Wish You the Most Beautiful Day

I recently posted another butterfly card where I stamped different butterflies onto a rectangle of Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock and cut around them using my Silhouette Cameo.  When I went to throw away that rectangle I saw that I had stamped those butterflies in a really pretty formation and decided to use it to create another card.  I really like the way it turned out.

I ink blended the butterfly rectangle using Distress Oxide Inks and then die cut it using a My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle.  To add visual interest I die cut some Simon Says Stamp White Glitter Cardstock with the same rectangle die and adhered the two together with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

A side folding A2 cardbase was made from Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock.  The butterfly panel was adhered directly to the card front with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.  Pink Offray Ribbon was added to the bottom of the card.  I didn’t want the sentiment to add element to the card front and so I decided to print a sentiment on Avery Clear Labels and adhere it to the ribbon.  I like the way it turned out.  As a final embellishment, a lot of white pearls were scattered all over the front of the card.

Products Used:

  • Hero Arts Butterflies
  • Distress Oxide Inks Picked Raspberry, Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock
  • Simon Says Stamp White Glitter Cardstock
  • Offray Pink 5/8” Ribbon
  • Avery Clear Labels
  • Calibri and Willow Bloom Fonts
  • Pearls from Stash

Fluttering By to Say Happy Birthday

The Clean and Simple Challenge this week at Splitcoaststampers was to create a card with wings.  I have had the Hero Arts Butterflies stamp set for years and don’t think I’ve ever used it, so I decided to give it a try for this card.  I decided on a white, gray, and pink color scheme and think it turned out pretty.

The nice thing about this stamp set is that all the butterflies have a pretty background.  I stamped them on Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock with pink Distress Oxide Inks and then placed them on my Silhouette PIXScan Mat to cut around them.

I die cut a circle from Bo Bunny’s Isabella Collection Paper using a My Favorite Things Pierced Circle die and then scattered the three largest butterflies around the surface.  I used the smaller butterflies I had stamped and punched smaller butterflies using Martha Stewart’s 3 Butterflies Punch.  All were adhered to the circle using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.  The larger butterflies only had glue added to the center so the wings could be lifted slightly.

A top folding cardbase was made from Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock.  I found a sentiment I liked in Hot of the Press’s Small Stamps Dragonfly but modified it a little.  I covered up the word “hi” with Post-it Tape and using Memento Fog Ink stamped it in the lower right of the cardbase.  I used Winnie & Walter’s Sentiment Birthday to stamp “happy birthday” below in the same ink.

Darice Sticky Back Foam was added to the back of the circl and it was adhered to the left of the card front, slightly overlapping the edge, which cut off with scissors.  Another small butterfly was adhered to the upper right of the card, small white pearls were added for the butterfly bodies and the card was done.

Products Used:

  • Hero Arts Butterflies
  • Hot Off the Press Small Stamps Dragonfly
  • Winnie & Walter Sentimental Birthday
  • Memento Fog Ink
  • Distress Oxide Inks Picked Raspberry, Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar
  • My Favorite Things Pierced Circle STAX
  • Darice Sticky Back Foam
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Pearls from Stash
  • Bo Bunny Isabella Collection Paper
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock
  • Martha Stewart 3 Butterflies Punch\ Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock

Hoping Your Birthday is Happy

One of this week’s color challenge at Splitcoaststampers included a deep pink, pale yellow, and pale green.  I had previously cut some of the images from Altenew’s Beautiful Day and had them sitting in a draw ready to be used.  I decided to pull them out for this challenge.  I think the combination turned out pretty.

This is a layering stamp set that aligns very easily and the Altenew inks make it easy to get the variation in colors.  For this card I had already die cut the shapes from Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock and stamped on the shapes.  It worked great.

Once the stamping was done I arranged the flowers and leaves into a pattern I like and used Press ‘n Seal to hold them together to decide placement on a rectangle of the same cardstock that was cut with a My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle.  I decided I wanted to add some visual interest behind the flowers and dry embossed the rectangle with the Lifestyle Crafts Chain Embossing Folder.   Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to the back on all items except the front flower, which was adhered with 3M 1/2″ Foam Tape.  The great thing about using Press ‘n Seal is you can move the arrangement around until you have perfect placement.

