For the BIG 16 Milestone Birthday Girl

This card was so much fun to do for DGD who celebrates the ah! so AWESOME Birthday SWEET 16.  Now she will be eligible to obtain her learner's permit to drive.  This is always such a big day with a teen anywhere!
 So this card was created in her favorite colors for this momentous occasion.  The matt is a gorgeous foil from Recollections in silver and gold.  On top is a shimmer white die cut from the Spellbinder's Gold Majesty Circles die-set. The happy little new driver is a graphic by Sassy Design Studios.  She's colored with pencils, copics, and Wink of Stella Silver, and accented with green rhinestone hubcaps and silver sequin headlights.  The inside of the card congratulates her and asks three things--that she always wear a seatbelt, always have her phone in the back seat with her purse, and that as she puts her hands on the wheel, every time, every trip, no matter how long or short that she asks the Lord to sit beside her and guide her safely to her destination.

Tagging--at Papers 'n Pixels

Our PnP Club made some stunning Christmas Tags at the make-it-and-take-it workshop I led yesterday.  We used Tim Holtz "Tattered Poinsettias" dies and Spellbinders "Layered Poinsettias" cut from musical notepaper designed by Karen Schulz at Snickerdoodledesigns by Karen. as well as cut from designer paper, solid cardstock, coffee filters, and parchment. Some of the tags were laid onto Recollections Musical paper tags, and other on papers of the member's choice.  The members were delighted with their projects, and they were gorgeous!

Very Special Christmas Wishes

Beautiful Christmas wishes from the most amazing creation came from my BFF  Traci who sent me this stunning card.  This card was created from elements, papers, and embellishments created by the UK company HunkyDory.  The photo doesn't begin to highlight the rich detail of this lovely card.  Thank you Traci.

Very Special Christmas Wishes

Very special Christmas Wishes came in my mail today from clear across the Atlantic!  This card was created by Tracy Wray who is a UK crafter and cyber pal I've known for several years now.  Her website is Crafty Cat.  Tracy's cards combine machine stitching, distressing, inking and die cutting, copic coloring and detailed inserts and just the most gorgeous papers.   She is CT for a couple of European designers, and her work always leaves me just breathless.  Thank you Tracy for this wonderful, wonderful card. 

I am pretty sure that the paper she used for this kit was designed by Michelle Roo, She'll tell me who the graphic artist was for the sweet little angel.

Snowman Shelf Sitter

This winter birthday card will be sent today to soon to be ninety year old Jon.  Congratulations on your special day, and best wishes for year of good times, good friends, and good health.
I followed the tutorial by Dina Kowal at Splitcoast Stampers for the Wednesday Technique challenge posted today.   

Swirling Snowflakes

I love the beautiful and delicate Swirling Snowflakes die from Memory Box (#98653).  This is placed on SU Night of Navy, and accented with "joy" from Holiday Doublecuts by Papertray Ink PTD-0701. Rhinestones, Stickles and organza ribbon finishes this simple and elegant card.

Waterfall Cards

A tutorial for these can be found written by Kathy Logan at  Splitcoast Stampers.  This card is also shown on the facebook pages for Dandylion Wishes where I got the adorable owl stickers (by tattooking.inc)  Papers are SU from last years's 4x6 Christmas paper pack and stamps are unknown, little stamps worked with Sakura's Glaze pens.  Brads and rivets complete these two cards.

 

Glitter Heat and Stick

Some friends and I went to a quick and beautiful workshop taught up in St. George at our scrapbooking store, Dandylion Wishes.  (See them on Facebook).   The technique we learned was heat and stick on a delicate paper napkin that we heat embossed and applied microfine transparent glitter to.  On these cards I used SU's heat and stick powder, and SU microfine glitters.  The butterfly is cut from Spellbinders S4-395.  The silver Happy Birthday sentiment is a sticker.  Heat embossing and die cutting sentients for all the cards will complete them.  There is no picture that can capture the sparkle of these very glittery and delicate cards.  Fun technique.  Thank you Marcia (and Gretchen) for the fun. 

Tip:   I have been unsuccessful in adhereing ANYTHING to the surface of the glittered (and heat set) part of the card.  Recommend SEWING  bows or bradding elements  through before Scor-Taping the glittered piece to the cardbase and matt.

