Random Acts of Cardmaking

Another play date, another attempt to clean up my desk. Here are random cards made from the “slush” pile — everything was found on my messy desk or in my box of bits and pieces:

This card sat around a loooong time. So long that I don’t remember who made the paper. The stamp is from Hero Arts, the doily from My Favorite Things and the sentiment from Technique Tuesday.

The torn paper “water” is Core’dinations cardstock (left over from another project), the fishes (I think!) are from Judikins and colored in with gel pens. All I added was the sentiment, using a small alphabet set.

Next is a true hodgepodge of pieces.

Not my favorite card, but at least I used up some pieces! (Background paper by Basic Grey, bird stamp by Hero Arts, and the embossing powder is Zing! from American Crafts.)

One more:

I’ve always loved this wacky cityscape from Hero Arts. This was stamped in black and fussy-cut. The cloud background is a Darice embossing folder. Sentiment, an old one from Hero Arts. Easy peasy.

Thanks for sticking with me!

You Saw the Beginning … with Avery Elle

In my last post, I showed my first experiments using Avery Elle’s nifty Custom Panels die set, which has so many possibilities!

Here are more finished cards:

To finish this top-folding card I stamped and embossed (in white) two flowers and a butterfly (both from Stampendous!). One flower was stamped on vellum, the other flower and the butterfly were stamped on a patterned paper from Bazzill Basics. They were adhered with Tombow Power Adhesive Tags, which I like because they are clear and not too thick. I stamped Celebrate! in the lower right hand corner using black ink. A little Ranger Diamond Stickles was the finishing touch.

This one was fun to build. The thank you sentiment is from Technique Tuesday’s Smile Borders (A fun set that I will soon be using with a pull-tab die!), stamped in Marvy #12 grey ink (an oldie but still one of my faves). The flowers were punched using Tonic Studios flower punches on scrap cardstock and the leaves are from a new Tim Holtz/Sizzix punch. I just punched and layered, adding tiny Candy Fix and Stix 2 foam squares for dimension. I added some Ranger gold Liquid Pearls to some of the flowers, which I regret (although it looks a bit better in person than in the photo.)

Here’s the last of that batch! Whew! And a very simple card, indeed. Using a Spellbinders Rose Creations die, I cut the three smallest petal shapes, plus the leaves, from the Core’dinations Gemstones paper, held them together with a brad from Eyelet Outlet, and attached to the card using Pop Up Glue Dots.

Bear with me … just two more cards

First, I gold embossed on scrap paper, then cut three pieces using the pie shaped die. I stacked the pieces on the left side of the card. Ad a sentiment (Hero Arts) and bam! Done!
The chevrons are from Lawn Fawn backdrops, the text from Hero Arts Old Letter stamp. I believe the sentiment is also Hero Arts.

Last one:

First, I die cut a piece from white scrap paper using the Avery Elle curved die, then dry embossed it with a Cuttlebug pattern. (Tip: Die cut first so you don’t flatten out the dry embossed portion when you run the piece through the die cutting machine.) The balloon animal and sentiments are alsofrom Avery Elle. The balloon animal was stamped in a denim blue, fussy cut, and popped up with foam squares. The embellishment pieces were die cut with that same Avery Elle die and glued randomly.

That’s a lot of dies in one package! Check it out.

Fabulous Finds Friday — Avery Elle

I have a cool new die set, called Custom Panels, from Avery Elle.
I love the versatility of this set!

There are so many possibilities! (I won’t bore you with the details, which are on the Avery Elle site. Also, check out this terrific video by the set designer, JJ Bolton.)

Now, let’s play. The first thing I do when I get a new die (or stamp!) is to use it, IMMEDIATELY. (They don’t call me the impatient crafter for nothing!). With dies, I have to cut something … STAT! I usually start by cutting whatever scrap paper I have hangin’ around. I like to get a feel for what these dies can do.

So that’s what I did here. I hesitated about posting this photo, but in the interest of honesty, I have to show the good, the bad and the ugly.