I didn’t want to cover up the beautiful flowers and so I decided to stamp the sentiment from Winnie & Walter Sentiment Birthday onto Paper Accents Vellum with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and heat emboss it with Hero Arts Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder.  It was wrapped about the embossed rectangle and adhered to the back using Scotch Tape.

Darice Sticky Back Foam was added to the back of the focal image rectangle for some added dimension.  A side folding A2 cardbase was made from Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock and the  focal image panel was added to the front using liquid glue.

Products Used:

  • Altenew Beautiful Day
  • Winnie & Walter Sentimental Birthday
  • VersaFine Onyx Black Ink
  • Altenew Inks: Razzleberry, Puffy Heart, Rose Quartz,
  • Hero Arts Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder
  • Lifestyle Crafts Chain Embossing Folder
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Darice Sticky Back Foam
  • Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock
  • Paper Accents Vellum

Birthday Wishes Masculine Birthday Card

This week the Free For All Challenge is to create a card with the theme “Birds of a Feather.”  I decided to pull out my Cuttlebug Feathers and Arrows Dies, along with Sizzix’s new 3-D Feathers Embossing Folder to create my card.

I began by die cutting some Kraft Cardstock using the largest My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle and then ran it through the Big Shot with the Sizzix 3-D Feather Embossing Folder.  To help the feathers stand out I used Distress Oxide Tea Dye and Vintage Photo to lightly ink blend over the raised surface of the feathers.  Later I decided to add a little Salty Ocean to the center of the feathers to compliment the colors used on the feathers.

I die cut the feathers from Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock and ink blended them using Distress Oxide Salty Ocean, Broken China, and Cracked Pistachio.  To help them standout on the card front I eventually decided to ink the edges with Salty Ocean.  I liked the feathers, but they needed a little something to add visual interest, so I pulled out my Tim Holtz Collect Stampers Anonymous Burlap Stencil and lightly pounced Salty Ocean Distress Ink onto each feather, which gave them an interesting pattern.

I wrapped some Gold Decorative Trim from Hobby Lobby three times around the base of the card front and tied it in a knot.  I added 3M 1/2″ Foam Tape to the back of the two largest feathers, glued the smallest in place with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive and then removed the backing and adhered the largest feathers over the top.

For the sentiment I ink blended a scrap of white cardstock with the same colored used on the feathers, dried it with my heat tool and then stamped the sentiment from Mama Elephant’s Fair Feathers with VersaMark Ink and heat set it with Ranger Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

A top folding A2 cardbase was made from Gina K. Designs Base Weight Dark Chocolate Cardstock.  The dry embossed rectangle was adhered to the cardbase with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.  The sentiment was cut into a then strip and adhered directly to the cardbase with liquid glue and the card was done.

Products Used:

  • Mama Elephant Fair Feathers
  • Distress Oxide Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Salty Ocean, Broken China, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers
  • Cuttlebug Feathers and Arrows Die
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
  • Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs Dark Chocolate Base Weight Cardstock
  • Kraft Cardstock from Scraps
  • VersaMark Ink
  • Ranger Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Ranger Multi Medium Matte
  • Sizzix Feathers Embossing Folder
  • Hobby Lobby Decorative Trim Gold
  • Tim Holtz Collection Stampers Anonymous Burlap

Sending Birthday Hugs and Wishes

This is the second card I created using the Tri-Fold Cardbase.  For this card I decided on a landscape orientation and adhered by patterned paper on the bottom left of the cardbase.  I added a square of dark gray cardstock to be the base for my focal image, which was a cupcake stamped using Altnew’s Layered Cupcake stamp and die.

This card was quick and easy to create.  I die cut the cupcake shape first and then stamped the layers using Altenew Inks.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink’s Stylish Sentiments: Birthday and was stamped with VersaMark Ink on the gray square and heat set with Ranger Fine Detail Silver Embossing Powder.  3M 1/2″ Foam Tape was added to the back of the focal image square only on the portion that would be adhered to patterned paper tri-fold.

I did the same thing I had done with my previous card and used some Velcro to keep the tri-folds together.  Really like the color combination from this patterned paper.

