Gilding Flakes on Acetate

This month, the Group of Seven Cardmakers are trying out gilding flakes on acetate.  We followed the technique on this video.  Here's my card:

I patted the wreath stamp with Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter Glue (using a square of foam as an applicator), then stamped onto the acetate.  Then immediately washed my stamp with warm soapy water.  Added the gilding flakes and pressed them into the glue, then used a craft scrubby to rub off the excess.  I added the acetate to the card base with double sided tape around its edges and covered it with a die cut frame so that the tape wouldn't show.

Here's a close-up of the lovely colours in my gilding flakes:

 

 

I love gilding flakes even though they're so messy to work with, but not sure I like using them on acetate (mainly because of the static).

 

Loll suggested we also try it on vellum.  I followed the same stamps as above.

 

I think my image was perhaps too detailed for gilding flakes but I do kind of like the misty look of it.  Again to cover the tape holding the gilding flakes panel to the card base, I used a die cut frame.

 

And a close up of the gilding flakes on the vellum:

I just love the colour blend!
 

There's lots more ideas from the rest of the Group of Seven over on the blog.  If you're inspired to try it, please link up so that we can see how you use the technique.

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession wreath stamp, unknown sentiment
Ink - gold
Paper - off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - acetate, Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine gilding flakes, Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter glue, Impression Obsession frame die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black holly stamp, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - gold
Paper - off white cs, brushed gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine gilding flakes, Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter glue, MFT pierced dot frame

Vellum Three Ways

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are focusing on vellum with embossing (dry, wet, or heat) this month.  I've chosen to only use dry and heat.

My first card is just a simple embossed frame on my piece of vellum, with the texture of the embossing remaining quite subtle.

I love this embossed snowflake frame - I have so many stamps that will fit in it.  I used quite a heavy weight vellum as it takes the embossing folder better.  I stamped the bird and sentiment on the front of the embossed piece, and then coloured it on the back with alcohol markers.  I added the whole panel to a double sided adhesive sheet in order to adhere it to the card base.

This next card is my favourite of the three.  Again it uses an embossing folder but by colouring it on the back with Distress inks, I was able to make the embossing show up more.

Again I used a heavy weight vellum.  But this time I used a 3D embossing folder and I had some cracking around the edges.  So trimmed the panel down to get rid of the cracked sections.  I sponged on the back of it with two shades of blue Distress inks - the raised parts of the vellum on the front remain uncoloured so really stand out.  To get more of the translucent feel of the vellum, I die cut the pierced frame die four times, glued three of them together and put the vellum panel on top of them, and then topped it with the fourth die cut - this made the vellum stand up more from the card base.  I added a tiny sentiment, stamped and die cut with a tiny tag die.

My third card uses heat embossing on the vellum.

I ran the vellum through a corner embossing folder and then rubbed lightly over the raised parts with Versamark.  I added sparkly white embossing powder, got my heat tool warmed up and then moved it quickly back and forth over the vellum.  I stamped the sentiment and used the same embossing powder on it.  I cut a frame for it with two rectangular dies out of white glitter cs.  When I first put it against a white card base, the embossing just disappeared against the white so I end up backing the vellum panel with a bit of grey/beige cs to provide some contrast with the white heat embossing.  Then when I put it against the white card base, there was too much contrast.  So I ended up going with a card base made from cs that's colour is called "chalk".

Head on over to the Group of Seven Cardmakers blog to see more examples from the other members and links to some instructional videos covering these techniques.  And feel free to try them yourselves and link up your card to Group of Seven for more inspiration for everyone.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Nellie Snellen bird, SSS sentiment
Ink - SSS Intense Black
Paper - vellum, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Ultimate Crafts snowflake frame embossing folder, alcohol markers, double sided adhesive sheet

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rubber Soul let it snow
Ink - Distress Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - vellum, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SSS 3D snowflake embossing folder, tiny tag die, MFT pierced rectangle frame die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - Versamark
Paper - vellum, grey/beige cs, chalk cs, SU white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cuttlebug snowflake swirl corner embossing folder, Judikins white diamond embossing powder, Spellbinders rectangle dies

 

A Partridge and Some Polar Bears

Festive Friday is asking us to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.  We had to include at least three items from their list (see at the bottom of this post).  I have the partridge and the pear, there is gold in my background paper, and it's a Christmas card.