Anyway, here are my two early experiments.

I started by cutting the curved shape in various ways, then piecing them together. The scallopy-looking card was made using the little pie-shaped pieces. Just gettin’ a feel for the dies ….

I played around more with the pie-shaped piece … :

… first cutting four times into my card front. Ugh — despite the little cross-shaped alignment piece, I did NOT get these straight!
So I tried again, this time cutting the pieces and gluing them on top of my card front:

(the banner die is also from the set)

Next I went crazy with printed, patterned vellum (from a long-ago Hot Off The Press pack). Check out the random shapes:

After admiring the shapes, I turned them into cards:

The medallion is from Spellbinders’ Shapeabilities S5-114. I haven’t used this for a long time and had forgotten how pretty it is. I used the small and medium medallion, cutting them from Core’dinations Black Magic Core Basics paper. This die works best with two-sided paper. The die has little flaps you fold back, showing the underside. So clever! The smaller top piece was attached using Therm O Web 3D foam Squares, topped with a Hero Arts flower gemstone. The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday “say it happy.” To keep the flap down on the card, I used a bit of double sided Copic X-Press It Tape, which worked quite well with the vellum.

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the finished cards!

Thanks for stopping by.

Fabulous Finds Friday — Easy Cardmaking

In a rush? Have a card emergency? David Tutera (working with Core’dinations) has come to the rescue, making it easy for anyone — even non-stampers — to make several cards in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

The collection is a great introduction for beginning crafters, but experienced cardmakers will find it easy to turn it up a notch. There are three basic steps: Pick your card base, add a layer, and finish with a sentiment and embellishments. Stampers, of course, can add a stamped sentiment or embellishment. Don’t forget to stamp the envelope!

Here are a few samples:

(I chose a pearly card base and distressed the butterfly to show off the colored core of the Core’dinations distressable stock. See the stamped envelope peeking out from behind? Butterflies (Hero Arts) stamped using a Kaleidacolor Tahiti rainbow pad from Tsukineko, now known as Imagine Crafts.)

(oops! I used a Tombow Multi Purpose glue pen to attach the top layer but got a splotch on the bottom part of the card. I covered it with this felt self-adhesive trim from Queen & Co.)

I added some text stamping (Hero Arts 5344) to the butterfly on this one. Here’s a close-up:

(Ignore the speck of glitter … from another project … that I neglected to remove before taking the photo!)

Thanks for stopping by!

More Hanukkah cards!

Only a few more days until Hanukkah. And since the festival lasts eight days, you have plenty of time to get those cards made!

So here are some fast and easy Hanukkah greetings:

Cut a piece of Core’dinations purple to size, run it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. (You can slightly sand the raised portion if you like to let the core color come through. I merely distressed the edges here. The paper is from the Tim Holtz Kraft Core collection.) I beliefe the cardstock base is from Stampin’ Up! The Happy Hanukkah stamp is a very old one from Stampendous!, embossed with Zing silver glitter from American Crafts. The other embellishments are stickers from K&Company.

Here’s another card using products from the same companies:

Thanks for joining me! More Hanukkah cards to come!

Textured Boxes

I love boxes, especially little boxes. Using textured paper and a Spellbinders Nestabilities die cut set, I created these in just a few minutes:

Paper above is from Core’dinations.

The red leather-looking cardstock below is from an old stash … sorry I don’t remember the manufacturer.

Fabulous Fun Friday — Still Texturizing!

Had enough texture yet? (Can one get enough texture?)

Here are more of my extensive, exiciting adventures in texture:

A simple card awaiting a sentiment. Core’dinations paper was run through Lifestyle Crafts’ Whimsy embossing folder. The Butterfly (by Layers of Color was heat embossed with the cool chunky embossing powder from Stampendous! Not sure you can get the full effect of the chunky, multi-colored powder. (A note about Layers of Color: Laura Kirste’s designs are now available through Spellbinders and Penny Black. Check out her new Website, laurakirste.com)

I like the masculine feel of this card — so much pizazz with such little effort. Core’dinations paper, run through Tim Holtz’ Gridlock Texture Fade Fade. The car was dry embossed using Tim’s Artful Muse ATC-sized embossing folderr, then cut out and mounted on foam dots. Sentiment from Hero Arts.

