Serenity and Friends

Hello, sweet blogging friends! My versatile card today really is appropriate for nearly every occasion. A friend brought her Stampin' Up! stamps over, and I created the die cuts (etc) for a framed masterpiece. Together we came up with a beautiful card!

After die cutting SB Grand Decorative Labels One, I cut it in half to achieve two "border" pieces. I also cut a corner piece off to use on the top:

Each layer has distressed edges for a slightly vintage appearance, and added dimension.

Thanks for popping by today!

For new card makers - Directions to make the card:

1. Cut card base for 5x7 card. Score at the 5" mark and fold in half.
2. Place Spellbinders Grand Labels Four centered in a piece of card stock that is at least 5x7 and cut. 
3. Place Spellbinders Grand Dec Labels Four cut side down on top of the "frame" from step 2.
4. Center the frame die so that the aperture is lined up at the four "points".
5. Die Cut, then flip the base cut plate so that the die cut paper is still inside the die. Place the embossing mat on top (it seems like the die will cut through the embossing mat, but it does not). Then use your embossing plate on top of that, and run it through your die machine again. This will dry emboss the decorative die and bring out all the gorgeous details.
6. Cut brown "mat" 3.75" x 5". Set aside.
7. Cut white card for stamping 3.5" x 4.75". 
8. Stamp white piece as desired using favorite inks, leaving room for sentiment. Set aside for ink to dry.
9. Choose a border punch, border die, or a die with decorative edges and just cut the edge of the die (that's what I did, using SB Grand Decorative Labels One).
10. Adhere part of the border to the back of the brown layer so just the pretty part shows. Cut a smaller portion or corner for the center of the top, and adhere to same layer.
11. Stamp sentiment to white panel and apply embossing powder. Heat Set.
12. Distress edge of white stamped card with complementary ink colors, applying the lighter color first, and then the darker color on the very edge. Adhere to brown panel.
13. If desired, die cut or punch some "grass-like" pieces for the bottom center, to create visual interest.
14. Order in which to assemble: 

        a) attach white decorative edges to brown panel.
        b) attach stamped white panel to brown panel.
        c) adhere panel from a&b to card base (centering top and bottom, and sides)

        d) adhere decorative frame panel.

        e) adhere grassy die cuts.

Products: Stamps: Stampin' Up!, Silver Fox Stamps "Always in my thoughts" (no longer in business), Impression Obsession B6061 Think of You Days, Dies: SB Grand Decorative Labels One, SB Grand Labels Four, SB 5x7 Elegant Labels 4, IO Die178C Small Grass, Inks: DI: tea dye and pumice stone, SU, VersaFine Clair, Clear Detail Embossing Powder (for sentiments)

May I please play in the following fine challenges?

1. Sisterhood of Crafters November 13 - Landscapes 11/23
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2445 AG 11/17
3. Dream Valley Challenges #325 Anything Goes 11/23
4. Inkspirational Challenges #328 Layer It 11/15 sep post (layered panels, pieces, and layered stamps)

Stamping hugs, (wouldn't it be fun to jump out of the water like this dolphin?)

Fat Snowmen Last Longer

Hello, dear friends! Just a moment to thank you for visiting and leaving encouragement. We're coming to terms with my "new" limitations. Your kindnesses help me more than you know... so THANK YOU!

Here is another fat snowman, reminding why sometimes being fat might be beneficial - LOL - we all know THAT'S not true, but it's a good story!

This happy little guy was stamped and snail mailed by a friend for me to color and assemble. Cute stenciling for the background.

He is colored with Copic Markers and Distress Inks. A stenciled background was done with Iced Spruce ink. The dies (listed below) and papers are all from my ancient stash (giggle).

To create the sparkling snow, I applied VersaMark ink and clear EP. After that was melted, a VersaMarker was applied atop the melted clear EP. I dumped a ton of clear glitter on it, and re-melted the EP from the underside of the image. After putting a little more glitter on top of the melted EP+Glitter combo, I reheated it from the under side again. It's really sparkly and the embossing powder holds the extra glitter so it won't rub off!

Products: Cute Snowman from a friend, Clear Glitter, Clear Embossing Powder, Copic Markers, Distress Inks, VersaMark Ink, VersaMarker, Stencil for background, K&Co designer paper, Marianne Creatables Anja's Large Ovals die, Spellbinders Labels 23 Grand die, MS Starlight Punch

I'd like to play in the following challenge please (and thank you to the DTs who make the challenges possible):

1. 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Technique Challenge 8-24 EMBOSSING (To create the sparkling snow, I applied VersaMark ink and clear EP. After that was melted, a VersaMarker was applied atop the melted clear EP. I dumped a ton of clear glitter on it, and re-melted the EP from the underside of the image. After putting a little more glitter on top of the melted EP+Glitter combo, I reheated it from the under side again. It's really sparkly and the embossing powder holds the extra glitter so it won't rub off!) 09-07

Stamping hugs,

Dimensional Inchies on an Easel Card - and freebies

Hello, my friends! Hoping you are not uncomfortably dripping wet from the sweltering heat (here in the northern hemisphere) - I also hope that our friends Down Under are escaping the wrath of the current explosion of influenza cases. May you be well soon if the flu has come to your home.

Do you know what "inchies" are?

