Gold Embossed Card

I tried something new on this card. I added a sprinkling of embossing powder to the ink I used (direct to paper) to accent the dry embossing.

Some of it stuck to the bit of ink that got on the debossed areas so I brushed it off with a soft brush. The circles that look really dark are just mirrored gold sequins. I promise they aren’t dark brown!

This card is for Cardabilities #80 (unfortunately, I am several week’s behind) and Joan’s Gardens.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Ink: Encore gold pigment ink
Paper: white CS-PTI
Accessories: Anna Griffin embossing folder-Sizzix, gold ribbon, lace, large gold bead, white bead-stash, corsage pins, pearls-Michaels, small gold bead-Fore Mountain Beads, rose-Jesse James buttons, sequins-Fabricland, gold EP-SU!

Pink Rose and Flourish Card

Once again, I missed linking this up to a challenge. Fortunately, I made it for two challenges, one of which isn’t over yet! Yeah!

Not much to tell here. I used last week’s Retro Sketches for the layout. The other challenge is Joan’s Gardens weekly challenge to use pink and white only, something curvy like a flourish or vine and a flower of some kind. Check, check and check! I added some colour to the vertical piece of DP because it was too much like the background using a blend of Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar Distress inks. The colours don’t look like they match so well in this but I promise, they do IRL. The stamping isn’t at all peachy like it appears. Wish I knew more about photo editing.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: music wheel-SU!
Paper: Melissa Frances DP, white CS-PTI
Ink: as above
Accessories: Quinn flourish die-Memory box, ribbon-stash, lace-May Arts, MOP button-ebay, rose-Really Reasonable Ribbon, foam dots-Jody Morrow

Waltzing Mouse Stamps PJ Party–Classy Lady Card

Apparently Waltzing Mouse Stamps wasn’t happy to simply have a plain old blog hop, no sirree! Claire decided to have a PJ party! Wahoo! Sounds like fun to me!

The new PJ party has several challenges. Most of them only have prize opportunities if you use new stamps which I don’t own. However, the last one asked you to use any WM stamps to create a background. This I CAN do. I decided to use a sentiment stamp stamped repeated for my background with one stamped in a darker colour as the actual sentiment! Inspired right? OK, not that inspired but still pretty nice. (Its a bit hard to see above to check out the close up below. It shows up way better IRL.)

I also made this for a challenge on the Joan’s Garden’s Blog for this week which asked us to use a floral patterned paper, a doily and a 3-D flower with greenery as well as the challenge constant which is to use a product sold at Joan’s Gardens. Uh oh. Until I just looked this up, I thought it was any patterned paper! I used music paper except for the tiny paper piecing at the top of the mannequin and you can’t tell it’s floral because its sooo tiny and so light. I hope you trust me Joan! :) I used Distress ink which she sells but that was so easy it almost felt like cheating and although she sells MME paper I couldn’t remember if she sold that particular pack or not. So while I was pretty sure I was already covered, I decided to use Rose Creations dies to make my flower.

I used vintage music paper and cut the flowers. Then I used pink ink to sponge the petal tips. No need to get fancy, just slap some ink on there, oh, I also used an ink blending tool she sells. Then crunch the petals up into little balls which gives them some texture, uncrunch them and stack onto a brad. Form the innermost flower layer’s petals into a bud shape and glue into place holding it while it dries. Repeat with the next flower layer making a slightly less tight bud shape. Now start pulling the petals up tight towards the bud holding it in your hands as you go working around the flower. When you get to the end, surprisingly, it will hold its shape! Now, with a fine tipped bottle of glue, shoot some glue deep in between the petals to help the flower hold its shape. I hold it for a couple of minutes while it starts to dry or you can tuck it into a small circular container like a toilet paper roll or a small jar.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: WMS
Ink: chocolate, berry sorbet-PTI, Antique Linen Distress
Paper: DP-MME, chocolate, vanilla CS-PTI, vintage music paper-stash
Accessories: Foam dots-Jody Morrow, doily-local restaurant rescued from under dessert :) rose creations dies-spellbinders, leaf die-SU!, W00, 01 Copic markers, embossing stylus (veining on leaves), washi tape-Freckled Fawn, Glossy Accents, brad-SU!