The pretty dots were already on the Core’dinations Jillian paper! I just sanded them lightly to bring out the core color. The larger butterfly is a Cuttlebug die and embossing folder, the smaller butterfly is a three-way punch from EK Success. Love the dimension! Sentiment from Close To My Heart. Stickles for sparkle!

Thanks for stopping by!

Texture-ific Day Two

I have only began to scratch the surface of texture!

Today is all about my experimentation with letterpress. Letterpress is so old-school, so rich, so yummy! Unlike heat embossing, which gives a raised surface, letterpress “de-bosses” or presses INTO the paper. The best papers for letterpress are those that are a bit thicker. The letterpressed image should not show through to the other side.

In a July 6 posting (here), I introduced the new Fiskars Fuse, a letterpress machine that die cuts at the same time it presses. (here are the tags I posted:)

(Yes, I reversed the process for the blue tag — I ran the tag through so that the design was pushed UP, then I sanded the raised area to give more definition. This won’t work with EVERY letterpress plate, but will with some.)

So then I had to play with the Epic Letterpress by Lifestyle Crafts. Again, such a beautiful outcome. Check it out:

Is that fabulous or what? So lush! Although special, thicker letterpress ink is suggested, I just used some pigment inks because I wanted the colors.

Here’s another:

And a round tag, die cut on the Epic:

Am I done? No way! Stay tuned for more texture fun.

Thanks for stopping by.

Texture-ific!

Last week I mentioned my explorations in texture. When I get a writing assignment, I tend to immerse myself in that process or technique. The more I play, the more I love whatever it is I’m doing! (Yes, I am THAT fickle!) Writing about texture for the October issue of Crafts ‘n things magazine was no exception. I got to play with embossing folders, specialty papers and letterpress. I am one lucky gal.

This week I will show you some of my playtime, er, I mean, work time results. (And be sure to pick up the October issue of Crafts ‘n things!)

First up are some tags and an ATC made using embossing folders.

This ATC (unfinished) uses Core’dinations paper (love the built-in texture already on this paper; then when you emboss and sand you get the white core for more definition.) The embossing folder is from Tim Holtz Alterations, French Connection (for Sizzix) and is designed specifically for the smaller scale of an ATC. But wouldn’t it make a pretty additon to the corner of a card?

Same paper (but in tag form) with the addition of the beautiful Elegant Bouquet embossing folder from Stampin’ Up!. I love this folder because the pattern is just in the corner, leaving you plenty of stampable space.

And here is that same folder, but on white. Yum.

Stay tuned for more texture!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Purnima’s Whimsey

A year or so ago I made a new online crafting friend — Purnima Girouard. Her creative cards — which range from artfully elegant to layers of vintage goodness — make me ooh and ahh. Now her doodles have been turned into wonderful whimsical stamps. The collection is dubbed Storybook Village and the simple line drawings include fantastical houses, charming creatures and hooded girls.

Here’s a fast card I made:

(Glitter paper by Core’dinations ((see my last entry on the Core’dinations collection)); sentiment by Hero Arts; daisy punch by EK Success. Purnima’s stamps are available through Stampington & Co.)

I also made a little gift for Purnima (if this hasn’t arrived in your mailbox yet, P, close your eyes!!)

(Notice the little glittery flower at the girl’s feet? Yup, it’s a piece that was trimmed from the above daisy border! It was just sitting on my desk when I made the necklace. I was about to throw it away when I thought, “Ah ha!” Don’t you love a Eureka moment that works?)

Thanks for stopping by! Next week I’ll show some new product from Tsukineko.

Check out my latest article in the August Crafts ‘n things magazine — it’s all about die cutters!