Happy Christmas

Hey friends...I`m back with a vintage inspired Christmas card featuring Visible Image.  For my project today I have used the gorgeous Christmas Robin Stamp Set as my main focus.  This card went all sorts of different ways until I arrived at what you see, but what creative process always goes as planned, right???

Altenew August 2022 Endless Ambition Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

 

Hey there crafty friends!  Today is a great day as I am excited to be part of an always inspiring blog hop to celebrate the newest Endless Ambition release from Altenew.  This exciting release is chock full of possibilities for every crafter.  Hot foil plates with coordinating stencil sets are the focus, but there are also some beautiful die sets.  Feathers, flowers, greenery and sentiments will find their way to your projects this month.  Lastly Timeless Tulips (an exclusive retreat collection from July) will be available along with this release!  This hop is being hosted by Altenew, so if you haven't started at the beginning you can head on over now or just keep hopping along with us.  You should have made your way to me from Jaycee Gaspar. and your next stop will be Linda Westfall.

Altenew July 2022 Marvelous Monthly Series Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

 

Hello friends and welcome back!  Today we are celebrating the release of the July 2022 Marvelous Monthly Series over at Altenew with a fabulous blog hop!  We hope that you will hop along with us, as there is just so much incredible and gorgeous inspiration, that be sure to inspire you!  Be sure to head on over to check out the full collection here and then be sure to comeback and hop along to help us celebrate!  This release celebrates friendships with its charming images, flowers and heartfelt sentiments.  Show your bestie how much you care, or reach out to that long lost friend. We can't wait to show you how we use the products in this collection!

Altenew July 2022 Summer Sunshine Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

 

Hi friends!  Today we are celebrating the new Summer Sunshine Collection release from Altenew and to go along with it we have a fun and fabulous blog hop that is filled with so much incredible inspiration for you.  Be sure to read on for lots of inspiration featuring products from the new collection.  You can head on over to check out the full collection now or hop along with us for all the inspiration and to see the many ways that the products have been used.

Seize the Stamp hop featuring PIgment Craft Co.

 

Hello crafty friends!  Michelle here and today is an exciting day as I am joining the rest of the Seize the Stamp Design Team over on Instagram for a hop featuring the new fabulous Pigment Craft Co. products in the shop.  Pigment Craft Co. is a fairly new company in the crafting/card making industry.  Their products are so fun and have a bit of whimsical feel to them.  They have recently introduced inks to their collection as well and they have a beautiful earthy feel to them.  Their products are also a bit different than everything else out there, which makes them so amazing!

Kindness - Elizabeth Craft Designs

 

Hi friends!  Today I am back to share with you my first official post as a member of the Elizabeth Craft Designs Team!  I am pretty excited as it is to represent their Beautiful Blooms Collection, as this collection is truly beautiful!  If you haven't noticed I do love a beautiful floral, so super stoked to be able to represent this beautiful collection of florals!

Beautiful Details - AECP

Hi friends...welcome back!  Where has the time gone since my last AECP project and class???  Time to get back at it!  This class was taught by the extremely talented Marika Rahtu and as you can tell from the title is is all about the beautiful details that will elevate your cardmaking!  As they say...it's all in the details and in this case it is all in the beautiful details.  

Love You - Maker Forte

 

Hey crafty friends!  I've got a card filled with happy rainbow colours today and lots of sparkle...black sparkle!  For my card I used one of the new release stamp sets as well as a fun stencil from Maker Forte and both designed by Alex Syberia.  It is a bit different than her usual gorgeous flowers, but it is filled with lots of fabulous big and bold sentiments.

Mixed Meda for Cardmakers

 Hello crafty peeps! I'm sharing a fun card using some fun new stencils from Maker Forte and the super cool Marshmallow paste! There is a brand new designer over at Maker Forte and she is the very talented mixed media artist Mansi of Mansi Makes.  She has designed these new stencils that I really enjoyed playing with and especially when I paired them with the awesome marshmallow paste from Maker Forte.    Have you tried this paste yet? It is sooo much fun!

