Die Eclipse for Hanukkah and Sympathy

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are trying a technique called Cover Die Eclipse.  The technique is detailed in Gina K's video here.  

 Here's the technique:

• Using your Misti, stamp two card fronts with the same large image.  I used a menorah stamp with bright blue ink.
• Using a cover die (I used one that was not necessarily meant for a Hanukkah card but has six-pointed stars in it so it works really well for Hanukkah), cut ONE of the stamped panels. 
• Glue the stamped cover die cut onto your second stamped panel, being sure to perfectly line up the stamped patterns.

I finished the card by bordering with silver shimmer cs and adding a sentiment tag also bordered with silver.

I don't have any other cover dies so decided to try the technique using a Tim Holtz corner die for my second card.

I stamped the branch image in black on two pieces of white cs and cut one panel with the corner die.  For this card, I wanted more dimension so cut two more plain white panels with the corner die.  I glued them together and then glued the stamped die cut panel on top of them.  Then glued it to my uncut stamped panel, lining up the image carefully.  I bordered with black and added a black die cut sentiment.

The conclusion is that some images work better with a few die cut layers while others look better with just one.  Check out what the other member of the Group of Seven cardmakers did with this technique.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU menorah and sentiment
Ink - Distress Blueprint Sketch
Paper - white and silver cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Neat and Tangled cover plate die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impression Obsession branch
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz corner die, Dee's Distinctively sentiment die

Happy Easter and a CAS Sympathy

Easter is coming up and I had to get this card ready for the hostess of the brunch I'm going to.  And Sweet Stampin' and Shopping our Stash both want Easter cards.

Stamped, watercoloured, trimmed with a stitched rectangle. I thought of doing the chicks' little sweaters in various colours but my friend's favourite colour (like mine) is blue. 

While I was away recently, another friend of mine's husband passed away.  So this is for her.  It will work well for Addicted to CAS "Bloom" as I've got a single bloom and for Word Power as the sentiment is the more predominant part of the card.

I put the flower in my MISTI and coloured it with Tombow markers. I used a grey ink for the sentiment as I thought black would look too strong.  I die cut the panel with a stitched square and popped it up on fun foam. I added a drop of liquid pearls to the centre of the flower.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - House Mouse "Will Knit for Friends", SU sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and blue cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Love and Sympathy
Ink - Versafine Clair grey
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, liquid pearls, Lil Inkers stitched square die, fun foam

A Santa for Peace on Earth

For this challenge, Peace on Earth has a great mood board with Santa images.  I used an old Santa stamp that I've had for ages.

I coloured the Santa with watercolour paints, added a vertical sentiment, trimmed with a pierced rectangle die and mounted on a red card base to allow colour to show through the pierced dots.

Please check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and join us at Peace on Earth with a card.  We'd love to see you be inspired by our mood board, but if not, you can enter an "anything Christms" card.  

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Santa, Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - cold press watercolour paper, red cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Sizzix dotted rectangle die

Green Dotted Die Cut Trees and a Bah Humbug Cat

It's March so inevitably lots of challenges ask for green.  See end of post for the challenges.

I die cut the set of four Poppy Stamp trees out of a scrap of green dotted cs sitting on my desk, layered them on two more layers cut from scraps of white cs for dimensions and arranged them around a green stamped sentiment.  Then bordered with green and cut a few sparkly white snowflakes out of a snippet of glitter cs.

As a retired librarian who worked as a children's librarian for many years, I couldn't resist the Once Upon a Time challenge to be inspired by the book The Cat in the Hat:

I stamped it, coloured the hat with a red alcohol marker and the stars with a gold metallic pen, trimmed it with a deckle edge die, and bordered it with gold shimmer cs.

Challenges for the first card:

The Sisterhood of Crafters "Dots and/or Stripes"

Colorful Options "Green" 

Jingle Belles "Primarily Die Cuts" 

Christmas Kickstart "Get Your Grinch On (Green Takes Centre Stage)" 

Snippets

   

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Distress Lucky Clover
Paper - white cs, green dotted cs, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Poppy Stamp set of four tree dies, tiny snowflake die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Technique Junkies
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - chalk cs, gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - red alcohol marker, gold metallic pen, fun flock, Spellbinders deckle edge die

Alice the Dog and a Cake-inspired Christmas Tree

ABC Christmas Challenge has "D is for Dogs" this month.  I found a stamp that looks a lot like a friend's dog, Alice.

The dog is stamped and watercoloured, and a bit of green ink sponged around her. Then I created the Polaroid frame with a square die cut out of a rectangle of white cs. Added some fun flock to the dog's hat and a sentiment, and put it all on a red card base. 

Christmas Craft Creations wants stencils or embossing folders.  I went with a stencil.

The background was made on a gelli plate with green acrylic paint and a Christmas tree stencil.  The large tree on top is actually a gold cardboard holder for a slice of cake (from one of my favourite French bakeries - all their pastries sit on lovely gold cardboard shapes).  I decorated it with lots of clear and green gems and added a rub-on sentiment as I was worried about smudging if I tried to stamp on it.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Technique Junkies dog, Mama Elephant sentiment
Ink - Archival Potting Soil, Distress Bundled Sage
Paper - white and red cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Mama Elephant die for the sentiment, Spellbinders square die, fun flock

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - white cs, gold cardboard cake slice holder
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - green acrylic paint, Stamplorations Christmas tree stencil, gelli plate, Tim Holtz rub on, green and clear gems

Simple Pine Branches

Peace on Earth has a green and white mood board for this challenge.  I looked at the bottom left image (see it at the end of my post) and immediately thought of SU's Ornamental Pine set so made this card:

I stamped the pine branches with brown and green, and layered it behind a card base that I'd cut an oval opening out of.  It's taped flat around the outer edges but put fund tape around the oval opening to raise it off the image a bit.  I had to cover the back of the pine panel with something as there was a big smudge on it so I added a lightweight folded liner, using a narrow green ribbon to hold it in place.  I embellished the pine branches with some stick-on sparkle drops.

Please check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and join us at Peace on Earth with a card.  We'd love to see you be inspired by our mood board, but if not, you can enter an "anything Christmas" card. 

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Ornamental Pine
Ink - Memento Northern Pine, Cottage Ivy, Rich Cocoa
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders oval die, green ribbon, sparkly stick-on domes