This snowman card is a mistake. (And not a "happy mistake!") We grabbed the glittery EMBOSSING POWDER instead of the glitter and the snowmen ended up in quite the blizzard! We got a chuckle out of the almost COVERED snowmen.  Here's my friend with this crazy card!

This "Cheers"  birthday card is for DH on his birthday.  Created with bubbles EF (debossed side), Spellbinders S2-123 Fancy Label Tags 4 set, and Blackberry Bliss paper, ribbons (SU).  The glitter is also by SU.

Poinsettia detail

This card is reminiscent of a card I made last year that I just loved so I tried it again.  I created this with Marianne Designables cut and emboss folder DS0908.  I love the detail in those cut and emboss folders of hers. The Poinsettia is Spellbinder's Layered Poinsettia cut from Cherry Cobbler (SU) paper and finished with inked edges of Cherry Cobbler and Clear Wink of Stella brushing. The fir branches are a punch by Martha Stewart, and the center is first a tiny diecut from one of the Build a Flower dies, and then a gold rhinestone.  The sentiment is from Su Petite Pairs (122497) stamped in Gold Delicata ink.

Another card that uses the same Spellbinder's Poinsettia Layered dies, Rich Razzleberry SU paper (that matches the ribbon)  and also the  Tim Holtz layered poinsettia (green paper for leaves).  This poinsettia is finished with a distress ink pink border, Faber Castell Glass Bead Glitter gel, white holographic cording from the Ribbon Store, and silver fir branch punches (Martha Stewart)  The Paper is Recollections musical note glitter cardstock.   I use waxed paper in my dies so they will release a little better, and the waxed paper was so delicate, that I added a layer of that to the flower as I stacked it up.   This is one of my favorites for this year. 

More Bright and Beautiful Stars

The first several "star" cards I've made this year  are HERE, but today's crafting brought some rather different techniques and ideas that use this SU Bright and Beautiful Stampset and coordinating star framelits.  I also used Holiday Double Cuts by Papertray Ink on these cards, and the  SU confetti stars punch.  I touched some of them with Wink of Stella (clear and Silver) and embossed some of the details with Stampendous EK18 Glamour  Embossing Powders.

This card is cut from blackberry Bliss (SU Paper), a Starform Holographic Silver and Gold sticker (#357). and the technique is an embossing debossing cardbase using SU's Lucky Stars EF.

This card uses the embossed, debossed embossing folder technique and the Bright and Beautiful Stampset and coordinating Dies by SU

This is a window card that uses the Holiday DoubleCuts

Poinsettia and Holly

This card was created with SU Old Olive Paper, textured Ivory cardstock and the Spellbinder's Layered Poinsettia die, edged in Delicata Gold Sparkle ink (Tuskineko) and centered with a Swarovski amber crystal.   The Holly background is EF 657139 by Sizzix (Holly Swirls) and the green holly sprigs are Cheery Lynn Borders Holly Flourish B148.  Merry Christmas Sentiment is a Just Rite Stamp from the stampset that coordinates with this Layered Poinsettia Die (Festive Poinsettias CR-04636).  It is die cut using Spellbinders Labels 17  S5-025.

The poinsettia card below is cut from the same die in Cherry Cobbler (SU paper).  The Just Rite coordinating Festive poinsettia stamps (CR-04635) are embossed with clear embossing powder.  The musical note paper is sponged with  Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink.  The "Joy" is from the the Holiday  Double Cuts dies by Papertray Ink PTD-0701.  Gold cording is from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.  The leaves are commercial.  Tufts of tulle and Fir sprigs (Martha Stewart punch) brushed with the Gold Wink of Stella brush complete this card. 

This same Layered Poinsettia (Spellbinders S5-055) used above got very intricate (and delicate) which the photo does not show as I heavily spritzed the flower and the matts with  Gold Shimmer Spritz by ImagineCrafts.  The green paper is Old Olive and the red, Cherry Cobbler by SU.  I would choose a different (darker) green if I did this card again.

  I used part of an oval doily from my stash, accented that with gold shimmer spritz, clear star gelly roll pen and graduated pearls.  The Embossing folder for the green matt was Sizzix 657139 (Holly Swirls) and the gold flourish is the center die from the gorgeous Marianne Creatables Large Ovals (LR0236). The leaves are commercial and the gold cord is from Stamp Simply Ribbon Store (as above).

