Watercoloured Background and Stampscape Stamps

Hi all.  I made this masculine card using a watercolour set by Koh-i-Nor which are nice and compact and have the paints in circular layers which screw together and have a screw on lid on the top and are great to travel with and fit easily in a small bag.  I also invested in a set of mop type brushes which I got on-line and which come to a lovely point, and I have to say they are great and at a good price too.  I decided to use a 5" x 7" card so cut the piece of card a little smaller thinking to use it as a portrait shape but it didn't quite work out that way as the top half went a bit wrong so I cut it down and it has ended up as a landscape card.

I started with a green mixed with some grey to darken it and I first spritzed the card at the bottom and added the paint, moving the wet paint around a bit and mopping it up where it ran too much.  I wanted to try and get a misty look, and after fiddling with it a bit more and adding an even darker green at the bottom I was pleased with the look.  I got out some Stampscape trees which came in a set with a larger tree and a group of smaller distant trees, a cabin with trees and some foreground rocks and reeds and also a dappled water stamp.  I only used the large tree stamp varying the height of each tree and taking it down beyond the bottom of the background so that they didn't end up too large, and I also added a group of three ducks which were bought separately but make a change from flying birds.  I used a Versafine Olympia Green for the stamping including the sentiment which I heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I did add some blue at the top, well watered down and in the end after cutting it down a lot I added a bit more green which was left on the brush just to blend it all in. 

At one point I nearly ditched it but once cut down and added to the card with the layers I think it looks OK, and I think to a certain extent I did manage to get the misty look.  Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Christmas/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Nov. '25 Christmas/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 836 Christmas Cards/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 506 Make Your Mark.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Holidays/Winter.

Mixed Media Birthday

Hi everybody.  I have a feminine card today featuring a bit of mixed media using another piece of the napkin I used for this card here, and also using a heart stencil with texture paste, and some stamps from a set which came with a Phil Martin Box Kit 12 which came out a while ago but which I am only just using for the first time.  I also used three Distress Inks - Blueprint Sketch, Worn Lipstick and Hickory Smoke.

I started by laying some pink ink down onto a piece of acrylic and spritzed it with water before pressing it onto the card in the areas where I wanted it in a sort of triangle over the righthand corner of a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square card.  I did this several times and then I cut a piece of the napkin which has the flowers in a border using just one quarter of it so it fitted into the same corner, and actually it was a bit too long and I cut the extreme left flower off and added it in towards the top righthand side as that area was a bit thinner and adding it there filled it out a bit.  I used some Mod Podge glue on the back of the piece and then more over the front to make sure the edges were firmly glued down.  I perhaps went rather mad and used more glue than necessary to take it over the edges, and in a certain light you can see it even though it has a matte finish.  I then decided to use the little heart stencil bought from The Range a long while ago, and which came in a pack with several other heart patterned stencils.  I spread the Titanium coloured paste over the area covered by the napkin and after it was dry I got out the Phil Martin stamps featuring postmarks, a couple of different splatts and a piece of music using the three colours mentioned above.  The Worn Lipstick is a cube and is beginning to dry up, and the Hickory Smoke is rather a pale grey so that doesn't show all that much but I did it in my stamp positioner and inked and stamped several times, but I think maybe it could have been a little bit darker.  I decided to add the two butterfly images which were on the napkin too and then finished by adding a sentiment using the blue ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

Thank you for dropping by to see me today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No 836 Christmas Cards/Anything Goes.

Stencil Fun Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Golden Days.

WeLove2Create Challenge - No. 11 Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - Nov. '25 Using one, two or all three of Birds, Butterflies or Blooms.

NBUS Challenge - No. 80 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Jaguar in the Jungle

Hi everybody.  I have a masculine card today featuring an 3D embossing folder from Made to Surprise called Leafy Background and a stamp from a Creative Stamping Magazine which I think is a Cheetah but as you would not find one in the jungle then I'm calling it a Jaguar..just a bit of artistic licence..lol.  This is the first time I've used this stamp.

I actually made this background quite a while ago and had done nothing with it except to cut the circular aperture, and I thought it would work well for this masculine make.  I embossed the leaves onto a piece of blue card and decided to use some green acrylic paint over all the leaves as this would cover the blue background better being more opaque than inks.  It did take a while and not something I would do often but I thought it worked well.  I then stamped the big cat onto a piece of white card using Versafine Majestic Blue ink and then found a small 'Happy Birthday' to add beneath which would allow it to fit within the aperture, doing them together in my stamp positioner, and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I finished by adding this behind the aperture and then glued the leafy background onto a 6" square white card...a quick and easy make in the end.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Christmas/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Nov. '25 Christmas/Anything Goes.

Girlz Makes Guyz Cards Challenge - No. 33 Birthday for a Man.

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Masculine.

Crafty Animals Challenge - No. 100 Anything Goes with an Animal.

