Tuesday Tutorial - Swirl Stripe

Hi Everybody,

Today I am going to be using this really pretty panel die from Spellbinders that was designed by Becca Feeken.  It is in two parts and creates a panel that is about 3 x 6" and I have only used the centre part of the set for my card.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-656 Swirl Stripe
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S4-564 Simply Said Phrases
• S4-328 Foliage
• S4-430 Foliage Flourish
• PL-001 Platinum Die Cutting and Embossing machine

Other Supplies:

• Flowers/ Lace/ Glitter Ball from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Glitter from Glitter Magic
• Pearls from Want2Scrap
• White/Pink card from Papermill Direct
• Green Card/Parchment from AnnaMarie Designs
• Decorative Hatpin

Instructions:

Using  die #7 from Matting Basics A cut two pieces and Create a Hinged card

With  die #7 from Matting Basics B cut another panel in pink

( Die #1 is always the samllest)

Use the centre part of Swirl Stripe and place it in the upper left corner of the pink card and cut.

No need to emboss this piece as you are now going to add it to your embossing folder and run it through the machine

I added some Parchment/Vellum to the back of my patterned area and then added foam tape to the back to support it all

Wrap this panel with lace along the bottom section before adding it to the base card

Cut as many leaves as you would like to add to your creation.

I used Foliage Two for my flourishes but that die is now retired so in the supplies above I have given you an alternative die  for the same effect

Cut the Celebrate word four times in white and once in gold.

Layer them all together with the gold one on the top.

Add the leaves, flourishes and flowers to the right hand side of the card

Add the sentiment along the bottom on top of the lace.

I use a hot glue gun to hold all my additions in place

Sparkle the flowers with some glitter on the petals

Place the pearls around the flowers and onto the patterned piece

Push the Hatpin into the petals as the finishing touch

More tomorrow ... 

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Frames and Apertures

Hi Everybody,

For this card I am using a mixture of dies ... some old, some new to create this really charming card in subtle colours. It has several levels created with the frames and it is much better in the hand.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S4-114 Classic Circles
• S6-022 Grate Effect
• S1-003 Make A Wish
• S2-220 Fall Botanical
• S4-328 Foliage

Other Supplies:

• Blissful Paper stack/ parchment from AnnaMarie Designs 
• Pearls from Want2Scrap
• White/Black card from Papermill Direct

Instructions:

With die #7 from Matting basics A create a hinged card in white

(Die #1 is always the smallest)

With #7 from Matting basics B cut the layers as follows :

1 in plain peach

1 in patterned peach 

1 in parchment

1 in plain white

With the plain peach layer use the Grate Effect die to cut a pattern into it

With the white layer use another Matting basics die to create a frame to the thickness you would like and add foam pads to the back of the frame

From the circles dies take nos: 4,5 & 6

Use 4 and 6 to create another frame from white card and add foam pads to the back of the circle frame

Keeping the parchment and the Grate Effect panels together use #5 to cut a circle from the two layers. 

Keeping them together ensures that they will line up on your card

With a thin bead of glue around the edge glue these two together 

Still on the edge of the previous panels add narrow foam pads so that they cannot be seen from the front

Glue the patterned peach panel to the base card and then add these two layers on top

Add these two raised frames to the parchment panels neatly to cover the apertures

Cut the flowers and leaves from the Make A Wish die set and use Distress Inks to add some colours

I used Tattered Rose which is a lovely peachy pink and Crushed Olive with Bundled Sage 

Add some Wink of Stella clear glitter to all the shapes and allow to dry

Arrange the flowers and leaves as you like around the central aperture

Cut the word Blessed from the Botanical set three times in black card and glue them together for strength and glue them into the position you would like 

Dress the edges with pearls

The top card is peach and the bottom card is created in greens 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Birthday

Hi Everybody,

This really pretty card is in very subtle shades of green and is one of the paper stacks available from AnnaMarie Designs

They are the Blissful Paper Pads and they come in several different colours and sizes so there is sure to be a size that suits your needs.

I have added lots of layers to the card and distressed the edges of some of them and I have lined the inside of the card to match

The leaves are cut from the papers with the Foliage die from Spellbinders and the paper is substantial enough to make into leaves

The wooden tiles are also from AMD and I have added them with hot glue to keep them in place

The flowers and the miniature picture frame, which I have filled with pearls,  are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they have a new range of flowers on their website that are simply gorgeous.

I have added the sparkle to the petals with Glitter Magic   and the pearls are from Want2Scrap

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 133

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is one that I coloured in the early days with Spectrum Noir and I cannot remember the colours I used

It is a 5x7 inch card and the inside is finished on this one. It says "With Love" on the front but that could easily be changed if you wanted to use the card

The spotty card is from AnnaMarie Designs  and there are some lovely patterns and colours on her website

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts with sparkly glittered petals and white ribbon from Meiflower

It is better in the hand than the photo shows and I don't think you will be disappointed with it.

So if you would like to own this card then all you need to do is leave me a comment and come back tomorrow to see if it is your name chosen from those comments to win the card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday - Floral Card

Hi Everybody,

I have been plaing again with Ink Smooshing and this is the result for todays card.

It is a mixture of  Dusty Concord, twisted Citron and Broken China Distress Inks and the effect is quite vibrant once it is dry.

I flicked some ink splatters onto the card with some Silk Lustre from Spellbinders Celebrations Collection

I have used the floral stamp set from Sheen Douglass and it was available on Crafters Companion website

But I cannot find it any more to link too so I am afraid you would have to do your own search if you wanted to find it.