The image is watercoloured, trimmed with a stitched die, and popped up on fun foam on some dp.

Next up is a card for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I chose the diagonal line that says Snow / Arctic Animal / Slimline.

The snowy background was created with a snowflake embossing folder and vellum.  I took a piece of navy blue cs and die cut "winter wishes" along the bottom.  I taped the vellum above that and folded it over the top edge and secured the top of it on the wrong side.  I die cut the polar bears and layered that over the bottom edge of the vellum (thus hiding the tape behind the vellum).  It's all added to a mini slimline card base.

Festive Friday

NBUS (Never Before Used Stuff) challenge - I've never used that stamp before.

 

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Inky Doodles
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, K&Co dp, cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - white and navy cs, vellum
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - snowflake embossing folder, polar bear die, TH winter wishes die

Autumn Birthday

I'm on the Design Team of Diane and Darlene's Peace on Earth Challenge and I try to participate in some of their other challenges.  I needed a birthday card for a friend with an October birthday so it seemed a perfect opportunity to make something with an autumn theme and enter it in their Four Seasons Challenge - "anything fall goes".

I used autumn leaves, berries, and colours.  I followed a recent SCS tutorial on "Double Stamped Vellum".  I did the white embossed leaves on the front of the vellum, then the coloured leaves and berries on the back.

I layered the vellum on the back of an aperture cut out of my stitched die cut rectangle and then added foam tape to the back of it to give it some dimension on the card base.

Four Seasons Challenge (I used the red and orange tones from the bottom right image on the mood board).

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black leaves and berries, SU sentiment
Ink - SU Real Red, Distress Rusty Hinge, ColorBox white
Paper - white cs, vellum
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, foam tape, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, Spellbinders rectangle die

Christmas Tree and Vellum Sky

Christmas is fast approaching and it's time to really work on those Christmas cards!  Collen is hosting CAS Christmas and is asking for Christmas trees this month.

I was looking through my paper stash and found a lovely piece of dark blue vellum with silver stars on it and decided to use it as a background for my Christmas tree.

I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment and die cut a circle in my top panel and attached the vellum to the back of it and then popped it up on foam tape - in real life the delicacy of the vellum is more appealing than in the photo.

I die cut the tree three times and glued them together for dimension.  After adding it to the card, I die cut a small silver star to add to the top of the tree.

Please come and join us with your CAS cards featuring a Christmas tree.  You have until September 24th to link up.  There is lots of inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and this month's Guest Designer, Steph (My Paper Corner) over at CAS Christmas.

Supplies:
Stamps - Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Royal Blue
Paper - white cs, dark blue vellum printed with silver stars
Size - A2
Accessories - unknown Christmas tree die, small star die, Spellbinders circle die, clear embossing powder, foam tape

Snowflakes, Embossed and Die Cut

I'm playing with snowflakes today.

I dry embossed a piece of vellum with a snowflakes embossing folder.  The embossing seemed to stand out more with a darker background so I put a piece of silver cs behind it.  Then added a silver heat embossed sentiment to a strip of vellum and layered that over it. I die cut a silver cs frame using two rectangle dies and used it to hide the tape that shows through vellum.  I die cut a large snowflake out of glitter cs and a small one out of the silver cs and layered them on top to finish it off.

It's going in last minute card for CAS Mix Up "Embossed Vellum".

 

And it's also for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Snowflakes" challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps - Old Island Stamp Co. sentiment
Ink - ColorBox silver
Paper - white and silver cs, vellum, glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Embossalicious snowflake embossing folder, Spellbinders snowflake dies and rectangle dies, silver embossing powder, fun foam

Great Colour Combination and a Circle Challenge

Two cards today for two different challenges.

Just Us Girls has a colour challenge I really like:

I played around with using colours on vellum:

The technique:

1.    Background: Sprinkle Brushos on vellum (can be light-weight vellum as it will be taped down on your cs so that will give it substance), spritz it, and then let it air dry for several hours. 

2.    Die cuts: Be sure to use heavy-weight vellum.  Watercolour them with Zig markers (I use two shades of each colour) and a waterbrush.  Let air dry.