NBUS Challenge - No. 80 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Anniversary Card using New Technique

Hi everyone.  I have a CAS anniversary card to show today using a technique which isn't totally new but involves using a paper napkin which I have seen others doing but have never tried myself.  Whilst away on holiday in September I saw this set of napkins and had been thinking about giving this a try so I bought them.  I was hoping that it would be an all over floral but it was more on each of the corners but it has worked OK for this heart shaped aperture.  I have also used a Leonie Pujol Embossing Folder called Dotty Heart and a Sweet Dixie set of Heart Dies.

I'm not sure why the photo looks so dark as the uncropped original was much brighter.  I started with the piece of white card just a little smaller than the 6" square card and die cut the heart from it just a bit above the centre, and I then used the embossing folder on it...I had to extend it a bit but it worked OK.  I cut just one quarter section of the napkin and took off the backing using just the patterned layer and I placed it behind the aperture to work out how to see the best of the pattern.  I wanted to stick it to the base card and as the pattern was all along the edge I didn't have a lot of leeway when glueing it down so I decided to cut the napkin using the next size larger heart close to the edge to get as much of the pattern as possible.  I laid it behind the aperture and made sure that I had equal edges and I pencilled a line on the base card around the napkin heart before moving it to add the glue to the card using Mod Podge with a brush.  I then placed it down getting it as flat as possible and added some more of the glue to the surface of the napkin which gives it more strength.  It did have one or two smallish wrinkles but luckily when dry they had smoothed out.  I finished the card by sticking the embossed top layer down and I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of white card using Versafine Majestic Blue ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and cut it into a banner.  I was going to add some colour onto the embossing but decided to leave it white as I think sometimes less is more.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.  

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 835 Autumn Colours/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - Nov. '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms using 1, 2 or all 3 on your card.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Pumpkins or the colour Orange.

Group of Cardmakers - Textured Tissue Paper with Dry Embossing

Hi everybody.  This month's technique that we are trying over at the Group of Cardmakers is using watercoloured tissue paper added to card and dry embossed before adding colour to the raised areas of the embossing.  For my card I used a Crafter's Companion embossing folder called Touch of Winter.  I don't have very many 3D embossing folders and those I do have have varied heights of embossing which means when you ink them it only inks bits and not all of the image which I felt didn't look quite right so I used an ordinary one.  I also used a Sue Wilson die called Noel Star..one which I have had for a long time, and a set of little stars cutting three of the smallest size.. I bought these from The Range a good few years ago but they make an appearance on cards most years.

I started by cutting a piece of white tissue paper about 6" square and smooshed it with Salty Ocean and Dusty Concord Distress Inks laying the ink down and spritzing and then laying the tissue paper over it.  I then very carefully lifted it and dried using my heat tool on the cooler setting.  I repeated this again to darken the colours and then I glued it to a piece of white card using Mod Podge glue.  I then embossed using the embossing folder and I finished by rubbing some Pebeo silver wax over it.  Inevitably there was some which went onto the background and I rubbed it quickly with a piece of tissue in those areas but you can still see it so I just added a bit more sponged on ink in the two colours which did push it into the background a bit.  I did try some metallic paint with a brayer but the paint I have seemed rather thick and difficult to spread and ended up looking overly blobby which is why I decided to use the wax instead.

I die cut the Noel die from a textured less shiny silver card and I cut off the star for this card as the sentiment fitted better without it, and I cut a second from a piece of white card to add behind it to make it stand out more.  I also cut three of the stars and after mounting the embossed background onto a rectangular card I added the sentiment towards the centre surrounded by the three stars.  I'm afraid the silver wax on the background embossing looks a bit dull but it is prettier in real life.

I found that the tissue paper I had was a bit thin and much harder to handle when wet, and I would suggest that if you want to try techniques with tissue you buy some which is termed wet strength which is available on Amazon and I also found a site called Carnival Papers over here in the UK which sells this stronger grade of tissue paper and I'm sure there will be others too.

I do hope you will visit us over at the Group of Cardmakers and see all the beautiful cards made by the rest of the team, and there is a Linky so if you make any cards you can display them there so we can all enjoy seeing what you've done.  There is also a video which Loll has made to demonstrate the technique.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Peace on Earth Challenge - No. 98 Anything Goes.

The 12 Months of Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Pumpkins or the Colour Orange.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Oct '25 Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Clean and Simple.

Guest Designing for Rudolph Days

Hi everyone.  I was so pleased to be one of the Top Picks over at Rudolph Days and was really happy to be given the opportunity to be a Guest Designer for one of the challenges.  I used three recently acquired sets of dies from Spellbinders.  The first is a Candy Stripes die set by Simon Hurley, and the second is a set of Poinsettia dies by Susan Tierney-Cockburn, and finally a set called Snowcapped Holidays which is a birdhouse to hang from a branch with a couple of birds and it also has some pieces of foliage including a pine branch, leafy branch, couple of holly leaves and a berry branch all of which I am using for the first time.

