Monday 29 February 2016

... another Merry & Bright Christmas tag

Yes, another Christmas tag.



This layered tag was started with a sheet of woodgrain cardstock from the Kaisercraft Base Coat 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" paper pad ... it is filled with gorgeous designs, love it so much that I have several in my stash.  The tag die is the largest from the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag Collection die set. 

I have used the same colour combo I used for my Christmas cards and tag shared in earlier posts, the link is attached below.  The colours for the challenge are coral, lime and aqua, so I used American Crafts weave cardstock in Salmon (coral), Limeade (lime) and Mediterranean (aqua), along with the aqua in the patterned paper.

The layered wreath is from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways.  They are such fun to mix 'n match and layer together.  I layered three wreaths together, curling the leaves for dimension.

I layered some of the sprigs of leaves from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways together at the top of my wreath and popped some sequins on top.  The sequins are Lime 6mm & 12mm sequins by Maria George.

I die cut "merry" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Merry Cutaway in Salmon cardstock several times and layered them together.

The "& brights" is from the FREEBIE Winnie & Walter The Daily Grind Collection Volume 1 Holiday Mint Addon - I printed the "& bright" faintly on my tag from the Merry & Bright sentiment.  I traced over the sentiment with a glue pen then smothered it with American Crafts WOW! Citron glitter.  WOW - my "& bright" sparkles so prettily and the font looks fabulous in combination with the "merry" cutaway.



I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I created a tag

- the challenge is to use coral, lime & aqua together

- my wreath and sentiment go over the edges of my tag

- not sure if I'm stretching the "two" a bit too much, but I used two W&W die sets,
W&W In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways
W&W In A Word - Merry Cutaway
- I used two W&W sentiments, the die cut "merry" and digital "& bright"
- I made two tags

Merry & Bright Christmas tag

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house, with this tag being my fourth Christmas piece this year.


This layered tag was started with a sheet of woodgrain cardstock from the Kaisercraft Base Coat 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" paper pad ... it is filled with gorgeous designs, love it so much that I have several in my stash.  The tag die is the largest from the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag Collection die set. 

I have used the same colour combo I used for my Christmas cards shared in earlier posts, the link is attached below.  The colours for the challenge are coral, lime and aqua, so I used American Crafts weave cardstock in Salmon (coral), Limeade (lime) and Mediterranean (aqua), along with the aqua in the patterned paper.

The layered wreath is from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways.  They are such fun to mix 'n match and layer together.  I layered four of the delicate, open leaf wreaths together, curling the leaves for dimension.
I die cut "merry" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Merry Cutaway in Mediterranean, Salmon and Limeade cardstock, with each one layered together, slightly offset so that you can see the gorgeous colours together, then I added foam dots for extra pop.


I confess that I felt a bit guilty using another brand sentiment die in my previous Christmas cards, as they were for a Winnie & Walter Challenge and it was wonderful that I did, because it encouraged me to think about my stash with different eyes.  I have several W&W digital files and when I looked through my them I found some Christmas ones - YAY!!!  I took the "merry & bright" file from the FREEBIE Winnie & Walter The Daily Grind Collection Volume 1 Holiday Mint Addon and printed the "& bright" faintly on my tag.  (The printing was another learning exercise that I will share one day, as it ended up being a handy technique that I will be using again.)
The new-to-me techniqe was to print on patterned paper.  I traced over the sentiment with a glue pen then smothered it with American Crafts WOW! Citron glitter.  WOW - my "& bright" sparkles so prettily and the font looks fabulous in combination with the "merry" cutaway.


I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I created a tag

- the challenge is to use coral, lime & aqua together

- my wreath and sentiment go over the edges of my tag

- not sure if I'm stretching the "two" a bit too much, but I used two W&W die sets,
W&W In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways
W&W In A Word - Merry Cutaway

~~~*~~~*~~~


hidinginmycraftroom.com

my holiday is Christmas

~~~*~~~*~~~

another Christmas card in February

Yes, I am trying to stick to my goal of making multiples of my cards this year and it was so easy to do when I had such pretty colours and papers already out from making my previous card.


There is a foam layer under the decorative panel for extra dimension.


Here is a close-up to show the lovely wreath and sparkle.


The gorgeous patterned paper is from the Kaisercraft Blue Bay 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Paper Pad.
This card was made with a colour challenge in mind, the link is attached below.
The colours for the challenge are coral, lime and aqua, so I used American Crafts weave cardstock in Salmon (coral), Limeade (lime) and Mediterranean (aqua), along with the aqua in the patterned paper.