I  have stamped the sentiment onto some parchment and embossed it with white powder and then wrapped it around the water coloured panel

I add some silver glitter tape along the left side and rounded one of the bottom corners  before attaching it to my card base.

A few enamel dots added to the centre of the flowers completes the card for today.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Card & Die 5

Hi Everybody,

This is the last week of the card and die offer so this is the time to try for this one if you like the look of it all.

Enhanced Banner is the die that will be with this lovely blue card

I have added in some lovely flowers to this birthday card but you could swap out the sentiment if you wanted too

Next week we will be back to a card as the freebie but I hope you have enjoyed this month with the die included.  And if you have won one then I hope you have enjoyed your gift.

Don't forget you can add your card makes to the   Gallery Page   on my website to show everybody what you have created. It is easy to do and you can add up to four cards or just one card from different angle

Please if you add your comment then come back tomorrow to check if you have won

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Framed Labels 46

Hi Everybody,

For todays card I have used Spellbinders Framed Labels 46 and I have created an Easel Card for my base and they are very easy to make

There are lots of tutorials on my website on all the variations of Easel Card  that you may like to try ... just click the link

The dies have several other sets that match them in the Labels 46 range

I have deliberately not mentioned sizes because you can make this any size that you want without any measuring at all as long as the die you choose to use will fit onto the panels

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S5-270 Framed Labels 46
• PL-001 Platinum Die Cutting Machine

Other Supplies:

• Pearl/Diamante centres from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Black Spotty Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Black Pearls from Want2Scrap
• Black Spotty/Stripe card from AnnaMarie Designs
• Verse from Crafters Companion

Instructions:

Take a piece of white card and fold in half along the short side then trim it into a square

On one side fold in half again and this will be the top of the easel

With black card create a slightly smaller mat for both the top and bottom cards

With coloured card make slightly smaller pieces and mat onto the black cards

Create another black mat that is a square to hold the largest piece of the die cut and mat with card in a different pattern

Glue the base pieces to the inside of the card

With the top panel, only add glue to the bottom part and add this to the front of the easel card so that the card can open.

 If you add glue all over it then the top part will not fold and create the easel ...  Not a good idea !!

With dies #2/3 and 4 cut all the pieces in silver card and this will produce four pieces for you.

Starting with the smallest piece of silver card as #1 we will build the card

With silver piece #3 I have wrapped this with ribbon. 

Add foam pads to strategic spots on the back  and attach to the base card

Add the bow and the diamante centre 

Add two small black pearls to act as stops to hold the easel open 

For the front of the card add the silver piece #4 with glue around the edges

Add the #2 with foam pads to give dimension

Add to the top panel with foam tape and although the picture shows the tape at the bottom only you can add it all along to secure the panel in place

Stamp and emboss a verse of your choice and then mat and layer it onto the same type of card

Cut silver piece #1 in half and secure it behind your verse

Add foam pads behind and add to the front of the card

Add some matching ribbon to the front and glue another centrepiece in place

Prop the easel open with the black pearls 

There is space on the back or the inside where you can add your personal greeting

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Flat Backed Embellishments

Nestabilities Stacey Caron Renaissance Jubilee Framed Label 46 Etched Dies

Platinum Die Cutting and Embossing Machine

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Birthday Bears - My Favorite Things

Hi Everybody,

This delightful family of bears are from the stamp set from My Favorite Things called Birthday Bears.

It has a matching die set and I bought both of mine from Sevenhills Crafts

The cards are featured in my YouTube video
Birthday Bears 

It doesn't have to be just for birthdays and you can arrange your bears anyway you wish on your card.

But I thought it was fun to dress them up ready for the party.

All you need is a black fine liner pen that is suitable for water colours and draw in the outline of the clothes

Then colour in the area with your paints and leave to dry. Then you can add in spots, stripes, nappies on the baby bears, glasses, bows in fact anything that you want. You just need the confidence to add those marks in the first place.

Practise on spare card before and make sure that you are happy with the look before you add them to your card

Have fun !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

A-2 Matting Basics B Card Creator Etched Dies	A-2 Matting Basics A Card Creator Etched Dies	MFT Birthday Bears	Birthday Bears die set
Kuretake MC2036V Gansai Tambi 36 Color Set	36 Sheets A4 - Striped Card - SET 1 & 2 & 3 - Anna Marie Designs	36 Sheets A4 - Dottie Card - SET 1 & 2 & 3 - Anna Marie Designs	Misti Stamping Tool

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Using Ink Dusters

Hi Everybody,

Do you sometimes find it difficult to blend inks and get a good result?

I know many people struggle with blending tools or the Cut 'n Dry pads as they sometimes make the ink blotchy on your cards

Ink Dusters could be your answer and they have been around for a long time and they are really useful at getting that water based ink to mix

Hopefully this video will show you how easy they are to use ... Distress Inks and Stencils

I have used Distress Inks here and in the video I tell you the colours that I used. My stencil is from AnnaMarie Designs

There is also a product list at the bottom of the post.

These are very easy to use and I would advise you to start off very lightly and build up the colours as you need

I bought mine from Inkylicous and they are  a UK company.

The bristles very soft to help blend easily. The inks may stain the bristles but as long as you clean them on a paper towel then the ink shouldn't transfer.

You can wash them in warm soapy water but allow them to dry completely and naturally before you use them again

Try to keep one end for each colour group and that should help a lot.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Stencils Archives - Anna Marie Designs	Painted Inspiration	Ink Dusters	Ranger DIS-27133 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Forest Moss
Ranger DIS-27195 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Victorian Velvet	Ranger DIS-27102 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Bundled Sage

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