Author: debbrooner

Stamping Queens Cards and ATC’s

Posted on by debbrooner

I just joined a new Yahoo group called Stamping_Queens.  There appear to be lots of different swaps going each month so I am hoping to get a little of everything- cards, ATC’s, inchies, and sketchs.

The card above was made with the Spit Coast Stampers sketch 164.  The paper is from Basic Grey’s Out Of Print collection.  Love those papers!  The little  retro background is from Silhouette.

retro background:#23521; Cuttlebug Embossing folder:Swiss Dot: Sentiment: Stampendous “Friendship Assortment”

The theme for the ATC’s this month was pink and black- not hard for me to do since any color plus black is right up my alley.

I don’t usually like old timey silhouettes, but this little girl holding a butterfly called my name.  I stamped the definition on  the ATC, added Worn Lipstick Distress Ink to the edges, and then cut out a tiny butterfly that I folded in half and glued to her hand. A thin strip of polka dot paper finished the ATC off.

I cut the butterfly out and then ungrouped the design, got rid of the inside pieces, and cut the outline out so that it would be  a solid shape.  I glued the 2 pieces together on the body only, cut the butterfly in half, glued the butterfly to the card, and then bent the top layer of wings up. I didn’t forget the antenna which was emboidery floss stiffened with glue.  Fun.

assorted butterflies filligree set: #26282; girl with butterfly border: #29236; lace butterfly: #27233

 This last card I made is a Silhouette product.  I don’t usually buy the cards that I could design myself, but for some reason I did this time.  I was pretty pleased with the results and will definitely use this card again as it is very quick to make but doesn’t look like it is.

I stamped the 2 side panels and used dimensional adhesive on all three panels so the holes in the middle panel are more obvious.I did add an extra piece so I had a place for my sentiment.

A2 size cared: # 28261; sentiment: Stampendous “Friendship Assortment”; Background stamp: Great Impressions  “Scroll and Leaves”

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Silhouette Sketch Pens and Amy Chomas Pen Holders

Posted on by debbrooner

I decided to try the sketch pen feature the other day. I used the basic pen set that Silhouette sells but unfortunately there was not enough ink in them to do the background designs that I had picked out. Bummer.  I purched a great tree sketch so I thought I’d just nip over to the store and get a small brown pen from Sihouette.  Big problem- no brown to be found.

I had seen ads for Amy Chomas’ Pen and marker holders so I went to her sight to see if they were something I would want.  I ended up getting both holders(one holds pens, the other is big enough for markers, so there is a size for everything) and have been really happy I did. The upside to these holders? I can now use Sharpies,gel pens, Pigma Microns- you name it.  Since I can use full size pens I can sketch larger designs without running out of ink.  It also means that I don’t have to stick with the very limited colors Silhouette offers.   Take look at Amy’s blog and see what you think.

For the card above I used some cool gel pens called GellyRoll Gold. They come in a pack of 5 and have red, purple,blue, green, and olive.  The neat thing about these pens is that they write both the color and gold together.  I used the green and red ones on this card.I made a rectangle around both elements, hit the “line styles” button and picked a perforated line.  It all sketched out perfectly.  I added a white tab which I colored with the green pen, some black rhinestones to the middle of the flowers, and a punched strip on the left side.  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the cards base and that was it.  Pretty easy, actually.

Sketched Flowers: #1176; Dream Create Inspire: #1595; Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Geometric Rings

For this card I just used a lattice background and the word, which I colored in after it was sketched.  I found this lovely black feather in my stash and some gold rhinestones tha finished it up.  I love the card base.  It is gold on the front and blue on the back.

3 backgrounds: #28032; Imagine: #7787

 

Word Definition Stamp As A Background

Posted on by debbrooner

I have really been enjoying the “ Stretch Your Stamps” online class.  One of the days focused on using word stamps different ways which got me inspired.  I used this ” Create ” definition stamp as a background for my card. I used black detail embossing powder since the font was so small.  The poppy embellishment was a Silhouette design which I backed with a green and red specialty cardstock and the red tape was a piece of fake Washi tape I made from unryu paper.

By the way, kudos to Silhouette for reducing the ID numbers to a managable size.  Sure makes my job easier!

rounded card flowers punch out: #27930; sentiment: Fiskars “Just Between Friends”

If you have never tried one of the online card classes you really should!  I have never been sorry with any of them I have purchased.  You can watch them as many times as you like and there is also a PDF you can print out.  Always good for the times I get stuck!

Happy cardmaking!

