Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Sympathy Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

I needed to make another Sympathy Card - this time for a friend whose Dad suddenly passed away:

  

I seem to have needed quite a few Sympathy Cards recently.  My husband and I are of the age where our friends have elderly parents so I have made a couple of extras for my stash.  I always think that a handmade Sympathy Card is so much nicer than a bought one - and I especially like to be able to write my own message appropriate to the recipient's circumstances taking into account whether they are religious or not.  Some of the messages on the inside of bought cards makes me cringe!

I kept things very simple as you don't need to add much to the beautiful Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.  I stamped the foliage on the LHS with Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow Ink three times using one of the stamps from the Darkroom Door Nature Walk Stamp set.  I used my Stamping Platform for all the stamping for perfect placement and in case I needed to re-stamp.

The sentiment is from an old sentiment set by Stamp-It Australia released in 2008 and was also stamped using Mossy Meadow Ink.  This sentiment set is one that I have used countless times over the years.  Stamp-It Australia no longer make stamps for cardmaking.  I think someone was going to take over that side of the business some time ago now but the sale fell through which is such a shame. 

I layered the image panel onto Anko Cream Cardstock then Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  I trimmed the panels to 1/16" and 1/8" respectively using my WRMK Perfect Layers Guides.

As a final touch, I added a single Basic Grey Green Rhinestone next to the sentiment.  I added a tiny dot of Art Glitter Glue under the rhinestone to make sure the rhinestone stayed put.   I thought the rhinestone finished the card nicely.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 4-1/8" x 6" or 105mm x 150mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia siset014 (sentiment) - retired, Darkroom Door Nature Walk DDRS194

Ink:  Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey 6" x 6"

Accessories:  Stamping Platform, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Basic Grey Green Rhinestone, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow + Anko Cream (KMart)

Sizzix Branches with Leaves Embossing Folder Card

 

Hi everyone😀

Well, Melbourne is back in their 4th Lockdown due to COVID-19 so I am distracting myself by doing craft.   I have plans to tidy up my Craft Room as well.  It never ceases to surprise me how much mess you can make from making just one card!

So today, I am sharing a simple card that I hope will inspire you to get out your embossing folders and have a play.  Note that this is NOT my idea and I am pretty sure I first saw it on Splitcoaststampers. 

The embossing folder is a retired one by Sizzix - Branches with Leaves - but there are plenty of other similar embossing folders available.  I coloured the embossing folder with various blue-green shades of Tombow Pens plus a beige shade.  I used my Ranger Mini Mister to spray the embossing folder with water, popped in my cream cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot then dried it off with my heat-gun.  I rounded the top and bottom right-hand corners using my Corner Chomper then tied on the twine.  I layered this onto kraft cardstock, popped the panel up with dimensionals then rounded those corners as well.

The sentiment is from a set by Stamp-It Australia who I don't believe are still in business (correct me if I am wrong).  I know the company was for sale and someone bought it but don't know anything else.   I stamped the sentiment onto cream cardstock using Colorbox Peacock pigment ink then diecut it using a Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities die.  The panel is popped up on dimensionals.

I punched 3 hearts from light beige cardstock using a Carl CP-1 Heart punch and stacked them together for dimension and my card was finished.

This is my card for the following Challenges:

Through the Craft Room Door - May 25th Challenge - Anything Goes

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A584 - Texture

Thanks for visiting my blog today and for any comments that you care to leave 😃 

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia siset-014 sentiment set 

Ink:  Colorbox Peacock pigment

Designer Paper:  None

Accessories:  Big Shot, Tombow Pens, Heat-gun, Ranger Mini Mister, Corner Chomper, twine (stash), dimensionals, Sizzix Branches with Leaves embossing folder #661352 (retired), Cardstock: cream, light beige, kraft card base

Dies:  Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities

Punches:  Carl CP-1 Heart

Masculine embossing folder stamping

Hi blogging friends

Today I am sharing a couple of masculine cards using the same technique of 'Embossing Folder Stamping' that I have shared on my last couple of blog posts.  In my immediate and extended family, we have a ton of birthdays in August and most are masculine - so I was looking for some quick and simple cards that I could make multiples of - and here is my first card:

For my first card, I used a Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes embossing folder and inked the folder with Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks then sprayed the folder with water using my Ranger Mini Mister.  I made sure that where I wanted to stamp my sentiment that I had more of the lighter coloured ink so the sentiment stood out a little.  I lay my kraft cardstock on top and let it sit there for about a minute and pressed down to smoosh the ink around then lifted the cardstock off and let it dry naturally.

