backgrounds | If The Glue Sticks…Embellish

3×3 Valentines Cards 2015 Part 3

Posted on January 30, 2015 by debbrooner

Thank you, Corel Draw for this purple and green background. I just happened to have the right green and purple card stock to match it. Lots of stamping and lots of cutting files used.

6 Heart Square:Silhouette:11 hearts (37852); Background stamp: Studio G; Script background: A Lost Art; Sentiment: Recollections

Heart Border:Silhouette:Border Hearts (24381), 5 Decorative Borders (55446); Sentiment: Stampa Rosa

Heart Border Tag:Silhouette: 4 Tags (50938), Borders Vertical Hearts(24484), 5 Bracket Tag (?); Background: Hero Arts; Sentiment: Hero Arts

Hearts Oval:Silhouette: 11 Hearts (37852); Backgrounds: Hero Arts and Studio G

I love all of the fun little die cuts and stamps on these 4 cards. The colors of the marbled paper caused me to use colors I don’t usually go for but I liked the result.

Heart Faux Post:Silhouette:11 Hearts (37852); Background: Hampton Art; Faux Post: Recollections

Heart Stamp:Silhouette:5 Piece Gift Tag Set (20963), Assorted Decorative Edge Strips (24404); Border: Hero Arts; Background:Hero Arts

3 Hearts:Silhouette: 3 Hearts (37919); Background:Hero Arts; Hearts: Hero Arts

Double Heart Label:Silhouette:11Hearts (37852); Dots: Stampabilities; Lace:Hero Arts; Sentiment: Recollections

This background was another Corel Draw fill. I loved all of the colors and the muted way they were presented.

Love Block:Silhouette: Love Title (55207); Background: Stampabilities; Border:Studio G

Heart Banner:Silhouette:Valentine Flag (54404); Script: A Lost Art; Flower: Hero Arts

Love Branch:Silhouette: 11 Hearts ( 37852), Love Branch Bird (25235); Swirl Background:Hero Arts; Floral Background: Hero Arts

Kisses:Silhouette:8 Piece Scalloped Heart Set (14251), Scalloped Border Large (2268); Stripe background:Studio G; Floral Background: Great Impressions

That’s it for now. Next time- 4 more sets and I’ll be done with the tiny cards!

Kraft Cardstock Mania 4

Posted on April 2, 2013 by debbrooner

This is the last of my Kraft + color posts. Hope you have gotten some ideas to try for yourself.

This is hands-down my favorite of all of the cards. It is fairly flat so it could be sent through the mail without any problem. This was pretty much a Cuttlebug card- the honeycomb background, the sentiment, the poppies, and the embossed dots on the side of the card were all done with my mighty bug. I am not a big fan of a lot of the Tim Holtz stuff but the Papillon stamp set is awesome.

Cuttlebug: Honeycomb; With Love; Friends Forever

This one looks a little wonky because it is. If you tilt your head a little to the right…never mind, it doesn’t help.

I am choosing to leave this one in because of a technique that I have started using a lot. I have been gluing gold Momi , which is a medium weight , gold crumpled paper. It looks like this:

When it is glued to a piece of cardstock and then run through an embossing folder it looks like it has actually become part of the cardstock. It almost looks like the cardstock is gilded.

Inkadinkadoo: Illuminata; Cuttlebug: Paper Lace 2

Now for two completely random pictures-

I love the way this store used chevrons. There is a card idea ready to pop out.

Okay, this is weird, I must admit. Does anyone know what this is? Is there anyone else out there who photographs their trash? This reminds me of a Jeffrey Dever polymer clay piece.

My next series will be dealing with small wall quilts so it won’t be paper related. However the ideas could certainly be used for paper arts. Stay tuned.

Kraft Cardstock Mania 3

Posted on March 13, 2013 by debbrooner

This red card uses the negative space left after cutting out the flower shape. It always looks like this type of design is really hard and took a lot of fussy cutting or gluing, but the fact is it couldn’t be easier. Cut the flower design out of Kraft cardstock, back with your favorite designer paper (or in this case marbled paper), add other embellishments and the card is done. Adding dimensional adhesive to the flower panel gave some extra interest to the card.