My favorite ATC JamsGalore cards

Posted on by debbrooner

I thought I would share several of my favorite ATC’s from my Yaho group “ATCs Jams Galore”.  For those of you who haven’t heard about these, the idea is simple.  Person #1 makes 3 ATC’s with their chosen background and sends them to person# 2.  The second person adds the embellishment of their choice and sends them to person #3 who adds their embellishment as well.  The third person then keeps one copy and then sends the other 2 cards back to the first person, who keeps one and sends the remaining one to person # 2.

Rubber stamping, die cuts, handmade paper, stickers, thread, micro beads, rhinestones, brads, zentangles- the list goes on and on when it comes to what can be used on these fun cards.

Interested? Go to Yahoo Groups and ask to become a member.

 

Less Is More Challenge- 3 stamps

Posted on by debbrooner

Okay, this was waaay more challenging than I expected. The Less Is More challenge this week was to use 3 stamps.  Using only 3 stamps was difficult as a little voice inside of me kept saying “can’t I use just one more?”, though to tell the truth no matter how many stamps were allowed I probably would have wished I could use just one more!

It has been a while since I have used pigment inks.  I smudged several cards before I remembered that pigment inks dry slowly, and then I ruined the next card  by sliding my sentiment stamp out of place.  Only after making several cards (actually card fronts) did it occur to me to try erasing the ink smudge.  It worked!

Hero Arts Background of Six Scribbles; Heidi Grace 4×8 Butterfly; Ditto Hello Friend

It has also been a while since I have done masking, and I forgot how much I enjoyed it.  I used my new Tim Holtz Peacock Feather  Distress Ink for the background.  Pretty color, huh?

Great Impressions Scroll and Leaves”; Heidi Grace 4×8 Butterfly;TPC Studios Music

Yellow challenge and a baby card

Posted on by debbrooner

Whew- the last 2 weeks have been crazy with handbell concerts.  It was fun but I’m ready to get back into my normal routine.

This first card is a challenge one from Less Is More.  The color challenge was yellow and, of course,there is  a lot of white space.

I cut the front out of white and mounted it to the yellow card using dimensional adhesive to give the card more depth.

graphic_element_C00217_23067; 3d_flower_-_gerbera_daisy_C00113_77044

This next card is another from the card base set that I used last time .  The scalloped circle was just right for the circle baby phrase.  The pardstock is from a 6×6 pad from MY Minds Eye called Lime Twist.  The colors and patterns are really fun and could be used for a lot of different cards.

card_base_6_C01696_20509; phrase_words_circle_baby_C00185_21585

That’s it for now.  After looking at Mel’s blog dealing with washi tape I am ready to start on making my own .  Maybe I’ll have a sample or 2 next time.

New card bases from Silhouette

Posted on by debbrooner

I just purchased the new card bases and envies from the  Silhouette Store.  I thought I’d show you what you can do with them.  Since I don’t have the Cameo I couldn’t cut out the envelopes, but since the cards are a standard 4.25 x 5.5 inches I can just use rather boring but servicable white ones.  This first picture shows what the card bases look like when open.The only difference in all of the cards is the shape of the card front.  Now for the finished cards which, by the way, refused to stay in an upright position when placed in the frog, hence the thumb showing in each one.  Sorry about that.

Card base 1 has these fun scalloped edges.  I cut the overlay out of white cardstock and then used the internal offset to cut a slightly smaller overlay out of patterned paper.  The bird file is one of my favorites and the ability to cut out the ” beautiful you” so cleanly still amazes me.  Due to the size I did end up double cutting the phrase.  I found some yellow butterflies in my “yellow” box, so I put 2 of them together and added them as well.  I felt the yellow cardstock needed some help so I ran it through my Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder.  Doesn’t the background now look like a giant yellow Lego?  Oops.

card_base_1_C01686_20509; bird_on_branch_C00648_19547; beautiful_you_phrase_C00987_20509;

I love the colors on this card.  They are all from then Tropical  AC Cardstock pack. Originally I had intended on using rhinestones to cover some of the black polka dots but I didn’t have the right colors so I just punched out several of each color of cardstock, added them to the card, and then covered each of them with Glossy Accents.  Easy cheap coordinating embellishments.

card_base_2_C01688_20509; paisley_C00413_31857; background stamp Stampabilities Polka Dot Background; sentiment Fiskars All Year Greetings

This next card is pretty busy for me, but I did get to used up several bits and pieces I had laying around.  I cut the fancy border in two parts and used them to border the top and bottom of the card front.  I used the Cuttlebug Forest Branched folder on the red cardstock and then turned the pattern sideways and cut a strip.  I  ran the black butterfly through my Xyron, front side down, and then pulled the backing off of just the butterfly wings and added glitter.  I learned a very important lesson about black cardstock and colored glitter. Yellow glitter appears green and orange apppears brown.  Tricky stuff, that glitter. I then removed the backing from the body and added black glitter.  I got the idea for the butterfly from yesterday’s A Cut Above online class.