I rubbed my embossing buddy over the sentiment area then stamped the sentiment with Pearlescent Chocolate pigment ink and heat-set it using clear embossing powder.  I diecut a star from dark brown cardstock and popped it up on a 3mm dimensional then added Glossy Accents to make it all shiny to match the sentiment (bit hard to see in my photo).

Lastly, I added the dark brown cardstock strip and tied on some Darice Hemp cord.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

Now, here is my 2nd card:

This time I used a Darice Woodgrain embossing folder and used the same inks as my first card.  Once my kraft cardstock was dry, I ran it through my Big Shot with the same Woodgrain folder as I wanted the card to have some texture but I was very careful to match up the pattern perfectly by using removable tape to hold the cardstock in place so it didn't move at all.

I stamped the sentiment using Gingerbread chalk ink then diecut it using a die from a set that I originally purchased on Joanna Sheen's (UK) website.  There is no brand name on the set and I can't find the set on Joanna's website anymore so I have no clue who makes it.  All I remember is that they were very cheap and cut beautifully!  I inked around the edges using Gingerbread ink then popped the sentiment panel up on dimensionals.

I wanted the Hemp cord to match the card so rubbed the Gingerbread ink pad over the cord then heat-set it with my heat-gun it to dry the ink thoroughly then tied it on.

I am sure that you could use these cards for Father's Day as well (which we celebrate in September in Australia) or simply change the sentiment for a Get Well card.  I have made about 6 of them so I have a nice little pile of cards for my stash which makes me uber-happy ----> see:  this is me 

Challenges -

I made my cards for the following challenges -

Papertake Weekly Challenge - For the Boys - anything male
Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #325 - So Macho - any male themed cards/projects
Splitcoaststampers - Clean and Simple Challenge CAS275 - Quick and Stackable - cards that you can make multiples of
Splitcoaststampers - Technique Lover's Challenge TLC482 - To Emboss or to Stamp - which is specifically for Embossed Folder Stamping

Thanks for stopping by!  It's mid-afternoon on Friday here in Australia so I am really happy that it's almost the weekend.  I haven't been well this week so I'm looking forward to relaxing and having some time-out.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Card No. 1 -

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia siset-014 sentiment set

Ink:  Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate pigment; Ranger Antique Linen, Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress

Accessories:  Big Shot, Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes embossing folder, My Favorite Things Stacking Stars Die-namics dies, Ranger Mini Mister, Glossy Accents, 3mm dimensional, clear embossing powder, heat-gun, Darice Hemp Cord (Riot Art and Craft), Fray Stop, embossing buddy, Stamp Positioner, cardstock - kraft, dark brown

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner

Card No. 2 -

Stamps:   Wendy Irving Expressions clear set J6412.02

Ink:  Versamagic Gingerbread chalk, Ranger Antique Linen, Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress

Accessories:  Big Shot, Darice Woodgrain embossing folder, Unknown brand die (for sentiment panel), Ranger Mini Mister, Darice Hemp Cord (Riot Art and Craft), Fray Stop, heat-gun, dimensionals, cardstock - kraft, chocolate

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner

Thinking of you butterfly acetate card

Hi blogging friends

I am back at long last!  My loved one continues to improve each day which is great so I have had a little bit of time in my craft room this past week.  I was able to go to the Craft Show as planned and had an absolute ball!  It was a cold and wet day so it was perfect weather for craft shopping - and boy, was it packed!!  I did a couple of 'Make and Take' free workshops and learned how to use Perfect Pearls and Perfect Medium which was fun.  I stocked up on lots of Docrafts goodies - Tatty Teddy, Boofle, Forever Friends and Tulip paper tole (called Decoupage in the UK), toppers, designer papers and ribbons. And a couple of Penny Black stamps begged to be bought as well as a couple of Impression Obsession dies (I didn't know they made dies!):  in fact, there were a lot of die brands that I had never heard like Lin and Lene, Joy Craft Happy's and Double do just to name a few.  None of my friends make cards so I always go to shows by myself but there is always someone to talk to who shares the same passion and gets as excited as I do over buttons, ribbons or a piece of designer paper.  I came home utterly exhausted but happy and uber-keen to do some cardmaking - hence today's card - which is very much NOT my usual style but I hope you like it:

Now, I would LOVE to say that I brayered the background but sadly, I did not.  I am sure that my blogging friend Shaz from Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz who is the brayering-queen would be able to make something this pretty but my brayer and I stopped speaking a while ago because he just wouldn't do as he was told - plus being as clumsy as I am, I just seemed to make more mess than anything else!  Bellbird Paperarts in Blackburn (Victoria) sell sheets of printed and coloured acetate and I bought various colours at the last Craft Show that I went to and have been itching to make a card with them ever since; sometimes, it just takes a while to get around to these things as you would understand.

All I had to do was cut the acetate design to the size I wanted and go from there.  I stamped the sentiment using Stazon Jet Black ink which dries on acetate very well.  The first time I stamped the sentiment, part of the image didn't come out and I thought the sheet was ruined so I was very cheesed off.  Then I had a brainwave and tried cleaning off the image with Stazon cleaner and hey presto:  it removed it perfectly!  Once the sentiment was dry, I attached some white cardstock behind the design with brads (obviously you can't glue it as the glue would show under the acetate).  That part of the card making process was a bit fiddly.  Then I simply layered that onto black cardstock, blue and then white.

Lastly, I added an acetate butterfly which I also bought from Bellbird Paperarts (came in a pack of 6 different sizes from memory and are printed on clear acetate) and popped it up using dimensionals under the butterfly's body and bent up the wings.  You can see the dimension in this next photo:

This card is for my stash but is intended for use as a Sympathy card or simply to send to someone to let them know I care or to show support.

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following 3 challenges -

Splitcoaststampers 'Ways to use it' WT427 May Flowers - where you are to use a flower or flowers on your project

Splitcoaststampers May Fan Club Challenge - Central Theme

Splitcoaststampers Inspiration Challenge IC390 - Jennspendants  - and I chose a pendant as my inspiration and the beautiful blue colours made me get out this acetate sheet and finally make a card with it - and obviously I echoed the squareness of the pendant in my card.

Thanks for stopping by and for any comments that you care to leave.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment by Stamp-It Australia - siset014 sentiment set

Ink:  Stazon Jet Black

Accessories:  Printed acetate and butterfly - Bellbird Paperarts, dimensionals, aqua brads, cardstock - white, blue, black

Sympathy card for an Auntie

Hi blogging friends

The card I am sharing today is a Sympathy card.  My husband's last remaining Auntie passed away aged 97.  I found the card quite difficult to make because we really don't know that side of the family - and we had no idea whether any of the children (my husband's cousins) have any sort of faith or not - and therefore wanted to be very respectful as I never push my beliefs on anyone nor preach - there's nothing worse!  I personally, had only seen the Auntie once at a funeral and have never met any of her children.  

It took ages to make the card which seems odd when the finished result is so simple - but I just seemed to faff around and couldn't make up my mind what colour ribbon I should use and then after putting a white ribbon on, I promptly took it off again because it just didn't look right - and then wondered whether I should add the hearts next to the sentiment - uggh - just didn't come together easily - one of those difficult cards!  I left it at my desk numerous times and kept going back to it with a 'fresh' mind and finally things came together and I settled on a soft lavender organza ribbon to contrast the white - and here is the result:

I had a hard time photographing my card - and no matter whether I photographed it in the sun or with a cloudy sky, the white card base still looks a bit lavendery (not sure if that's a word - if it isn't, it is now!) - and no amount of fiddling with my photo editing program made it look white.....sigh.....oh well!

The card is a Matchbook card but turned on its side.  You can see another Matchbook Sympathy card HERE on my blog which I made ages ago.  Note that I bought this card already made up as a Matchbook card in a pack of 10 from Riot Art and Craft and the scalloped edge was already done - but it is easy to make one yourself and if you look at the link for my previous Matchbook card, I have given some instructions - just scroll down.  Please note that at this link, I called the card a Matchbox card which is incorrect - however the instructions etc. are all correct - I just had the name wrong!

The right-hand side of the card was embossed using my Cuttlebug and Roses embossing folder.

