Group of Seven - Gilding Flakes on Acetate

Hi everyone.  A new month starts over at the Group of Seven Cardmakers, and we are shining a light on using gilding flakes on acetate.  I don't think I have used acetate with gilding flakes before so something new.  This card uses the Cosmic Shimmer Autumn Leaves Gilding Flakes with a bee stamp from Art Journey called Honey Bee, and a background made using a Tim Holtz stencil called Honeycomb and some DecoArt White Modelling Paste.

I started with a piece of acetate and covered the bee stamp with Zig glue with a wide flat nib applicator which makes it easier to spread the glue over the stamp, and having made sure all the stamp looked amply covered I stamped it using my stamp positioner for more accuracy and if an extra application of glue should be needed.  I did apply the glue again and stamped once more and then very quickly laid it on some paper and covered it with plenty of gilding flakes and pressed down making sure they made good contact with the glued image and then left them like that for a few minutes before very carefully brushing away the surplus flakes with my fingers, and then I used the scoochy to burnish it.  I won't say it was a perfect outline but I had already decided to cut the bee out and I refined the edges as I cut it, especially on the legs where the flakes had spread so I did cut the outlines back a bit looking at the photo on the front of the stamp to see how it should look, and I did scratch off the flakes where I thought the eyes should be and added a bit of copper Sharpie pen over those.  Then I went on to stencil the honeycomb onto the centre area of a piece of square white card cut to fit a 6" square card base with a fairly narrow border.  I coloured the paste with some yellow and and orange Brusho powders and then used the paste in the centre trying to keep the edges a little rough, and then left it to dry.  I finished the background with a sentiment stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and I also added some foam tape down the centre of the bee to raise it up a little.

I am entering the card above in the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - April '25 Anything Goes/Favourite Stamps.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - April '25 Birds, Animals, Flowers and Nature/Anything Goes.

Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. - Week 4 'A' = Anything Goes.

For my second card I thought I would used a set of Creative Craft Products Torn Edge Stars and a Crafts Too Stars Embossing Folder which I have had for quite a long while and it is only now being used for the first time.  I used one of the stars to cut an aperture in the centre of a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square card and then used the Stars EF over it, extending it as it is an A6 size, and this worked well.  I then cut a smaller star to fit inside the aperture using some acetate.  I did intend to use some glue through a star stencil and then add the gilding flakes, but this did not work well and I tried several times but the small stars looked extremely blobby although I used a blending tool with a good covering of glue added to the sponge which I thought was the best way to do it.  I then decided instead to cover the whole star with glue and then cover it with the flakes.  I then backed this acetate star with another star cut from black card and then put the card together.  I added a banner sentiment across it stamping with Versamark ink and heat embossed with WOW Metallic Brass Embossing Powder. 

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 281 Star.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 822 Inspired by a Song/Anything Goes (Catch a Falling Star by Perry Como.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - April '25 Anything Goes/Weather.

Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 73 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge - April '25 Technique: Stamping.

Peace on Earth Challenge - April '25 Anything Goes.

My last card is not made using the acetate but I will show it anyway as it is mounted onto the acetate instead.  I used up some remnants of some very old gilding flakes covering a piece of white card with some adhesive sheet and then added the gilding flakes over this and then die cut some Spellbinder Bold Bloom flowers and leaves being used for the first time, and added these to the piece of acetate.  I added a Reverse Scallop die cut frame from Crafter's Companion, also being used for the first time, and coloured it with a copper Sharpie pen, added a piece of blue card behind the acetate and a die cut sentiment which I cut from a piece of white card heat embossed with WOW Metallic Copper EP.  On reflection I think the Metallic Brass I used on the last card would have matched a bit better but it does look a lighter colour in real life.  This was mounted onto a 7" x 5" white card. 

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 304 Anything Goes/Stencilling.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - No. 28 Anything Floral Goes.

Triple B Challenge - April '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using 1, 2 or all 3).

