Good Sunday morning. I have a clean and simple holiday card to share with you today that I made for the Splitcoaststampers Featured Stamper Challenge. Penni, better known on SCS as razldazl is our featured stamper this week and my card was inspired by her Early Fall card found here. If you aren’t familiar with this challenge the goal is to pick a card out of the artist’s gallery and use the basic design but change it up in some way. I used Penni’s negative die cut, layout and embossing but changed my theme to Christmas. My project was made using the Essentials by Ellen Poinsettia and Pine, Taylored Expressions Bead Board embossing folder and Nesting Card Templates. The gingham background paper is out of the My Favorite Things Tiny Check pad. Essentials by Ellen also has a coordinating stamp set that works with the Poinsettia and Pine called Mistletoe and Holly.
Since I can never get a card layer cut straight with my paper trimmer I used the Nesting Card Templates to cut the embossed layer. I laid a piece of waxed paper of top of the white layer, lined up the rectangle die and pine die and ran them through my Big Shot Express all at once (have I told you how much I love my power Big Shot Express). I left the pine die cut in place on the card base, placed it in the embossing folder and ran through my Big Shot. Hint: l like to use waxed paper or even printer paper to layer between my cardstock and dies when using light paper so there are no marks left from the die. They also protect the front of the cardstock when using an open die like the rectangle I used today to keep the cardstock from getting imprints from the plate.
I cut a small piece of the gingham paper and attached it on the card base with ATG adhesive. I removed the pine die cut, applied mounting tape on the back of the embossed layer and attached it to the card base. I attached the pine piece to the top edge of the opening with glossy accents. I made a multi loop bow using red and white gingham to match the paper inside and attached it with glue dots. I had planned to use only the white and red gingham but couldn’t resist adding the green holly leaves from the set to add one more Christmas element.
Thanks for coming by and I hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
Good Sunday morning. My project today was made using the new Penny Black Woodland Scene die set. The set has one die with a tree, deer, owl, squirrel and bunny and a die with a row of birch trees. The dies are smaller than I thought when I purchased them but I still like them. My card size is 4.50” square.
I cut the two die scenes out using watercolor paper and watercolored them using Distress reinkers mixed with water and a brush. After the paper dried I added touch of white embossing paste to the ground and branches using an old paintbrush. Even though the ink was dry on the scenes some of the brown ink was absorbed by the embossing paste so I lightly dabbed white gesso over all the spots to create the snow.
I used my craft knife to cut a square opening in the blue card base to create a see thru window. I applied thin strips of mounting tape to the front of the full tree scene and attached it over the opening on the inside of the card. I applied double stick tape to the back of the deer scene and attached it over the opening on the front of the card. I created a double matted frame and attached it over the scene with thin strips of mounting tape. You can click on the see thru window and double matted frame links to see my step by step tutorials.
I didn’t realize how hard it would be to see the front images with the back trees being as dark as I painted them. I took this close-up view so you could more clearly see the little squirrel, owl and bunny. I will make an effort next time to use colors that allows everything to show more clearly.
Thanks for coming by today and I hope you have a great Sunday.
Good Sunday morning. My project today was made for the Featured Stamper Challenge. I host this challenge once a month and it is always fun to go on a search to find a new featured stamper to present. This week I chose Donna Idlet’s lovely gallery of projects for our challengers to use for inspiration. My card was inspired by Donna’s A Bouquet of Flowers For You. I kept Donna’s flower and frame theme but changed the color combination and used one large flower instead of creating a bouquet. I was really excited to play with the newly released Essentials by Ellen Mondo Peony Stamp Set, Mondo Peony Die Set and Lovely Sentiment set and this challenge was the perfect opportunity.
I don’t watercolor often any more since I use mostly dies for my projects. I enjoyed using my brush and reinkers to color the flower and foliage but I didn’t do as well as I would like in creating darker and lighter shades of color. I had an even harder time getting good photos that actually showed the small amount of shading that I was able to accomplish. I just couldn’t win. LOL!
I stamped the images on hot pressed watercolor paper with versa and embossed with gold embossing paper. The lines on the flower are very delicate and I felt I would have a much crisper outcome with the versa and gold embossing with the smooth finish of the hot pressed paper. I used Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and Wild Honey reinkers for the flower and Peeled Paint reinker for the foliage. I use the lids of my ink pads as palettes when I watercolor. That way whatever reinker is left will be there the next time you need it. I painted the images before I cut them out with the dies. I painted a small border of color outside the lines of the images so when I die cut them out the outer edges around the lines would not be white. I stamped, embossed and painted two different flowers. I used one as the base flower and cut across the middle of the flower petals with my scissors to create a partial flower to pop up on the base of the flower to create dimension. The sentiment was stamped with versa and embossed with gold embossing powder.
I cut the frame using my Nesting Squares and attached it to the card base with thin strips of mounting tape. The flower base and partial flower were attached together with mounting tape and then attached to the card base with mounting tape. The foliage pieces were lightly formed with my fingers and then tucked in and attached around the flower glossy accents. My favorite thing about this card is the precious “If Flowers Could Hug I Would Send You A Thousand” sentiment.