I made the flower on the tiny label by cutting 3- 12 petal flowers, covering them withDistress Ink, and then curling the petals and layering on top of each other.  The flower almost looks like a small dried one.

card_base_3_C01690_20509; elegant_border_C00105; assorted_butterfly_filigree_C01438_20387; 12_petal_flowers_C00667; 5_petal_flowers_C01237_20509; leaves_C00027_23445; 5_labels_C01207

You know how often farm dogs are “outside dogs”?  Well this bird is an “outside bird”.  He hangs around the cage but never in it .  Just thought you’d want to know.

This is a pretty simple card, actually.  I really like the birdcage and sentiment. The set comes with 2 more birdcages, several birds and one more sentiment that is bird related.

card_base_4_C01629_20509; 3_bands_C00965_20509; TAC Studio Vintage Birdcages

This last card is probably my favorite.  I really like the teacup and the frilly edges of the card front go well with it.

The dotted background is from a blogsite called Mel Stamps. If you haven’t been to her site then you are in for some fun!  She has lots of free templates and background papers as well as cards she has made.  Prepare to spend some time there, though.

This is one of those cards that ended up being a “flub fixed” one.  I ran all of my letters throught my Xyron but found out that I had run  one of the T’s and O’s in backwards. I really didn’t want to have to recut just 2 letters, so I used the misglued letters for the word “two” and addeds glue to the front of the W.  I then added clear embossing powder to the word and heated it.  Now it looks like I intended that word to be glossy.  Take that, goof up monster.

card_base_5_C01694_20509; 4_flourished_tea_cup_set_C00656_19210: background stamp Hero Arts Word Pops

Six more cards to go.  See you next week!

Authentique Paper, 3 Sketches

Posted on by debbrooner

Since grey and yellow are so hot now I picked up this pad of cardstock.  I found out, however, that the grey is more brown than black.  I like it anyway!

I wanted to make 3 cards using 3 fferent weekly sketches.  I enjoyed the challenge of each card as none of them were my usual style.  They were good” stretchers”.

This first sketch is from Clean and Simple Stamping. I don’t usually try to make cards using circles but this one was  very easy to do.  I just drew a 4.25 x 5.5″ rectangle  on my Silhouette workspace.  I then drew a circle, sized it to fit my card and used the Offset button to make the second circle.  After I had the size of the card figured out all I had to do for the flowers and the leaves was to pick the files I wanted and then size them to fit.

I have to apologize for the inferior stamping.  The first stamping was not too good so I restamped it (easy to do with clear stamps), but it wasn’t much better.  I could have stamped the sentiment on a different piece of paper to cover up the mess, but I thought that it would make the card too busy and it will go into my portfolio, so I left it as is.

leaf_spray_C01298_20387; 3d_flower_C01679_20509; 3d_flower_C01678_20509; 3d_cherry_blossom_C00798_31857

This sketch is from the  Card Pattern Sketch. Again, I used my Silhouette to get the pieces the right size.  Authentique has 2 punch-out pages to coördinate with their cardstock.  I used the small argyle tag for the sentiment and added the pink ruler underneath it. I had cut out a pink and a brown flourish, not being sure which one I wanted to use.  Neither one alone really made me happy but they looked very good layered.  Yes the damask is sideways.  This was my day for goofs.

flourish_C02801_1

The last sketch I used was this one from retro sketches.  The flower was sketched with my Sil  and a yellow pen (yes, the Silhouette also can draw).  It was rather ironic because I had no intention of using a bird house on the card, but after layering the flower onto the card I decided it needed something else.  There was a birdcage punch-out on the sheet, so I used it.  So much for “I definitely won’t do…”

I added Glossy accents to the pink flowers on the top of the card and some really cute sparkly yellow dots to the pink band.

flower_C00881_2581

This last part is for those who are new to card making.  When you are using a paper pad that is 6×6 you will also need some coordinating solid color cardstock to use for the card bases and any other embellishments you might like to make.  You don’t want to get home and find you can’t finish your card because you don’t have all the right stuff.