Rainbow is my Favorite Color

Isn't rainbow everybody's favourite colour? It can't help but put a smile on your face...I know it does mine. This was a super easy card to create with the help of a few inks, a stencil and a fun greeting from a digital stamp set. The other day I had featured a beautiful gold foiled card made with a digital image from gracielliedesign and this sentiment is from another set from her. 

You Can Do Anything

Hello and welcome back! Today I have an extra card that I had made as part of my AECP level 1 final assignment, but in the end I felt that the colours weren't quite right and as pretty as it is, I just didn't think it went with the rest of the set. So here it is!  But I still had to share it with you all!

AECP Level 1 Final Challenge - Part 2 Feminine Cards

As you will have seen from my previous post, I am back with my final challenge to pass level 1 of the AECP...fingers crossed! I decided to break this assignment up into 2 posts, so as not to make it too long. For this challenge I was given the task of making 2 different but coordinating sets of cards…1 set of feminine and 1 set of masculine cards and to also create packaging for each set, which I am going to use a recycled element on.

For the set of feminine cards I have chosen to focus on Clean & Simple Boutique, Celebration: Stencil Techniques and All About Layering 1 & 2, but as with the masculine cards, there will be other class techniques used as well. I have also chosen to use shades of pink with accents of gold and black, to unify them as a set and also when I think of feminine, pink comes to mind right away. So sit back, grab some snacks and a beverage and let's get started!

 

Card #1 - Celebration: Stencil Techniques

 

To create this card I wanted to focus on stencil techniques. I started with a 4"x5.25" piece of mix media cardstock and adhered the Flowing Hearts stencil to it.  I then picked Rose Quartz, Cotton Candy and Puffy Heart inks and started to blend them over the stencil in an ombré pattern, going from lightest to darkest using a blender brush. And yes, my inks, blending brush and low tack tape all match lol.

While I still had the stencil in place and without removing it, I sponged on some champagne mist ink over it. I then removed the stencil carefully, so as not to smudge the ink. While it was still wet, I sprinkled on some clear embossing powder and heat embossed it, to give it a nice shine and to also help to prevent the champagne shimmer ink from smudging or coming off on your fingers and it also helps to seal it. The shimmer ink did soften the colours a bit and made it more of a pastel, which I really liked. This champagne shimmer ink has a very pretty slight golden shimmer to it.

ETA: when I switched blog hosts I lost a lot of my photos, so I have tried to attach as many as I could.

I then placed the stencil back on over top of the embossed image and grabbed my DecoFoil adhesive pen and went over the 4 different groupings of circles, so I could then add some gold foil on top. Next I took some black foil, and while it is a foil it is not metallic like most foils are, but rather has a nice shine to it, almost as if I went over it with glossy accents. I then put it through my Minc machine on a piece of toner sheet and cut out the Fancy Thanks die from the black foil and then 2 more times from black cardstock. I glued them altogether and adhered it to my stencilled cardfront. I then added some craft foam to the back of it to pop it up from my card base and then added a pink iridescent heart right under the thanks. I truly wish you could see all the shine and the shimmer in the photos....it's really very pretty!

Tips: 

I have a super fine metal tip on my bottle of liquid adhesive, so it easy to get in small areas and onto delicate diecuts.

• Heat embossing over an image will help to richen the colour and make it a bit more vibrant.
• When glueing on sequins or small embellishments, a liquid adhesive like Rangers Multi Medium Matte is great, because it dries matte, so if any leaks out the side or the embellishment moves around a bit once the glue dries you won't be able to see it as it dries matte.