I used my Scor-Pal to score two lines on the left-hand side of the card then added the ribbon in 2 separate elements.  The bow itself was made with my Bow Easy and I added some Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.  I glued this side panel down so it doesn't open and the embossed side just tucks into this flap - but made sure that I left enough of the flap unstuck so that the embossed side tucks in enough to hold it.

I stamped the sentiment using London Fog Memento ink, added two punched lavender hearts (I used an MS Looped Hearts edge punch - they are the leftover punchies) then popped this panel up on dimensionals.  This is my first time stamping using grey ink and I really love the softness it added to the card as opposed to using black ink.

For the card inside, I again stamped the sentiment with London Fog ink and added hearts to mirror the card front.

So simple - don't know why it took me so long!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia siset014 sentiment set (both sentiments)

Ink:  Memento London Fog

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Roses embossing folder, Scor-Pal, lavender organza ribbon, Bow Easy, Fray Stop, Lifestyle Nesting Ovals die, dimensionals, Matchbook card - Riot Art and Craft, white cardstock scrap for sentiment panel, lavender cardstock

Punches:  Martha Stewart Looped Hearts edge (lavender hearts)

Stamp-It: The Angel Said - CAS Christmas cards

Hi blogging friends

I have made so many cards these past 2 weeks that I probably won't be able to share all of them before Christmas as I am running out of time to blog them.  And then last night, I had this "sudden" idea in my head for some clean and simple one-layer cards (well, one layer other than the border I attached at the bottom of my cards) - and it all seemed to go smoothly.  Sometimes I come up with ideas but nothing seems to work and I get frustrated - but not last night - it was smooth sailing all the way and it is SO NICE when that happens!!

So here is the result - well, actually I made a gold, silver and purple one, but first is the gold.  It is really hard to photograph gold embossing but I think you will get the idea.

The image is from Stamp-It Australia called "The Angel Said" and was stamped with Versamark Watermark ink and heat-embossed it with Stamp-It Queens Gold embossing powder.

The dry embossing is a border folder from the Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6 and I love how the embossing just seemed to tie in so beautifully with the Fancy Letter "A" on the sentiment.

There is a Scor-Pal line above and below the embossing and below the gold cord.  The gold cord is wrapped twice around the card.  I added some Fray Stop to the ends of the cord so they wouldn't keep unravelling as this cord tends to do.

The bottom gold border was made with a Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge punch (LOVE this for Christmas cards) and was punched out of gold glitter cardstock - which the punch didn't like too much as the cardstock is a bit thicker than regular cardstock.

Now, here is the silver version:

Again, it is really hard to photograph silver embossing but I just managed to get a bit of shine on it so you can see the silveriness.  The silver ribbon is also wrapped twice around the card and the bottom silver border was punched from silver Mirri card which the punched liked a whole lot better than the glitter cardstock.  It looks very dark in the photo but trust me:  it really is SILVER!

Now here is the purple version.  I love purple and white for Christmas cards; I know it's not traditional but it just appeals to me I guess because purple is my favourite colour.

The purple ribbon photographed a bit dark but matches the image perfectly IRL (in real life) and actually has gold flecks through it but you can't really tell from the photo.  I picked it up from Riot Art and Craft yesterday and is by The Paper Mill.  The sentiment was stamped with Heliotrope pigment ink and heat-embossed with Satin Pearl embossing powder.

Challenges:

I am entering my cards into the Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge CHNC #51 of "Anything Goes".

And on a final note for today:  here is a little pic of my cat Ruby catching up on some zzzzz's before the big day........

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate it!   I will be back soon with another card.

Jocelyn

Gold Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia 'The Angel Said' 2143F self-cling rubber

Ink:  Versamark Versamagic

Accessories:  Big Shot, Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6 - border embossing folder, heat-gun, Stamp-It Queens Gold embossing powder, gold cord, Fray Stop, Scor-Pal, cardstock - white, gold glitter

Punches:  Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge

Silver Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia 'The Angel Said' 2143F self-cling rubber

Ink:  Versamark Versamagic

Accessories:  Big Shot, Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6 - border embossing folder, heat-gun, Silver embossing powder, silver Mirri card, Scor-Pal, silver ribbon 1/4" wide, cardstock - white

Punches:  Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge

Purple Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia 'The Angel Said' 2143F self-cling rubber

Ink:  Colorbox Heliotrope pigment

Accessories:  Big Shot, Sizzix Textured Impressions Christmas Set #6 - border embossing folder, heat-gun, Satin Pearl clear embossing powder, Scor-Pal, purple ribbon by The Paper Mill - from Riot Art and Craft, cardstock - purple, white

Punches:  Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge

Hero Arts Snowflakes card using heat and bond powder

Hi blogging friends - and a special welcome to my new Followers

I do have a Christmas card to share today, but you will have to scroll down past my holiday snaps.