I started with the background and cut the stripes die into a piece of white card and cut around it to leave a small border.  I then placed a piece of gold card behind it.  I found some pretty pink paper with a gold thread running through it...not easy to see in the photo, which I thought would work but it was very thin, and I found a piece of white vellum and glued the pink paper onto it using some Mod Podge glue which I brushed over the vellum and then gradually smoothed out the paper over the top.  I then cut out the layers of the flower and also cut the three white pieces which layer up to form the centre of the flower, and then five of the smaller leaves to go around the outside which I coloured with a couple of greens and added a bit of yellow to the tips of the centre piece over which I added some Glossy Accents.  I also coloured the other pieces mentioned above to add around the flower, all using my alcohol markers.  I also made the berries purple as I thought they went better with the pink poinsettia.

I finished by layering it up onto a 5" x 7" card and I added a stamped sentiment heat embossed using WOW Rich Gold Metallic Embossing Powder.  I think the paper over the vellum gives the flower more substance but has more flexibility than using card as it is easier to bend to curl the petals and it tends to stay better.  I may well use this again I think.  I do have another pink flower which I cut and I have a piece of red which also has the gold thread, so watch this space.     

The Rudolph Days Challenge runs from the 25th to the end of each month, so still time to add to your stash of cards for this year.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 98 Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 835 Autumn Colours/Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Oct. '25 Anything Goes.

Crafter's Cafe Challenge - No. 93 Anything Goes/Christmas.

The Creative Crafters Challenge - No. 93 Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No 79 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Embossed Heart Anniversary

Hi everybody.  I have an anniversary card today made using an embossing folder by Lisa Horton called Floral Flourish and also a couple of hearts from a set by Sweet Dixie.

I started by doing the background colouring a piece of card with several colours of Brusho powders..Brilliant Red, Scarlet Red, Alizarin Crimson and Orange.  I just randomly added them to the card and then spritzed with quite a lot of water to cover it.  I then embossed with the 3D folder and I decided to add some Pebeo silver gilding wax very lightly to the raised areas keeping the wax away from the edges as I knew I would be layering it with white over the top and and I wanted the edge to be without the wax.  I cut the white using a snippet of card a bit smaller and decided where to cut the heart aperture and did this, and then I cut a second smaller heart from a snippet of silver mirri card and I also ran it through the embossing folder too.  I finished by layering it up onto a 6" square card and added the little heart to the centre of the aperture and finished it with a little sheer ribbon bow in a similar tone and added the sentiment stamped and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder.

Thank you for dropping by today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Fall Harvest.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 517 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Oct. '25 Anything Goes/Pumpkins.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 834 Traditional Christmas Colours/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Bright and Colorful. 

Clean and Simple Leaves

Hi All.  I have a masculine birthday card today made using one of a set of leaf dies from Crafter's Companion from the Nature's Garden Collection, a mini script stamp from Indigoblu, and also a Crealies set of rectangle dies called Stitch Dots. 

I started with a square card and I cut a mat using a snippet of white card to fit this using the rectangle die which I cut and then re-added the die over it to cut off part of it to make it square.  I then got out my Distress Inks in Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo.  I started ink blending the background with the Scattered Straw making it heavier and to the left and paler as a I went across just a little bit less than half way.  I darkened it with Fossilized Amber to the left and blended it in to leave just a very light layer of the Scattered Straw to the right.  I then stamped the script using the Fossilized Amber down just the lefthand edge. 

I carried on by cutting three of the maple leaves from the set using more snippets of white card and I coloured them first with the Scattered Straw and then went over them to darken near the base of the leaf with the Spiced Marmalade and then over the top of that with the Vintage Photo to achieve a rustier shade of orange.  I finished by adding the background to the card and adhered the leaves down the lefthand side and added a sentiment stamped with Vintage Sepia.  

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Color Hues Challenge - No. 119 Rust and Yellow.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 516 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 833 Woodland Critters/Anything Goes.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Oct. 25 Anything CAS Goes/Pumpkins.

Cut It Up Challenge - No. 340 Use More Than One Die.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Anything Goes using Dies.

Cardz 4 Guys Challenge - No. 378 Autumn/Fall.

Group of Cardmakers - Inlaid Die-Cutting

Hi everyone.  This month over at the Group of Cardmakers we are highlighting Inlaid Die Cutting.  I made my card using a piece of paper from a pad I bought at The Works quite a time ago with marbling type papers.  I don't use papers very often but these appealed to me and I have used a few from it.  I also used a Presscut die called Background Collection - Art Squares, and a Crafter's Companion set of Inverted Scallop dies, and also a pretty lantern stamp from a set by Hunkydory which came with a magazine called Eastern Moments.  The dies and the stamp are being used for the first time here. 