Easter Cards

Posted on by debbrooner

I love little cards! For Valentines day I made  3×3 inch cards (40 of them) and gave them away.You can see all of them here  What fun!

The size is big enough for me to do pretty much whatever I feel like doing yet small enough to finish quickly.  The amount of cardstock is also minimal and I can hand them out without envelopes if I feel like it.

I decided to stick with one design for the cards that  I made for the ladies I play bells with.  With my trust Silhouette I was able to cut out lots of teeny tiny flowers, greenery and baskets. I used one of the new teeny tiny cards files to make the cards. Since the cards were very dimensional I decided to put them in envelopes. I had 12 envelopes cut out and ready to fill in a very short period of time!  Here’s what the cards ended up looking like.  Cute, huh?

teeny_tiny_card_kit_-_25_x_4_bracket_C00054_96084; decorative_ easter_egg_C01413_20387;  flower_basket_C00778_31857; flower_set_C01289_20508; leaves_C20090902002518_18816; star_leaves_C00497_20387; leaf_spray_C01298_20387; cute_grasses_2_Coo237_41853; nature_set_C00970_20387

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next card is small too.  It is 4″x2 1/2″ and is another of the tiny cards files from the Silhouette store.  I embossed the card front with a Cuttlebug folder.

 

I used a woodgrain cardstock for the cross but found that the lily spray included in the file was just too small to cut nicely so I used a die from Memory Box  and cut it into pieces for the spray.   This is the Floral Square:My only problem with using this die cut was that I had to cut it into pieces, resulting in a lot of waste, so I didn’t make more than 1 of these.  Maybe next year I’ll make more.

teeny_tiny_card_kit_-_25_x_4_rounded_C00055_96034; cross_with_lilies_C01045_20508; Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder; Memory Box die Floral Square

 

I love this holiday!  Because of Jesus’ death on a cross for our sins and His  resurrection the grave has been defeated.  We can know for sure where we will spend eternity.   Take some time between now and Sunday to crack open your Bible, read through one or all of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and ponder the gift that has been given for you.

It is fitting that I will go to the funeral of a brother in Christ on  Monday and celebrate the fact that he is with Jesus. We will grieve with family, but we will also celebrate.  It’s an amazing thing, this eternal life with Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faux Poste Card

Posted on by debbrooner

This is a quicky since I really need to get going on my Easter cards.  The card design is from Becky Fleck’s Card Maps.  I liked the postage placed on little tiny artisan pages.  I embossed the card itself with the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder and used the “Viola” paper collecxtion by Memory Box.

I used the Silhouette for the artisan pages, the stamps, the butterfly and the flourish then stamped the cancellations and the sentiment .

filigree_butterfly_set_C01045; flourish_C02802_;  3_artisan_pages_C00135_24282;postage_stamps_C00046_41853;

“Thinking” by Fiskars’ “Just Between Friends”; “Luxe Cancellation” Hero Arts

Stay tuned for two and three-inch Easter cards!

St. Patrick’s Day and baby cards

Posted on by debbrooner

I have 3 cards to share today.  The first is a St. Patrick’s Day card.  I have never made one of these before, but since I have a friend who celebrates the day I decided to make one to send to her.  This card has it all- stamping, distress ink, Silhouette images, and glittery brads.  Love the brads! The size is 4.5z’ x 5.5″ and the fold is at the top.

 cut_out_shamrock_banner_kit_C00001_96084; clover_flourish_C00994_179086, Inkadinkado background and Great Impressions Scroll & Leaves; Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distressed Inks

This bunny is so cute, and quick to put together.  Next time, though I will probably run all of the pieces through an embossing folder before I assemble it.   Each piece was edged with distress ink before I put it together for more definition.  I used a Cuttlebug border embossing plate at the bottom and then the stamped sentiment and a pearl.  Is it just me or are baby sentiment stamps hard to find?

bunny_Coo784_2581; Cuttlebug  Just My Type border;Studio G stamp

 

 

 

 

After I made this card I realized that I had made this little outfit out of the same paper as the last card I made. Hmm.. guess I really like this color combination!  I used a Cuttlebug border for this card as well but I added a bit of pencil to the indentations to give the design more definition.  This card is pretty close to being clean and simple.

baby_boy_motifs_C00257_31857; Cuttlebug Just My Type folder;Studio G stamp

Acacia tree Clean and Simple Card

Posted on by debbrooner

I don’t remember where I got this free GSD file for the tree, but it is awesome!  It seemed to be just right for this Clean and Simple (FTL 180) card. I embossed it with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dot folder and then lightly swiped a yellow pigment ink pad across the leafy parts.

