embossing

Christmas in February??

20180221_212446 Last evening had been one for die-cutting, as you can see. The previous card gave me the inspiration to try something more adventurous and I thought a Christmas card would be an ideal way to go a little over-the-top, a little more dramatic.

I started with a base card from Sue Wilson, embossed with a Heart Lattice embossing folder, with a layer of black behind it. The poinsettias were stamped with the Heartfelt Creations stamp, and heat embossed with black embossing powder. After these were die cut, I layered a couple of the together, and shaped the leaves a little. I like rounded shapes on leaves as I feel you can get some reflection of the embossing powder and the card better from any angle.

The sprigs of holly etc were die cut from the same gold card, and from some black card, all arranged on the base layers with 3D glue – to give me some time for moving things around. I also like to leave some of the finishing touches free – I don’t stick everything down completely, as I like the movement of them when the card is opened.

I thought about a Christmas sentiment, and where to put it, but I didn’t want to cover any of the elements up at this point, so I will ensure I put a relevant Christmas verse on the inside.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge – Christmas with option green (option not used)

Winter Wonderland Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin’ – anything goes Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

Embossed and ink blended

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Happy Monday everyone.

I had a little play with my Distress Oxides and my new Altenew ‘Arabesque Medallion’ stamp set. I have seen many lovely cards made with this stamp set, and I am sure I will be attempting some of the techniques and ideas that are out there.

For this card, I first worked a couple of Distress Oxides into the stamping card, blending together – which they seem to do extremely well – then splattered with water. I didn’t want large areas of water splashes, and wanted to keep this to a minimum.

Once dry, I then stamped the medallion in Ranger Perfect Medium, and embossed with white embossing powder. I then took some of the smaller elements in the set and stamped and embossed them the same way. I wanted the background to be quite visible, but also the pattern of the stamp set to shine through.

I then took another smaller piece of card, blended the same colours, stamped the sentiment in Versafine black onyx, but ensuring that the colours on the sentiment banner were opposite to that of the card, so it stood out a little more.

To tie in the black sentiment – you know that’s my favourite sentiment colour – I used a black card base.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge – something new (stamp set)

Watercooler challenges – feminine anything goes

Simply Create Too – use embossing

Altenew January 2018 inspiration challenge – photo inspiration

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

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Here I am again posting to a challenge at the last minute – well – the last hour or so. The current challenge from CASology had the cue card ‘cheer’. I had in mind my ‘Stamps by Me’ set. I have a couple of sets with glasses and wine, this one is the smaller set of the two, but I did use the ‘Cheers’ sentiment from the large set.

A one layer card, stamping the bottle and glass first, then added the two sentiments, making extra sure the black ink was dry before I even considered using the embossing powder. I didn’t want that glittery powder getting everywhere.

One I had checked it was dry enough, I stamped the wine part in Ranger Perfect Medium, and heat embossed using a white/light glittery embossing powder from ‘WOW!’.

However, this didn’t really show up very much, so I turned to thinking of red sparkly wine, so – thank goodness I used my Misti and had left the stamp on the lid – I used the Perfect Medium again, on top of the glittery white, and heat embossed using a glittery red.

I tried very hard the get the sparkle on the card in the photo, so please forgive the slight shadow, but I think the glittery-ness shows up.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CASology – Cheer

Addicted to Stamps and More – CAS

STAMPlorations – CAS – not using twist

Less Is More – shine

 

 

 

CAS colours

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20171111_135209Hello everyone. I made this card today to ether the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge of using the three colours Emerald Envy, Metallic Silver, and Tranquil Tide.

I am in a Christmas card making mode at the moment, so I took the opportunity to continue along that theme with these colours.

The card base is pre-scored and embossed with a Crafters Companion embossing folder called Nordic Christmas ‘Jumper’. I stamped the sentiment in Tranquil Tide onto an Emerald Envy piece of card, then stamped some snowflakes from Concord and 9th ‘Christmas Cheer turnabout’. I haven’t used this stamp set yet as a turnabout yet, but it comes with many small stamps ideal for adding to other projects.

I embossed those two different snowflake stamps with silver embossing powder and then cut the card making it look like a banner, deciding to make it a little dimensional – adding some 3D foam pads under the middle. I am not sure I still like it, and will be making another card with it added flat – at some point – but at the time it seemed like a good idea.

There is still time to join the Inkspirational challenge where I am Guest designer, with the theme of ‘Trend’. It looks like there are some gorgeous projects there at the moment, and I’m going to nip on over and have a closer look.

