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Posts Tagged ‘Embossing’
My Favorite Holiday Colors
Aloha, all!
The Stampin' Up! Only Challenge theme this time around is as the title of this blog post states – I'm supposed to have created a card or other project using my favorite December holiday colors! Every year I go through this same argument with myself: Is it Red/Green or Blue/Silver? If you look around at what I've been making over the past couple of months since the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog was released, you'll see a lot of Red and Green. So this time around, I decided that, at least for today, my favorite color combo is Blue and Silver!
And it's not the dark blue that I've used in the past – Stampin' Up!'s Night of Navy. No, this time around I wanted something a bit brighter, so I decided on Marina Mist. Actually, in the Stampin' Up! color galaxy, Marina Mist is one of the "Subtle" colors. But it surely did look bright enough for me to pair with the silver.
And I wanted this card to SPARKLE! So I needed lots of glitter. The Silver Star was easy because I could just cut that out of Stampin' Up!'s new Silver Glimmer Paper. No muss, no fuss with that star! But the Marina Mist star was going to be slightly more work. I covered a square of Marina Mist Card Stock with VersaMark ink and Heat and Stick Powder and, after the heating part of the routine, sprinkled it liberally with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I used my heat tool again to set the dazzling diamonds into the heat and stick powder and then ran the square through the Sizzix Big Shot with the Stars #2 Die, as I had with the Silver Star. There was a bit of the sparkling blue card stock left, so I cut a small star out, too.
I decided to try to use the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set with the poinsettias and rose, even though I wasn't sure how it would work in blue. I think it came out lovely! I actually stamped it twice, once on some Whisper White Card Stock using VersaMark and then Silver Embossing Powder, and once with the Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad, from which I cut out just the flowers. I then adhered the flowers on top of the silver part of the first image.
I cut the circle with the Circle Scissors, so I'm not sure what the final measurement is. I put the stamped image under the Circle Scissors and adjusted the center and diameter of the circle until it was just where I wanted it.
To give the white circle a bit of texture, I stamped some snowflakes using the snowflake stamp in the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set, and then sponged the edges.
No ribbon this time around – but I did add some of the Marina Mist and Silver Glimmer Brads and a few Basic Rhinestones to finish the glittery look off!
Now I'm seriously into my Christmas crafting. I hope you're getting into the holiday spirit with your crafting, too – and having fun with it!
Subscribe to the comments for this postCountdown to Christmas! Day 7 – A Layout from My New Book!
Aloha, all!
As I said in yesterday's blog post, I'm planning to use layouts from my new book in most of my cards for the rest of the month. After I found out how easy it was today, I may be recycling those layouts for quite awhile to come! There will be some cards, though, where I'll need to follow the instructions in a challenge, so I won't be using my book's layouts. But, hey, I'll need some material pretty soon for NEXT year's book!
Today I used the layout from my August 9, 2010, blog, but with different colors and embellishments. I used a greeting from the same stamp set – Heard From the Heart – and the exact same measurements. But that was about it.
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You may well wonder about the colors I chose for this Christmas card. But if you follow my blog regularly, you'd quickly figure out that this is for a Wednesday posting, and it's time for a Divas Coffee Break Design Team color challenge. Yup, colors that I would NEVER have thought to use in a Christmas card. Have you heard this from me before? Sure you have – the last time there was a color challenge by the Divas.
This week the colors were Elegant Eggplant, Melon Mambo and River Rock. My, my, what devil is possessing the person who's selecting the colors! At least we're down to three colors; who knows what the fourth color in this combo would have been! Actually I may be getting used to this because there really isn't another color in the Stampin' Up! lineup that would scare me much with these colors. There – that's the key! I'm getting practice in using different colors together, and I may just be getting better at this! Maybe you should try it out, too! And you know that the Divas love to have entries for the challenges. Pretty soon there will be some prizes for the winning "Featured Artist" over at the Divas, so why not try it out!
It so happens that the stamp set that I used for this color challenge is the same one that I used for the challenge two weeks ago – Snow Swirled. I really like the overall look of the snowflakes in that set as well as or better than any of the other snowflakes that are in the Stampin' Up! collection. The punched snowflakes are cut from the Sizzlet Decorative Strip Die, Northern Frost. I considered using the matching snowflake set, the Level 1 Hostess Set Northern Hearts to coordinate with the die cuts; but none of the snowflakes in that stamp set really fit as well as the one from Snow Swirled.
It was so quick to make this card because I had the measurements all laid out in my book, and all I had to do was pull the colors and decide on a stamp set to use. So easy and I had the card made in about 15 minutes, including the time to emboss the two Elegant Eggplant layers with the Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder. Remember that you, too, could have a copy of my new book as a Christmas gift. The information about how to go about this is in my earlier December 7, 2010, blog post. I'd love to hear from you!
I hope you have plenty of time as we're in the midst of the holidays to be creative in your own craft room – and have fun with it!
