Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Stamping

Hi blogging friends

A short while ago, I came across a card that was stamped with an embossing folder and I really, really loved how it looked but had no clue how it was done because there was no information with the card.  Fortunately, Splitcoaststampers recently uploaded a tutorial including a video HERE so I have spent alot of time playing in my Craft Room trying to learn the technique. 

My initial attempts were quite frustrating because I wasn't sure how much water to spray on the folder.  I found that if I sprayed too much water, the pattern was lost - and then if I didn't spray enough water, I wouldn't get a lovely graduation of colour.   I also played with different mediums such as Tombow Pens and Distress Inks and tried different colour combinations plus I experimented with different embossing folders and found some worked better than others.  I also tried watercolour paper and smooth white cardstock and they both gave very different results but worked really well.  I also learned to let the cardstock dry before thinking that it looks terrible because it looks different after drying.

I was so fortunate that yesterday someone else was caring for my loved one all day so I spent a large part of the day with no interruptions where I could really get stuck in.  And it was great because the day before, we had been at the hospital for appointments for a good deal of the day so I appreciated having a day off after the appointments.   It is very, very rare that I get a whole day to myself at home where I not only have a physical break from being a Carer but also a complete emotional break.  I felt on-top-of-the world at the end of the day and so excited to learn a new technique.  And I didn't even need to make dinner that evening - that was made for me as well - ahhhh, bliss!!

So, without further ado, here is my card:

I used a Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder and randomly applied Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage and Faded Jeans Distress Inks then sprayed the water onto the folder using a Ranger Mini Mister and lay my smooth white cardstock down on top.  I left the cardstock there for almost a minute and pressed down with my fingers so all areas of the cardstock received the ink then lifted it off.   Where there was a darker pool of colour that stood out a bit too much, I simply used a tiny piece of paper towel to blot it up a little.  I left the cardstock to dry by itself but I guess you could dry it with a heat-gun if you were in a hurry.  I was a little afraid that I would spread the ink into the white areas and spoil the effect so I just waited patiently for it to dry because this was my favourite one out of all the ones I had done and believe me, I did tons of them LOL!  Ohhh, I just love how the colours mixed - so pretty don't you think?!

I added the teal cardstock strip then stamped the sentiment using Colorbox Peacock pigment ink and heat-set it using Satin Pearl embossing powder.  I diecut a heart from teal cardstock from the Memory Box Hearts and Stars die set and popped it up on a 3mm dimensional.  Lastly, I corner-punched the RHS of the main panel then tied on the twine.  It really is a simple card even if it took a loooooong time to get to that point but I am so glad that I persevered!

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Splitcoaststampers Technique Lovers Challenge - TLC482 - To Emboss or To Stamp which is specifically for Embossing Folder Stamping

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #323 - Blues and Hues 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog today - I appreciate it very much.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Stamp-It Australia self-cling rubber sentiment set siset014

Designer paper:  None

Ink:  Ranger Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans and Bundled Sage; Colorbox Peacock pigment

Accessories:  Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder, Darice Hemp cord (Riot Art and Craft), 3mm dimensional, Memory Box Hearts and Stars die set, Big Shot, Ranger Mini Mister, heat-gun, Satin Pearl embossing powder, cardstock - teal, white

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner punch

Penny Black Strawberry Jam thank you card

Hi blogging friends

The card I am sharing today is a "Thank you" card for a wonderful friend who has been very kind and supportive during our loved one's illness so what better way to say thank you than a handmade card!

The image is by Penny Black - Strawberry Jam and is my new favourite PB stamp (which I am sure I could say about every PB stamp LOL!).  It was stamped onto watercolour paper using Ranger Archival Sepia ink and coloured with various mediums:  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints, Faber-Castell + Albrecht-Durer watercolour pencils and Tombow pens using a No. 2 round Kolinsky Sable paintbrush.   I dry-brushed a little bit of white acrylic paint on the strawberries for the highlight.   I really love stamping some of the Penny Black critters in brown ink instead of black as it gives a softness to the image.

I punched some tiny hearts using pink and red parts of the designer paper using an EK Success Arrows border punch (they are the leftover punchies after using the punch that look like tiny hearts - too cute!) and glued them around the image then added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue. 

The sentiment was a freebie stamp from a set called "Sweet Treats" - designed by Beth Gunnel and came free with a Quick Cards Made Easy magazine back in 2012.  I stamped it using Versamagic Gingerbread ink.  I originally stamped it with the Ranger Sepia ink but it just looked too dark and didn't look right so went for a softer and lighter brown.  The red heart was punched from one of the strawberries on the designer paper using a Carl CP-8 Heart duo (I used the smallest heart on the punch) then added Kindyglitz Crystalina to add some sparkle.