 

 

Polychromos Poinsettia

Hello everyone. Another few cards from playing at the weekend. This time I have been using my Faber-Castell Polychromos. I have never used them before, so again I went searching through the YouTube videos. There are some absolutely amazing creations out there…….and then there are my simple little creations!

I had the idea of colouring a poinsettia flower from watching Yana Smakula recently, and loved how her blue poinsettias turned out. I wanted to try blue, but then turned to other colours, just so I could practice.

The flower stamp if from Which Craft!, bought at their craft show a couple of weeks back. I bought it specifically because it had a lot of open space I could get to colouring, and experimenting.

I stamped the flower several times on black card stock, and embossed with white, copper, and silver. I wanted to see what different they made to the finished project. As you can see, I didn’t just use red. I was playing, and experimenting with blending and shading, so much so that I actually spent a good couple of hours doing these.

I used three colours of the red, yellow, and green, and blended, and layered, and blended again. I’m not sure if it is the right way to do things, but I like how they turned out. I can’t decide which is my favourite, though – what do you think? Which would your favourite be?

(By-the -way – does this hand look creepy or not?)

I shall be entering one of these cards into the following challenges:

The Merry Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Blog Challenge – Christmas Flowers

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Addicted to Stamps – Anything goes with flowers

 

 

 

one layer, three colours

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Hi everyone. I have made a quick card today, as I am just about to go to work for the afternoon, and back reasonably late this evening. I wanted to play with the colours for the current challenge from CAS Colours and Sketches – Always Artichoke, Fresh Fig, and Tangerine Tango. I think those colours are absolutely gorgeous on their own, but when put together – love it.

I had a delivery from Stampin Up yesterday – well, I say delivery…….UPS sometimes struggle to find me, and I don’t realise I have a package until I check my tracking through my Stampin Up demonstrator to find they have tried 4 or 5 days……and still can’t find me. I mean – I live on the only road in the middle of a wood with 30 houses – how difficult can that be? Anyway, I had to go to the local depot to pick it up yesterday, so I just had to make time to play.

I liked the look of this stamp, but didn’t realise that the word is actually quite a solid image. I wanted to colour the word, but when I realised it was solid I decided to stamp it in Fresh Fig, quickly put some clear embossing powder on it, and then heat embossed. Even though I used water-colour card, I think it came out quite nicely.

I then coloured the roses in Tangerine Tango, and the leaves in Always Artichoke and there we have it. However, after I had photographed it – thank goodness afterwards – the card blew down into some wet leaves, and of course I swiped my fingers over it to clean the water…………..and I now have a nicely smudged water-colour image now!!!20170906_111231

I am sure I can still save the card, but will have to think about what I do with it. Trust me!!!! Well, as least you can see the Fresh Fig colour coming out of the words.

 

 

 

 

 

I shall be entering the original non-smudged card into the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches – Always Artichoke, Fresh Fig, Tangerine Tango

CAS on Sunday – One Layer Wonder

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – stamp it, no digital images

 

 

 

 

?Pizza

I’m having a little titter to myself as I post this card. I can’t believe I’m actually posting it, but it’s brought me some giggles. I am sure from the title of the post that you can see what the theme of the challenge is that I made this card for……..

The cue card is from Casology – ‘Pizza‘. So, I don’t have any pizza stamps or dies, I don’t have anything I could turn my mind to for a real pizza, or anything I could turn use to even come close to representing a pizza. I have been thinking about this for a couple of days now, and was at a total loss.

Until I was driving to work yesterday, was stopped at some traffic lights in Sheffield – outside a Dominoes Pizza place.

I immediately started giggling. I am sure the car in front must have thought I was a complete nutter! Then I thought – why not? It is following the theme of the challenge, Dominoes Pizza is international……….so here you are.

The actual domino took more thought……eventually I die cut two squares using my Stampin Up ‘Stitched Shapes Framelits’, then wondered how I was going to do the dots. I looked at my hole punch – not quite right. I looked at my Crop-a-dile – too small. I looked at my punches from Stampin Up – nothing seemed quite right.

So, while I kept thinking, I decided to tidy my craft table, and to put some things away. I always seem to have lots of stamps and dies just sitting there……anyone else do that? So – putting some of my stuff away, I came across a stamp set from Altenew ‘Simple Flowers’. Guess what – there are a couple of small round dots in that set.

Here we go – I took one of the dots, stamped it in my Ranger Perfect Medium, heat embossed with white opaque powder – and ended up with what you see above. I stuck both the squares down flat with some of my Tombow glue…….

I’m still giggling. We are supposed to have fun when we craft, aren’t we? I think this takes it to another level, though!