I have just returned from a holiday at Bright, in north east Victoria.  We had lovely spring weather and it was wonderful to see how green and lush it is up there after our awful 10 year Victorian drought.  Note you can click on any of my photos if you wish to have a bigger looky.  The holiday house we rented backs onto the Ovens River and here is a view of what we looked at every day:  beautiful, isn't it?!!

And this is where we walked through into the township every day:  hard to take, isn't it?!!  

Bright was resplendent with azaleas, rhododendrons, spring bulbs and roses - truly a glorious sight:

There was a little family with 2 ducklings which stopped by every day for a feed.  It was really hard to take a photo of them as they were always moving!  The mother is on the far left; the father has the darker brown head:

There is an awesome Scrapbooking and Giftware store at Bright called "Little Shoppe of Memories" run by Cindy Cherry and I spent a lot of time in there!  Cindy is a lovely lady and a very talented scrapbooker - and loves all things vintage.  

Since I returned, I have been laid low with viral gastro and are still not 100% - ick - but I need to get my skates on with Christmas just around the corner and I don't have many Christmas cards done yet.

The card I am showing you today is a quick and simple card that would be easy to mass produce.  I have actually done a couple of cards in different colours which I will show you over the coming weeks.

To achieve all the glittery goodness, I used Stampendous Stamp and Bond powder which is my first time using this product.  I have recently "discovered" Kristina Werner's blog:  KWerner Design, and on Day 12 of Kristina's 25 days of Christmas cards 2011 videos, Kristina used Stamp and Bond powder so this is how I learnt how to use it.  I will say, that if you don't want to have glitter and mess everywhere (note that I am a pretty messy cardmaker!), I would recommend doing it somewhere like outside on a verandah or decking in nice, calm weather  (or maybe in hubby's garage if he doesn't mind all his tools and his car being glittery LOL!!) - and you will need to have access to a powerpoint for your heatgun.  By the time I tried different types of ink and different coloured glitter and had a good old play to see what worked and what didn't, I had glitter absolutely everywhere!!   And I mean - EVERYWHERE!!  Next time, I will definitely do it outside!

So onto how it's done:  I lined up the 3 individual Hero Arts Snowflakes (note: comes as a set of 4) on my acrylic block, inked them with Versacolor Violet pigment ink (you have to use a slow-drying ink for the Stamp and Bond powder to work - and you really want a juicy ink pad - not one that is getting a bit dry as the technique doesn't work as well), poured on the Stamp and Bond powder and removed the excess from around the images, then heated it with a heat gun until the powder melted which takes very little time.  As soon as it was melted, I poured on fine Crystalina glitter and of course, shook off the excess and used a small paintbrush to remove any surplus glitter from around the card.  It is helpful to have everything ready at hand - any delay might mean it doesn't work

Next, I inked up the sentiment with the same colour ink (I masked off the star which is after the word 'Wish' as I wanted to add a star brad instead), poured on clear embossing powder and heat-set it.  

As my purple star brad wasn't quite the right shade of purple, I held the prongs with a pair of tweezers, inked it with the same ink, added the Stamp and Bond powder, heated it with my heat gun then poured on the same glitter.  Yay - now it matched!  You do not want to handle the brad till it cools down of course and you don't want to handle the brad too much anyway because it is very easy to scrape off the glitter/embossing.  I usually cut off my prongs with a pair of pliers and glue brads to my cards with Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue as I have a hard time poking a hole in just the right spot on my card and lining my brads up - it's just easier for me that way.

The white card base was embossed with my Big Shot and the Snowflakes embossing folder from the Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland set, corner punched the top and bottom RHS, wrapped some Lilac Twine around it (LOVE my twine!!) and popped the main panel up on dimensionals.  Finished card size is 5" x 5".