I started by cutting the Presscut die from a textured gold card and also from the piece of paper chosen from the pad.  I then adhered the gold frame to the 5" x 7" card and started to add the squares.  At first I laid them out so that I had the pattern right but then before glueing them down I decided to add in a few of the gold pieces to break it up a bit.  I then cut a circle from the Crafter's Companion set of Inverted Scallops...I was going to use the outer scalloped edge but I decided that it had to be big enough to get the stamped image on but with the edge it was rather too big and covered up too much of the pretty background, so I used just the inner left over piece.  I stamped the image using a couple of different Brilliance inks and as the Galaxy Gold was a bit too bright and didn't go with the background gold card, I used my stamp positioner and stamped over the top of the gold with an Olive ink, and it darkened it down enough to make it go.  I finished the edges of the white mat by rubbing the gold ink around it.  As a finishing touch I added the sentiment cut from more gold card.

I am entering the following challenges with this card:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Sept. 25 Make it Cute/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Sept. '25 CAS/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Pretty Paper.
NBUS Challenge - No. 78 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I have a second card using as a background a piece of copy paper over which I ink blended the leaves for my last card here, and I decided the colours and the coverage of the paper worked well.  I also used a set of leaves from Crafter's Companion part of the Nature's Garden collection.

I start by cutting down the background piece, and being thin paper I used some Modge Podge to glue it to white card and I cut it down to leave a small margin of white around the edge.  I then decided on where to place the leaves and die cut them out of the background and then added some double sided tape over the back of the apertures leaving the backing on and I added it to the 6" square card.  I then cut the leaves from kraft card and added a little Spiced Marmalade and Walnut Stain Distress Ink onto them before adding them into the apertures on the card and the tape proved good at holding them firmly.  I finished it with a sentiment stamped from Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink...quite a simple card.

I am entering this second card into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 833 Woodland Critters/Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Anything Goes.

Ellibelles Garden Party Challenge - No. 7 Anything In or From a Garden Goes.

A Cut Above Challenge - Sept. '25 Anything Goes with a Die.

This technique is fun to do and there are lots of different ways to use it and I hope you will visit us at the Group of Cardmakers to take a look at all the fabulous cards made by the rest of the team, and there are also links to several videos demonstrating different aspects of it, and also a Linky at the bottom for you to share your cards with us which would be great.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon. 

It Looks Like Fall

Hi everybody.  I was delighted to have be chosen as one of the Top Cuts over at the Cut It Up Challenge recently and was invited to be a Guest Designer for one of their challenges, and I chose this one with the theme of It Looks Like Fall.  I used the centre piece of a scalloped die set from Crafters Companion called Inverted Stitched Scallop Circle, and a set of Sizzix Leaf Fragments which are being used for the first time, and also a Craft Concepts Woodgrain Embossing Folder and a Dutch Doobadoo Birch Trees Mask, and lastly a Chocolate Baroque set of stamps Autumn Poppy and I used two of the different toadstools from the set.

I started by embossing the Birch Trees mask onto a piece of white card cut just a little smaller than the 6" square white card and I adhered it.  I then went on to the circle using a snippet of white card and embossed it with the Woodgrain EF and ink blended using several of the brown Distress Inks on it to bring out the pattern.  I moved on to the Leaf Fragments cut from more snippets of white card and used lots of different Distress Inks blended on them until I was happy with the look.  I continued by stamping the two different toadstools onto snippets of white card using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and added the Distress Inks using a waterbrush and cut them out.  I was only going to use the Fly Agaric type ones which do look a bit pink in the photo but I did use a red ink, and I also used a Posca pen for the white markings. but then decided to add a few more of the other shape I liked and cut them up to fit around the red ones.  Finally I added the birthday sentiment stamped using the Vintage Sepia Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and cut into a fishtail banner also using another snippet of white card.

The Cut It Up Challenge lasts for two weeks and I hope you can go over there, and perhaps enter a card which would be great.  Thank you for visiting my blog and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Sept. '25 Make it Cute/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Sept. '25 CAS/Anything Goes.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 515 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 832 Trees, Leaves and Plants/Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Sept. '25 Anything Goes.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Layers.

NBUS Challenge - No. 78 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

A Pocket Full of Love

Hi everyone.  I have an anniversary card today featuring a Spellbinders die set called A Pocket Full of Love which I have had for a while and recently used just the heart here.  

I cut the heart first and decided on the colour combination of the pink with the silver for the filigree design which can be cut into the card, and with the outside die which I used here to cut it out and also cut a plain pink heart using the outer die alone and glued it behind the silver one.  I moved on to the pocket which again can be cut into the card but I did want to use it as a pocket so cut the outer piece with the flaps which give it that bit of space when stuck down.  I then used some darker pink card and a light grey to add the flower layer, and there are some little bell type flowers on the heart which you can add but I decided not to use these.  I cut the insert piece which you can layer up but I left it without that as I had the idea of adding a photo onto it as a surprise using a photo of them and us taken at hubby's recent birthday celebration which I thought would be fun.  I will probably just put a note in the card to tell them to pull on the heart...hopefully it won't fall apart..lol.  The front piece of the heart attaches to the photo insert layer and is easier done after you have inserted it into the pocket, and then I added a silver heart to the back to give it more strength.  I finished it with a grey embossed sentiment.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Layer It Up.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 832 Trees, Leaves and Plants/Anything Goes.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Lots Of Layers.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S.  This is Week 2: Dies/Die Cuts.