What do you think? Outside the box or what? (Pizza box, of course)

 

Owl be seeing you

Good morning. A short but sweet posting for today.

This card’s main focus is an owl stamp from Hobby Art ‘Orla Owl’. Yes – another recent purchase from a craft show a few weeks ago, and I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to play with him. I don’t know why it’s a ‘him’, but there we are.

I decided to go with a more masculine feel for the card, and wanted the back layer to be quite dark, like the night sky, but not too plain. I embossed the black card with a Die’sire embossing folder ‘clouds’ from Crafters Companion.

The owl is stamped and embossed with a bronze mica embossing powder. I did think about doing some water colouring, but decided the image was intricate enough to withstand being just plain.

The sentiment is from another stamp set from Woodware – ‘Mosaic Owl’. I also embossed this with the same embossing powder, but this time added to a piece of white card. I rounded the edges of both the base layer and the sentiment.

So – nothing complicated or intricate, though the owl stamp makes it seem so, doesn’t it?

I shall be entering this card into the following challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday – anything goes masculine

CAS Sunday – animals

 

 

Happy Birthday

Good morning everyone. I am not at work until this afternoon, so I thought I would finish the card I started yesterday. As always, I gain inspiration from challenges, and – as always – I leave it to the last minute on many of them.

I have had the colours from Color Throwdown and the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches in my head since they went live……and yesterday got down to making the card. Well, after I had spent a good few hours at a craft show in Doncaster Dome, and bought even more goodies.

I started with a 6 inch square white card base, and added a slightly smaller navy layer, which I embossed with my Crafters Companion Textures folder ‘Rain’. I then die cut some pale pink card from Creative Expressions with  a Sara Davies Signature Collection die – an edger die from the ‘Together Forever’ range, which added the curved intricate edge.

After sticking that down to the top of the blue embossed layer, I added another blue layer which I had die cut the ‘Happy Birthday’ panel. Again – from Crafters Companion Create-a-card range. I think the light pink makes the sentiment stand out quite nicely.

I was thinking of gold for under the sentiment, but then I bought the Altenew stamp and die set yesterday – ‘Extra Special’ – and decided to heat emboss the main flower onto blue card with gold embossing powder, to act as the downward tag part of the sketch.

I then added some gold speckle dots – couldn’t resist – and stuck them all down on the card base. I stuck them all flat, with very little dimension, apart from the layers themselves.

So different from the most recent card of mine, as very little stamping – just the main flower element.

I photographed the card outside again – in-between rain and rain and rain – but still natural light. I’m not sure if the card came out very effectively, but I wanted to ensure you could see the shine of the gold embossing.

I was Skyping my sister in Quebec yesterday, and we were talking about backgrounds and natural light, and as it is summer (apparently) and natural light is here for longer in a day, I may try more techniques in the future. Perhaps adding some extra interest with dinner plates, or pieces of wood………or some of the items I have used to make the card.

I will be entering into the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches – sketch

Color Throwdown – navy, light pink, white, gold,

4 Crafty Chicks – Birthday

Just Us Girls – Die-cuts

 

 

 

 

Love is all around

I’ve gone all ‘lovey dovey’ with this card, haven’t I? The inspirations for this card was from Just Us Girls challenge, and Cardz 4 Galz. I tried to emulate the hearts design, and whilst I was looking at that I was singing (in my head, don’t worry about it raining all day tomorrow!) ‘Love is all around’ by Wet, Wet, Wet. Even now, I know all the words. I have just done a quick Google – and it was released in 1995! 1995! Good grief. 22 years ago. Doesn’t time fly?

For this card, I used Centura Pearl card stock for all the die-cutting, as well as the base card. The embossed layer is a Spellbinders M-Bossability folder ‘Hearts’ I have had for many years, and is a go-to folder for the more romantic cards make – weddings etc. On one side you can emboss the smaller hearts background, and the other side is the dotty hearts background. A very versatile and useful folder.

The hearts are from a Sue Wilson fillables collection, a range of three heart dies and inners – ‘Jewelled,’ ‘Laced’, and ‘Fluttering’. I have mixed and matched all three of them to create each of the hearts.

I attached the three hearts with some Pinflair glue Gel, as I like to move it around when I have it on the card, and attached the single heart with some foam pads, as I knew exactly where I wanted that to be.

I will be entering one of these cards into the following challenges:

Just Us Girls – photo inspiration

Cardz 4 Galz – inspired by a song

Die Cuttin Divas – anything goes

Watercooler Wednesday challenges – anything goes