The black and yellow cardstock is from a designer pad by Teresa Collins called Carolina Breeze.  It also contains several patterns containing gray. Since gray and yellow are really in right now I will probably make several other cards from this group as well.

The label and the bird are Silhouette files.  It is super fun to cut out a bird that is only 1/2″ in size!

The yellow epoxy sticker in the corner was so old it wasn’t sticking anymore, so I just added a drop of Glossy Accents.  Problem solved, sticker is stuck!

bird_collection_C00012_28466; artisan_shapes_set_Cooo90_41853

Silhouette for inchies

Posted on by debbrooner

I used my Silhouette for a lot of my inchies this month, and it performed even better than I expected.

All of the teacups and the “2 for tea” were cut with it.  These little guys are all smaller than one inch, yet cut very well.  My favorite one is the watercolor background one with the teacup with leaves on it. There are 4 different designs in the set and would work for inchies, cards, and scrapbook pages.

two_tea_cups_C00384_23067; two_delicate_tea_cups_C00385_23067; 4_flourished_tea_cup_set_C00656; 2_for_tea_word_phrase_C01176; tea_set_C00651_2581

The POW! glitter paper on the pink cupcake is by American Crafts. It cuts beautifully.  I had tried other glitter papers, but my machine was pretty vocal about not really liking to cut them.  This paper has a great glimmer but doesn’t slough off glitter bits all over.   Very nice.  The middle cupcake was also cut with my Sil using white cardstock, colored with Bic markers and then I added some Stickles for shine.

3_cupcakes_C00869_20509; Cupcake_0241

The color challenge for this month was teal, cream and orange. I had purchased an American Craft package of pastel colors so I used them for this project.  It has a nice texture on one side and is smooth on the other.  It cuts very well.  It was a lot of fun to just pick my quilt patterns, cut them out and glue them on my inchies.  I used a Sakura glitter pen to do the stitching since a black pen overpowered the designs.

quilt_blocks_1_-_set_of_4_Coo355_17986; quilt_blocks_2_-_set_of_4_Coo356_17986

 

 

 

Finally, I made this Easter inchie book. For all of the right-hand pages I used these Easter blocks.  Love the colors- the American Craft cardstock again.

block_easter_C00495_20509

These are the left-hand pages.  I tried to cut the letters for the words, but they were just too small, hence the bad handwriting .  I used some leftover shapes from the blocks for these pages as well.  Gets me in the mood for making some Easter cards!

 

Sew Many Possibilities- Silhouette bobbins cards

Posted on by debbrooner

 The cards today are really fun ones to make and could be customized in several ways.  First of all, I used my Silhouette to cut tiny versions of embroidery floss bobbins.  If you don’t have a digital cutter then you could scan a regular size bobbin and then reduce the image, cut out by hand, and then punch a hole in the top. The other option is simply to hand draw you own and cut out.  Whatever works for you.

Here are the dimensions and supplies needed for these cards:

5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card (I used black for the bright card and dark green for the dark card)

Cardstock for the bobbins

Coordinating cardstock for the letters

5 1/4″ x 3 7/8″ piece of cross stitch fabric or pierced paper ( the fabric I used was 18 count)

Assorted colors of floss to wind on the bobbins

 

I started by stitching around the perimeter of the cloth and pierced paper, using a simple running stitch.  I did a little extra stitching at the corners.  I used a tape runner on the fabric to attach it to the card, but on the pierced paper the glue showed through the holes, so I attached it to the card with glue dots in the corners.  I then started winding the bobbins.  I found it was easier if I put a small piece of double-sided tape on the back to hold the end of the floss while I was winding.  I also used the double stick tape attach the floss at the end. This worked out well because when I was placing the bobbins on the card they stuck just enough to stay put until I got them properly glued on.  I used Glossy Accents to securely attach mine, but any strong glue would do.

You can use any color combos on these cards, such as pastels for a babies card or Christmas colors.  The bobbins could also be wound with yarn or thin  ribbons.

The “SEW…” is very versatile.  The inside of the card could say …how are you?, …how are you feeling?,…many threads, sew little time, …happy for you, …long, we’ll miss you, …good to have you as a friend.  The list goes on and on.  It is also possible to cross stitch or back-stitch the word “sew”

SEW… have a good time with this card and don’t forget to send my a picture when you are done!

