Fabulous Finds Friday: Pretty Topiary Set

I was attracted to this pretty topiary set (Vertical Greetings) from Stampin’ Up! for two reasons: I love the three topiary designs and I  was intrigued by the vertical greetings.

You know how I work … when I get a new set, I go all out, stamping with wild abandon, playing with different papers, inks, powders … figuring out how it all works. This set is no exception. Here’s what happened in my first play session:

Although my first impulse was to emboss the trees in gold, silver and copper, I soon fell in love with the images embossed in white on blue card stock. I combined the card card stock with some dry embossed pieces I had left over from a previous creative frenzy:

(Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder)

(Lifestyle (now owned by We R Memory Keepers) Crafts Whimsy embossing folder; all the dry embossed pieces were adhered with Plus Extra Strong Glue Tape.)

(Cuttlebug embossing folder; sequins from Lawn Fawn)

And one more:

Pearls are from Eyelet Outlet.

Stay tuned for more!

 

Random Craftiness

Here are some bits and pieces of crafty news:

Let’s give a warm welcome back to Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. Prickley Pear, which opened in 2003 by Nicole LaCour and closed last August, is back with new owners but the same fun, whimsical designs.

Tanya Doner-Kostynuk, owner of Riley & Company and Cornish Heritage Farms stamps, and Sue Helm are the proud new parents.

With nearly 900 products in 36 categories, Prickley Pear boasts a large assortment of vintage designs, many of which remind me of the cards my grandmother used to send me! Stamps come in clear polymer or red rubber and there are many matching dies.

Here’s a card I put together very quickly, using just scraps that were on my desk, and the birdcage stamp and die set:

I die cut the bird and cage from some card stock that I think was made using Ranger Distress stains and/or sprays. The butterflies were from punches, the sequins from Doodlebug Designs and the cool background is the Art Deco Texture Plate from Spellbinders.

It’s great to have Prickley Pear back!

. . . . . . . .

If you love fabric and you love vintage, take a look at 7gypsies‘ new Gypsy Seamstress line here and here, which  brings together the look of old fabric prints, quilt-like bunting shapes and gypsy style printed banners.

Aren’t these yummy: 

The collection includes banner making surfaces, totes and an apron.  Besides adding lace, fabric, charms and other bits and baubles, you can color them with  markers, acrylic paint, watercolor, glimmer mist, ink, etc. 7gypsies is part of the Canvas Corp Brands. 

. . . . . . . .

WOW! Embossing Powder (www.wowembossingpowder.com) has come out with its own embossing “mixing” jars so you can create custom-made embossing powders. Why, you ask, do you need to buy a special jar? (Well, that’s what I would ask …) Because these jars are treated with an anti-static material on the inside so your powders don’t cling to the sides. They also have a label so you can jot down your mixology notes. Check out the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDAm7lU_SCE

If nothing else, check out the website for lots of embossing facts and to see the company’s wide range of powders and more. You’ll say “Wow!”

Thanks for stopping by for this little craft update.

 

Fabulous Finds — New Embossing System

I found a fun new embossing system called Inside Out Embossing Plates (or IOEP for short!) that lets you create several embossed looks by simply switching out some plastic plates.

Here’s what they look like:

Created by Australian crafter Tasha E Armour, who wanted an easier way to do double embossing on her cards, the plates work with most tabletop embossing machines and with most embossing folders. (You can see some excellent videos on her website, teapapercrafts.com.)

Tasha has also created a versatile embossing folder designed specifically for the 9-piece IOEP set, which she promises is only the first of many future designs:

Here’s how it works: Say you want to emboss your card front with only the center oval. You load your paper inside the embossing folder, then use removable tap to attach the center oval piece of the IOEP set to the appropriate area on the outside of the embossing folder. (Sorry, I didn’t take a photo of this step!) The center oval piece presses down on that area so that the oval is the only thing embossed. Hope that makes sense!

Take a look. Here is an example of using the entire embossing plate:

Pretty, right?

But for my next card, I wanted space for a sentiment in the center, so I used the rectangle piece that covered the corners and the piece that covered the larger oval:

When applying the plates, think about which areas you want embossed. That’s where you apply the plates. (It almost sounds counter-intuitive, but picture it as if you are pressing down on those areas to get an impression — that’s what the plates do.)

I trimmed the piece, heat embossed a sentiment in the center and mounted in on tan card stock:

Playing around with the folder and the plates (which are made in the USA from a semi flexible plastic) I created a small decorative piece using the smaller oval and the inside design:

I cut the oval using Spellbinders’ Classic Ovals Small S4-112 (one of the first dies I ever bought!) and mounted it on a tiny tag (actually a pre-scored place card from Paper Source. Love these for tags!) The background was stamped using Hero Arts’ Unicorn white pigment ink and Hero Arts’ Pearl Strings Bold Prints stamp.

Tasha says there are 31 different combos for the IOEPs — but I think I found a 32nd design! Check out the two embossed lines on this card:

To create those lines, I used the outside frame. I put just one side of my card stock in the folder, ran it through, and repeated the step. I trimmed the piece and applied it to front of a 3 1/2 x 4 3/4 (4bar) folded card. The cute pot is one of my new favorite dies (flower pots B667) from Cheery Lynn and the flower stamp is an old one from Memory Box. I put a scrap of glitter paper behind the opening in the pot before mounting it.

I haven’t had a chance to try the IOEP set with other embossing folders, but that’s in the works, and I look forward to some new designs from Tasha!

 

 

Continuing March of the Ornaments

For my next batch of ornament cards, I went a little rogue, going for non-traditional Christmas colors. (Again, it’s mostly Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted.)