Filigree Heart Anniversary

Hi everyone.  I have a simple CAS anniversary card today using the Spellbinders Pocket Full of Love heart and a The Crafter's Workshop stencil called Cactus Dahlia which I am using for the first time.

I cut a background from a snippet of white card and using the stencil I ink blended through it with Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  I placed it towards the top left hand side of the card and reaching just beyond the centre as it is a large stencil and I didn't want to cover the whole of the background with it, and I also inked up the edges with the same ink.  I cut a heart using a further snippet of white card and I embossed it with the same stencil to give it a bit of texture, and then I blended ink onto another snippet using Wilted Violet DI and cut the filigree heart.  I finished by adding a sentiment stamped in the Wilted Violet and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

Thank you for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Anything Goes/Nature.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 514 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 831 Birthdays/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 78 Where we use our Never Befo're Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. and this is Week 1: Ink/Colour Mediums.

Group of Cardmakers - Embossing with Dies

Hi all.  I am back today with the Group of Cardmakers, and the theme this time is Embossing with Dies.  I used a set of dies from Crealies called Squares with Small Square, and also a set of Square Frame It dies by Clarity Crafts which cut into the card, and also a snowflake die from Craft Emotions, but I will be embossing with these last two and not cutting them. 

I started by die cutting a topper using one of the Crealies dies, about 4" square, a new set being used for the first time, and backed this with a piece of red card just slightly larger.  I then moved on to embossing the snowflake and added the Versamark ink onto the raised parts of the die before running it through my machine and then embossed it with WOW Rich Gold Embossing Powder.  There are several videos on the Group of Cardmakers post which will explain how to do this, but personally I lay the die face down onto the card with the embossing mat beneath it and the plate on top, as well as any extra shims you might need.  I do it this way as you can then see where you are placing the die for more accuracy, but it is of course personal choice.  Another tip is to use an anti-static bag on the card, but if you do find there are stray bits of powder get a piece of card and drag it across to remove them leaving only the powder within the grooves of the pattern...I picked this up from Jennifer McGuire.  Unfortunately the embossing did crease the card around the snowflake in several places, probably down to my having the sandwich a bit too thick making too much pressure, so I cut it down quite close to the snowflake to remove this and then edged it with the gold Sharpie pen.

I then decided to emboss a pattern onto another piece of white card to fit around the snowflake using the Clarity Crafts set.  After embossing it I made the decision to use the side of the die which had the diamond pattern raised up and I went over the whole pattern with some Gold Perfect Pearls and then used the gold pen to very carefully bring out the pattern of the little diamonds.  I then highlighted the edges of it with the same pen.  I was going to add this straight onto the topper but then thought that maybe it would have more impact added onto red card, so I cut this a little smaller than the topper and embossed a larger frame onto it using the same Clarity set, and opted to use the raised embossed side rather than the debossed, and adhered it before adding the other layer, and finally the snowflake which I raised up on a piece of adhesive backed foam for a little more dimension.  I finished it off with a gold embossed sentiment.

I hope you managed to stick with that rather drawn out explanation...lol.  This card features several different ways of using this technique and it was fun to make.  A lot of you will see from the photo what I've done, but I hope that it's helpful to those newer crafters who may appreciate something more but I quite understand if you don't have the time or need to do so..sometimes that saying 'life is too short' does apply...lol.

I hope you will go visit the GoC post and see all the beautiful cards make by Loll, Christine and Susan, and there is a Linky at the bottom for you to share your interpretations of the technique and we would just love to see them.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I hope you'll come back again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 830 Something beginning with 'B'/Anything Goes.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Aug. '25 Anything CAS Goes/Cute Animals.

Peace on Earth Challenge - No. 94 Anything Christmas Goes.

Rudolph Days Challenge - Aug. '25 Anything Christmas Goes.

Cut It Up Challenge - Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 77 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S.  This is Week 4: 'A' = Anything Goes.

Snowy Northern Lights

Hi everybody.  I decided to do another Northern Lights card but this time a snowy one and I found this Impression Obsession stamp which I have had for ages called Wintery Day which I thought would work well.

I stamped the scene onto a snippet of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and then cut the piece down so that there was a white border on the top and two sides, leaving the bottom which obviously is the snow in the foreground.  I then masked it on all four sides making sure to completely mask the foreground snow too.  I then started on the sky.  I had looked at some photos on line and liked this particular sky so decided to make something similar. I started with Adirondack Sunshine Yellow blended just behind the treeline in the centre and then worked my way up using Distress Inks in Twisted Citron, then a bit of Adirondack Stonewashed and then Chipped Sapphire DI and at the very top some Black Soot DI.  I introduced some of the Chipped Sapphire in between the green here and there and I also tried to feather the blue into the green a little towards the right hand side.  I then got out a 5" x 7" card base and used a Sheena Douglass Embossing Folder called Frosty Ice Border, another I have had for a very long time, and used it directly onto the card and it left just a bit of an impression where it didn't quite cover, so I cut the card back a bit. 