 

25 Christmas Cards Part 6

Posted on by debbrooner

Okay, this is frustrating- I finished the blog for the last 3 cards, hit the “save” button and….nothing appeared on the page. Hopefully things will work out better today and I can finish up this series.

This would be a quick card to make if you had a lot to do.  The card front was run through an embossing folder and lightly swiped with Versmark ink then dusted with green PearlEx.  The deer was embossed and the sentiment was stamped with Versamark  and green PearlEx was brushed on.  I used an edge punch to make the ribbon and added a piece of hendmade paper behind (next time I would probably lay a thin  strip of the handmade paper on top of the ribbon, not under it).  That’s it!  The background could be stamped, as could the deer, if you don’t have any way to use the embossing folders.

Sizzix Triad Leaves, Sizzix Reindeer #2, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice, Hero Arts Holiday Sayings

This is the first card I made. It is a Silhouette card and I didn’t do a whole lot to it.  I did emboss the front, use pearls instead of cutting out berries and green pearls insted of brads.

christmas_card_C001244_20509, Sizzix Triad Leaves

I used American Crafts Pearl paper in white to make the trees.  The paper shifts from white to gold when it is moved.  Love it!  The trees are Silhouette die cuts and the background is handmade paper with a small gold floral print.  I cut another piece of the paper, turned to to the back side and used it as a floor for the trees . It never hurts to look at the backside of handmade paper- often it is usable as well.

Well, that ‘s it. I hope you enjoyed these cards and that some of them were springboards for your own creations.  Write me a comment and send me pics of the cards yiou made.

25 Christmas Cards Part 5

Posted on by debbrooner

 

I had cut out the green background quite a while back, not even thinking about using it as a Christmas embellishment, but I needed something to use as a backdrop for my stocking and it seemed to work.  Again, I used the offset function to cut out  a red mat . Easy peasy. I thought the stocking turned out super cute, and the Silhouette cut through my glitter paper like butter.

irregular_squares_mesh_background_C00378_21585, 4_christmas_icons_C01274_20509, Sizzix Dotted Flower Rings, Hampton Arts A Very Merry

I would NOT recommend this next card if you are doing a whole bunch- unless you plan to start making them in January! The cutting out? Very quick.  The gluing to the card? Not so much!  After I got all of the pieces on the card I decided it needed something more so I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the triad leaves folder. I don’t remember what font I used for the Joy banner but it is great to be able to use any TrueType font with the Silhouette. Because the berries were so small I used Stickles instead of red cardstock.

whimsical_tree_C20091012182328_20508, Sizzix Triad Leaves

I don’t usually do square cards because I don’t like either the extra postage due if the card is mailed in a square enelope, or the half-filled envelope that you get from mailing a square card in a regular rectangular envelope.  However, this card needed the square format to work, so half-filled envelope here it comes. I added a some Stickles Icicle glitter to the doily that I cut out and embossed the Noel with a swiss dots folder.  This was a very fast card to do.

If you don’t have a Silhouette you could use a purchased paper doily and stamp the Noel on a piece of cardstock.

noel_title_C00539_20387, doily_lace_decoration_C00600_20387, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot, A Lost Art background script

I used the same resist technique that I did for one of the Tiny Bundle cards, but the background stamp I used this time was an alphabet  collage. This too was a very quick card.  The silk ribbon I used was some that I had purchased quite a while ago.  It was so pretty I was hesitant to use it, but use it I did, to good effect.

Ali Edwards Good Cheer, Tim Holtz Seasonal REflections, Unknown Alphabet Collage

What can I say? This card is busy ! There’s the embossing (2 different folders), 2 different patterned papers, 3 colors of cardstock, and 3 different die cuts. MOJO Monday would probably be proud of me, but I must admit it gave me a bit of a tic to look at it  after it was finished.  I did like the bird on the branch embossed piece , though. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark ionk and dusted with Spring Green PearlEx.

3_borders_C00678_20509, artisan_label_set_C00178_41853, Sizzix Bird on Branch #2, Cuttlebug Paper Lace #2, Hero arts Holiday Sayings

 

 

 

 

 

Not quite enough room for the last 3 cards, so see you tomorrow.