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Altenew Flowing Hearts stencil
• Altenew Rose Quartz, Cotton Candy and Puffy Heart Crisp Dye Ink 
• Altenew Fancy Thanks die 
  

 

Card #2 - Celebration: Stencil Techniques

 

To create this card I focused on dry embossing using stencils from the Stencil Technique class and paired it with some floral stamp layering. I got out my Elegant Swirls stencil and ran it through my manual die cutting machine, using a silicone embossing mat rather that the usual hard die cutting plates. I then set it aside and stamped out the floral from the Regal Beauty stamp set using Frosty Pink, Rose Quartz, Cotton Candy and Coral Berry crisp dye inks, stamped the leaves from the Beautiful Day stamp set using Jet Black, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades and Evergreen crisp dye inks and finally the sentiment is from the Magnolias For Her stamp set using Jet Black crisp dye ink. To finish I adhered it all to my card base using foam tape and added the finishing touch of a few clear sequins in various sizes. I unfortunately forgot to take some process photos for this card.

Tips:

• dry embossing will give your card a lovely subtle texture to it 
• using inks from the same colour family when doing layered stamping will give you a very pretty graduation of colour from one layer to the next

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Magnolias For Her stamp set
• Beautiful Day stamp set
• Regal Beauty stamp set
• Elegant Swirls stencil
• Frosty Pink, Rose Quartz, Cotton Candy, Coral Berry, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Evergreen and Jet Black Crisp Dye inks

 

Card #3 - Clean & Simple
 

 

 

For this card I wanted to try the letterpress technique that we had learned in the Clean & Simple Class. The first time I tried it, I didn't have great success, so I decided to try again. As they say....if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So to do this technique I cut out the Mega Hello die 5 times from some 110lb cardstock that I had scraps of and then a final time from some pink vellum. I adhered them altogether and attached the vellum piece to the back of the hello. This part is very important, as the vellum will be the side touching your card front and when you put the hello on the paper, you don't want it to be reversed (I hope that makes sense).  The photo shows Coral berry ink with it, but I used Frosty Pink.

 

Next I took my Frosty Pink ink pad and smooshed it across the vellum hello. By smooshing it across, you will get a nice and even application and won't have the lines from tapping it on. Next I ran it through my manual die cutter. This was very extremely tight fit and at one point I thought it was going to up and break on me…thank goodness it didn't. I then took some black and gold metallic paint and very gently splattered them on the inked panel, as I didn't want it to overpower the hello. I stamped out the secondary part to the sentiment from the Mega Greetings stamp set in black ink and yes, although this is supposed to be clean and simple, I felt that 3 pink ones were the perfect compliment to the card. Hopefully you can see the impression the hello made into the paper.

 

 Tips

• When making a diecut stack for the letterpress technique don't add too many diecuts to it at first. Try 4 or 5 at first and then add more if it needs it. Everyones machine will be different too.
• Once you have inked up the vellum part of the diecut word, hold it by the edge and very carefully place it on your cardstock, so as not to smudge the ink and get it all over your cardfront.
• When adding ink splatters a light hand is always better at first.

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Altenew Mega Hello die
• Altenew Mega Greetings stamp set
• Altenew Frosty Pink crisp dye ink

 

Card #4 - All About Layering 

 

For this card I did some layered stamping using the cupcake from the Layered Cupcake stamp set and decided to make it a fun shaker card. I first stamped the cupcake using Frosty Pink for the icing, Dew Drops for the wrapper and Dark Chocolate for the cake and cut it out. I added some small gold stars (same as the sequin mix for the shaker portion) for sprinkles on the icing....I may have added 1 or 2 too many. I set that aside and continued with the shaker portion. I took a piece of trimmed cardstock and added a bit of texture to it by scoring lines at 1/4' intervals using my score board. I did a bit of ink blending on a separate piece of paper using the same pink ink as the cupcake and also used my Feeling Dotty stencil on another piece to add some interest behind the shaker window. Next I cut out a circle using 2 circle dies measuring 2.5" and 3" on the scored card front and also to create a frame for the window from the ink blended piece.

