heat embossing

Thinking of you….

The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. Having reached the letter ‘I’, Dawn has chosen the theme of Insects on your creations. Here is my card:

Having been successful with using ink on an embossing folder for the first time, I decided to have another go using a couple of colours:

The embossing folder is from Simon Says Stamp, and I used Distress Inks on the inside, before running it through my die cutting machine. I haven’t had much success with this technique in the past – but for some reason it worked this time – no idea why……

The butterfly is from Tim Holtz, a Bigz die, which also comes with an embossing folder for the two butterflies. I added a simple sentiment and stuck down onto the card base. I didn’t stick the butterfly down completely, I like the wings to be a little raised, some movement.

I hope you can come and join us and show us what you can create using insects in your projects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

The House That Stamps Built – anything goes

Krafty Chicks – anything goes

Aud Sentiments Challenge – anything goes with a sentiment

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Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog

Floral Spray Birthday

Hello there. Once again I am privileged to be Guest Designer on the Seize the Birthday challenge again.

This time the theme is ‘Birthday and Spring Flowers’. Here is my card:

For these flowers I stamped and heat embossed with white, and water-coloured using my Zigs. I went for soft colours, one colour of each, and just a little blending with water. I am really quite pleased with how these turned out as I haven’t water-coloured like this for ages.

I then used the matching dies – something Clearly Besotted have stopped doing now, but I’m glad I had them for this set of stamps.

As these were soft flowers, I went for a dramatic background – a grey cardstock using a Crafters Companion wood grain embossing folder on Concord & 9th Mushroom card stock. . The sentiment is from Stampin Up – stamped in mushroom ink – again from Concord & 9th, then die cut with a stitched oval.

Some little clear drop thingies – no idea what they’re called – and the card is done.

I hope you can come and join us – It would be great to see your there with your birthday spring floral creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes with colouring

The Flower Challenge – flowers and pretty pastels

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

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Never Doubt Yourself

Hi once again. I hope you are all well. I have a card to share today using Brushos and playing:

I have had this stamp set from Thirsty Brush and Co for quite a while – it was a members gift from Create and Craft. I knew I wanted to colour it at some point, but whilst I was adding items to Color My Life app – I came across it again – just after I was sorting through my Brusho and water-colours……

Again – finding things and playing whilst also sorting – that’s why it’s taking me so long…….well – and the fact I have so much stuff!

I used some Arteza water-colour card, stamped then white heat embossed the butterfly image, and then played. And got messy……so much fun!

I wet the card, then dropped in a couple of Brusho colours – some I moved around, some I left very vivid – then let it dry.

When it was dry…………………I didn’t like it. I didn’t think the butterfly and the flowers on the butterfly were obvious enough. I was ready to throw it in the bin – when I remembered what the stamp set is called. ‘Never Doubt Yourself’.

So – I made a card anyway – and the more I look at it, the more I like it – the colours, the wildness, the sentiment…….so here we are! An encouraging card – maybe I should send it to myself…………..! 🙂

I shall be entering the following challenges:

IAAS – Flowers and butterflies -(on the one stamp)

Animal Friends Challenge – see an insect

Crafty Card Makers – Butterflies

Happy Little Stampers Water-colour Challenge – watercolour with option to emboss

Arty Divas Challenge – anything goes

Fusion Card Challenge – sketch =/- photo (photo)

Bright Red Poinsettia

Hi there. I hope you are doing well. I have managed to craft some more and created a CAS simple card for some challenges.

I used the Uniko ‘Season of Beauty’ poinsettia stamp, only using some of the layers. I fuirst stamped the flower itself in Rockin’ Red by catherine Pooler – realising after the first stamp I needed ti re-ink the pad. So this is actaully the second stamping…….

I then took the outline layer and one of the inner layers and heat embossed in gold. I used a green for the little dots in the centre of the flower, and stamped a sentiment from the same stamp set in Altenew Obsidian ink.

I took a little while to decide on the base card, and my eye turned to black, to tie-in the sentiment. My thoughts then turned to a strip of gold card, but I knew that Bev from Uniko designed a lot of the strip stamps to build backgrounds – of which I have a few 🙂 – and found this stripy strip stamp so I heat embossed that in gold along the bottom – then went for the top too.

I’m trying to get my head around indoor photographs with my cards – lighting, angle etc. I may even try some kind of decoration around the cards at some point – only time will tell!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches – cherry cobbler, metallic gold, shaded spruce

Daring Cardmakers – 3 elements from photo inspiration – stripes, red, joy

Time Out Challenges – merry and cheerful

Uniko December Challenge – Christmas with option of trees

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas with option of candy cane

Shades of Brown

Hello again. I am hosting the new challenge at Cardz4Galz, and chosen the theme of ‘Shades of Brown‘. I thought this would incite some creative juice production to make a girlie kinda card using this theme. Here is my card:

I started by stamping the Altenew ‘Engraved Flowers’ onto a dark brown card-stock, and heat embossed in white. I stamped out all the images, but only used the two you see above.

I then took that same dark brown card and a lighter brown card and dry embossed with a Sue Wilson embossing folder for some added background detail – but not too much, as I wanted this card to be quite simple.

The sentiment is also from the same stamp set, again heat embossed in white.

I hope you can pop along to our challenge blog and have a look at what the rest of the Design Team have made, and take the plunge and join us by entering. I look forward to seeing your ‘shade of brown’ creations in our gallery.