Here is a close-up of all that gorgeous sparkly glitter:

Challenges:

I am popping my card into the following challenges -

Splitcoaststampers, Free for all Friday F4A88 - 'A True Free for All' - nice and easy

Winter Wonderland Challenge - Make your card sparkle - use lots of glitter or glitter card

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Card Challenge CHNC45 - Bright colours and/or sparkle

For those of you who (like me) are a visual learner, here is Kristina Werner's video from You Tube where Kristina demonstrates how to use Stamp and Bond Powder on her Christmas card (Kristina is using Stampin' Up brand which is called 'Heat and Stick' - it's the same thing).  Enjoy!  (And thanks Kristina!)



Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'll be back in a few days!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:   Hero Arts Four Framed Snowflakes cling rubber, Sentiment by Stamp-It Australia - A little Christmas Wish 1607C

Ink:  Versacolor Violet pigment

Accessories:  Acrylic block, Big Shot, Snowflakes embossing folder from Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland set, heat-gun, Stampendous Stamp and Bond embossing powder aka Heat-and-Stick in other brands, Fine .008 Crystalina glitter, small round paintbrush, Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue, dimensionals, star brad (from stash), The Twinery lilac twine, cardstock: white

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner

Stamp-It Australia - Riverbank - Father's Day card

Hi blogging friends  

Sorry I haven't been around.  My mother was rushed to hospital with severe chest pains and of course, the first thing I thought of when I received the phone call, was that she was having a heart attack, but thankfully, it wasn't and she is home again now and the pain is gone.  The doctors still don't know why she was having the chest pain so it's all a bit of a mystery.   She has had a ton of tests, CT scans - you name it, she's has had it - but nothing came up.  I am not sure whether I am more worried now or less worried - at least if we all knew why she had such severe pain, we could deal with it and of course, we don't want her to be sick - it's just, not knowing is stressful for Mum and for the rest of the family, and it robs Mum of her confidence for going out to do shopping or just hop in the car and drive down the street.   Needless to say, I have not had my mind on cardmaking or even had time to nosey around blogs.  Thank you for all your wonderful comments you left on my last card - they really made my day.   I shall hope to catch up on visiting you all very soon!

I suddenly realised 2 days ago that it was Father's Day this coming Sunday and I hadn't done a card for my husband.  I even thought about buying one (eeek - oh, the horror - not to mention the how expensive they are!) and then thought that maybe sitting down doing some colouring would be good therapy and take my mind off things now that Mum was home and seemingly OK.  So, I dug out a recent purchase of a stamp by Stamp-It Australia which is a typical Australian country scene with the river red gum tree and a creek/river and attacked it madly with my watercolour pencils.  I have never coloured a "scene" before so it was a quite a challenge and certainly was stretching my abilities with watercolour pencils that's for sure!!  Waaaay out of my comfort zone!  It nearly ended up in the bin numerous times!

I did actually add a few extra lines/squiggles with a fine .005 waterproof black pen to widen the scene at the horizon and a little bit around the river bank here and there because once I trimmed the scene down, it had little blank areas that looked unfinished which didn't reach the edges of the watercolour paper.  I was so tempted to draw in a few cows or a bird but thought better of it in case I made a mess of it.

I have to say that when I ordered this stamp on-line, I didn't realise how HUGE it was until it arrived!  Oh my gosh - it's massive!   I bought it unmounted and I struggled to find a stamp block large enough to fit all the design on - so my card is definitely NOT your average-sized card by the time I added the designer paper and cardstock borders.  Just as well I am not posting it in the mail - I would be paying extra-postage that's for sure LOL!

The sentiment is by Lili of the Valley (UK) and was stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.  I masked out the 3 flowers underneath the word "Wonderful" when I inked it up and added 3 brown rhinestones to fill the gap.  I diecut the pale olive and brown cardstock with my Cuttlebug and Spellbinder Scalloped Circle Nestabilities and arranged the diecuts so that the scallops look like they are kind-of-intertwining (if that makes some sort of sense!).  It also adds a bit of extra colour to the sentiment but you are not making the sentiment any bigger in diameter.

I attached the ribbon in 2 separate pieces and the double-bow was made with my Bow Easy (LOVE this thing - so cool for making double-bows!).

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges:

Crazy for Challenges - C4C102 - Male themed cards

Cards for Men - G is for...... - and in my case, G is for gum tree.