Silhouette: Flower Rectangle #33935; Cuttlebug: With Gratitude

Do any of you have a basket full of die cuts or stamped pieces that never quite make it to the front of a card? Well I do, and this card is the result of determination on my part to use several pieces in my basket. The paisley square, the background lace, and the sentiment were all lost pieces looking for a home. I colored the lace with Distress Ink and then layered it over a gold metallic paper so that it pulled the background and the paisley square together. The glittery sentiment matched the green PearlEx paint on the square- yay! I had had the purple ribbon for a very long time and hadn’t used it because the color never seemed to match anythingI was working on. It was really a serendipitous thing that it was exactly the right color as well.

One more week of Kraft Mania left. I would love to see what you have been doing with your Kraft cardstock!

Stampendous: Paisley Texture Cube; Silhouette: Floral Lace Background #3924; Cuttlebug: Friends Forever

Kraft Cardstock Mania 2

Posted on March 8, 2013 by debbrooner

Welcome to the second installment of my Kraft cardstock series.

This pink one could almost be called a one-layer card. I really like the stamped layered effect which gives some depth and interest. I used all of my ink choices on this card: distress, pigment and archival. That way all of my ink pads would not be jealous…The pearly finish of the pink cardstock contrasts nicely with the matte Kraft cardstock.

Text: Tim Holtz French Market; background stamp: Tim Holtz Multimedia; Butterfly: Inkadinkadoo Mindscapes.

For the big butterfly on this card I used my Silhouette and cut a butterfly pattern 3 times, with each cut slightly smaller than the last. I stamped the largest and smallest ones with Tim Holtz’ Papillon stamp then glued them all together on the bodies only. I used the same stamp set for the 3 small butterflies on the bottom.

The Kraft background was embossed with a new folder I just got called “Cindi Loo”. Now I ask you, what could be more fun than using a great folder with a really fun name?

Butterfly Cutout: #12423; Cuttlebug folder

Five more cards to go! See you next week, and may all your butterflies be on your cards not your stomach.

Stamping Queens Cards and ATC’s

Posted on August 10, 2012 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”

Silhouette Sketch Pens and Amy Chomas Pen Holders

Posted on July 25, 2012 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 July 18, 2012 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!

Less Is More Challenge- 3 stamps

Posted on May 17, 2012 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

New card bases from Silhouette

Posted on April 28, 2012 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!

25 Christmas Cards Part 6

Posted on December 19, 2011 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 December 14, 2011 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 December 13, 2011 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 December 9, 2011 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 December 8, 2011 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 December 7, 2011 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.

More Cards Using My Silhouette Part 2

Posted on July 1, 2011 by debbrooner

I love double-sided cardstock (especially K&Co) . I used green cardstock to make the card and leaf and then used both sides of the decorative card for the inside and front as well as the flower.

double_pinking_scallop_card_C00707_19547, leaves_set_C00257_21585, Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die

My favorite new toy at the moment is the McGill flower shaping set which I used for the flowers above. Each stylus in the set has two different sizes of tips so you always have the right size for your project. Shaping flowers is easy: you just lay your flower on a mouse pad and press with the stylus, making small circles until the paper cups up . I believe there are videos on You Tube that show the process.

Flowers aren’t the only embellishments on which you can use the shapers. I used a stylus to give some depth to the flourish on this berry colored card. I glued decorative paper to the front and inside of the card and stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts) on an artisan tag. For the large label I used the artisan shape with chrysanthemum and deleted everything but the outside edge and then embossed it with the “textile” CB folder.

card_scallop_rays_C00466_19547; echo_park_flourish_C00149_48353; artisan_shape_with_chrysanthemum_C01083_19210; artisan_label_set_C00106_41853

And finally, a super easy,quick, and cheery card.

butterfly_cutout_card_C00673_21585

More cards using my Silhouette

Posted on June 17, 2011 by debbrooner

I had a great time this week playing with cards and embellishments using my Silhouette.

I had not been all that excited about the Print and Cut images until I saw this adorable mouse. He just screamed “baby card”! I cut a border in half for the lace and printed a sentiment. I stamped the background (Judikins) with Versamark ink and embossed the gray piece with my Swiss Dots cuttlebug folder. That folder gets used more than any other I have.

mouse_C00230_31857; 3_borders_C00363_20509

I had cut out and colored the floral silhouette for this card and attached it to the debossed side of a white piece of cardstock run through the “Victoria” CB folder, but then I got stuck. I played with it for a while but finally got frustrated and went on to other things. Several weeks later I was rereading Judy Kauffman’s book Creative Cards, Postcards, Envelopes and More and turned to the page she called “clothesline layout” , and there was my answer! Instead of trying to find a place inside my design to place my sentiment (Stampendous) I could “hang” it from the top. Yay! Judy’s book is a great reference to have. She has a chapter on foolproof compositions, easy techniques, using different types of materials, collaging… the list goes on and on.

framed_flower_silhouette_C00808_23067

This card is pretty plain but I like it that way. The card image comes with the card itself and the overlay (which I did in peach). The fun part about this card is the bits left over after cutting. I now have 16 purple and orange crosses just begging to be wrapped with fiber and used on another card. This is an easy card.

mosaic_grid_cutout_card_C00670_21585

More cards coming next week.