25 Christmas Cards Part 4

Posted on by debbrooner

Miscellaneous cards

I wanted to do a card that wasn’t my usual 5″ x 4.5 “, so I made one that fits a standard business size envelope.  Everything on this card makes me happy, from the dotted border to the “joy” embellishment.   I used Versamark ink for the bottom dotted border and white pigment ink for the music .The holly corners are from my Silhouette, as is the “joy to the world” embellishment.  This same embellishment could be made by stamping a sentiment and then cutting around it leaving a border. Layer the piece on to some colored cardstock and trim again.

holly_corner_C20090907225746_18816, joy_C20091008175557_19210, Hampton Arts music border, Hero Arts Tiny Jubilee Dots

 I used the same dots stamp and Versamark on this card.  Kraft card lends itself to Versamark ink very well.

I decided to cut a hole in the card front and then affix the ” Merry Christmas” stamped image on the inside of the card. Since I used dimensional dots to secure it the image stands out even when the card is closed.

I purposely made the pink frame and pearls very subtle.  The beauty of kraft cardstock is that it can be brightened up (like the card above) or left neutral.  Either way works.

square_nested_C01065_18816, Hero Arts Tiny Jubilee Dots, Printworks Holly andBerries, Magenta Merry Christmas

The next 2 cards contain the phrase “Wise Men Still Seek Him”.  Cutting these words out is so quick and easy.

For the background on this card I stamped a poinsettia pattern with Versamark ink and then embossed with clear powder.  I cut the panel into to pieces, trimmed each one a bit, and then applied them to the card. I used a Versamark pen to make the dots on the letters.  I love the rich red rhinestones that go so well with the background.

wise_men_still_seek_him_C00762_19547, holly_C00780_19547, Penny Black Poionsettia Script

Placement of the words is made even easier by having a mat underneath. I placed the phrase on the desktop and then hit the offset button.  I played with the settings until I got to the place whereI had a mat that had  the words  touching but there was still some open space.  I used the same cardstock for both the phrase and the mat and then I ran the mat , right side down, through my Xyron and sprinkled glitter on the sticky side.

wisae_men_still_seek_him_C00762_19547, A Lost Art background script, Bella Bohemia corner flourish

I wanted to do a card using a nativity scene  die cut but the ones I bought last year just wasn’t working for me.  I got very frustrated.  But this year there was a new nativity scene and it worked beautifully.  It fit just right on a 61/4″ by 4 4/8″ card.  I got the idea for the background from a video made by Paper Try Ink.

1_pc_nativity_C00539_31857, Bella Bohemia corner flourish, Inkadinkadoo O’ Come phrase

This is one of my favorites.  I had embosseed a white piece of cardstock with the Dotted Flower Rings folder but hadn’t used it.  One day, out of boredom, I took a Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll pen and colored in all of the flower centers.  The result was a great subtle shimmer that would worked well for a white and gold card.  The wreath was cut out of a piece of AC Specialty Pearl paper.  The paper shifts between white and gold as it is moved around.  The bow, berries, and the phrase were all cut out of a gold specialty cardstock.  Love the way the phrase is cut out so cleanly!

bow_christmas_wreath_C01349_20508, joy_to_world_C200912022115604_18816, Sizzix Dotted Flower Ring

See you tomorrow!

25 Christmas Cards Part 3

Posted on by debbrooner

Precious Gift Stamped Image

I found this stamp at Michaels recently and really liked the way it dealt with the best gift ever in a slightly different way.  What a Christmas gift we all have been given!

I have always intended to try an easel card but somehow was scared by the prospect of finding enough images that would work together.  Not that big of a deal, I found out.  Love the cheery Christmas colors.  Since it doesnt work very well to put dimensional pieces on the flat part of the card (the “noel” part) I cut out the holly and then filled the berry holes with red Stickles.  Looks like they are above the surface, but they aren’t.  The directions for an easel card can be found at the  Splitcoast Stampers site. Look under “resources”.

holly_C00780_19547,basic_folding_easel_card_C01456_17986, Inkadinkadoo Winter Trails, Recollections Noel, Stampendous Precious Gift

This card is not my favorite, but in order to get to 25 cards it has to be counted!  I sized the scroll label to fit my stamp and added Stickles Icicle glitter to all of the scrolls.  For the background I used Versamark and then brushed red and green PearlEx on the image.  A quick swipe with a Swiffer dusting cloth and the excess powder was gone.  Swiffers are the best for cleaning up glitter as well.