Thanks so much for stopping by - I really appreciate it!

 

If you are in a rush to leave a comment, scroll down past the Card Recipe on click on one of the "Reactions"! 
  

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-it Australia - Riverbank 662I, Sentiment from Lili of the Valley (UK) - Circular Sentiments - For You

Ink:  Versafine Onyx black, Versafine Vintage sepia

Designer paper:  Crate Paper - Static Collection - Gravity

Accessories:  140lb watercolour paper, Faber-Castell and Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils, small #2 round paintbrush, Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, .005 fine waterproof black pen, Kaiser Rhinestones SB776, Bow Easy, gingham ribbon, Cardstock:  pale olive, raw umber

La La Land: Marci Ballerina Easel card

Hello Blogging friends! 

I've been a busy little bee these past few days.  Over the weekend, I tidied up my Craft Room because I was working in a smaller and smaller space on my desk and had lost 2 pairs of 8 inch scissors over the past few weeks and somehow the floor had disappeared and I was tripping over things!  And I was getting grumpy about it.  Can't create anything when you are grumpy, can you LOL?!!

So once that was done, I was ready to have a play with my new La La Land Marci Ballerina stamp, and today I was finally able to photograph my card as it has been raining here where I live over the past few days - very dull indeed for the end of what was supposed to be summer!  The sun was going in and out like a yo-yo today which made photography challenging to say the least! 

Isn't Marci Ballerina sweet?  So perfect for a little girl's birthday!   She looks so graceful - unlike my dancing which is unco-ordinated and clunky (makes Elaine's dancing from Seinfeld look awesome in comparison - if you are a Seinfeld fan like me, you will know just what I mean ROFL!!).   Anyway, I am digressing.......

I coloured sweet Marci with Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils and OMS, then lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk.  I added some Kindyglitz Crystalina to the rose in her hair, the roses on the top of her tu-tu and around the bottom hem.  I added some pink gemstones to her hair - here is a little close-up:

The pink cardstock/plaid panel was punched using my Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop punch, and I added a Scor-Pal line above the border just to "finish" the edge.  I was finally able to get my hot little hands on some pink seam binding/ribbon (all the way from The Ribbon Girl in the UK) - oh, I love this stuff and it was so beautiful to work with.  I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements, and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I glued a rose to the centre using Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue.

The sentiment on the card front was popped up on mounts (dimensionals) and I added some tiny pink glitter cardstock hearts which were punched using my trusty EK Success Arrows border punch (they are leftover punchies).    Here is a closer photo of just the card front so you can see a bit more detail:

All the designer papers on the card - the floral plus the plaid - are digital from Bearly Mine Designs in the UK.

Here is a photo of just the card bottom:

I used my Cuttlebug and one of the dies from my Vintage Die set to do the fancy glitter cardstock corners on the card front and bottom.  To hold the top part of the card in place, I used my Epiphany Studio Button Tool to make some buttons with the same pink glitter cardstock (technically the colour name is Canna) then added 2mm mounts underneath the buttons so they would have a bit more height and hold the card front easily.  I did sew the holes in the buttons with pink sewing thread - I just like them to have some thread in them rather than leaving them as is.    The sentiment on this bottom panel was also popped up on mounts (dimensionals).

If you need a tutorial to make an Easel Card, please follow this link to one done by Splitcoaststampers on You Tube. 

Challenges:

I am popping this card into the The ABC Challenge of "P is for pink", as well as the Splitcoaststampers Try a new Technique Challenge TLC242 of "Easel Card".

Thanks for stopping by!  I have links in my Card Recipe below for many of the products used in the making of my card.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  La La Land Marci Ballerina, Sentiment #1 - from Stamp-It Australia siset014 sentiment set, Sentiment #2 - My Memories MMSWHB 141502 (from Riot Art and Craft)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Designer paper:  Best Creations Canna (pink) glitter cardstock GCS002, Bearly Mine Designs digital - BM Flower Delight 027 (roses) and BM Just Plaid 20

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Vintage die set, Spellbinder Oval + Scalloped Oval Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, Epiphany button maker tool 20mm + Epiphany blank button, pink sewing thread, pink seam binding - The Ribbon Girl UK, Bow Easy, mounts (dimensionals), Kindyglitz Crystalina, pink gems, blue chalk, Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils, Odourless Mineral Spirits (OMS), paper stumps, pink roses, Cardstock:  KW Doggett Knight white, pale pink

Punches:  Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop edge, EK Success Arrows border

Stampendous Star Lilies easel birthday card

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I haven't made an Easel card for ages - I guess I kind-of forgot about them - but I really love them and they are fun and easy to make.  If you have never made one before, here is a link to a tutorial on You-Tube by Splitcoaststampers.  There are lots of variations which people have done since the Easel Cards first became popular last year, eg: circle ones, twisted ones - just do a search on You-Tube and you will find lots of them.