Some More Challenging Colors
Aloha, all!
Today is another challenge at the Diva Coffee Break Design Team website. This time it's a color challenge and, as you probably know by now, color really is challenging for me. Sure put Real Red and Garden Green together with a touch of More Mustard, hey, I can do that! Marina Mist and Peach Parfait with a touch of Daffodil Delight – delightful! Hey, I can even do Rich Razzleberry and Pretty in Pink. But add Early Espresso to that mix, and I was just stumped. Do you have any idea how close in color Rich Razzleberry and Early Espresso are unless they're right next to each other???
But, hey, those are the colors I was dealt, so deal with it I did. To begin, I retreated to the Patterns Paper Pack, hoping against hope that the Early Espresso papers would be just a tad bit lighter than the card stock of the same color. Bingo! But then I still had to figure out the layout and stamps I would use. You might have read my newsletter where I've been talking about the book in which I've compiled all the various card layouts I've published here this year. Well, there were a few samples with papers, stamps, and embellishments from last year's Stampin' Up! catalog. So I started leafing through the book and found a layout badly in need of an updated sample. Then I looked around to see which stamp sets were still out from my last stamping project, and they were all Christmas. And I could go on ad nauseam about the process, but here is what I finally made.
All the stamps used in this card are from the stamp set, Snow Swirled. It was the tree that caught my eye, and I thought it would look pretty nice stamped in the Rich Razzleberry on the Pretty in Pink. I used some Craft Ink for this and used Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder to heat emboss it. It really shines in person. I matted the pink layer with some Rich Razzleberry Card Stock, then layered that grouping up on some Very Vanilla, and matted that with Early Espresso Card Stock. The final layer is one of the sheets from the Early Espresso Patterns papers. To help all the layers tie in with the Christmas theme, I stamped the snowflakes on both the Patterns Paper and the Very Vanilla Card Stock. For the Very Vanilla Layer, I inked the stamp, stamped it first on some scrap paper, then I stamped on the Very Vanilla, which created a more subtle pattern than if I'd used the fully inked stamps as I did on the Early Espresso Patterns layer.
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Here's the original layout from my collection (featured in my April 4, 2010 blog post). I made two adjustments: the first was that the layer with the tree stamped is 2-1/4" wide rather than 2-1/8" so that I could accommodate the whole tree image without it being right up against the edge of the paper. The second was that I added a card stock layer behind the Patterns paper to give it a crisp edge. So that layer is 4-1/8" wide x 5-3/8" high, letting just a sliver of the Very Vanilla card base show around the edges. The lesson for the day here is that layouts are just suggestions to give us some ideas about how we might organize our thoughts on paper.
Colors challenges, however, are a different matter. But with a little bit of artful hunting for some lighter Early Espresso, I may have found a way to make those color challenges just a suggestion, too!
Whatever your paper crafting challenge is this week, I hope you have a lot of fun with it!
Summer Mini Catalog Countdown – Part III
Aloha, all!
Day 3 of my Summer Mini Catalog Countdown brings me to the Stamp Set July Fourth. If you're like a lot of us, you looked at that set and thought, "Great set for July 4th; but can I use it any other time?" OF COURSE YOU CAN!!! There's only one stamp in this set that limits us to July 4th – and it's the stamp that says July 4th! Otherwise, those stamps have uses all through the year.
Today I'm going to share two cards, both of which use the July Fourth set, but both of which are very different. This first card is a card you can make with the July Fourth set and with any number of other sets to construct a fun birthday card. I chose Pacific Point and Pumpkin Pie because the combination is so NOT Independence Day. But those stars are from the July Fourth stamp set, and they look just perfect on a birthday card. I added a few stamped images from the Stamp Set On A Pedestal because it trims up so nicely with a bit of a white edge, and because there are polka dots on the stamped images similar to the small stars that are in the star stamp from July Fourth. And I didn't have to cut out those stars because they are made to fit the Star Extra-Large Punch. The greeting is from one of this year's Hostess Sets Occasional Quotes, and the printed paper is from the Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack. So, lots of products on this card, but I think that the stars make it "pop."
My second card is one that I shared in one of my recent newsletters. It's a New Year's Card!
New Year's Eve has become a great holiday for fireworks lately, and this card, with the Rich Razzleberry, Gold Stampin' Glitter and Brushed Gold Card Stock seems perfect for that time of year – a good 6 months on the other side of the summer holiday for which the stamp set was designed, and a nice, warm set of colors for those cold winter days (oh, yes, I do remember those cold winter days, even though I don't experience them much any more here in Hawaii!)
Just two more days until this set goes away with the stamp sets I shared the previous two days! Here's the ordering information, which you can use to order online at my website, or by calling me personally (808.854.6145) to place your order!
Congratulations, Karen!
Aloha, all!