Blingy Gold and Silver Gift Tags

These are for a couple of challenges to make tags and use neutrals.

I embossed both of the medallion shapes with gold on the outer portions and silver on the inner portions. To do this, I gently poured on tiny amounts of silver EP then very quickly and carefully flipped my paper to get the powder off without getting any on the outer areas of embossing ink. Then pour gold EP on the rest of the image and heat. I was amazed how well it turned out. You can enlarge the pix below to get a better look.

If you noticed, the first picture didn’t have rhinestones, I added them and took another picture. But you couldn’t see the ribbon as well so I kept the first picture I took as well.

To enhance the effect of two colours of EP, I coloured some of the design in with Copic markers. I use C3 for the silver areas and Y23 for the gold areas. If you are careful to not touch the EP much, you won’t wreck your marker tip. The smaller tag is backed with silver mirrored cardstock and the larger with gold. Each has a small beaded head pin dangling from the bottom.

In the photo it is sandwiched between the layers of cardstock but I am considering pulling it out, making a loop at the top of the pin and attaching it with jump ring through a tiny hole in the bottom of the tag so it can swing freely.

I am entering this in the Joan’s Gardens Challenge make a tag. And Simon Says ‘Anything Goes’. I also can enter this in the December Paper Crafts Magazine Gallery Challenge to make a holiday project.

I am also entering this in the Shabby Tea Room to use the inspiration photo and use ribbon or twine and a sentiment. ETA: I am too late for TSTR. Bummer.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: JustRite, sentiments-PTI
Ink: Versamark
Paper: mirrored cardstock-Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, vanilla CS-SU!
Accessories: beads, head pins-stash, daisy spacers-Bead Diva, wide striped ribbon-stash, snowflake ribbon-May Arts, thin gold, wide silver ribbon-SU!, Nesties Label dies-Joan’s Gardens, rhinestones-Swarovski (I think), Copics, EP-SU!, metal snowflake-stash

Avon Gift Set

I found a few things in the Avon catalogue that I knew my girlfriend would like and were also on sale (yeah!) so when they arrived, I knew they needed some pretty packaging!

This also works for a couple of challenges, Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge, Joan’s Garden’s Challenge #41 – Recycle, Friday Mashup #85 Project Saying Thank You and Really Reasonable Ribbon Anything But A Card. (Click on sketches to visit blog posts)

The box uses a clear box I got stamps in from PTI. I added a cardstock bottom; makes for such a nice presentation I think. Quite professional I think. My button is also recycled, it still has the thread in it and even a scrap from the original garment on the back. I made the flower. It actually uses the Spellbinders rolled flower die. Doesn’t look like it does it? I’m going to be coming up with a tutorial on how I do that soon, stay tuned!

The sentiment says, “A friend is someone who sings your heart’s sing back to you when you have forgotten the words.” –David Coppola. You can click the photo to enlarge it and get a clearer version too. If you ever want to make a nice gift basket or gift box, consider varying the heights of items or raising them to make them more visible with glue dots. In baskets, professionals even glue things to skewers (with points removed) to raise small things up above the edges of the basket or container. I used them to hold the nail polish up.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: SSD Heartsong
Ink: pink pirouette-SU!, chocolate-PTI
Paper: DP-American Crafts, pink cs-SU!, white CS-Taylored Expressions
Accessories: leaf-Prima, lace-vintage, ribbon-May Arts, Nesties dies, MS punch, clear box-recycled from PTI packaging, button-vintage also recycled,

Celebrate–You’re a Star

I hope my son does well on his report card and if so, this is for him to celebrate the end of the year. This card is also for Unscripted Sketches 163, Joan’s Gardens challenge this week to make a card for a kid and this month’s Waltzing Mouse Blog Party which is open for linking right now!

I kinda got on the confetti craze for this card. I used lots of different papers from 3 packs and Say It Loud from Waltzing Mouse stamps. I wish I’d had one smaller star die so I could layer some even smaller stars pointing off the top right corner, I’ll have to go on a hunt to see which company makes just the right sizes. The photo below is the inspiration for this month’s blog party.