The ornament is die cut from an old greeting card using Stampin’ Up!’s Delicate Ornament set. (Diamond Stickles has been added to the petals, though it is hard to see here.) The sentiment, gold embossed and layered on gold paper, is from Stampin’ Up!’s Embellished Ornament stamps. The background is embossed using Sizzix  damask and regal Texture Fades embossing folder.

For the next card, I stamped, then cut the ornament:

I inked the stamp using various Ranger Distress Inks, misted slightly and stamped on watercolor paper. The background is made using Stampin’ Up!’s Falling Snow embossing folder; the sentiment, gold embossed, is by Hero Arts. (This is from an old set, so simply substitute any appropriate sentiment.)

More rogue cards coming!

 

 

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!

Fabulous Find — Embossing Plates

I love these new embossing strips from We R Memory Keepers. Unlike a larger plate that does an entire card front, these plates emboss small portions, offering great versatility. And they have a nifty grid to help keep things straight. Here are some ideas: Isn’t the camera wonderful? I used it three times to create the background. Then I took the  “thank you” plate, embossed it on scrap paper, cut it out and used it for the greeting. Here’s a detailed shot: I made a tag with the “just for you” plate: I used Core’dinations paper then sanded the raised portion to get a more distressed look and really show off the embossing. This is the first card I made using the plates: One always has to be the experiment, right? It’s a little hard to see the embossing on that particular paper, so here is a closer look: The heart was made by gluing scraps to another scrap sheet then cutting the heart shape using a Spellbinders’ Media Mixage Hearts One die. (This is one of my favorite ways to use up scraps … affixing them to larger sheets and die cutting shapes.) Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Finds Friday — The “Celebra’tion” Continues

I’ve been going on all week about the Fabulous Find of Spellbinders‘ new Celebra’tions™ set by Richard Garay and showing off some cards. Perfect for a Fab Finds Friday!

Here we go:

Dontcha love that texture background on the sunshine-y paper? It’s made using the fabric pattern embossing folder. I ran the panel through my Xyron to get good adhesion before placing it on my card base. The white panel for the greeting was cut using a Pierced Rectangle die. (I’m going to use this die a LOT!) It was stamped using an old Hero Arts sentiment (Hip Hip Hooray) and colored with Staedtler’s Triplus fine line markers. (Coloring brings me back to my childhood and the fine tip on the marker makes it easy to color inside the lines.) The white panel is mounted using dimensional foam tape.

The presents are stamped on white scrap paper in Memento Tuxedo Black then colored with Distress markers, fussy cut and mounted using foam tape. And of course there’s some Stickles!

A relatively fast and easy card.

Speaking of fast and easy … how about some quick tags?

The green tag is made using the smaller Pierced Rectangle die, the green card stock from the collection and the vase/flowers from # Sweet. The green string is also from the collection.

The purple dotted tag is all from the Sweet Treats set. I love that this set has the die AND the matching stamps. Notice the little slit in the top of the tag? Makes it easy to attach to a ribbon, etc. I used Distress markers to color the cake stamp so I could get multiple colors on the cake. Add a rhinestone to the flower and you’re good to go.

Thanks for “celebrating” with me this week.

Bling It Up Friday … Simply

I’ve already raved about the sheets of bling from the Buckle Boutique (here), but I couldn’t resist sharing three more simple cards, all jazzed up:

I ran a piece of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug Damask embossing folder then added a strip of Buckle Boutique’s gold bling and a flower (Imaginisce, Bazzill Basics collection), embellished with a pearl brad from K&Company.

A detailed view:

Same technique, different card:

The rosette was made from a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die and affixed using Glue Arts’ 3D Raisens; the rainbow bling is also from the Buckle Boutique. The embossing folder is a Cuttlebug folder. The cardstock is from Stampin’ Up!

One more:

Embossing folder is Tim Holtz/Sizzix; Stampin’ Up cardstock and image; Eyelet Outlet strip of pearls.

Thanks for coming by!

Ahhh…. Summertime!

I can’t believe summer is halfway over and I have not posted these cards yet!

Enjoy:

(Images on all cards are from Close To My Heart. The little Dew Drops are from the Robin’s Nest, attached with tiny Glue Dots or Zots (I use them both … a lot! The sentiment is from Hero Arts, the sun rays embossing folder is Sizzix/Tim Holtz.)

(Sun rays embossing folder from Sizzix/Tim Holtz; the sentiment is from the same CTMH set as the images.)

(I cut the car out using a Spellbinders’ Nestabilities die — the only way I’d get that perfect circle! Sentiment by Hero Arts.)

I am off to CHA — the big craft show in Las Vegas. I’ll be reporting on the show for Crafts ‘n things magazine’s blog beginning in August. Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Fun Friday — Very Pun-y

I love making cards, sending cards and giving cards as gift sets. So this set, Puns of Praise C1538 from Close To My Heart, is a perfect fit! I love the small, simple images and if I want to use the image without the “pun” underneath, it’s easy enough to mask off that part.
And ya know what’s also cool about this set? I was able to make a dozen cards in practically no time (AND I used up some of my scraps… and we all know how much I love using my scraps!)

Here’s a group shot:

The first thing I did was stamp a bunch of images on white cardstock, often using scrap pieces. I made sure to leave enough space so I could die cut around the image. I didn’t do much coloring — just a bit here and there. I used dies from Spellbinders and Sizzix to make layers. Take a look:

Both are pretty much the same, but using a different colored cardstock for the back layers offers a bit of a change. (The dots embossing folder is from Cuttlebug/Provo.

And a different look:

The chevron ribbon is also by Close to My Heart (attached using Therm O Web’s Super Tape); the die is Spellbinders Labels 8, raised on foam squares.

(die is Sizzix ???)

I have other variations … I’ll save those for a rainy (read lazy!) day!
Thanks for stopping by!