XX

Chllanges I shall be entering:

A bit more time to craft – anything goes

Brown sugar challenge – anything goes

Faux Stained Glass Flower

Hello there. I have been trying out a new technique – new to me, anyway. I decided to try the faux stained glass technique, and I thought I knew what I was doing, that it would be easy, no hassle, get it done, seen some videos months ago…….. quick……well…….erm…..not quite!

Firstly, here is the finished card:

Now a close-up:

I used the Altenew ‘Antique Engravings Cover die’, cut out several times in white card. I actually removed the outer thin frame, because when I started to stack them up together, it just kept getting in the way. I stacked at least four of them together, and then went in with Nuvo Crystal Drops in the green and pick as you see.

Sticking such a lacy die on top of another several times? Challenging. The Nuvo drops were the second challenge hurdle. Then letting it all dry – I had to wait until the next day – I’m not that good at waiting…………….but I managed.

Then realised I wanted to add Glossy Accents too…………..more waiting……….!

At this point I decided I ought to look at some videos about this technique after all……uh huh! Just at the end of my ‘playing’. That’s me all over…. 🙂

I used one of the tips from Jennifer McGuire – I had a final white outline which I embossed using Altenew Rose Gold embossing powder, stuck that down, and made the card as you see……(First time using that embossing powder – certainly won’t be the last! Lovely stuff!)

Now – in the future I can see me doing this technique again – but I will be using Copics to colour the lower level. Though, now this card is done, I really like how shiny the colours are. I must remember next time to allow a couple of days – and even to do several at a time……

I shall be entering this card into the following challenges:

CAS Mix Up Challenge – CAS faux stained glass + stamping + your choice – (stamping the sentiment, my choice of heat embossing and die cut layer)

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – feminine/girly

Altenew March Challenge – Photo Inspiration

Just add a ‘T’….

Hello again. I have been using one of my products bought at the Doncaster show last weekend. I say one product……..there will be more coming up!

This is from a stamp and die set from Stamps By Me:

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A completely different card to my most recent colourful cards – I think I channeled my monochrome inner-self.

The big letter ‘T’ is die cut, then heat embossed using Creative Expressions detail gold embossing powder. I then separately die cut and stamped the leaves, then yet another layer for the flower.

These sets are made so the flowers and leaves can be stamped and added to the letter separately, probably in floral colours……..but I stuck with black and gold.

I then took a piece of black card and embossed with a folder I haven’t seen for years – until I found it when sorting my craft stash out. It looks like a distressed stripey thingy background, and actually brings to mind the Altenew die and stamps.

Another black piece of card, and I stamped around the edge using a Tonic Nuvo clear embossing pad. I needed some more Ranger Perfect Medium, but thought I would buy this Tonic Nuvo pad. I am liking it – very juicy!

Once I had stamped around the edge of the card, I used the same gold embossing powder – to keep all the gold the same colour – so that I could use it as a layer.

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I also found some black foam dimensionals too – no idea where I got those – so from the side it doesn’t look too white and glaring with the layers.

I shall be entering the current challenge at Just Add Ink with the theme ‘add a ‘T”……do you think this ‘T’ is big and obvious enough?!

 

Altenew Cherished Memories

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Hello again everyone. I have a card to share inspired by the current sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, and using the colours from Color Throwdown.

I stamped and gold heat embossed the leaves from the new Altenew Cherished Memories stamp set onto a piece of navy card, and adhered that to a white card base.

I stamped the flowers onto a blush Creative Expressions card base – even though it looks white here, it is a blush colour card – then die cut, and arranged as per the sketch.

I didn’t want the flowers completely in a straight line, slightly out of line, but still giving the over-all impression following the sketch. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, stamped in navy onto the same blush card, and using a little corner rounder punch.

I then took a gold gel roll pen – still using the freebies from the Altenew day the other week – and dotted the middle of the flowers, so they matched in a little more with the background.

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Bye for now

 

Blooms blue and silver

A very short and quick posting today. I couldn’t resist using the colours on the current Color Throwdown again, with the Blooms Fill-in stamp set. I am loving playing with this set, and there are many, many ways of using it. I still haven’t done any of the die-cutting with it – but I am sure it will come.

For this card, I stamped and heat embossed the background in silver, actually stamped and heat embossed twice so I had good coverage. I then stamped the flowers in the light blue and dark blue. Such a great combination of colours, and I think this card really shines with the background heat embossed.

So – a quick posting just to share this card. 🙂

 

 

Let’s Celebrate

Hello there. As I am going to work in a couple of hours, I had some time free to make this clean and simple card. The layout is from the current challenge from CAS Colours and Sketches, as well as current Inkspirational challenge for a one layer card, with the added benefit of using monochrome for the Cardz 4 Galz challenge.

To match the sketch, I did think about Christmas baubles initially, but then decided to go with balloons, as I have quite a few stamp sets with balloons included. The set I used is from Stampin Up – ‘Balloon Adventures’. I knew I wanted to emboss the balloons in gold, so I thought a black background would mean they would be highlighted the best.

I stamped each of the balloons with Ranger Perfect Medium, and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder, then added the string afterwards, again heat embossing.

The sentiment is also from that same stamp set, again heat embossed in gold. I cut the card down to 5.5 inches square – so I knew I would have an envelope to fit.

Does anyone else have a problem when using the anti-static bag on dark card stock? I always seem to have a powder residue when I have done, and have tried several ways to get rid of that – just my fingers, a special piece of cloth (I find that takes the embossing off, though) – what is the best way?

I shall be entering the above three challenges with this card.