I’m noticing that I really strayed from the sketch quite a bit. I think you can still see the inspiration though, my large panel is bigger, the square was translated into a star and the right panel shrunk into my banner panel. I was still inspired by it though and that’s the point right? I hope…?

I hope if you enjoyed my card that you will visit again. I am in the process of making a video for a really cool graduation hat gift box/gift card box and I’ll post the link and measurements as soon as it is done. I have subscription thingies on my sidebar. Have fun with the rest of the party!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: WMS
Ink: pumpkin pie, green galore, teal (the last two blended to get the small sentiment colour)-SU!, broken china distress
Paper: Fancy Pants, Echo Park-Splash, MME-Lime Twist, confetti white, kraft CS-SU!, orange zest CS-PTI
Accessories: star dies-Sizzix, PTI, star punch-Fiskars, foam dots- Jody Morrow, notebook page punch-SU!

Cherry Blossom Anniversary Card

I recently bought the coolest flower die. It makes gorgeous cherry blossoms. I made them in an unusual colour combo but I love that I can personalize them!

The colours of this card are epecially unusual to anyone who knows me well. Orange is one of my least favourite colours but I have been know to use it under the right circumstances like as an accent, when I love the paper pack or when the person I am making the card for loves bright colours! The latter is the case this time. Oh, and my blonde little guys look awesome in orange so you might see it on a scrap  page at some point!

Making the blossoms is easy. Die cut all the pieces. I cut all of mine from ivory card stock. Then I coloured the star shaped piece with an apricot marker. Same for the center of the sunburst shaped piece. The little ‘sticks’ I coloured in blush and the tips are pumpkin. The sticks and tips are coloured on both sides. The flowers are sponged with blush ink.

To make the flower 3-D, you glue the tab to the back of the next petal. However, I found it was hard to get the tab to stay glued as it is tiny, less than 1/8” long! When I make it again, I won’t glue the tab first. To prepare the center, use an embossing tool and a foam or embossing mat to cup the star piece. Repeat for the sunburst. Then adhere the sunburst to the inside of the star. Now you want to curve the petals and squeeze the flower into a cup shape. Then add adhesive to the outside of the cupped center and the tab and add the center to the flower. While holding down the flower center with the embossing tool, make sure the tab is touching and hold until it is dry. All done!

I’m entering this in the Joan’s Gardens challenge this week and this April’s SFYTT (turned 90 degrees). Joan is offering 6 guest designer spots for participants! I’m really hoping I get a chance!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamp: PSX
Ink: memento black, Apricot, blush, celery-SU!
Paper: Picadilly-Basic Grey, saffron, vanilla, punpkin-SU!
Accessories: foam dots-Jody Morrow, lace-WMS, die-Memory box, markers: apricot, pumpkin, blush-SU!, ribbon-Masterstroke Ribbon, Kaisercraft rhinestones

Larkspur for Joan’s Garden’s Challenge

Joan’s Garden’s Challenge this week was to use purple and green, a butterfly and a strip of DP.

 
Well, I used a bit more than a strip of DP so I hope she will overlook that! I coloured my own ribbon, again! creating striped ribbon this time. I used a V000 for the base colour and and V12 for the striping. I created a bow with my Bow Easy and arranged it into a half circle with a huge dimensional glue dot. I left half of it free to attach the button.

So guess where the lace came from? It was from a nightgown I wore to death! I kept the lace because it is still like new! One edge was sewn to the old fabric so I cut it off and that left a raw edge so this layout had a perfect place to place it where that would be hidden. I added beaded edges to the main panel using Scor-Tape.

The layout is Sweet Sketch 54. I though it was the latest one but I copied it off of someone’s blog and I guess they were playing an old one. I was so disappointed when I saw that! I am really trying to play more sketches and challenges.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Larkspur-PTI
Ink: perfect plum-SU!, Antique Linen Distress ink, Memento grey
Paper: DP, pale plum, perfect plum CS-SU!, white CS-Taylored Expressions
Accessories: green ribbons-SU!, silk ribbon-May Arts, PTI button, Copic Markers, micro beads and punch-Martha Stewart, Kaisercraft and Dollarama pearls, Art Institute Glitter, Copics V00, V12, V14 or 15 (sorry, forget!), G21, 24, 94