Products Used:

  • Altenew Layered Cupcake
  • Papertrey Ink Stylish Sentiments: Birthday
  • Altenew Limestone Ink
  • Brilliance Starlight Silver, Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubellite
  • Copic Markers: Y00, E50
  • Avery Elle Double Pierced Square Die
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
  • VersaMark Ink
  • Ranger Fine Detail Silver Embossing Powder
  • Bo Bunny Isabella Collection
  • Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock

Nothing Bundt the Best

At Splitcoaststampers.com this week the Technique Lovers Challenge was to create a Tri-Fold Card.  It looked interesting and so I decided to give it a try.

You take a full sheet of cardstock and score it at 4 1/4″ and 5 1/2″ and then you cut it diagonally from corner to corner.  This creates the tri-fold card base.  I decided to do a top folding card and decorated the bottom right of the card with patterned paper from Bo Bunny’s Isabella Collection.  Then I needed to decide on what focal image I could create that would go well with the patterned paper I had chosen.  I decided to us Avery Elle’s Bring on the Cake.

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored it with Copic Markers.  I then pulled out My Favorite Things Pierced Circle STAX die and selected one that would closely cut around the focal image.  I left enough room to stamp the sentiment from the same stamp set.  I matted my circle with pink cardstock I had in scraps using the Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Small.

When adhering the focal image you want to be sure that you only do so to one side so that the tri-fold card can be opened.  I decided to scatter some Doodebug Designs Sprinkles Cupcake Assortment around the focal image, added Ranger Glossy Accents to the frosting and the card was done.

The problem with this type of card is that it doesn’t stay together very well.  This really bothered me and so I went to my sewing room and pulled out some clear Velcro and added a small square underneath the focal image to keep the card together and it worked much better.

Products Used:

  • Avery Elle Bring on the Cake
  • Bo Bunny Isabella Collection Neena Classic Crest 80# Solar White Cardstock
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock
  • Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
  • Copic Markers: RV13, RV11, RV10; E49, E59, E57; C4, C2, C1
  • Clear Wink of Stella
  • Glossy Accents
  • Doodlebug Design Sprinkles Cupcake Assortment
  • My Favorite Things Pierced Circle STAX
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
  • Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Small
  • Lawn Fawn Stitched Borders

Hope Transcends All Sorrow

To me the grief of losing a loved one would be overwhelming without hope.  We have hope that they are no longer suffering, we hope that this life is not the end and we will see them again, we hope that the pain of loss will ease, we have hope in the resurrection promised by the Savior.  Hope it what transcends our sorrow and shines through the dark days of our loss.

To create the card I die cut some patterned paper from from DCWV Bella Armoire Paper Stack with the largest My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle. I used Altenew’s Caps Bold Alphabet Dies to cut the word “HOPE” from the patterned paper. It was then adhered to a side folding A2 cardbase made from Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

The secondary greeting was created in Microsoft Word, printed on Neena Classic Crest 80# White Cardstock and die cut using a My Favorite Things Stitched Fishtail Sentiment Die.  3M 1/2″ Foam Tape was added to the back and it was adhered just below the die cut word.  Because it was too white I took a Copic Marker E42 and went over the letter so that it blended better with the patterned paper.

Finetec M600 Gold watercolor was used to color the letters. The letters were cut again from black sticky back foam and the two were adhered together with the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive and then adhered back into the negative space on the card front.

A easy yet elegant card in a short period of time.

Products Used:

  • DCWV Bella Armoire Stack
  • Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet
  • FineTec M600 Gold
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Black Fun Foam
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX
  • My Favorite Things Stitched Fishtail Sentiment Die
  • Copic Marker E42

A Perfect Brightness of Hope Masculine

This is the card I made this month to send to the young men I know who are serving missions for the LDS church. I pick a gospel principle and center my card and message around it. This month I chose the word Hope. The opposite of hope is despair. To live life joyfully we need to embrace the concept of Hope.

For the masculine version of this card I used plaid patterned paper and love the way it turned out.

To create the card I die cut some patterned paper from from DCWV Bella Armoire Paper Stack with the largest My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle. I used Altenew’s Caps Bold Alphabet Dies to cut the word “HOPE” from the patterned paper. It was then adhered to a side folding A2 cardbase made from Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

Finetec M600 Gold watercolor was used to color the letters. The letters were cut again from black sticky back foam and the two were adhered together with the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive and then adhered back into the negative space on the card front.