The layered wreath is from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways.  They are such fun to mix 'n match and layer together.  I used some Salmon cardstock and included one delicate layer of a darker coral shade for contrast.
I layered some of the sprigs of leaves from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways together at the top of my wreath and a little Salmon bow on top.  The bow is the Fiskars All Tied Up squeeze punch.

I die cut "merry" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Merry Cutaway in Salmon cardstock.
I don't have any W&W Christmas sentiments, so I die cut "christmas" from the Paper Smooches Christmas Words 2 Dies set using Salmon cardstock.

I adhered a layer of foam under the decorative panel and adhered it to a 5x7" card base.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- the challenge is to use coral, lime & aqua together

- not sure if I'm stretching things too much, but I used two W&W cutaways,
W&W In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways
W&W In A Word - Merry Cutaway
... and I made two cards using the same cutaways and colour combo

~~~*~~~*~~~


hidinginmycraftroom.com

my holiday is Christmas

~~~*~~~*~~~

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge Blog
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog

~~~*~~~*~~~

... my first Christmas card for the year

How cool is this, my first Christmas card made in February?!?!
I am not going to have a last minute rush like last year!!!


The gorgeous patterned paper is from the Kaisercraft Blue Bay 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Paper Pad.

This card was made with a colour challenge in mind, the link is attached below.
The colours for the challenge are coral, lime and aqua, so I used American Crafts weave cardstock in Salmon (coral), Limeade (lime) and Mediterranean (aqua), along with the aqua in the patterned paper.
The layered wreath is from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways.  They are such fun to mix 'n match and layer together.  I used some Salmon cardstock and included one delicate layer of a darker coral shade for contrast.

I layered some of the sprigs of leaves from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways together at the top of my wreath and popped some sequins on top.  The sequins are Lime 6mm & 12mm sequins by Maria George.
I die cut "merry" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Merry Cutaway in Salmon cardstock.
I don't have any W&W Christmas sentiments, so I die cut "christmas" from the Paper Smooches Christmas Words 2 Dies set using Salmon cardstock.

I have never used this colour combo before and I am so glad that I joined this colour challenge, as they look delightful together.  I hope you like them too.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- the challenge is to use coral, lime & aqua together

- not sure if I'm stretching things too much, but I used two W&W cutaways,
W&W In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways
W&W In A Word - Merry Cutaway

Christmas in February

It is great to get a start on my Christmas tags nice and early,
something very new to me, usually it's a last minute rush!


This layered tag was started with a sheet of woodgrain cardstock from the Kaisercraft Base Coat 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" paper pad ... it is filled with gorgeous designs, love it so much that I have several in my stash.  The tag die is the largest from the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag Collection die set. 

The layered wreath is from the gorgeous Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways.  They are such fun to mix 'n match and layer together.  I used some green cardstock and some sparkling cardstock from American Crafts POW! - Cricket.
I die cut "merry" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Merry Cutaway in scarlet cardstock and the sparkling AC POW! Cricket cardstock and layered them together, slightly offset for shadow, then added foam dots for extra pop.
I don't have any W&W Christmas sentiments, so I die cut "christmas" from the Paper Smooches Christmas Words 2 Dies set using the same Cricket cardstock.
The bow is the Fiskars All Tied Up squeeze punch.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I created a tag

- my wreath and sentiment go over the edges of my tag

- not sure if I'm stretching things too much, but I used two W&W cutaways,
W&W In Bloom - Paulina's Greenery Cutaways
W&W In A Word - Merry Cutaway
- I also used two colours, green and dark red

inky hugs

Yes, even more Distress Ink Lifting!
I tell you, this technique is addictive
and when I get some more Distress Inks, I will be trying it again.



 Here is a close-up to show the glossy dimension of the heat embossed sentiment and the sparkle of the Wink Of Stella on the leaves & flowers.


I stamped some smooth cardstock using flowers and leaves from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya stamp set and Winnie & Walter A Tree For All Seasons using Versamark Ink.
I heat embossed the panel using sparkling clear embossing powder.
Then I applied the Distress Ink Lifting technique to the panel.
Full details on this technique, along with links to the tutorial where I learnt it, can be found here.
Clear Wink Of Stella adds a wonderful sparkle and pop to the coloured images.

I die cut the "hugs" using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Hugs Cutaway.  I heat embossed the die cut four times using white embossing powder to give a lucsious, glossy finish.  I squished the happy into my Versamark Ink Pad thoroughly each time before applying the embossing powder.  I adhered my hugs using foam dots.
Distress Inks used include Chipped Sapphire, Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade.  Note - I DO NOT recommend using a Distress Ink Marker for this technique - it is difficult and time consuming to get a solid, even coverage AND it doesn't do the nib much good either.



This card is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2" ... once again, I just couldn't cut my panel down to a "normal" size.  To make it into a top fold card, I cut two panels, scored the back one at 3/4" and adhered them together using a strong liquid adhesive.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I used stamps to create my background,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya
W&W A Tree For All Seasons 

- I used flowers & leaves from two different stamp sets to create my card,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya
W&W - 
A Tree For All Seasons

- I have used lots of flowers and leaves to create my background,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya


~~~*~~~*~~~

Simon Says Stamp Blog
Work It Wednesday February - use something floral
Simon Says Stamp Blog
My floral is the stamped flowers & leaves.

~~~*~~~*~~~

inky birthday wishes

Yes, I had to do some more Distress Ink Lifting!


Here is a close-up to show the shimmer & sparkle of the stamped images and the shine & dimension of the multi-time heat embossed die "happy".

I stamped some smooth cardstock using flowers and leaves from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya stamp set using Versamark Ink.
I heat embossed the panel using sparkling clear embossing powder.
Then I applied the Distress Ink Lifting technique to the panel.
Full details on this technique, along with links to the tutorial where I learnt it, can be found here.
My card is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2" ... I just couldn't cut my panel down to a "normal" size.  To make it into a top fold card, I cut two panels, scored the back one at 3/4" and adhered them together using a strong liquid adhesive.
I cut a small piece of vellum so that the sentiment could be attached without distracting too much from the background.  I heat embossed the "birthday" onto the vellum using white embossing powder, the stamp is from the Winnie & Walter A Tree For All Seasons stamp set.
I die cut the "happy" to go with the "birthday", using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Happy Cutaway.  I heat embossed the die cut four times using white embossing powder to give a lucsious, glossy finish.  I squished the happy into my Versamark Ink Pad thoroughly each time before applying the embossing powder.

Distress Inks used include Faded Jeans, Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I used stamps to create my background,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya

- I used two different stamp sets to create my card,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya (flowers & leaves)
W&W - 
A Tree For All Seasons (birthday sentiment)

- I have used lots of flowers and leaves to create my background,
W&W In Bloom - Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya

~~~*~~~*~~~

sparkling facets

Here is a sparkling hello card that I hope will bring a smile.


Here is a close-up to show the sparle of the faceted panel and inlaid facets.

I die cut the panel in white cardstock then flipped it onto some Press N Seal.
I took a marker and identified which pieces were going to be each colour of the rainbow, removed the outline panel, coloured each piece then painted on liquid adhesive to each one so that I could apply the glitter.

  



I adhered the outline panel to a piece of black cardstock, cut down to have a 1/8" mat, then came the fun part, inlaying my rainbow of sparkling faceted puzzle pieces!!!
I confess that I was a bit heavy handed with my adhesive, to I had to trim EVERY piece so that they would fit back into the outline panel ... a lesson to remember for next time.


The plain outline needed a little more pop, so I cut another piece, added white glitter then adhered it over the top of the panel ... I LOVE all the SPARKLE!!!


I die cut 5 hellos using the Winnie & Walter In A Word - Hello Cutaway and layered them together for some extra dimension.  When I went to adhere it, I thought it needed a bit more pop and to be separated from the detailed background, so I added some foam dots.

All the glitters were American Crafts WOW!
and included white, Cherry, Carrot, Canary, Citron, Marine and Muse.
This card is 4 1/2" x 5 3/4", a bit smaller than my usual card but it sure has the pop of a 5x7.

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I used two different die sets to create my card,
W&W In A Word - Hello Cutaway
W&W 
Cover Model Multifaceted Cutaway

- I inlaid all the facets into the multifaceted panel
One day I am going to count just how many of those facets there are in that panel!

- my background is a sparkling faceted rainbow
... I always think of my high school science teacher when I work with rainbows, he taught us the easy way of remembering the order of the colours when we were learning about light, diffraction/refraction etc.  Here is goes "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain" ... red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet - my rainbow had purple instead of indigo & violet.