Before I became "house-bound", 20+ years ago, I had the pleasure of working in a brick and mortar store called THE PAPER PLAYHOUSE. There I taught classes and designed the free, weekly Make N Take, instructing about new products and how to use them. It was a great opportunity to meet people and enjoy our hobby!

Do you remember when...

In those days, designer paper was scarcely a "thing". So we stamped our own background papers, embellishing them with inks, glitters, embossing powders, etc. It was great fun cutting them for One Sheet Wonders or Inchies-Twinchies creations. 

 My card shares today involve some of the oldest designer papers of day - lovely K&Company designer paper, which was also VersaMark stamped with an Impression Obsession image and heat embossed with clear EP containing glitter, to give the paper some extra pizzazz. 

First up are some "Just A Note" cards - with die from Sue Wilson Script collection. Cut once on white cardstock, a lavender glitter layer was attached - it has been adhered to vellum for a bit of texture and mystique.

I was inspired by a friend recently who took an "Inchies Class" involving 3-D appearing shadows without actual dimensional adhesives:

The ribbon, also 25 years old, was fed through a slit in the vellum:

Has this ever happened to you? 

The "colored powder" of a die flaked off, onto the paper. It is deeply embedded in the white and is quite noticeable. It worsened with each pass through my Gemini Junior machine. If it happened to you, how did you remedy it? The folks at Creative Expressions told me to use wax paper, which Spellbinders always said not to do (at least when they were a new company) (you may have to click on the photo to enlarge it).

Two very special birthdays in blog land are soon coming! 

I'm all set for them:

flat for mailing:

Also a little sentiment on the card backs, which I've included as a gift to you below:

This project, while challenging for not-so-nimble fingers, was SO FUN, and brought back happy memories of laughter, fun and dear people in the classes!

Products: Die Sets: Sue Wilson Scripted Just a Note, Double Pierced Circles and Scripted Happy Birthday, Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities Scalloped Squares, SB Classic large scallop rectangles, Sizzis TH Garden Greens, Cottage Cutz Greenery 4x4, Papers: Lavender, Pacific Blue, White, Black, Purple, Green Glitter, Vellum, Lavender Glitter, K&C patterned papers, Inks: Pumice Stone DI, Fantasia VersaFine Clair, Versamark, Misc: EK Success 1-1/4" punch, Clear EP containing glitter, stamps: SU Elegant Greetings stamps, IO Alesa Baker Large Flourish Three E2036, my digital sentiment stamps

I'd like to play in the following challenges, please!

(many thanks to challenge owners and design team members who create fun for us!)

1. The fabulous DOUBLE D CHALLENGES (Aug 21) Use Shapes (I used multiple 1.25" squares from an EK Success Punch, 1/2 circle scallop layers, circle sentiments on the back, and shaped rectangular layers) 9/1
2. Darling "I Spy With My Little Eye" challenge #18 Something from the garden (flowers, leaves, dragonfly) 9/17
3. Lovely Creative Inspirations Challenges #17 - Anything Goes 9/1
4. Love Those Pretty Papers 8/3 Used the option anything goes 9/1
5. Word Power #8 7-31 Sentiment is Focus of Card (words on front, sentiments on bottoms and backs) 9/1
6. Paper Minutes #860 Birthday 8/27
7. Creative Moments #261 Patterned Paper - inchies are punched from patterned paper. 9/5
8. Creative Creases #89 Anything Goes with a Fun Fold Card 9/1

My gift to you - 

Arrangements of the same sentiment for use on the inside or outside of your projects. Please do not sell these Sentiments. Use on any of your projects, including projects involving any design teams you might be on.

Click on the image to bring it to full size. Because of the changes Google Made with Blogger (June 2020), your image will appear to be solid black. Don’t panic. Right click and do a SAVE AS PNG. Once it is saved on your hard drive, you can open it and it will have a transparent background. I create PNGs instead of JPGs so they can be placed anywhere on a scene or project, and so backgrounds can be made using them. Please let me know if you have any problems. I hope they serve you well!

Enjoy!

   

Sending you Joy,

The Last Triangle Cards

 Happy July to you! Hoping the summer temperatures are not being too cruel to you, and that you have escaped some of the weather hardships assaulting so many countries.

Today I'm sharing the last of some designer-papers-cut-into-triangles stuff from my unfinished box. These were papers cut into triangles years ago, and then hidden away in a box for... why? I reasoned lasst month they would be good backgrounds to showcase some sentiments on card fronts, using an assortment of embossing powders and images. I also employed some of my oldest Spellbinders die shapes, a Sizzix branch, little round Prills (for flower centers) and an old Martha Stewart flower punch.

First are three sympathy cards. Is it appropriate to use Wink of Stella on serious cards?

Such a sweet sentiment "Embrace a Memory" by Verses Rubber Stamps - it says so much.

Textures are created with punches, Prills, inks and Wink of Stella:

You're Never More Than a Thought Away (Old SNS stamp):

Two thinking of you cards:

(sentiments from Biblical Creations and Stampin' Up!)

It was fun mixing and matching shapes to accommodate the sentiments. And OH-SO-GLAD to have six more cards completed from the now (gratefully) depleted triangle stash!

Wishing you a beautiful week-end!

Playing in the following challenges please:

1. **brand new** Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge Blog 7/31
2. Word Power Challenge - Words must be dominant feature of card 7/25

stamping hugs,