The beautiful Star Lilies were stamped onto Watercolour paper with Stazon Jet black ink and watercoloured using Jo-Sonya Acrylic paints.  I love this stamp because you can use it for so many different occasions - very versatile!  

The side border was diecut with my Cuttlebug and one of the border dies from my Nellie Snellen Border-2 MFD023 die set - these are not on Fat Cat's website at the moment but keep an eye out - I'm sure they will be soon.  I added a Scor-Pal line just next to the border on the pink cardstock (which made it easier to line up my embossing folder so I knew it was straight - you butt the folder up against this line), then ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Flowers embossing folder from my Sizzix Dots and Flowers set.  

I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements then attached the side panel to my cardstock base.  The bow itself was tied with my ever-reliable Bow Easy (I did add some Fray stop to the ribbon edges so they wouldn't fray).   I made a 14mm button using my Epiphany Button Studio tool and the designer paper, then sewed it to my bow with pink sewing thread.  Isn't it just so cool that you can match your buttons to your card using this button tool?!  Here is a close-up piccy of the button and here is link to the tutorial on You-Tube for using your Epiphany button tool:

The fancy corner on the RHS of the image was diecut using one of the dies from my Vintage die set.  The sentiment is from Lily of the Valley and I added two tiny pink gemstones to the flower centres on the sentiment, then popped the panel up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals).

For the bottom of the card, I again used my Epiphany Button Studio tool - except I used the larger size 20mm, to make the 3 buttons which hold the top panel in place.  I ran some pink sewing thread through the button holes just because I like my buttons to have thread through them (not sure why - I just like them with thread in them!).  I added 2mm mounts underneath the buttons so they would up a little higher to hold the top panel easily.  Here is a close-up view of them:

And here is a photo of the bottom panel without the top panel being held in place so you can see where the buttons go:

I decided to add a ribbon to this bottom panel as well and tied the bow with my Bow Easy.  I punched a heart from Best Creations Glitter cardstock using the largest heart from my Carl CP8 Heart duo punch and glued it to the centre of the bow:

And then just to "balance" the card, I added another fancy corner the same as the one on the top card panel.  I added a tiny pink gemstone to the 'i' on Birthday.  Oh, by the way, the designer paper is digital and is from Bearly Mine Designs - isn't just sooooo pretty!!  The size of the card square is 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 137mm.  And lastly, here is a side-view of the card:

Challenges

I'm popping this card into the following Challenge:   

Splitcoaststampers 'Ways to use it' Challenge WT309 of  'Happy Birthday'

Thanks again for stopping by!  Hope to see you again soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampendous Star Lily CRP115 cling rubber, Sentiment (round) Lili of the Valley - For you - Happy Birthday set, Sentiment on bottom panel - Stamp-It Australia siset014 sentiment set

Ink:  Stazon Jet black

Designer paper:  Bearly Mine designs - BM Flower Delight 027, Best Creations Glitter cardstock 'Canna'

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Sizzix Textured Impressions Flower from Dots and Flowers embossing folder set, Cuttlebug Vintage Dies, Spellbinder Nestabilities: Circle, Scalloped Circle, Oval, Scalloped Oval, pink gemstones - Basic Grey, 1mm/2mm mounts (dimensionals), Epiphany Button Studio Tools: 14mm + 20mm + matching buttons, Bow Easy, pink organza ribbon, Fray stop, Scor-Pal, Watercolour paper - 140lb/300gsm, Jo-Sonya acrylic paint, #2 round paint brush, Nellie Snellen MFD023 Border-2 die set, pink sewing thread, Cardstock: white (for card base), plum pink, pale pink

Punches:  Carl CP-8 heart duo