I finished by cutting the bottom portion of the snowy scene back in the foreground, and layered it onto a snippet of black card.  I then realised I had left the foreground snow brilliant white, and as it is supposed to be a night scene I added the masking back on and using the bit of blue/black ink that was left on the brush I darkened the foreground.   I then cut a black sentiment from another snippet and also added the stars and a bit of snow on the branches of the lefthand tree.  

Before I finish I would just like to tell you that our Group of Seven Cardmakers has been rebranded to reflect the fact that we are now a smaller group of designers, and as we missed last month's post it was belatedly added yesterday, and our next post will go up as usual on 28th August so I hope you will go and take a look at the beautiful Northern Lights cards from the team with several videos and other tips for doing this lovely technique and I hope you feel inspired to give it a try.  It will show an earlier card I posted here.  

Thank you for dropping by today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No 513 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

We Love Stamping Challenge - Aug. '25 Flowers/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Aug. '25 Birds, Bees and Butterflies/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 830 Something Beginning with 'B'/Anything Goes.

Sparkles Christmas Challenge - No. 175 Include a Tree.

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 94 Anything Goes.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. and this is Week 3: 'E' = Embossing.

Love Hearts

Hi everybody,   I have an anniverary card today using a heart die from Crafter's Companion called Love Hearts which I got a good few months ago but being used for the first time.  

I cut the heart from a snippet of white card cut to it a 6" square card and I found a snippet of pink holographic card which I have had in my stash for years and just a fraction larger than the white top layer.  I then found a snippet of light grey card to mount that on to, and then I found another smaller snippet of the same grey card and I die cut the central heart from this and then fussy cut round it to fit inside the original heart.  I finished by stamping a sentiment onto it using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink and heart embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and then added it over the heart, and as I had a few hearts which came out of the die cut heart using the grey card I added these to the top right and bottom left corners.  A fairly straight forward card and a bit different using the pink and grey colours.  It was supposed to be for the Color Hues Challenge but I just missed the closing date...drat!!

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 512 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 829 Animals/Anything Goes.

Cut It Up Challenge - No. 336 Add a Sentiment.

NBUS Challenge - No 77 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Aug. '25 Anything CAS Goes/Cute Animals.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S.  This is Week 2 - 'D' = Dies.

Northern Lights Technique

Hi all.  I decided to try to make a card featuring the Northern Lights and I looked at lots of photos to get an idea of colours and then set about replicating it.  There are also lots of YouTube videos which I looked at, and also Loll and Susan have recently put up their versions which are all beautiful, and they have both mentioned videos which you could look at.  I also used three different tree stamps..two from a Stampscapes set and one from a set by Chocolate Baroque.  Two out of three of the tree stamps are being used for the first time.

I started with the green and pink colours in the sky for which I used Distress Inks in Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry and Wilted Violet.  The Twisted Citron is a small ink cube and building up the colour took quite a long time and that was one of the reasons I added the Mowed Lawn which I have in a normal sized ink pad and which made it a bit faster, though I did want to keep the colour as light as I could.  I then added in the Chipped Sapphire DI which is another ink cube and I filled in the gaps and around the outside edges, and darkened it up with Black Soot DI which I added to the bottom section too.  Unfortunately I have managed to create a bit of brown between the green and pink because I accidentally laid one over the other and it has made the join a bit muddy, but apart from that it went quite well.

I finished it off by adding the different trees across the bottom at different heights for a bit of variation using my Misti so that I could stamp them several times, and I used Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  I also added some Posca Pen stars and finished with a birthday sentiment using Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  It does have a slightly grey look but I didn't want it to be a stark white so I think that works OK.

Thank you for visiting me today and I will be posting more frequently again.  I have had rather a long break as our son came to visit from Australia for three weeks which was lovely, so cardmaking was suspended, and I always find it hard to get myself revved up again which is silly as I do enjoy being creative, but once I start I am generally fine and the mojo mostly works..lol.  

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Aug. '25 Flowers/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Aug. '25 Birds, Bees and Butterflies/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 829 Animals/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 498 Birthdays.

NBUS Challenge - No. 77 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.DE.A.S. and this is Week 1: 'I' = Inking/Color Mediums

A Special Birthday Card

Hi everybody.  Today I'm showing the card I made for hubby's birthday which was actually yesterday.  I am using a set of dies from Globleland featuring a frame of books and which also has an open book which I have amalgamated into the frame and which I am using for the first time.  I am also using a set of dies from Spellbinders called Balloons and Birthday Wishes and which I am also using for the first time.  I have also used paper from a pad bought from The Range, and an embossing folder from Creative Expressions which I have had for ages.