I know my manners aren’t very correct in a Victorian sense. But I had to make a quick card for a member of one of my clubs who was married on Christmas Day. The good news was that no one batted an eyelash when they saw the greeting on this card (you’re not supposed to "congratulate" a bride!). So I guess I’m off the hook from being embarrassed by my lack of etiquette! Nonetheless, I am happy that this card turned out so beautifully.
And I’m thrilled that Karen is so happy! She’s always so upbeat, and to see her even more upbeat at this month’s club meeting was just a delight! So – Congratulations on being so happy! And Best Wishes for your future and continued happiness!
For this card, I used Brushed Gold Card Stock for the background and to mat the top Whisper White layer (embossed with one of the designs from the Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds I Sizzix Texturz Plates) and the greeting layer. For the larger white layer, I used one of the papers from the Bride Specialty Paper, which I punched with the new Scallop Trim Border Punch (which you can get FOR FREE in this season’s Sale-A-Bration catalog!)
I used Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder to emboss the Congratulations Stamp from the new set, Well Scripted, which can be found in the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog (click to the right to see a copy of the catalog). I tied everything up with some of the luscious Whisper White 5/8" Satin Ribbon.
I think this looks VERY bridal!
A Bit of a Diversion
Aloha, all!
I actually had some time this past weekend to spend in the Craft Room! Wow, that’s twice in one week. What is the world coming to?! Well, there may be a few dishes that need washing and a bit of laundry. But I had the time to be creative.
One thing that spurs me on to be creative is a challenge from any Stamping group to which I belong. This weekend, I took on the challenge to make a card with JUST BLACK AND WHITE. I’ve tried this before on my own, but always have ended up putting on a bit of Real Red or Tempting Turquoise or Summer Sun to accent the black. Not this time! I took the challenge from the group called, SUDSOL (Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing On Line–a group for Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators only) and made this card.
The stamp set from which this flower is taken is called Flower Fancy, and it is a stamp set that you can use for just about any kind of card you can imagine. Last year at the Stampin’ Up Convention 2008, this set was included in one presentation as one that is extremely versatile. In fact, I think that I’ll use it to make a Valentine Card later this week and start showing off more of its versatility!
Besides the stamp from the set, I used one of the greeting stamps from another very versatile set, Sincere Salutations. In fact, I’ve used these two stamp sets together on a number of occasions. I do believe that I could make any greeting card I needed just with these two sets. Hmmmm. That sounds like a challenge to myself! Oh, and I used the Ticket Punch on the top 3 layers, and accented the card with Whisper White Satin Ribbon. The white images on the black paper were stamped with Versamark and embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder.
Embossing is a technique that I especially like to teach. The first time anyone sees that embossing powder liquefy and pop off the paper is amazing! Have you tried it? If not, I’d be glad to give you a quick lesson, and I guarantee that you’ll be hooked into it as a way to stamp on dark paper.
So call (808.854.6145) or e-mail me and we can get started!
More later this week. Got to get ready for my stamp club on Wednesday!
Pocket Silhouettes – So Versatile!
The last few days, I’ve been featuring cards that I’ve made as gift sets. One of the stamp sets that I used was Pocket Silhouettes (item number 111672, if you’d like to order online). Here is another card that I made using the same stamp set, but using different techniques.
For this card, I stamped three of the flower images using Whisper White Craft Ink (101731) on Baja Breeze card stock (111352). Behind the stamped images is a strip of the Baja Breeze 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (111847), some Whisper White card stock (100730), and one of the designs from the Green Tea Designer Series Paper (112040). The greeting, "Friend to Friend," is part of the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set.
Tomorrow I’ll summarize this week’s introduction to Pocket Silhouettes and Upsy Daisy stamp sets, and show you how you can make at least 20 sets of stationery to give as holiday gifts–for under $8 a set!! Not bad for a holiday season that’s going to challenge us to make the best use of our dollars!
Gifts of Stationery – Part 1
I am having so much fun with the swaps that I’m doing for the 2008 Stampin’ Up! Convention. I am participating in planned swaps, trying to find items that my customers will enjoy making during the coming year! One of my favorite types of projects are those that my customers and I can give away for gifts. And what better gift to make from paper and ink than stationery sets!
The first of three swaps involving me and stationery sets is a folder containing four of Stampin’ Up!’s Note Cards. The Note Cards are a bit smaller than the standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card, but are still big enough to mail using a regular first class stamp. If you’ve never seen them, just call or send me an e-mail, and I’ll be glad to show them to you! If you’re too far away for a drive (and that happens a lot when you live in Hawaii!), I’ll be happy to send you a sample.
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Once again I used one of my favorite stamp sets, "Life’s A Breeze" to make this coordinated set. You can find the instructions for making the folder in my "Techniques" section. If you’d like directions for decorating the folder and the coordinating cards, call or e-mail me, and we’ll make plans for that!.jpg)
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