For the window I cut out a piece of acetate slightly bigger than circle and adhered it to the back of the white scored piece and placed foam adhesive all over the piece and especially made sure the window was complete;y surrounded with tape, so as not to have any of the sequins escape. I then placed the polka dot stencilled piece and placed a mix of sequins where the window will be. I placed the scored piece on top of the the sequins and applied good pressure all over. To finish it I added the pink frame on the front and popped up the cupcake just to the side. I printed out the sentiment using a girly kind of font to match the feel of the card and gold foiled that using my Minc machine and added some foam adhesive to it. And it's not complete without a few matching sequins...you can never have too many. I think this is my favourite!

Tips:

• Adding score lines will add a subtle texture and some interest to plain cardstock
• When adding foam tape to your shaker card, doubling it up is best as it gives your sequins more room to move around
• To cut down on the static on your sequins, add some non static powder to them, the same as you would for heat embossing, before you add them to your card so you don't have access powder on your acetate window
• Use the same colour of ink for your layered images, but inked up multiple times for each layer, to get an image that has perfectly co-ordinated colours.

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Layered Cupcake stamp set
• Frosty Pink, Dew Drops and Dark Chocolate Crisp Dye Inks
• Feeling Dotty stencil

Card #5 - Celebration: Stencil Techniques

For this card I focused on doing some more stencilling...don't think I can get enough of it. I stamped the large frame from the Fancy Frames stamp set using Versafine Onyx black ink and heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. Next I used the Feeling Dotty stencil and started to blend Frosty Pink over it the embossed image, concentrating in the middle and gradually fading out. Without removing the stencil I sponged on some champagne mist ink over the pink. To set the ink I went over it gently with my heat tool so as not to disturb the embossing already done. 

I set that aside and stamped out 2 florals and 1 of the leaves from the Wallpaper Art stamp set and did some very simple Copic marker colouring with 1 marker for each, concentrating the colour more in the middle and lightly flicking out. I had to be careful when colouring near the black lines as I didn't use a Copic friendly ink, so I didn't want the black ink to bleed.. For the centers I added some gold foil and went over it with my fingers to take a bit of the shine of it. I cut the flowers out and added them to my embossed card front. The leaves were glued directly to it and the flowers added using foam tape. I added the sentiment in black from the Fancy Frames stamp set and added it all to my card base.

 

Tips:

• When doing stencilling or ink blending over top of a heat embossed image, take a soft cloth and give the embossed image a wipe after adding the ink to remove any excess and make the image a bit brighter, especially when done on white cardstock.
• always be sure to use the proper ink for the colouring medium you are using. Not all black inks are made equal and for all techniques.
• For a crisp black detailed heat embossed image, use a black pigment based ink and clear embossing powder over it. The pigment ink will stay wet long enough for you to heat emboss over it.
• When heat embossing over very detailed images, it is best to use a fine detail embossing powder, as the powder granuals are smaller than regular embossing powder.
• When using a heat tool on your paper, make sure to constantly move your the heat around so not to warp the paper from too much heat in one area.

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Fancy Frames stamp set
• Wallpaper Art stamp set
• Feeling Dotty stencil
• Frosty Pink and Jet Black Crisp Dye ink

Card #6 - Layered Stamping 1 & 2

To create this card I grabbed 2 pink alcohol inks, isopropyl alcohol, one of the alloy inks and got to making! I started off by securing a piece of Yupo paper to my wooden board with some painters tape and started playing with my inks. I applied the ink in layers and dried each one using my heat tool on the low setting. I also added a bit of one of the new Alloy alcohol inks. I love it! I would normally use a straw or my heat tool to help and move the ink around but this time I used a new to me hand air puffer, designed for this very purpose. It also helps you to get a nice wispy look to it.