I started with a piece of blue card and embossed it using the folder and cut it to fit a 6" square card, and then I cut the book frame from silver mirri card and I removed a section of the books from the bottom of the frame and then backed this with a piece of lighter blue card and added the open book to the gap at the bottom of the frame raised up a little with a piece of  3D foam tape behind it and added this to the card.  I then die cut the balloons from white card and the strings from the same card as I used for the embossed background.  I found an appropriate piece of paper from the pad which has the look of alcohol inking in shades of blue and I used different parts of the sheet to get a variety of looks for the four balloons and cut and adhered them to the white ones.  I then heat embossed them using Versamark and WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and did this twice to build up the shine, and I added a string to each and added them one at a time using bits of the foam tape behind them to make a nice bunch and cut the string to fit behind the frame at the bottom.  I finished by adding the birthday sentiment in white which I cut twice to give it more rigidity...there are a set of sentiment plates which you can add then onto, but this time I just added them without, and then finished with the white numbers on the balloon. 

On the face of it seems a very straight forward card, but I had left it rather late making it as I at first was not sure what to do but I settled on the book frame because he does love to read and I thought the balloons and sentiment sat over it nicely and were a fun look.  I had put it together and was adding the sentiment and somehow glue go spattered onto it and the air was blue, but luckily I wiped it off immediately and it didn't mark..phew!!  Our son wanted to do something special for this milestone birthday and so has arranged a lovely venue and we have some family and friends coming along in a week's time to have a lovely lunch.  It is a very old manor house with a barn in the grounds which we have the use of, and we have someone to cater, so all we need is a nice day so we can sit outside in the grounds and enjoy the lovely surroundings, and Stewart has now arrived from Australia and is here until the end of the month which is great. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 827 For A Child/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Emboss It.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/In The Sky.

NBUS Challenge - No. 76 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Two Little Wrens

Hi all.  I have made an anniversary card for my hubby featuring a die of a little wren which came with Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady Magazine Box Kit No. 1.  I cut two sitting on a leafy branch and placed them over a slatted heart die from Craft Addictions being used for the first time, although I have had it for a while...tut tut! It was our 43rd on Thursday, and I can't believe that we've been married that long..maybe hubby might think differently..lol.     

I cut the heart which can be used just to cut into the card but also cut out with the added outer die..it also has a stitched frame which impresses the pattern but doesn't cut but can be added to the mix.  I also added a piece of red card behind the slats.  I then cut the birds twice, once from red and again from white and shaded the red one a little with a red alcohol marker, and the white one with pencil though this doesn't show in the photo really, and also cut the branch and some leaves from the red card..all using snippets.  I added the heart to a 6" square white card, just a little above the centre, and arranged the birds on the branch and added the leaves.  I then decided to add a couple of clusters of little white hearts each side of the central heart and finished with a red sentiment using a mixture of Versafine Satin Red and Crimson.  I used my stamp positioner and just added each colour until I was happy that it went with the red card I used.

Just as an aside.  The Craft Addictions Hearts die set (it has two duplicate heart sets) which I got soon after they started doing dies and I found that some of the metal pieces that hold the dies together were impossible to totally remove as they were in a curve at the top and bottom of the die which made them impossible to get at with the pliers I have, and I cannot used the stitched aspect of the die because the little bits of metal leave marks/holes in the paper after running it through my machine.  I just wondered if anyone else had problems and has managed to remove these with snips/pliers and could recommend some that would work.  I believe that since this first run they have rectified the problem which is good.  

Thank you for joining me here at my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

CAS on Friday Challenge - No. 312 Botanical (the birds are on a leafy branch..hope this counts).

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - July'25 Anything CAS Goes/Beachy.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 509 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.  (I have used snippets of white and red card throughout).

Cut It Up Challenge - No. 333 Critters.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 827 For A Child/Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge No. 76 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Color Hues Challenge - No. 113 Red and White.

Group of Seven - Generation Stamping

Hi everyone.  Another month has whizzed by and it's time for this month's technique over at the Group of Seven Cardmakers, and it's using generation stamping.  This is not a new technique but one perhaps that over time we do forget to include in our cardmaking and it can certainly be very effective.  For this card I have used a hill mask by Lavinia...one of a set, and also a stamp by Crafty Individuals called Wild Flowers and Fern Silhouette.  

I masked a panel on a piece of card 51/2" square and ink blended the hills and sky using a Lavinia mask and Peeled Paint Distress Ink at the bottom followed by Lettuce Adirondack Ink and then Crushed Olive DI, and for the sky Shaded Lilac and Tumbled Glass DI's.  I then removed the mask strips and added the flowers inking with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, and then stamped again onto a spare piece of paper before stamping on the card for the second generation ones, and a little lower and two the right...I used a stamp positioner which is why I used a piece of paper placed in my Misti to remove some ink.   I finished by adding the little birds using a Black Micron Pen, and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment again using the Nocturne Ink, and I then added this to the 6" square white base card.  This is quite a simple card but I think the second generation inking of the flowers does add a bit more interest.  I did debate whether to try stamping the flowers again for some third generation ones but decided not too.  I have to keep telling myself that less is more...lol.