Here is a close-up of the sweet image:

The designer paper is one I picked up from a Craft Show which I thought was just perfect with the image.

The middle panel was embossed using my Big Shot and a Cart-Us embossing folder (sorry, but there is no name on the folder nor the packaging).  

The bottom brown layer is actually the flip-side of the designer paper as it matched the strawberry pattern so beautifully and the pink layer is cardstock.  All the layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools,

The fancy bottom border was punched using a Martha Stewart Lace Doily edge punch.  I recently replaced this punch because I wore the old one out and it is still my favourite punch:  just so feminine and pretty and never tire of it.  I am tempted to buy another one to put away before it comes unavailable just in case I break my new one or I wear it out.  Hmmm, wonder if should?  What do you think?

The twine is by Trendy Twine - Krazy for Kraft.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.  

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - May - You're favourite PB stamp 

Thanks for visiting my blog today and for any comments that you care to leave - they are very much appreciated!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Strawberry Jam 4254J wood mount, Sentiment Sweet Treats (freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy Magazine in 2012)

Ink:  Ranger Archival Sepia, Versamagic Gingerbread chalk

Designer paper:  Crate Paper Pretty Party - Cake Stand (2011) - both sides

Accessories:  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints, Faber-Castell + Albrecht-Durer watercolour pencils, Tombow pens, JoSonja Titanium White acrylic paint, No. 2 round Kolinsky Sable paintbrush, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, dimensionals, 140lb watercolour paper, Fray Stop, Trendy Twine - Krazy for Kraft, Big Shot, Cart-Us embossing folder (unknown name), Lifestyle Nesting Rectangle dies, Lifestyle Nesting Circle + Scallop Circle dies, Perfect Layers Tools, cardstock - pink

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border, Martha Stewart Lace Doily, Carl CP-8 Heart duo

Shirt card for a Masculine Birthday or Father's Day

Hi blogging friends

Sorry I haven't been around for a few weeks:  I've had some medical appointments to attend to for my loved one so that has meant multiple trips into hospital - and then had a few issues to deal with following those appointments (but all is OK) - and I have had a very sore back and neck (just an old injury playing up from a fall from a horse many years ago probably because I have been feeling a little anxious!) so crafting time has been frustratingly limited to short bursts.   Anyway, enough about me and onto what I have been playing with in my Craft Room.......

Today I am sharing a Shirt Card:
 

Have you ever come across a card by another Blogger and thought:  "Wow, I really like that - I must try it" - and then a couple of years later, you FINALLY get around to making it?  I first saw this Shirt card on Nancy Riley's blog:  iStamp in June 2010 - see Nancy's post HERE - and printed it out and kept it in my "To do" folder.   I thought it was a fabulous idea for a masculine card as you could do alot of variations on the basic card and it would be great for a birthday or Father's Day and it would be appropriate for a great range of ages!  Yep, it's only taken me 4 years to try it out LOL!

Now, I didn't follow the instructions at the link that Nancy provided - I followed instructions from another blogger:  Susan Roberts from Rainy Day Creations - who made these fantastic variations HERE - and then pinched the shirt sleeve/cuff idea from one of my favourite Bloggers:  Kerry Cox from her blog - A load of old pickle - from Kerry's shirt cards HERE.

The card is very simple and so quick to make - and I would really encourage you to try it.  The collar is popped up on dimensionals as is the shirt sleeve/cuff and I rounded the edges of the cuff with a corner punch.  I wondered if I should put a sentiment somewhere (?) but nothing looked right so left it off.  Next time I make a Shirt Card, I won't glue the tie down flat - I will pop it up on dimensionals as I think it will look better.  The buttons were glued down with Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue. The designer paper that I used on the tie is old and by Kaisercraft - at least back from 2009.