Sunday 28 February 2016

It's time to check out the Paper Smooches March Release Blog Hop

It's Pep Rally Week on the Paper Smooches Blog.
Kim and the DT are sharing fun and fabulous projects using the
one new stamp set and five new dies from the March 2016 release,
 
CREATIVE INSPIRATION

CRAFTY TEMPTATION

AND the chance to WIN
one of FOUR $25 Paper Smooches gift certificates too!!!
AWESOME!!!

Head on over to the
Paper Smooches Blog
and get hopping now,
GOOD LUCK :)

Here are some links to their store if you want to check out other crafty delights they have to tempt and inspire:

 

Thursday 25 February 2016

a mosaic filled with love

How is this for organised?
I plan on using this 5x7" card for my Mum on Mother's Day.


Here is a close up so show the texture and dimension.
I took a 12x12 sheet of green textured cardstock and kept cutting leaves using the Winnie & Walter - In Bloom - Maggie's Roses Cutaways until I had used it all ... I had lots and lots of leaves.  I put some of the two-leaf pieces aside, then trimmed the leaves apart from the rest, so that I had a collection of leaves in three sizes.
Next came the rose - I cut the largest roses (both the detailed and solid dies from the W&W cutaway set above) in red and white several times as I wasn't sure whether I was going to layer them and if so, how.
Then came the fun part - my goal was to make a background using a single rose surrounded by a mosaic of delicate leaves.  In preparation for assembly, I took some Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue and added a tiny dollop to the back of each leaf, at the top where the veins start and to the back of some of the solid roses & solid leaves (single & double leafed).  When left to dry without being adhered to anything, this adhesive becomes repositionable, so my die cut pieces become lightly adhesive.
I placed the rose and feature leaves in place then started putting the leaves around them, working from the feature pieces outwards and over the edge of my 4 1/4" x 6 1/4" panel.  Yes, it took a while to get them to fit together without huge spaces or being too close together, but it was worth every second (... a true labour of love).  AND I used every leaf too!  Once I was happy with their placement, I adhered the rose and solid leaves in place, then lifted each leaf, one at a time and adhered them in place, using the same Tombow Mono, which becomes a permanent adhesive when pieces are layered together.
Once all the pieces were adhered, I trimmed the overhanging leaves with scissors and matted on to white then red cardstock, then adhered it to a white 5x7 base made from the same textured cardstock.  (I use Helmar 450 Quick Dry, a clear liquid adhesive when adhering mats and panels to cards, as it gives me a little time and wriggle-room to get the layers aligned before it dries permanently in place.)  
I cut the word "love" using the same red cardstock as the rose using the Winnie & Walter - In A Word - Love Cutaway.  OK, I confess, I cut several, several in red, several in white and several in black, as I was going to layer some together for more pop.  It didn't matter which colour I tried, the leafy background was a little too distracting, so I cut a narrow strip of vellum to place behind it and I think it looked pretty layered together, subtle, without distracting from either the background or sentiment.  What do you think?  I just placed some small dollops of Tombow Mono Multi behind the sections where the "love" was, so that the adhesive wasn't visible through the vellum and the vellum lifts a little at the edges giving it some delicate dimension.
I matted inside the card too.  Apart from looking pretty, it adds weight to help the card stand tall without bending or bowing.  

I hope you enjoyed my mosaic filled with love :)

Ingredients:
American Crafts Textured Cardstock
Vellum
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
Helmar 450 Quick Dry Liquid Adhesive

I am going to enter my card in the following challenges:

~~~*~~~*~~~

Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges
w&w_bb2ndb_challengefinal

- I created my background by using die cut leaves to make a mosaic

- I used two different die sets to create my card,
W&W In A Word - Love Cutaway and W&W - In Bloom - Maggie's Roses Cutaways
and I used two different colours, (red and green, white is a freebie)

- my leaves go over the edge on all sides of card panel

- I have used a rose with many, many leaves

PS - W&W will be giving away a Guest Star spot for their next release.  They will be choosing their winner based on the entries submitted for their Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges.  A minimum of four projects must be entered in different challenges for their consideration, so I'm heading off to work on some more challenge entries.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Papercrafting Challenge: Magazine Mondays - Week 134 Inspiration Piece (image) 
I was inspired by the floral background and large title.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Simon Says Stamp Blog
Work It Wednesday February - use something floral
Simon Says Stamp Blog
My floral is the rose with lots and lots of leaves.