I hope you'll give this a go, and if you do there is a Linky at the bottom of the GO7 post where you can add your cards for us all to enjoy and get inspiration from.  You will also find great inspiration from the other members of the team and there are several videos you can look at too.

Thank you for coming to visit my blog today and I'll see you again soon.  

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 826 Seaside/Anything Goes.
We Love Stamping Challenge - June'25 Nature/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - June'25 Our Furry Friends/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Pretty Pinks/Anything Goes.

AAA Cards Challenge - No 293 Anything CAS Goes.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar - Week 4: A = Anything Goes.

Floral Flourish

Hi everybody.  I found a technique on line which I just had to do, sorry that I can't remember precisely where, but it involves masking to leave a white edge and then ink blending and after using an embossing folder over the whole thing dragging a contrasting ink pad across the raised areas just where the masked colour is.  I used a Lisa Horton 3D folder called Floral Flourish which I was lucky enough to win fairly recently and am using for the first time, and also Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans, and I used Hero Arts Unicorn as the contrasting ink.

I started with a piece of white card cut to fit the 6" square embossing folder and I then masked equally around the edges and applied the ink with a brush and blended well.  I then heat set the inks and ran the piece through the EF and then I cut back the edges a bit on each side to fit nicely on a 6" square white card.  I re-masked it and added the white ink over the coloured area.  Unfortunately the white seems to have picked up the underneath colour, especially over the green and the white ink pad which is new has acquired a green tinge.  I have rubbed the pad across a piece of kitchen towel a few times and it is better, but just hope that when I next use it the ink still comes through white.  I finished it with a white die cut bird found in my bits box and a die cut sentiment cut twice from white card to give it more substance and coloured using a Sharpie silver marker.  I should perhaps have put the sentiment onto a mat to make it stand out more but c'est la vie...lol.

Thank you for coming here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 826 Seaside/Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - June '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using one, two or all three).

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Floral Goes/Optional Mood Board No. 30.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 74 No Stamping.
The Flower Challenge - No. 103 Add Embossing (Heat or Dry).

NBUS Challenge - No. 75 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also playing along with:

Darnell's June I.D.E.A.S. Calendar - This is Week 3: 'E' = Embossing /Wet or Dry.

Twirling Tulips

Hi all.  I have card today featuring a Spellbinder's 3D Embossing Folder called Twirling Tulips which I got in a recent sale and I decided to try an inking technique which I haven't done before which entails colouring on the debossed side and then dragging a dark ink pad over the top which colours the raised areas which in this case is the background and any raised details on the tulips and leaves...this is often called the blackout technique, although there maybe a proper name for it which I don't know..lol. 

 

I used my Lyra Aqua Brush Markers in yellow and orange on the flowers and a mid tone green for the leaves.  When I had finished this I used a Versafine Majestic Blue ink pad swiped very carefully over the top to colour the background.  I usually drag it vertically and then horizontally and I think this ink pad must be drying out a bit as it took a while to achieve a deep colour.  There are some raised areas of detail on both the flowers and the leaves which get covered with the blue ink which adds depth to them, but inevitably some of the blue got onto the leaves and so they look a bit green in places, but overall I was really pleased with the results.  I suppose the look of it is rather like the Joseph's Coat technique.  You can also ink the embossed side of the folder with the ink before running it through your machine which you would probably have to do a few times to build up the depth of colour, but I think I prefer this way of doing it.

The embossing folder is quite large about 8 1/2" x 5 3/4" so I decided to cut the piece in half and us it on a DL card.  I placed it on a white mat and then adhered it to the card.  I decided to cut a bit off the width of the card just to even it up a bit, and I then added a sentiment strip to finish using the Majestic Blue Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 825 What Makes You Happy?/Anything Goes (getting inky and trying new techniques make me happy).

The Flower Challenge - No. 103 Add Embossing (Heat or Dry).

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 74 No Stamping.

I made this second card using another part of the leftover blackout embossed piece cut into a circle and matted onto a slightly larger circle and then framed using a stitched inverted scalloped circle die from a set by Crafters Companion called Inverted Stitched Lace Circle...each of the three scallop dies in the set comes with a plain circle die so you can have it cut into or cut out of the card.  I have had this for a while but am only now using it.  I finished it by adding a stamped sentiment using Majestic Blue Ink and heat embossed with the WOW Clear Gloss EP.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Cut it Up Challenge - No. 331 Anything Goes.

CAS on Friday Challenge - No. 310 Embossing.

Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 284 Floral.

Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.