Here is a side view so you can see the dimension and also see how I trimmed off the back of the card to match the front:

So don't wait 4 years like me to try a Shirt Card - make it today!  There are many variations on this type of card including origami ones - just Google it and you'll find a ton of inspiration out there.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  none

Designer paper:   Kaisercraft Lone Ranger P128 Shotgun (retired)

Accessories:  green buttons (from stash), green sewing thread, Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue, dimensionals, cardstock - pale green

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner

Vintage-inspired Roses thank you card

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Vintage-inspired Thank you card which I made for the owners of the holiday house where we stayed at Bright in March.  We have been staying there since my daughter was in a Port-a-cot (she is almost 11 now!) and they have been so kind to us over the years.   I specifically chose a rose for my card because the owners love roses plus they gave us a rose to plant in our garden when we left the holiday house - so it only seemed fitting to use a rose image:

The rose came already diecut but I did trim a few parts that weren't perfectly diecut and then used a matching green and red Tombow pen to go around the edges of the diecut pieces to eliminate any white showing.  This makes a huge difference to how a papertole (or decoupage if you are in the UK) image looks once you have finished layering it up and helps the edges blend in alot better.

Now I am not very good at Vintage cards or distressing:  I think I am too neat and maybe my style is a whole lot more simplistic compared to other seasoned cardmakers of that genre - but I do love what other people do with their cards.   I often look at that style and almost envy their ability to add this and that and then a whole lot more bits and pieces, and then tear the paper etc. and their card looks just perfect.  Yet, if I add bits and pieces, my cards look too busy!  So that is why I called my card "Vintage-inspired".  If you don't hear from me again, you know that the Vintage Card Police got me LOL!

Here is a close-up so you can see the dimension of the rose:

The designer paper is by Graphic 45 - Little Darling Collection - Precious Poesy (yes, that's how it's spelled!) and just seemed to match my image perfectly (I love it when that happens!).

Believe it or not, each layer has been roughed up a little with a distressing tool and then I used my Ranger Blending Tool to add Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow ink to each layer around the the edges including the rose panel.

The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up! set called Simply Sketched and was stamped with Versamagic Tea Leaves chalk ink then I added 3 Split Pea Kaisercraft rhinestones.

The gorgeous silk ribbon is by May Arts and which I purchased a long time ago from Sharon Johnsons' online store Stamp Simply.  I am sorry that I can't remember the colour name:  it is either Moss or Olive and both are available at Sharon's store.  I added the ribbon in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy and was glued on using Fabric glue.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying as silk frays terribly!

All the layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.  The bottom panel was punched using a Martha Stewart Doiley Lace edge punch (my favourite all-time punch!) which I recently replaced because I wore my old one out!  There is a Scor-Pal line above the punched edge (a bit hard to see in the photo) which gave me a straight line to butt the designer paper up against.

Challenges

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

CraftyCatz - Challenge #228 - Anything Goes

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

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Stampin' Up! Simply Sketched set

Ink:  Versamagic Tea Leaves chalk, Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow

Designer paper:  Graphic 45 Little Darlings Collection - Precious Poesy #4500451 12" x 12"

Accessories:  Image from Reddy Creative Cards diecut sheet Ar.83873, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, Big Shot, Spellbinder Oval and Scallop Oval Nestabilities, Kaisercraft Split Pea rhinestones RS407, Ranger Blending Tool, We R Memory Keepers heart-shaped distresser tool, red + green Tombow pens, Bow Easy, May Arts silk ribbon 1"/2.5cm wide, Fray Stop, Fabric glue, Scor-Pal, cardstock - light olive green, dark olive green, cream

Punches:  Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge

Stampendous Easter Bunny card

Hi blogging friends

As promised (from my last blog post), here is the Easter Card that I made to accompany the special Easter boxes with the knitted ducks that I made for my daughter.  If you missed my last post, you can see it HERE.  

This card was a bit of a last minute dash as I only finished it Sunday lunchtime!  Once I had coloured the image to match the designer paper, I wasn't sure what layout I wanted and fiddled around and fiddled around not really getting very far.  In the end, I left it for an hour and came back to it and things seemed to fall into place.  I have learned through experience, that if things aren't working and I just seem to be getting nowhere, I walk away and come back later - and things usually fall into place when I return.

Sorry about the dull photo - I had to photograph it inbetween showers.  Right at this moment, it's pouring with rain and Ruby is curled up beside me.  She isn't happy when there is no sun and gets quite grumpy.  If the sun decides to poke it's head out later, I'll take another photo and replace this one.  The colours are a bit off in the photo and it looks far better in real life....oh well.....

The image is by Stampendous called Easter Word Bunny which I believe is from about 2007 and is retired (I picked it up on sale at a Craft Show last year).  I coloured the image with a mix of Tombow pens and watercolour pencils then added some Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue around the edges of the letters plus the bunny's cheeks.  I chalked around the image with blue chalk and a bit of grey then diecut the image panel with a Spellbinders Large Oval Nestabilities die.