Snowy River Cardfront Pyramage

This cardfront came from Instant Cardmaking Downloads, and was so quick, easy, and beautiful.  I edged the pyramage with Delicata gold sparkle ink, and mounted the cardfront on a card embossed with Sizzix 65823.  Each snowflake on the art piece was touched with Gelly Roll clear star sparkle. On of the snowflakes on each card was topped with Faber Castell glass bead glitter gel, or with my new Zig Wink of Stella brush..  

Cadbury Scremes

I had so much fun finding cute paper in my digital stash with a Halloween theme, and then creating these little Mummy Carriers for Cadbury Eggs, following a tutorial by  Betty Traciak at Splitcoast Stampers recently.  The card in the background has Washi Tape and a halloween theme, and I used SU stamps for Trick or Treat and Happy Halloween.   The Cadbury eggs are wrapped in gauze and have wiggle eyes on them, as they perch in their little display box.  Fun Project, thank you Betty.  

Catch Up

Today I started to build an upcoming workshop for our Papers N Pixels club, but before I did, I put together cards that were started, and never completed.  Here are a few of them, to remind me how I worked certain dies and colors.

The left card  is the Emma Ornament by Memory Box (#98411) and SU Christmas Seasonal Sayings (128009) on Night of Navy. (SU) The top of the ornament is holographic and glitter paper punches of Martha Stewart fir branches tied with holographic ribbon.  Pearls and an EF Sizzix # 658252 Dot #5 touched with Jelly Roll pen finish that one.  The card on the right is  Tattered Poinsettia a Bigz tie by Tim Holtz Sizzix #658251 cut on plain red cardstock and mounted on DP and gray paper.  The center  of the poinsettia is gold micro beads, and the card is tied with green organza ribbon. 

 The card on the left is Merry Christmas stamped in Real Red on Ecru cardstock a Tim Holtz stamp from Christmas Time CMS 141 stampset.  The Ornament is stamped on ecru and uses a Just Rite Deck the Halls Stamp (02150) that coordinates with Spellbinders S4-334 2011 Heirloom ornaments.  The card on the right is a Trina Clark Walker Graphic on shimmer-spritzed paper with stickle accents. I have made several of those--just love her work.

 The left card here is made for someone whose Christmas might not be so very happy this year.  It's a sweet dove of peace, colored pencils and gamsol and a red banner with EF from Tim Holtz Christmas Backgrounds and Borders #657480 The artpiece is cut from the old standby Labels 20 Spellbinders S5-026, finished with a Thinking of you sticker.  The one on the Right is a Holiday Sweet Magnolia stamp. and that is double die cut using Labels 17 Spellbinders (S5-025)   The EF on the cardstock is from the other EF Sizzix # 658252  Christmas Words,a nd the stamped sentiment is from Just Rite's Deck the Halls Set.

The card on the left is a shape card (that's the envelope behind it,) cut from Spellbinders S4-334 2011 Heirloom ornaments. The paper is sponged with Delicata Gold Ink (gorgeous stuff!) and topped with a stamped on ecru coordinating wood block stamp by Memory Box, and cut from the coordinating die    The card on the right is the same Little Miss by  Sweet Magnolia and is edged in doily cuts by Martha Stewart (tags) and the previously mentioned dies and EF.  This is also colored in pencils and Gamsol..

Holiday Double Cuts

This card was created with Holiday Double Cuts die available at Papertrey Ink The background is cut with gold foil carstock, and the word Noel is cut from white glitter paper.  The snowflakes are cut from glitter paper and also cut through the Night of Navy (SU) cardfront, then inlaid. They are part of the Spellbinders S4-404 Create A Flake 5 die set. Starburst gold foil paper backs the Night of Navy (SU) cardfront and edges are finished with gold lines stickers that I get at PopUps Etc

Tattered Musical Poinsettia

For poinsettia above, and the card below, I've used    Tim Holtz  Tattered Poinsettia die (Sizzix 658261), cutting out cardstock that I printed using a musical note overlay/brush designed by Karen Schulz.  You can purchase the beautiful Music Overlays, brushes and elements HERE  

The musical score embossing  Folder is from Sizzix Holly Swirls and Sheet Music (Sizzix 657139)   and the Merry Christmas sentiment is stamped from  Tim Holtz Christmas Time CMS 141 stampset. The poinsettia is spritzed with Gold Shimmer (from Imaginecrafts) Inks and papers are either Tim Holtz core-din-ations or SU Cherry Cobbler.