If you want to see some exquisite examples of this gorgeous flower click on this link to go look at the samples on the store site for the Mondo Hydrangea. There is no way I could come close to the beautiful work these ladies did to show off this set.
I hope you have a great day and I appreciate you coming by.
Good Saturday afternoon. My project today was made for the Splitcoaststampers Inspiration Challenge and our inspiration site this week is EcoCycled on Etsy. I wasn’t particularly inspired by any certain piece but more inspired by the print behind all of the art pieces. I had my new Essentials By Ellen Stay Salty Stamp Set and Stay Salty Die Set from playing with them for the new release this past week. I thought it would be fun to create an ocean scene with a print background. I couldn’t resist using those fun die cut waves again.
I stamped the print background on cream cardstock with versa and embossed with it super fine gold embossing powder. I sponged in the sand using Vintage Photo ink, water and clouds in the sky using Tumbled Glass ink an an ink blending tool. I used my new Ink Antics cloud template for the clouds. I sponged blue on a piece of cardstock and cut out the waves. I stamped the boat on cream cardstock with versa and embossed with gold embossing powder. I applied the blue ink on the boat and then used my craft knife to cut in between the sails. I applied Cosmic Glitter Glue on the waves and applied glitter. I applied glue on the sand beach area and applied glitter. The sail
I cut the frame using my Nesting Card Templates and attached it to the card base using strips of mounting tape. I applied mounting tape pieces to the back of the waves and attached in the scene. I finished by attaching the little sailboat in the scene with mounting tape. I had fun with this project but not sure that I am overly fond of creating a scene over print. But it’s always good to try and step out of my comfort zone.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I appreciate you stopping by today.
Good Thursday morning and welcome to the Impression Obsession “A Day at the Beach” design team challenge to make a beach card project. I have been having lots of fun lately making monochromatic beach cards. My project today was made using the Sea Birds and Mini Shell Set. The frame was made using Nesting Squares.
I cut a piece of Eclipse masking tape to create mask for the straight water line and cut another piece with deckle scissors to create a mask for the sand beach. When I had both masks in place I applied Broken China ink with an ink blending tool to create the ocean. I removed the straight line mask and lightly sponged in the clouds in the sky area using the same blue ink and my retired Stampin’ Up! cloud template. I dry set the ink with my heat gun and then removed the sand mask. I applied Cosmic glitter glue to the sand area with my finger being careful to keep it out of the blue ocean and then applied clear glitter. I applied white embossing paste to the ocean with a small palette knife to create the sea foam. You can see a few step by step pictures of how I apply the embossing paste on myRelaxing by the Deep Blue Sea blog post. I attached the scene layer to the card base with ATG adhesive and then attached the frame over the scene using thin strips of mounting tape.
I cut the mini shells using white cardstock and applied the blue ink using a mini applicator. I applied Cosmic glitter glue to each shell and applied clear glitter to add sparkle. When the glue was dry on the shells I attached them across the bottom of the frame using tiny pieces of mounting tape and glue dots. I used a mini applicator to lightly apply blue ink to the sea gulls and then attached them in the scene using small pieces of mounting tape. I love how this turned out. I wish you could see in the pictures how the shells and the beach area sparkle with the glitter.
Why don’t you come along and play with us. To enter the challenge go to the Impression Obsession Blog (all the details are there!). A random challenge card will be selected to showcase on the IO blog and you can enter to win a $25 gift certificate to IO just by playing! I hope you will go check out what the other IO teams members created for the challenge.
I started by cutting five sections of the wide tree using Kraft cardstock, misted lightly with water and applied Vintage Photo ink by rubbing the ink pad directly on the damp cardstock. I dried the pieces with my heat gun and assembled the wreath and attached the pieces to a 1 3/4” circle base with glossy accents. You can see step by step pictures on my Twiggy Wreath tutorial to see how I put the wide tree sections together to form the wreath.
I cut a couple sections of the foliage set, cut the larger sections apart and attached them around the wreath with glossy accents to form the foliage base for the flowers. I punched out several flowers using yellow cardstock and applied Wild Honey ink to each flower using a mini applicator. I formed the flowers using my stylus and molding pad and then attached them to the foliage using glossy accents. I cut a frame in yellow using the Nesting Squares and applied Wild Honey ink around the border to make it match the flowers and attached it to the back of the pierced frame with ATG adhesive. The frame was attached to the card base using thin strips of mounting tape. I applied glossy accents to the back of the frame and attached it to the card base. I love how this wreath turned out with all the twiggy tips sticking out past the flowers and foliage.
Thanks for coming by and I hope you have a wonderful day.
FTC Declaration – FTC16CFR, Part 255. In the spirit of full disclosure, I declare that I am a freelance designer. I currently receive or have received in the past products that I promote and endorse as a freelance designer for free or at a discount from the following companies: SCS, Rubbernecker, Stampavie, Whipper Snapper, My Favorite Things, Hanna Stamps. Any product that I sell and endorse is a product I have used in my designs and recommend with complete honesty. As a freelance designer, I have the freedom to promote/endorse products that I personally use and love. I have not nor will I knowingly endorse a product that I feel is of substandard quality.
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