Products Used:

  • DCWV Bella Armoire Stack
  • Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet
  • FineTec M600 Gold
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Black Fun Foam
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX

Hope Selective Coloring

Every month I write a card to the young men and women I know who are serving missions for the LDS church.  I pick a gospel principle and center my card and message around it.  This month I chose the word Hope.  The opposite of hope is despair.  To live life joyfully we need to embrace the concept of Hope.

I decided to selectively color the die cut word hope and added Gold FineTec M600 Watercolors to make it shine, to emulate a “perfect brightness of hope.”  I think with the black, cream, and gold it has an elegant flair.

This is the card I created for the young ladies serving on missions.  The first time I tried it I completely coated all of the letters, but I decided to try it again only painting the ivory portions of the patterned paper and liked it better.  Both are shown below.

I did go back afterward and added even more gold to the lighter portions of the paper and like the way it turned out much better.

To create the card I die cut some patterned paper from from DCWV Bella Armoire Paper Stack with the largest My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle.  I used Altenew’s Caps Bold Alphabet Dies to cut the word “HOPE” from the patterned paper.  It was then adhered to a side folding A2 cardbase made from Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

Finetec M600 Gold watercolor was used to color the letters.  The letters were cut again from black sticky back foam and the two were adhered together with the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive and then adhered back into the negative space on the card front.

A easy yet elegant card in a short period of time.

Products Used:

  • DCWV Bella Armoire Stack
  • Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet
  • FineTec M600 Gold
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Black Fun Foam
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Gina K. Designs Base Weight Ivory Cardstock
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX

 

Happy BDay 2U

I recently purchased Tim Holtz’ Distress Micro Glaze to use with Distress Oxide Inks on photo paper.  When Distress Oxide Inks are combined with water they turn very cloudy, but you can keep layering colors as long as you want, as long as you dry the layers in between.  I almost through away this ink blended background.  It was an ugly, cloudy mess, but I pulled it out of the trash and decided to experiment and see what it would look like after adding the micro glaze and low and behold it turned out to be a gorgeous, vibrant green.

I was able to get two cards from one panel of 4″ x 6″ photo paper.  For the first card I die cut ballo0ns using both Avery Elle Balloons and Lawn Fawn Party Balloons from the micro glaze paper.  I used My Favorite Things Little Uppercase and Lowercase Letters Dies to cut the sentiment in the balloons.  A panel of cardstock from Doodlebug Designs Kraft in Color 6″ x 6″ Cardstock was die cut with a My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangle and adhered to the front of an A2 top folding cardbase made from Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock.  The balloons and they were adhered to the patterned paper using 3M 1/2″ Foam Tape.  Sequins were scattered around the balloons and the card was done.

For the second card a rectangle of green cardstock was cut with the MFT Stitched Rectangle and adhered to a top folding cardbase.  Balloon were cut from DCWV Floral Fair Stack 12″ x 12″ Paper using the same dies.  The letters that had been die cut from the micro glaze paper were adhered to the front of the balloons with Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  3M 1/2″ Foam Tape was added to the back of the balloons and they were adhered to the front of the cardbase.  Sequins were scatter around the balloons and a second card was created.  Love when that happens.

Products Used:

  • Avery Elle Balloons Dies
  • Lawn Fawn Party Balloons Dies
  • My Favorite Things Little Uppercase and Lowercase Letters Dies
  • Distress Oxide Inks: Peeled Paint, Bundles Sage, Lucky Clover
  • Ranger Distress Micro Glaze
  • My Favorite Things A2 Stitched Rectangles
  • Canson 4” x 6” Glossy Photo Paper
  • Gina K. Designs 120# White Cardstock
  • Doodlebug Designs Kraft in Color 6” x 6” Cardstock or
  • DCWV Floral Fair Stack 12” x 12” Paper
  • Green Cardstock from Scraps
  • Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
  • Ranger Multi Medium Matte
  • 3M ½” Foam Tape
  • Pretty Pink Posh Seattle Spirit Mix and Fresh Mint Sequins
  • Doodlebug Designs Limeade Sequins