For some time I have wanted to try making a card like this one so I started doing this one on Saturday and finished it yesterday. It wasn’t easy to photograph but I think this one is okay.
I had the heavy weight acetate card from last year and created the folded white base by scoring 1″ lines across a length of CS. I didn’t really measure anything and just cut off the excess when I had enough score lines. Folded it into valley and mountain folds and set aside. I used several dies for this card, several are unbranded but the village scene is from Cottage Cutz and has been used a lot over the years. Believe it or not the hardest part of this card was adding the clouds at the top and I couldn’t hide the glue no matter what I tried. In the end I decided it didn’t matter as it kind of looks like more clouds. I did cover the front and back sections with pieces that look like snowy hills.
Putting it together was a little fiddly and my tree at the back seems to lean forward due to the fold, but I am happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project and I didn’t use any tutorials to create it. As I was typing this post I realized that I haven’t added a sentiment, but I will soon.
This card is a 2nd one using some leftover embossed vellum from another project. The folder used is from Taylored Expressions and I used white pigment ink over the raised sections and then heat embossed it clear to get this shiny effect. I added it to the red layer and then to the white card front.
I had a small piece of the green glitter CS so I cut two strips one for each side and added them. A, new to me, cut and emboss sentiments folder from StampinUP was used and I picked this one. Because I had used the red CS I realized the sentiment doesn’t stand out so I went over it with a Sakura pen which helped a lot.
This card fits the latest challenge at Color Hues which is to use Red and Green, so I shall add it there. Color Hues #144-Red and Green
Thanks for spending time with me today, I appreciate you and any comments you may leave.
Recently I’ve seen several ideas on using a snow globe die to make a card and they reminded me that I had this die from Precious Marieke and while not new it has rarely been used. It took me some thinking to decide how to create what I wanted and this is the result. It is by no means perfect as I couldn’t quite get the mechanism to fold properly but even with that I’m okay with the end result.
First I die cut the main globe frame using some silver CS and some scrap to add on the back of the front piece to give it some strength. I also cut a silver one for the back. Then I cut a piece of plastic for my center section. On this I added some snowy slopes and the small die cut houses and trees. For these I used a set from Kokorosa. The snow man is my own creation but I did use an MFT die for his arms. On the background piece I added a die cut circle from some PP that had a pretty seasonal design. The sentiment was cut using a 2 part die from Scrapbook.com and I used a sparkle pen on the snowy dots in the letters.
This photo shows the background a little better than the original one.
To get the effect I was after I cut and scored a panel that could be folded into a box, which as I mentioned, isn’t folding exactly flat but it still works. As I shall probably be giving this card in person having it fit into an envelope isn’t really necessary. Once my two piece box was done I added a couple of silver bits on each side so it wouldn’t be too obtrusive for the globe base. If I do another similar card I will cut my box so it is the shape of the globe base. I played with the center section to ensure it wouldn’t be too low down before gluing it in place and then the front and the back were added. The back piece has a white circle to which I can add my own words.
Thanks for stopping by, you, your comments and your time are appreciated.
As I have a couple of friends who celebrate birthdays on Christmas day I decided to make a card that works for both events. With the latest challenge at Seize the Birthday #337-Geometric and Word Dies, I made my card to work with this too.
All the products used are from Spellbinders except for the little yoga Santa who is from Gummiapan. I started by stamping the geometric diamond stamp in barn door red which took several tries due to my not being able to press hard enough on the stamp. Once I was happy I then used clear heat embossing. I cut the layer down a little more and then added it to the red layer.
Using the Gummiapan die for my Santa I added colour with pencils and with a sparkly Sakura pen enhanced a few details. He was backed with some foam tape and set aside while I carried on with the rest. Having a glitter piece of gold CS I used two of the word dies from a set designed so one can build ones own wishes. Stamped the birthday words onto a small strip which also was heat set clear. I cut this piece narrower and then played around with placement of the words and the Santa before attaching everything permanently. Decided on keeping it somewhat CAS so no additional embellishments were added. I’m quite happy with the result and realized that this stamp set would work for other Christmas designs, so it’s staying on my desk to remind me. Although I do yoga classes regularly, this is one pose I cannot manage without a great deal of effort, so I’m envious that Santa does it with ease, lol.
Thanks for stopping by, you and your time are appreciated.
I’m not sure where my mojo is, but it definitely isn’t around at the moment. It took me forever to decide on a card for the challenge at As You See It and as many of you know, it is one of my favourite challenge sites. The current one is about colour, Challenge #381 – High Tech Handsomeness and here is my effort. And because I’ve used a folder I am entering it as a second card at CYHYP Anything Goes With A Twist of Cloudy Day . Twist not taken.