Here is another card I created using the Tattered Poinsettia and music scores of Karens.

And here is  another idea for using paper printed from Karen's Music Overlays
This shows just another of the many possible ways to use this beautiful collection. I've used the paper as background for a tag, with a Spellbinder's die (S5-055) for the Layered Poinsettia.   Noel is a Holiday Double  Cuts die cut with glitter paper and gold foil paper.  That die's from from Papertray Ink (PTD00701)  There are some sitcker leaves, sequins, gold leafing, gold string, and glitter paper on this tag too.  

Microbeaded die cuts

This card was fun to try out the Faber-Castell Glass bead glitter gel on an intricate die cut.  I cut the white snowflakes with Spellbinders Create a Flake 5 (S4-404) available at Joans Gardens I had a "happy accident" as I was applying the microbeads.  I was gathering the gel from inside the cap of the storage container on my brush to spread it, and it popped out and flopped upside down on another of the cuts I was working on.  PRESTO---microbeads all applied perfectly and no waste as I lifted the cap liner up off the diecut.  THAT was a surprise.  I also used the Sizzix Hero ARts stamp and embossing folder Snowflake Background using Versamark to stamp on the Night of Navy paper.   When it was dry I touched each snowflake with a GellyRoll clear star pen.  Adding a Starform Sticker (Holographic silver and gold #357) from popups etc--and I was done. Drying time

was really all the time this beautiful card took.

A Million and One Thanks

This Autumn-flavored thank you card was created using several techniques.  The leaves are from Gently Falling (a SU stamp) that have been stamped on acrylic sheeting, painted with 3D Crystal Lacquer that has been colored with ink-refiller color and then dusted with Dazzling Diamonds glitter (by SU).  The scalloped oval is a  Spellbinder's die and the designer paper is by SU.  The card base is rust color with a pulled/torn paper ecru mat, gold mat and dp mat, and it is finished with lime green bow and rhinestones.

New Projects from Instant Cardmaking Downloads

I love the designers who share their talent at Instant Cardmaking Downloads, so today I got a bunch of new cards, and got started on them.  Here are pictures of some of the projects that I purchased from that site.

Hard to photograph---but this is EH Santa's Helper Trifold.  Cuter than it can be!

 This gorgeous one is Gold  Santa Card.  It's a diamond fold pyramage card.  I touched the candles on the tree with gelly roll Clear Star glitter pen.

 This one is elegant and fun to make.  Its the Green Poinsettia Tri-Shutter Card

And this one is the  Red Poinsettia Diamond Fold Card.   Same candles and poinsettias, different design card.  GORGEOUS!

Ornament Outlines

This Christmas card is inked with  Delicata Gold Glitz ink using Outline's Rubber Stamp #1184 (I do not think this stamp is available any more.)   This is an A5 sized card, so this stamp could easily be used to create a two sided ornament.  The background matting is Night of Navy (SU) and it is inked with the same Delicata  Gold Glitz pigment ink, using "Snowflake Sky" #OR1011 by Brother Sister Design Studio.  This is also an older stamp, and I could not find this company online.  The sticker is a Starform Sticker from PopUps Etc and the card is finished with gold 1/4 inch ribbon and a touch of stickles gold--here and there.

Autumn birthday cards

Today was "autumn" card day for me and these are the first of several autumn birthday cards I've been working on. Techniques were inspired by projects we've done in our Papers N Pixels crafting club here in Sun City.

The top card was created on textured ivory 5x7 cardstock.  It uses 3d Crystal Glaze on acrylic, colored with ink refillers in real red, durango, yo yo yellow and a drop or two of other autumn brights from my cache of re-inkers.  The stamp (stamped in Staz-On black) is from the SU stampset Gently Falling (2) #123804.  The background is stamped with the same maple leaf and with large maple leaves from Stampendous Jumbo Leaves set CR55052.   The ink I used was Autumn Leaves by Kaleidacolor.   The funny birthday stamp is a SU stamp from Delightful Dozen stampset #122652 also inked in the Kaleidacolors.