I found three matching buttons in my stash and sewed the centres (I don't like naked buttons on my cards) then glued them on with Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue.

The fancy yellow diecut is a Spellbinders Floral Oval and once I had attached it, I bent the fancy edge up a little so it stood out a bit better from the designer paper.  The green oval was handcut because I didn't have a large enough Spellbinders Oval die to match but it was simple to trace around the largest oval in the set and trim it with nail scissors (that has the curved blade).  I lightly sanded around the oval with my Distressing tool to make it all smooth and even up any bits that I didn't cut perfectly.

Here is a close-up:

The green and yellow layers on the card base were cut to 1/8" and 1/16" respectively using my Perfect Layers Tools.  The designer paper is old and is by Doodlebug.

Lastly, I used my Bow Easy to tie my bow and glued it on using Fabric glue.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

Challenges:

This is also my card for the Splitcoaststampers Free for All F4A217 Challenge of 'Show me the Bunny' where you have to make a card with a bunny on it - stamped, diecut, punched etc. - any way you choose. 

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampendous Easter Word Bunny cling mount (retired)

Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black

Designer paper:  Doodlebug Design Inc 1706 citrus squeeze polka dots (retired) 

Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinder Floral Oval dies, Spellbinder Large Oval Nestabilities dies, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, Tombow Pens, Lyra Watercolour pencils, paintbrush, Kaisercolour chalks, buttons (from stash) + matching sewing thread, Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue, Fabric glue, Bow Easy, orange gingham ribbon, Fray Stop, 140lb watercolour paper, Perfect Layers Tools, cardstock - green, lemon

Happy Knitted Easter Wishes

Hi blogging friends

Happy Easter everyone!

I have been a busy little bee putting the finishing touches to some Easter gifts and an Easter card for my daughter.  I have been knitting some ducklings after I go to bed at night so I could hide what I was knitting for her.  It was sooooo hard to get decent photos today because the weather turned cold and it was so dull but I hope you like my creations.

First up, here is the yellow duckling:

The pattern is out of a book by Jane Bull called "Crafty Creatures" published in 2013 - which is meant to be a craft book for kids but I really love it.  I originally borrowed the book out of my local Library but my daughter and I loved it so much that I bought the book.  I have quite a number of books by Jane Bull and always found them detailed and well-written.  Anyway, I have had my eye on the knitted ducklings in the book and thought they would be fun for Easter.  It is simple garter stitch and knitted in one piece using 8 ply yarn and the pattern was very easy to follow and was quick.

Once you finish your knitting, you simply sew it up and stuff just the head but leave the rest of the duck because you put in your Easter egg through the bottom to fill the gap:  a fun little surprise!  I glued on the felt beak and the 4mm bead eyes with Fabric glue.  Here is a pic of the bottom filled with an Easter egg:

Because my daughter loves rainbows, I knitted a duck with rainbow yarn as well just for a bit of fun:

Then all I had to do was decorate the baskets:

The baskets, little chicks, green and yellow shredded paper (and the Easter eggs which are at the bottom of the box) all came from Woolworths - the yellow ribbon is from my stash.  Here is a pic of the closed box:

My daughter will get a nice little surprise when she opens her boxes tomorrow!

And now here is my knitted baby duckling:

Isn't he cute?  The pattern came out of the Jean Greenhowe Knitted Animals booklet and was knitted in 8 ply yarn.  This was my first time knitting from one of her patterns and it was really easy to follow and understand.   I have already started knitting another project from the booklet as they are great little projects to do when I watch TV at night.

The little white bucket also came from Woolworths and is very tiny - about 3 inches or 7.5 cm high and again, I just filled it with some shredded tissue paper.

Because the bucket came in a set of 3, I decorated another one with Easter eggs and a cute little bunny bottom on one side - a CASE of one that Sue Nelson did way back in 2007 which you can see here at her gallery at Splitcoaststampers (please note if you are not a member of SCS, you may not be able to see Sue's sample).

I used a Lifestyle Nesting Circle die, a Spellbinders Nesting Oval die and heart punches to do mine.  I did two layers of the hearts for mine and glued on a yarn pom-pom.  Here is a side view:

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  On my next post, I will be sharing the Easter card that I made for my daughter.  Stay tuned!