3.    Try to attach die cuts by tucking under a frame to hide the adhesive, or choose a layered die cut so that the adhesive is less likely to show through.

 It's a great way to use up some of that vellum in your stash!

My second card is for Addicted to CAS "Code Word: Circle":

I masked a circle and used lots of little circular pearls:

The technique:

1. I made a mask with a circle die, stamped and heat embossed my branches in white within the mask, and then sponged over it with Distress Oxide Iced Spruce - it didn't quite give me enough contrast so went over it with Faded Jeans, blending them to get an in-between colour.
2. The sentiment is heat embossed in white on grey cs, and I used the same cs for a border.
3. Since I have a large stash of pearls, it seemed a great opportunity to use some. I spent more time pondering the placement of the pearls than I spent making the card! And I think I overdid it and used too many!!

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - white cs, lightweight and heavyweight vellum
Size - A2
Accessories - MFT pierced frame die, Alexandra Renke cornflower dies, Brushos (greens and yellows), Zig markers (blues, greens, and yellows)

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU World of Dreams, SU sentiment
Ink - mixed media cs, grey and cream cs
Paper - ColorBox White, Distress Oxide Faded Jeans and Iced Spruce
Size - A2
Accessories - circle die cut, white embossing powder, pearls, fun foam

Peace on Earth and a Poinsettia

I've been away in England and Wales visiting friends and relatives - a wonderful trip, but I'm glad to be home none the less.  And just in time to get a card done for the Jingle Belles challenge "Peace on Earth" - one of my favourite themes for Christmas cards.

The dove is cut out of a piece of glossy cardstock that I sprinkled with various blue Brushos and then spritzed with water.

I stamped the sentiment in a co-ordinating blue and heat embossed, trimmed the panel with a stitched rectangle die, and popped it up on fun foam.  I added a gemstone for the dove's eye.

It would be an easy card to mass produce and also one for my friend who buys several of my dove / peace themed cards every year.

And another Christmas card, this time for the Flower Challenge "Anything Goes".

I went with a poinsettia:

I stamped and heat embossed the poinsettia in gold on red vellum and then fussy cut it.  The frame, sentiment, and branches are die cut from cream shimmer cs, and all are mounted on a dull gold shimmer card base.  I added cream pearls to the centre of the poinsettia.

Lots more Christmas cards to come!!

Supplies for card 1:

Stamps - PTI sentiment

Ink - Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue

Paper - white and glossy cs

Size - A2

Accessories - various blue Brushos, clear embossing powder, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:

Stamps - Penny Black poinsettia stamp

Ink - ColorBox gold

Paper - red vellum, cream and dull gold shimmer cs

Size - 5.25" square

Accessories - Memory Box sentiment die, Tim Holtz greenery die, Spellbinders square die, gold embossing powder

Butterfly with Vellum Embossed Background

Time to remind you that CAS Watercolour wants to see "Colourful Butterflies" this month!

My reminder card uses a watercolour technique for the background of the butterfly.

I took a few colours of Distress inks and tapped them on my craft sheet, spritzed liberally with water, and pressed some mixed media cs into it.  When dry, I die cut the background of the butterfly out of a section that would give vibrant colour closest to the butterfly's body, and the paler colours out on the edges.  I die cut the outline from a scrap of mixed media cs and glued it over the top.

The background is a piece of iridescent vellum - depending on the lighting and the angle, it changes from blue to plum to purple.  Here's a close-up of a photo taken outside in sunlight that shows one of the other colours of the vellum:

I ran the vellum through an embossing folder to give it texture, set it behind an oval aperture, and added the butterfly to it, popping up the wings with foam tape.

You have until August 24th to link up your CAS butterfly-themed cards.  There's lots of lovely inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and this month's Guest Designer, Amy (of Miss Lomax Art).

Supplies:

Stamps - Judith sentiment

Ink - Distress Seedless Preserves, Faded Jeans, Milled Lavender

Paper - white and mixed media cs, iridescent blue / purple vellum

Size - A2

Accessories - Lil Inker stitched oval die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, foam tape

Brushos and Zigs on Vellum

Time to remind you to give watercolouring on vellum a try!  It's the March challenge at CAS Watercolour.