Even though I like the colours and the image that was part of the inspiration it took me some time to decide what to do. I started with the folder which is by Sizzix called Mechanics Texture Fades. I chose the slate gray CS and embossed it then went over the raised parts with a blue ink cube. My card base is basic gray so the layer was cut down to allow the darker gray to show up as a frame. I actually got this layer on straight for a change. I remembered that I had a stamp/die set that is an unbranded set. After stamping the truck I stamped the packages, heat embossed them, then die cutting after they were coloured. Prisma pencils were used to colour. These unbranded sets are useful but not fantastic and in the one I have there is a fault in the die for the parcels. As well the stamps are so soft that one has to be careful to get a decent impression.
Once I had everything coloured and put together I added foam tape behind for dimension, looked for some PP that allowed me to ground the truck and added it to the 3D layer. I wasn’t sure about a sentiment but in looking for the PP I also found some sentiment strips from Idea-ology so I chose one of those and added it at the bottom.
We had a massive and violent lightning storm right overhead a few weekends ago. It lasted 6 hours and hit one of the transformers on a pole that brought power to 5 houses. It was an almighty bang and almost made us fall out of bed with shock at the noise. Of course everything went dark and we waited for our generator to kick in. Sadly it didn’t, because the lightning also took out the control panel on the generator. Fortunately we have surge protectors on our panel and we had turned off the computers and other electronics as a precaution. We’ve been dealing with the aftermath ever since as so many little things no longer work. I have two kitchen appliances not working, our ventilation system control panel has to be replaced, a roof exhaust fan is also broken and many LED light bulbs just gave out. Now that we have quotes on most of it we’ve started an insurance claim. Just the generator alone is a $2,000 repair. We would have preferred not to claim but we are now way over the deductible and after speaking with the company the adjuster agrees that it is necessary and likely to be covered. We consider ourselves lucky as it could have been so much worse. One of our neighbors had a power bar start to smoke and burn and it freaked me out because if she hadn’t been awake to find it her house might have burned down. I guess this saga is the reason my mojo is a bit lacking. Anyone denying climate change needs to start rethinking in my humble opinion.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you, your time and any comments you may leave.
The challenge at Color Hues is#138-Navy and Teal and I wasn’t sure if I had any ideas for it. However, a book I’ve been reading, had a very interesting and pretty cover and it set off an idea for something with stripes. This is what I ended up with.
My first step was to create the stripes and this is my second attempt as the first one was not what I wanted. I used Gina’s masking magic strips and my glass mat for getting them onto the card stock straight. Then I used Chipped Sapphire and a sponge to do the navy stripes. When they were done and dry I moved the masks so I could add the Peacock Feathers ink. While this was drying I looked through my stamps and found this set by SSS that includes dies as I wasn’t in the mood to fussy cut anything. I stamped them using Chipped Sapphire and then used clear heat embossing to set it. Using a several water colour pencils, I added colour using a darker teal and a lighter one, along with navy. While they were drying I added VersaMark ink using a fine tip brush and the liquid and doing 2 stripes at a time added clear heat embossing to give it the shine I wanted. This took enough time that the stamped pieces dried well so I die cut them and then added VersaMark onto a few leaves and clear heat embossed those as well. The teal stripes have a subtle shine as I used some Perfect Pearls powder on those. The sentiment is from Open Studio.
In thinking about the process I took to get this result, I’ve realized that I could have added VersaMark using the ink pad before I moved the masking strips, but as with so many things hind sight is always 20/20.
We’ve actually had some rain earlier today which is a relief because it is scary to see how dry things are. The fires in the Okanagan are very bad and so many communities are affected. In my thoughts I tried to send the rain to them, but we don’t have control over the weather unfortunately. It is depressing to see how many people have lost everything, but there are also stories of hope and heroes too. Other countries have sent crews to help which allows some of ours to get some rest and recharge their batteries.
My I-phone is giving me some issues since a recent update and the photo is way darker than the card looks in real life. It is a very strong card, but I like it and my hubby liked it too.
I’m off to finish some laundry now that the painters have moved to another section of the house. We are having some areas redone with the hallway to the laundry room being one section. It looks nice but I couldn’t get to my machines easily. Many thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it.
My embossed background is from a folder by SSS and was a test piece made some time ago. While it wasn’t bad, I did set it aside for future use and used another one for the card I was making at that time. This one works perfectly here and I played around with the foliage and pinecones until I liked the placement before finally gluing it all. The sentiment strip is from an MFT stamp set and I edged it with the same ink used in the embossed layer. Taking two colours and lengths of twine I folded them together and in half before tying the bow and placing it as you see.
After adding the layers to the teal card front and a couple of extra berries to the sentiment I called the card complete. I’m trying to do a few Christmas cards a month to ensure I am not panicking later.
