Embossing Folder Technique

I tried a letterpress technique using an embossing folder and distress Oxide Ink - the piece was not embossed.  I rubbed the ink pad directly and partially onto one side of the folder and spritzed with water before carefully pressing a piece of white card onto the inky surface.  While it was still wet I sprinkled with salt and left to dry which has left some interesting texture and also slightly changed the colour of the ink in places.  Not wishing to cover up too much of the resulting pattern I've cut a panel using edge dies, stamped a sentiment and then simply overlaid a die cut flower.

Background - paper from Artylicious which I seem to have had forever
Sentiment - from free set which came with a magazine
Flower - die from Tattered Lace
Edge dies - from Lawn Fawn (curve) and Die-namics(straight edge)

Card for a Gent

I was awake at really silly o'clock today with no hope of dropping off again - trouble is that it feels like elevenses time already and makes for a long day.  I had an idea for this card while I was eating breakfast so my next move was into the craft room while it was still fresh in my head.  The background paper is from a pad which has been in my stash forever and the other elements are various die cuts and a bit of computer work for the 'birthday' word.  Once the pieces were cut it was just a case of assembling them into this 'card for a gent'.  Details of dies below as usual and now I think I'm off for my mid-morning coffee (early) and then maybe onto some boring domestic jobs.

Face - Looking Dapper dies from Sizzix onto Sizzix heart die shape
Splat - Splatter die from Sizzix
Happy Word - brush alphabet lower case dies from Sizzix
Birthday Word - produced on the computer and cut out with scissors
Banner - die from Stampin' Up embossed with Sizzix cogs die

Christmas in August

I've used up some more of my smaller pieces of scrap card for die-cutting three Santas ready to be made into cards.  This of course entailed cutting in red, white and black as well as, in this case, a silver layer for the backing pieces - a quiet sit down was needed to pop all the little detail pieces back into the shapes to build them up.  I know this sort of job would really irritate some people but I actually find it quite therapeutic, as long as I'm careful not to lose any of the bits, which can happen.

Anyway for this simple card I've used a piece of white pearl card and embossed using 'that' popular embossing folder which now has some companions (which I don't have) and a die set so that the curved strip can be cut to overlay nicely onto the background.  There is also - of course - a set of sentiment stamps which fit the curve beautifully.  These marketing people know what they are about don't they!!!  A piece of green card slightly larger than the embossed piece was the bottom layer and the sentiment was stamped in red onto the curved strip, sponged lightly with matching green.  The smallest of the Santas was popped onto the bottom and that's it - a CAS Christmas card, albeit there is more than one layer.  I used plain white card for the curved strip because I've found that stamping doesn't work too well direct onto the pearl surface as it often stays wet for a long time and smudges.

Embossing - folder which came free with magazine now available to buy from Craft Stash
Die set (curve) - Banners and Blooms from Apple Blossom - Craft Stash
Sentiment - set of mixed Wavy Sentiments from Apple Blossom
Santa - Tonic die set

Another Acronym

Today's acronym is CAS which could actually stand for the same as yesterday's card but in fact this time it is 'clean and simple'.  Quite often a CAS card is only one layer but this isn't necessarily so, provided it has plenty of white space and isn't overly decorated.  Using a Misti or something similar certainly helps with this style of card, particularly when it comes to placing a sentiment direct onto the card - something I always used to avoid because I found when I was actually trying hard to get it right something invariably went wrong by way of a smudged or badly stamped image and the card ended in the bin.

For this card I used a paint sample card, easily picked up from the DIY stores and in a good range of colours.  A few 'splodges' were stamped onto the background before popping on the paint sample and a die cut wild flower.  Finally a sentiment was stamped - that's it a CAS card and with no smudged fingerprints!!  I could maybe get used to this style but I do like to work in whatever takes my fancy from time to time - variety is the spice of life.

Background Stamping - Splodges Stampin' Up French Foliage, texture from SU Birds and Blooms
Due Cut Flower - Tim Holtz wildflower dies
Sentiment - from a set of free sentiment stamps given with magazine

CASEing

Don't you just love (or hate) acronyms!!  I'm familiar with the concept of CASE and have often done it but didn't really know what the letters actually stood for and thought I'd find out.  Apparently it stands for 'copy and share (or steal) everything' - I prefer the word share I must say.

I spotted one such CASEd card on Loll's blog and although I don't have the same dies to use I've made a card very much along the same lines using up a scrap of DOX background left over from another project.  I stamped an image onto this piece and trimmed it to size before popping over the base card which had a couple of die cuts added behind the image, a stamped sentiment and finally a die cut treble clef.  This is far from my usual style of card, mainly because I have trouble keeping grubby fingermarks off all that white space - managed it this time though.

I was thinking because quite a few snippets have been used this card would be good for the Playground until I realised that this is the 'alternate' week where there is inspiration from a guest designer.  Silly me, but do hop over to see the pretty card and also of course the announcement regarding the lucky winner.


                             

Stamp - from very old set by The Stamp Man - classical musical instruments
Treble Clef - Marianne die which I've had a very long time
Sentiment - from same stamp set as trombone
Background diecuts - Tattered Lace die

Butterfly Challenge #83

You might need dark glasses to view this card made for the current Butterfly challenge where the theme is Jagged Edges and/or Kiwi Colour.  I think I've covered both options although the jagged edges (on the sentiment) are only small.  I started with a piece of card which had been treated to some Distress Oxide inks and on this I stamped an image using Archival ink, layering this piece onto black card.  The base layer is Centura Pearl card in 'kiwi' green and was embossed to give it some detail.  Finally a sentiment was stamped and layered onto a strip of black with both ends cut using an old pair of fancy scissors - remember those from way back???  Once the inky background was made this was a fairly quick card to put together but you have to admit it is a bit GREEN.  The butterfly stamp is one which I've had for several years and I'm pretty sure it may only have been stamped once before, if at all but it is the sort of image which seems to work well on these inked backgrounds.

Main Image - from Butterfly Beauties stamp set from The Stamp Man
Sentiment - Crafter's Companion
Embossing Folder - Sue Wilson A4 folder called Sea Grass or similar (no name on folder)

Gingerbread Family

Yesterday I die cut this little gingerbread family - cutting in kraft, blue and white before popping all the tiny details back into the kraft layer with the help of a 'sticky pick-up tool'.  This is a gadget for picking up small gems and the like and I'd completely forgotten about but it suddenly came into my mind that it could be handy for picking up really tiny die cut pieces and I was right YAY!!  Of course I didn't have such a tool but managed to source one on a favourite auction site and it arrived yesterday.

Once the family was ready I then had to decide how I was going to incorporate them into a card and here is what I've come up with.  Some printed background paper; a white border strip with stamped snowflakes; a die cut sentiment and a holographic snowflake which is actually silver but hasn't reproduced too well.  The sentiment was plain white card brushed with clear Wink of Stella which looks OK for real but again doesn't show up here.  As usual details of what I've used are below the picture.

I've just spotted a mention of the Rudolph Days challenge which is new to me but I think this card might fit the bill as apparently it is 'anything goes' as long as it's Christmas.

Background - from Artylicious Season's Greetings CD (probably no longer available)
White strip - edges cut with Die-namics stitched scallop edge
Snowflakes - stamps from a Phill Martin set in various sizes
Gingerbread People and Sentiment - Tonic dies
Large snowflake - Docrafts die