 I decided to try using Brushos and Zigs on vellum, and came up with this card:

For the lighter green background, I sprinkled some green Brushos on vellum, spritzed it, and then let it air dry for several hours.  I stamped the sentiment on it with Staz-on ink.

I die cut the holly sprig and the three layers of the small poinsettia out of heavy-weight vellum, then watercoloured them with my Zig markers (two shades of green and two of red) and a waterbrush. 

I die cut a frame for the background vellum, tucked the holly under it and added the poinsettia to one corner.

I used red gemstones for holly berries and a single gold gemstone for the centre of the poinsettia.

You have until March 24th to link up your clean and simple card featuring watercolouring on vellum.  Head over to CAS Watercolour to see more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and this month's Guest Designers, Birgit (Rapport fran ett skrivoord) and Ros (Mikey's Mom).

Supplies:

Stamps -  Stampendous sentiment

Ink - Staz On Claret

Paper - white cs, vellum

Size - 4.75" square

Accessories - Tim Holtz holly die, Memory Box poinsettia die, MFT frame die, Lil Inkers stitched square die, green Brushos, green and red Zig markers, red and gold gemstones

Butterfly on Vellum

Welcome, everyone, to the new CAS Watercolour Challenge!  Jenny is our host and she wants to see you watercolour on vellum.

This is a new technique for me so I wasn't very adventurous.  Here's my card:

As the hints on CAS Watercolour recommend, I used a heavyweight vellum (the heaviest I have is by PTI).  I stamped and heat embossed the butterfly and sentiment in white.  Then I used my Gansai Tambi watercolour paints to paint the butterfly's markings.  When I've coloured on vellum before with markers, I've coloured on the backside, but with the watercolouring, I coloured on the topside.

In hindsight, I wish I'd chosen a more open butterfly with more space for colouring, but I do like the effect of the white heat embossing.

I layered it over a text-printed dp - love the subtle way it shows through (and love the way it uses up a bit of my too-large stash of dp!).  Then I cut two pierced frame dies and glued them together for more substance.

I'd love to see what you come up with for watercolouring on vellum!  Please keep your cards clean and simple, and link up by March 24th.  For more inspiration, head over to CAS Watercolour to see the cards by the rest of the Design Team and our wonderful Guest Designers, Birgit (Rapport fran ett skrivoord) and Ros (Mikey's Mom).

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black butterfly, Hero Arts sentiment

Ink - ColorBox white

Paper - white cs, PTI vellum, Canvas Corp dp

Size - 6.5x5"

Accessories - white embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints

An Older Poinsettia

This month's Flower Challenge is:

I went with a poinsettia I've had for years but haven't inked up in the last couple of years (or more!).

I love white on white Christmas cards. 

I stamped the poinsettia on vellum twice with white ink and heat embossed with sparkly ep. I fussy cut one whole flower and just the inner section of the second flower and layered them.

The branches and circle are die cut out of glittery cs. The sentiment is stamped in pale grey and heat embossed with the sparkly ep.

The centre of the poinsettia is embellished with small sequins.

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Joyful Christmas poinsettia, Rubber Soul Joy

Ink - ColorBox White and Wild Hare

Paper - vellum, white, and glitter cs

Size - A2

Accessories - TH greenery die cuts, Spellbinders inverted scallop and circle dies, sparkly embossing powder, small sequins

Gold Poinsettia

A card for three challenges:

The poinsettia is stamped and heat embossed in gold on gold vellum, and fussy cut twice, using a smaller section of it for the top layer.

I embossed a Spellbinders Decorative Elements frame die onto a square of white shimmer cs. I taped the poinsettia in the centre of it, using little bits of foam tape to pop up sections for dimension.

For the card base, I used a gold shimmer cs that matches the gold vellum. And embellished with little gold shimmer stickers in the centre of the poinsettia.

Splitcoast Stampers: Die Embossing

CAS Christmas:  Poinsettia

The Flower Challenge: Monochrome

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black poinsettia

Ink - ColorBox gold

Paper - gold vellum, gold and white shimmer cs

Size - 5.5" square

Accessories - Spellbinders Decorative Elements frame die, gold embossing powder, Starform gold sparkle stick-ons, foam tape