We are back in a hot dry spell and with what is happening in the Okanagan, everyone is slightly nervous. Things are tinder dry and one mistake would be a costly one. Everyone is sad for those in Summerland who are evacuating due to the wildfires nearby. It is awful to see how bad it is. I pray for them as I also pray we don’t get a fire here. The only upside for us, is that the wind has changed direction so any smoke is moving out and to the east. We were getting smoke from several places including the USA.
Thanks for stopping to take a look. I appreciate that you do and thanks in advance for any comments you may leave.
Sometime ago, I participated in adding a comment to Karen Burniston’s Facebook page and to my delight I won a $50 gift certificate. This kinetic style movement die set was my pick and I added to the order by buying the pinecone set. Everything has sat on my desk until this week when I finally decided to try my hand at making a card using the sets. Karen has tutorials available for most of the dies she sells so I followed along with the kinetic part, playing until I got the mechanism to work. It isn’t exactly hard, but it is very fiddly, which can be a challenge for my hands sometimes. I only cut the design elements once I was sure the mechanism was okay. My papers are from a pad I purchased on sale last year with the small image on the front being a corner of one of them. The frame was in my left over stash and its an unbranded die set. The sentiments are from Spellbinders cut using silver metallic card stock. All the foliage around the pinecones are part of the same new set but the Robins are fussy cut from a received store bought card. I love English robins, they are so cute and perfect on a winter style card. Pinecones and foliage were all done using paper scraps.
I did have some slight issues with one of the arms catching on another, but after bending the top one slightly it resolved easily. And I added a paper panel to the back with a Christmas verse and space to write something. Now that I have a reasonable idea of how to use these dies I will no doubt, find the next one much easier to do. My hubby was impressed though.
Many thanks for stopping by, I appreciate that you do and any comments you leave are always welcomed.
At Christmas last year, we received the displayed Santa card from a friend in Japan. Japan often has amazing mass produced 3D style cards. I often keep cards like this and put them on display each year, but I kept this one to hand as I knew I wanted to try to make one.
The challenge for me was I had to stamp, colour and die cut 19 penguins to build a card, whereas the original was printed and then laser cut one section at a time making it easy to build. I had to figure out how to attach them together and be strong enough to stand up, as well as getting the box size and scoring correct. As anything to do with arithmetic or math is always an issue, it took 3 tries and help from my hubby before I got the box size and scoring right. I deliberately went with a larger base as I knew my penguins would be heavier than the original card is. I added a center piece to the box ready for the middle layer to be attached. The penguin and die come from a Divinity Design set. I stamped with VersaMark and heat set in black. Each were coloured with pencils, then die cut, then I divided them into the stacks required for each section. During the colouring process I had been thinking of how I could attach them knowing that the tallest stack would need some support. I ended up using some fairly stiff packaging plastic cut into strips, long enough to attach inside the back part of the box and provide support for the next row of penguins. The image was chosen for the light string they are holding and I glued each light string to the next one in rows while also adding some glue to the feet. Each layer was built the same way, although I only needed the stiff plastic strips for the back layer. When I looked a the back of each layer it looked messy so I cut another lot of shapes to glue behind each one making it look tidy and clean. My gluing ended up slightly crooked, but the basic shape was there and no real tree is uniform, and I decided it didn’t matter. The box base was covered in some scrap PP before I attached any of the layers and it all folds flat quite easily. My sentiment is also a Divinity Design stamp but from a different set.
Making this box card was a long process, but I enjoyed the experience and actually making it from scratch without any tutorials to follow helps me realize just how far I have come since I started making cards all those year ago. I probably won’t make another, due to how time consuming it was, but it was fun to try.
Thanks for stopping by, you and your time are appreciated.
The card will be entered into the following three challenges all relating to Christmas:
Welcome to another Double Trouble challenge. The recipe this time is: 3 colours of choice (neutrals not included) 2-layers (card base doesn’t count) 1 holiday image. Thing 3 Twisted Sister has the option of using non-traditional colours and thing 2 Double Dare is choose TSOT #699 and/or #700 Jingle Belles Unicorn color challenge.
My card fits the sketch at TSOT but cannot be entered due to the backlinking rule. To create it I used a Crafters Companion Rays of Light die set and using scraps I die cut all the coloured pieces first and then attached them to the other pieces before paper piecing them into the frame I had already glued to the card front. This die set gives me 3 layers, but with the addition of the StampinUP die cut circle I now have 4. I used scrap pieces to cut the tree, deer and rabbit adding a bit of colour around edges and some gold sparkle to the deer. I used the star and snowflake dies with some gold CS to add some embellishments. These dies come from an unbranded set. The sentiment is from a Divinity Designs set.
My workspace looks as if a bomb has gone off, so my next task is to clean up and put everything away so I can find it again easily. I was outside this morning working in the garden, and now I’m tired so I guess the tidy up will be tomorrow.
We look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery and of course hope you have fun creating. Thanks a lot for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.