My stampin up demonstrator is Kathy Legan  The  Falling Leaves is a two set-stampse. (beautiful)

This beautiful card was created using watercolor paper, and distressed ink watercolor pens (by Tim Holtz)  The  Die cut is from the gorgeous Spellbinders S4-409 Gold Majesty Circles.the Happy Birthday Sentiment is a SU stamp/die set Itty  Bitty Banners #126257.  The stamp is from the Art Impressions Try-fold Harvest stampset (one of the stamps used singly instead of on a tri-fold card.)

The green matting is embossed with a basketweave EF.  The Try-Fold  Autumn card (and the winter set too) are obtainable from At Joan's Gardens and at JoAnns.

 This card is created using green cardstock, with woodgrain (burnished) EF #127821 from SU.
The Crystal 3d glaze, colored with reinker ink acrylic leaves are from the SU stampset Gently Falling (2) #123804. and the sentiment stamp also from SU.  Different effects on the transparency of the crystal glaze is obtained by stacking up "layers" of color as each layer sets up.  This process can be worked very smoothly with a small paintbrush, or less smoothly (thicker) with a daub and push glaze kind of stroke.I like them both.   The acrylic did not work as well when stamped with staz-on brown ink, ---black works best!

The one below  isn't a birthday card,---but it's simply simply stampin and playing as I was cleaning up my craft room today.  I was daubing my various sponges to get excess ink out of them, and sponged in Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves negative cut (to make the stencil) for the background oak leaves (Bigz die Sizzix #656927)  The filigree leaf stamped in Staz-on Timber brown, is by Inkadinkado and is called Single Maple Leaf Mini (#60-30563)  The sentiment stamp is from Lots of Thanks (SU # 129690) The grunge spatter is also a SU stamp (gorgeous grunge).
But the prettiest detail of this card doesn't show in the photograph.  The negative space in the Maple Leaf stamp is touched with  GellyRoll Orange and Clar Star and the small leaves are lined with gold gelly roll and orange sparkle.   So this card really dances in the light (but not the camera lens!)  This is a single layer flat A5 card.

JustRite Deck the Halls

This card was created using inlaid die cutting technique following an example by Dina Kowal at Splitcoast Stampers.  I used S4-334 2011 Heirloom Ornaments dies to cut Just Rite CL-02150  Stamps from the Deck the Halls set. The Night of Navy blue ornaments were inked with the beautiful pigment Golden Glitz ink by Delicata and mounted on shimmer gold paper, on a white cardstock base.  The embossing down the left side of the card is from the Tim Holtz Christmas  Background and Borders set by Sizzix 657480.  

Warm Holiday Wishes

This card was created exclusively for the Joan's Touch challenge where we were to use polka dots, a gate fold card, and and a decorated belly band for the card.  My Sheri Baldi graphic was colored with copics, pencils and gamsol, and Crayola watercolor pencils.  I also used 3D Crystal Effects on the cup.  The hat, muff and trim is scribbled with Glistening Snow Writer by Deco Art, and the whole card is embossed with polka dots EF (by SU) with each dot inked with  Gelly Roll star writer.  The die I used for the window onto the graphic is Spellbinder Labels 18- S4-310.  This has been narrowed and trimmed.  The top of the card and the belly-band is edged with a polka dot scallop punch edged (eK) in the same Snow Writer as the graphic. Inside, the graphic is mounted on the polka dotted background and is diecut from the largest of the Labels 18 dies. The dies and other supplies for this card can be purchased at Joan's Gardens.

Microbeaded gate fold card

This card was created exclusively for Joan's Touch Challenge this week. We were to use polka dots, a gate fold card and a belly band to close it.  The belly band is stacked paper and ribbon with a line of pearls. The outside of the card is a 5 1/4 inch gate fold with matted embossed background.  I used Sizzix Winter Berries EF #658273  and duplicated the center portion of the EF on the Gate-Fold topper. The white poinsettia is created with Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia  S5-055 and is heavily "microbeaded" with ice-blue microbeads.  The center is Stickles Platinum.  The leaves are sponged with Tim Holtz Distress ink, (Forest Moss, and the fir branches are a Martha Stewart Punch.  Everything except the ribbon and the papers (SU)  can be purchased at  Joan's Gardens.  

Detail for the microbeading

Inside sentiment is a Season's Greetings sticker on white polka dot paper. I used a  SU polka dot EF and my OFTEN used Embossing Diffuser to smooth the middle of the inside of the card., Tim Holtz Sizzix #657045 available at Joan's Gardens too.