I used the “kissiing technique” for the background of this card.  Check out Jennifer McGuire’s blog to get more info.  I started with white glossy card and Distress Inks by Ranger.  I first inked up a damask background stamp using Peeled Paint ink.  I then used Pine Bough ink on a Tim Holtz Reflections stamp and stamped it onto the damask stamp (notice- nothing stamped on paper yet).  THEN I stamped the damask stamp on the glossy card.  Since the reflections stamps have the words backwards the final result is a stamped image with the words the right direction.  Fancy that.

lace_border_0856, Stampendous Precious Gift, Hero Arts Classic Fabric Design, Tim Holtz Seasonal Reflections

The embossing folder I used for this card is a Sizzix one called Triad Leaves.  You will see it again several more times.  The border is so easy with the Silhouette.  I just cut out the green top layer and then ungrouped the image, got rid of the dots and teardrop shapes, and cut out a white piece that fit perfectly behind the green one.  I have to admit that originally I started with a border that I had punched out with a Martha Stewart punch.  I wanted the border to have white behind it so I glued the green piece to some white paper and pondered the prospect of doing some really fiddly cutting.  Fortunately about that time a voice boomed out, “drop those scissors, dummy, use your Silhouette”. Duh.

6_labels_C01078_20509, scalloped_flower_border_C20090810003018_19210, Stampendous Precious Gift, Sizzix Triad Leaves

Next up: “wise men” and kraft cards.

25 Christmas Cards Part 2

Posted on by debbrooner

Nontraditional Colors

The colors for this first card came from the Print and Cut wreath from Silhouette (the colors are off slightly, seems that this magenta color is a difficult one to get right). I printed out the wreath on white cardstock and then added Glossy Accents to the baubles for some extra dimension.

This card could be made without having the a Silhouette.  Pick out several fun colors of cardstock and go crazy punching out leaves or branches. Shape into a wreath, add circle punch-outs, layer on coordinating papers, and your card is finished.

I really like the Sizzix Dotted Flower Rings I used for the background , so prepare to see it several other places. Kinda reminds me of the texture of a sea creature.

mod_wreath_pnc_C00574_31857, Sizzix Dotted Flower Rings, Recollections Noel

The die cuts for this card were done with my Silhouette, but it could just as easily be done with snowflake stamps, white ink and white embossing powder. Stamp and emboss the snowflakes on dark cardstock, layer  onto  a white piece of cardstock,and cut the edges with a stamp-edged scissors. Tie a ribbon around the piece and mount it on a light color card .  Add a snowflake embellishment and some  pink brads.

snowflake_stamp_C00760_23067, Fiskars Winter Wonderland

Here is another snowflake card, this time in browns, pinks and mint green to match the paper I used.  I used a (nontraditional) ledger background stamp  and colored the snowflake shaped rhinestone in the middle of the embellishment with a brown Sharpie. I ran the green snowflake through my Xyron machine and added glitter to the sticky side. A much easier way to apply glitter!

4_snowflakes_C00810, classic_snowflake_set_C01124_20387, scalloped_border_set_C00318_31857,Inkadinkadoo Joy Peace Love Mini, Hero Arts Luscious Ledger

I really liked this brown Print and Cut wreath- I think because of all the funky colors.  I don’t think of brown as being a christmas color but it worked for me here.

wreath_with_ornaments_pnc_C00557_31857, border_strip_layered_C00253_20509 , Inkadinkadoo Christmas Sayings

That’s all for today. Next time I will show you the cards I made using a new stamp I purchased at Michael’s recently.

25 christmas cards part 1

Posted on by debbrooner

My friend Barb sent me an email saying that she had finished 160 christmas cards! While I can’t imagine making that many cards, it did get me thinking.  After watching Kristine Werner’s “25 days of Christmas”  videos I decided that I could give making 25 a try.  For someone who has the attention span of a gnat making only 2 of each design was great fun!  I have roughly grouped them according to technique, new product or miscellaneous.  While some need specific tools, most may made using other techniques or tools.  Have fun looking through them.

Hero Arts stamp/emboss combo cards

Hero Arts has new sets that contain both a stamp and an embossing folder to match .  It is a really simple process: just stamp the image on a piece of cardstock and then place it in the folder.  The images line up perfectly in the folder and you end up with a fun card that looks like you spent a    of time on it.  Here is a close-up of the card:

The next card uses the same combo but with silver metallic ink and embossing powder.  I used a french script stamp and a strip of silver glitter paper as well.

I used Versamark watermark ink on this last card..  I like the tone-on-tone effect .  The faux post is an old stamp but I still like it a lot.  I used watercolor pencils for the leaves and red Stickles for the berries.

That does it for today’s cards.  Check back tomorrow for cards made with an adorable new stamp I purchased this year.