I have to say I don't think acetate and I mix terribly well..lol, and I think that the Flitter Glue from Indigoblu is the best one for using with stamps for a good clear outline and I have used this in the past and it did work well with the flakes but I don't have any at present, and they do say you can use any glue but the other glues I have did not work so well for me.  I think my last card has the look of the technique but was a bit of a cheat, but nevertheless I was pleased with it.  The other ladies over at the GO7 have produced some beautiful cards so do take a look and if you give it a go there is a Linky at the bottom of the post for you to add your cards for us all to see.

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

Flying Pelican

Hi everyone.  I have a masculine card today using the Pink Ink Pelican and I used the smaller silhouette image which I haven't used before.  I also used a Sea Green Brusho, an orange alcohol marker and a white Posca pen.  I watch a lady called Deb Hallet on YouTube and she did a card yesterday which inspired me to make my version of it as I thought it was a clever idea.  If you are interested the link to it is here.

I started with a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square card and sprinkled the Brusho powder from the bottom right hand corner up towards the middle of the card, spritzed it with some water and then dabbed away where it pooled around the edges and left it to dry.  I then stamped the silhouette pelican using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and took my white Posca pen and gradually covered the black image with the white making it thick enough to cover nicely.  I then went round the outline with a pencil instead of a black Micron pen just to define it as I thought the black might be a bit heavy.  I then added the orange alcohol marker over the bill and the feet.  I finished by splattering the white Posca over the sea area, and inevitably it did go a bit further than I intended but it gives the impression of spume off the water, and I also quite lightly added a little on the waves too..I decided less is more and I did cover the pelican and the very bottom corner before I did it.  I then added the sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.   

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Colour Hues Challenge - No. 107 Orange and Teal.

We Love Stamping Challenge - April '25 Anything Goes/Favourite Stamps.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - April '25 Birds, Animals, Flowers and Nature/Anything Goes.

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

N.B.U.S. Challenge - No. 73 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. - Week 1 Ink/Color Mediums.

First Christmas Card for 2025

Hi all.  I decided to make a Christmas card this week inspired by the GO7 theme this month of pastes, and for the background I used some DecoArt white paste coloured with Brushos and added through a Crafter's Companion stencil which came with Box Set No. 6.  I also used a die set from Spellbinders called Winter Evergreen Foliage and Lady Bugs, and also a set of Creative Craft Products Torn Edge Stars both being used for the first time.

I coloured the paste with Turquoise and a little Ost. Blue Brusho and used it through the stencil.  I then went on to die cut three pieces of foliage using some snippets of white card and two of the dies from the set cutting two of the die which had little spaces on the stems to add the berries.  I decided to colour them in a bluey purple more like juniper, and I found a die which came as part of another set of Spellbinder dies called Balloons & Birthday Wishes which was a small round centre for one of the flowers and seemed to be the perfect size for a berry, so I cut lots of those from more snippets of white card and shaped them on a foam mat with a ball tool before colouring them with my alcohol pens and then added them to the already inked branches...again various greens and a brown used to give a more varied look to them...mind you I don't think the brown stems are very visible.  I finished by glossing the berries using Glossy Accents.

I decided to make a bunch of the foliage and cut a star again using a snippet of white card and my newly acquired set of the Torn Edge dies and inked the edges using Broken China Distress Ink and then added the foliage on top.  I then found a piece of silver embroidery thread using all the layers and formed a bow which I stuck at the top of the bunch of foliage.  I finished by adding the snowflake background and then used some very thin foam on the back of the star and also the sentiment strip placed across the star, cut from another snippet of white card, and which I had heat embossed using WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder. 

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 503 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 61 Anything Christmas Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 820 Spring Flowers/Anything Goes.

Stencil Fun Challenge - April '25 Anything Goes/Patterns.

NBUS Challenge - No. 73 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I.D.E.A.S. Challenge - Week 1 - Ink/Colour Mediums.
Group of Seven Cardmakers - March Technique - Using Embossing Paste.