Jocelyn


Knitted Duck Recipe:

Pattern:  From Crafty Creatures book by Jane Bull

Yarn:  8 ply knitted with 4mm needles

Accessories:  4mm black beads, felt, fabric glue, wool needle, stuffing, Easter takeout boxes (Woolworths), green + yellow shredded tissue paper (Woolworths), ribbon (stash), coloured chicks (Woolworths)


Knitted Baby Duck Recipe:

Pattern:  From Jean Greenhowe's Knitted Animals booklet

Yarn:  8 ply yellow and white yarn knitted with 3mm needles (makes a denser knitted finish than 4mm)

Accessories:  black yarn (for eyes), wool needle, stuffing, white bucket (Woolworths), ribbon (stash), green + yellow shredded tissue paper (Woolworths)


White Bucket decorated with Bunny Bottom:

Accessories:  white bucket (Woolworths), green + yellow shredded tissue paper (Woolworths), Big Shot, Lifestyle Nesting Circles die, Spellbinder Oval Nestabilities die, Carl CP-2 Heart duo punch, Carl CP-1 heart punch, yarn pom-pom (Riot Art and Craft), cardstock - white, pink

Penny Black Acrocat Niece's 12th birthday card

Hi blogging friends

A special welcome to my newest Followers - thank you so much for taking an interest in my craft.

It is school holidays here in Victoria which is wonderful as I love spending time with my daughter as well as having more precious family time together and catching up with friends.  The first week of the holidays, we had 4 routine medical appointments for my loved one so that took out quite a few days - and I had to take our cat Ruby to the Vet as her gastro from a few weeks ago flared up again.  Thankfully, Ruby is OK and been on a special diet from the vet and probiotics to help restore the good bacteria in her tummy.  

This week, we are relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Autumn weather as well as doing plenty of crafty things.  We have been to see 2 movies so far:  The Lego Movie in 3D and The Muppets Most Wanted - both of which were fantastic and I highly recommend them!  I have also been knitting in the evenings which I am loving and hope to share those projects very soon.

It is my niece's 12th birthday shortly and this is the card that I made for her:

I wanted something that looked fresh and clean and not too young because at 12, my niece is very much a young lady and not so much a girl anymore - so I hope that is what I achieved.

The Penny Black image - Acrocat - is a recent purchase from PB Stamps in the USA (awesome service - highly recommended!).  I stamped the image onto watercolour paper and coloured the image with Tombow Pens:  oh, he is so CUTE and quick and easy to colour - I love him.  I coloured his cheeks with pink chalk and coloured around the image with blue chalk plus I went around the image with a very pale grey Tombow pen to give the image a bit more depth.   I also went around the image panel with I-Kan-dee pearlescent chalks in lemon and pink to add a bit of interest and sparkle (not that you can see it in the photo...sigh.....).  I use eye-shadow foam applicators for applying chalk to my images as I find these are very easy for me to use and cost very little.  

All the presents had the glitter treatment with Crystalina glitter glue - glitter isn't too "young" is it?

I added the teal and pink sequins using Glossy Accents and underlined the sentiment with a teal and pink pencil just to tie all the elements in together.  I really like how sequins are "in" at the moment.  I don't really follow trends much with my cardmaking but I do love the sequins and best of all, they don't cost much and are easily available.  I buy them from Riot Art and Craft or from $2 shops.

The designer paper came free in a pack with a Quick Cards Made Easy (UK) magazine in 2013 and are by Lilly Bimble who has a store on Etsy where she sells Digital papers.   I really love Lilly Bimble papers - great range and I could buy all of them!  Not sure if the paper I used is available in the store as there were so many to look through and I'm a little short on time.

I diecut the cardstock base using my Big Shot and one of my Lifestyle Nesting Scallop Square dies but just moved the die up on the centre fold so it didn't cut the top.  I then ran the cardstock base front through my Big Shot using a Crafts Too 5 inch x 5 inch square dots embossing folder.  The Duck Egg cardstock layer was trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools and the main panel is up on dimensionals.

I am entering my card in the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - April - Cats and Dogs

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Acrocat 3442F wood mount, Sentiment from Penny Black clear set - Sweet and Cute 30-153

Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black

Designer paper:  Lilly Bimble (freebie pack with Quick Cards Made Easy magazine in 2013)

Accessories:  Big Shot, 140lb watercolour paper, Tombow Pens, pink and teal pencils, Crafts Too 5" x 5" square dots embossing folder, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, dimensionals, Kaisercolour blue and pink chalks, I-Kan-dee Pearlescent chalks, Glossy Accents, teal and pink sequins (Riot Art and Craft), cardstock - Paper Mill white and Kaisercraft Duck Egg, Lifestyle dies - Nesting Scallop squares, Nesting Circles, Lacey Circles