inspiration photo I worked with:

The first thing I did was to search my CML app for flowers/florals. As you can imagine, literally hundreds came up. I narrowed the search to dies only, and as I knew that The Greetery had quite a few, I narrowed the search for that manufacturer only.

Taking several die sets, I used water-colour card and die cut the stems and then the flowers. The stems I coloured in my Zigs – quite roughly – then added some very light grey to the centre of each flower.

There were some wooden looking stems, so I used a dark brown for those.

Once I had a collection of coloured and layered elements, I used some other dies from The Greetery – the capsule series – to create the scalloped blue layer to bring in the blue of the vase in the inspiration photo, then added a frame which I also embossed using one of their embossing folder.

This frame was attached with thin strips of 3D foam, more towards the outside of the frame, as I knew I wanted to tuck some of the elements behind and under it.

The elements were arranged and attached with a mixture of 3D foam pieces – some very tiny – and other parts with glue.

I was thinking of adding a sentiment, but decided against it – I will put something together for the inside instead.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with flowers – inspiration photo

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Give A Crafter A Cookie – in the garden

Die Cut Divas – dies cuts and/or dry embossing – both were added

Floral Birthday

Hello there. I have a card to share inspired by the current challenge at Festive Friday:

This floral strip is an off-cut from a previous card I ink blended, using a Kristina Werner layering stencil set (Aubrey Blooms). I thought these florals looked too good to be thrown away, so came up with this layout.

I took a white panel and ran it through my machine with a Spellbinders embossing folder. I then aligned the floral strip with that panel, and ran that through too.

I then took a sentiment die from a Simon Hurley/Spellbinders set. Usually the letters would fall out – but they stayed in – so I stuck them in more securely at the back with sticky tape, then added another sentiment banner die.

This was then adhered to the card, and three green gems from Concord & 9th added to complete the requirements of the challenge.

Festive Friday – 3 items from list – ink blending + epoxy embellishment + birthday sentiment