Corrugated Valentine ATC’s

Posted on February 11, 2011 by debbrooner

It’s a nice feeling to get back into the rhythm of my life after the holidays and traveling!

These ATC’s are for my Yahoo ATC World group. It was fun to come up with ideas using corrugated paper (cardboard to those of us who are older). The corrugated heart above (Cuttlebug ) seemed to fit with this collage backing, courtesy of Somerset Studios.

The backing for this ATC is a Kleenex box. It is a shame to throw away boxes that have such great patterns on them and they are very sturdy. I like the color combo as well. Not conventional but fun.

I am being very brave and actually using the copper guilded paper that I got from Paper Source a while back for the backing. I really love this stuff and will be sad when it is all used up. The corrugated honeycomb (Cuttlebug) was a good place into which I could tuck copper embossed hearts.

The background for this ATC is a relativewly new texture plate by Cuttlebug. In the past my Swiss Dot plate has been the most used but I have a feeling this larger dot will be my new favorite. Some Stickles, ribbon and red ink finished this card. Funky but fun!

The flower spray is a die cut from Silhouette, with Stickles adorning it. I should have done more for the background but didn’t think about it until after I had sent the cards. Oh well, sometimes that happens.

This last one is on the home page of the group- yipee! I got the idea for cutting the heart shape out of the upper layer of the cardboard from the book Collage Lab by Bee Shay. I covered the whole thing with Lumiere Grape and then dry brushed the card with Burnt Orange Lumiere. I didn’t want to use any glue so I first cut 3 thin copper tubes just a tad shorter than 3.5″, threaded them into one of the valleys of the cardboard. After I could see it in the cutout I then slipped a bigger copper tube over it and pushed the little one up behind the top of the heart. I wrapped a piece of silk ribbon aroud the card and then finished it with 3 wraps of copper wire.

Art Deco Texture and Silhouettes

Posted on January 20, 2011 by debbrooner

I got back from Haiti a couple of days ago and now that I am a bit more rested I’d like to show some of the cards using my new Art Deco texture plates from Cuttlebug and also two silhouettes of women cut using my Sihouette.

I lightly brushed some interference gold on the background, wrapped it with eyelash yarn, and added some beads to the silhouette.

Love these backgrounds, and love these silhouettes. Some rhinestones and a black Sharpie complete the look.

Glitter ATC

Posted on November 4, 2010 by debbrooner

Since I got several questions regarding the glittered ATC I made I thought I would put it on my blog.

Here are the materials you will need:

A lacy piece (I used Graphic 1 from Silhouette) for the card front

A backing sheet of cardstock

A Xyron with an adhesive cartridge

Assorted glitters

Post It notes

My cards were made with a black front and a black background, but since that would be too hard to see I will use a white background (fig. 1).

Fig. 1

First of all, take the background piece and run it through your Xyron . You may use another way to apply adhesive to the card, but the point is that you will need to cover the entire card with something that will stay sticky long enough for you to get all the glitter attached.

Lay the card sticky side up and place the lacy piece on it. You will then have an ATC with a lacy front and sticky in all the white cells (fig. 2).

Fig. 2

Now comes the time for the post- it notes. Carefully lay the sticky side of the post- it on the black lines of the front and cover every hole but one (fig.3).

Fig. 3

Pour glitter onto the white space and press down gently but thoroughly. Tip excess glitter off of the card. You now have one cell done (fig. 4).

Fig. 4

Remove the post-it from the next cell and add another color of glitter. If you tamped the glitter on the first cell well there should be no stickiness left so the next color will not stick there. Your second cell is now glittered (fig. 5).

Fig. 5

Continue to remove post-its and add glitter to cells until all have been filled. You may need to reposition some of the post-its, depending on how you arranged them to begin with.

As an aside, if you have a Swiffer dusting cloth available you may come out of your studio with a lot less glitter in your hair! I use these great cloths for both glitter and PearlEx projects when you want the color on the project and not anywhere else.

HTH- leave a comment, please.