I then set that piece aside and started stamping my cupcake. I started by stamping the outline image using Jet Black crisp dye ink, Dew Drops and Teal Cave for the cupcake wrapper and then Rose Quartz and 2 other pink inks from my stash and I stamped Dark Chocolate twice for the cake, so as to make it appear like a nice dark chocolate cake. I used my Misti stamp positioning tool for this as it helps to make the layered stamping alot easier...at least for me it does. I added the gold sprinkles using my DecoFoil adhesive pen and immediately went over them with some gold foil. I picked a perfect sentiment from the Birthday Builder stamp set and stamped it using the same black ink as the cupcake on a piece of white cardstock. I then added foam dimensional adhesive to the back of the cupcake and centered it on the inked panel, added the sentiment across the wrapper and attached it to my card base. To finish it off I added some rose gold sequins, which I was afraid at first as I had used gold on the card and I didn't want to mix metals, but it turned out perfect!

 

Tips:

• When using alcohol inks an ink blower is very handy to have. It helps to give it a different look than using a heat tool....makes it a bit softer.
• Using a stamp positioning tool helps to get the layers perfectly lined up
• When adding small sentiments or even a diecut piece a pair of tweezers holding the piece is quite helpful.
• When adding your stamped panel to your card base, it's easier to get it perfectly centred if you stand up and look down directly down on it.

Altenew Supplies Used:

• Altenew Layered Cupcake stamp set
• Altenew Birthday Builder stamp set
• Altenew Rose Quartz crisp dye ink
• Altenew Sweet Dreams mini ink cube set
• Altenew Jet Black crisp dye ink
• Altenew Dark Chocolate crisp dye ink

Packaging:

As with the masculine set of cards, I wanted the packaging to co-ordinate with the card set, so I looked through my rather large stash of scrapbook papers until I found 2 that lent the feel I was going for. I used the same recycled cardboard pieces for the base for my box, created the top using 1 of the sheets of scrapbook paper and used the same measurements for both the top and bottom. My dimensions ended up being 7 7/8" x 9.25" for the bottom of the box and then for the lid I added 1/16" to each of the 4 sides and it ended being perfect! I scored it on all 4 sides and then on each of the 4 corners you end up with a little flap where 2 of the scored lines interlap with another. For this part you want to cut on one of the scored lines only and then cut out a little indent here, so you end up with less bulk when folding the flaps in.

Next I created 2 belly bands with the paper I had picked out and then made a flat style of bow using some burlap and lace ribbon. To finish it I typed the A Gift For You sentiment, added some gold foil to it using my Minc machine, cut it out with a tag die and tie it on with some metallic gold striped twine. I am really happy with the packaging....it has the same girly and feminine style as the cards within!

And that's it for my level 1 assignement! I have really enjoyed this challenge. it has most definitely stretched and pushed my creativity, in most definitely a good way! I can't wait to see what's waiting ahead in level 2.

Thank you again so much for taking a few minutes out of your day to stop by and check out my post. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have loved making these cards! They will for sure be heading off to a very special recipient! Until next time...take care and have a wonderful and crafty day! Michelle :)

 

Other Supplies Used:

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb cardstock, Canson Mix Media paper, metallic gold cardstock, black cardstock, white card base, Yupo paper, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins, Metallic Rose Gold sequins, Little Things from Lucy Ballerina mix sequins and sequin shaker mix, white craft fun foam, Ranger Multi Medium Matte liquid adhesive, Tombow Multi Mono liquid glue, 3M foam tape, Sookwang double sided tape, Gansai Tambi watercolours, Distress Splatter paintbrush, Canon printer, Minc machine, Brother Scan N Cut, DecoFoil gold foil, DecoFoil adhesive pen, Martha Stewart score board, acetate sheets, Stampin' Up heat tool, Tsukineko Chamagne Mist All Purpose ink, yellow sponge, Little B circle dies, Stampendous Clear Detail embossing powder, Versafine Onyx Black ink, Ranger Shell Pink and Pink Sherbet Alcohol inks, Ranger Alloy Gilded ink, Ranger Alcohol Blending Solutionm, 96% isopropyl alcohol, Tonic Studios guillotine paper trimmer, Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, Wplus9 Piggy Pure Color Dye ink and Timeless Tags 2 die.