Embossing with Templates Class

 

I just got the board up at Stampin' Cat for a new class called Embossing with Templates.  This is one of 4 cards we will be making in that class.  We will be embossing in a variety of ways, including dry embossing, heat embossing and paste embossing.  This card features the Blazonry template by The Crafters Workshop.
The blazonry shapes were stamped with the Marquise stamp from Impression Obsession.  I just got this stamp and I can tell that it is going to get lots and lots of use.  The butterfly was made using the Wonderful Wings die set by Spellbinders.

All About Archival Class Preview

This little interactive card is one of the cards we will be making in the All About Archival class coming up.  This class is focused on learning some of the wonderful things that Ranger Archival Ink can do, but it also uses some wonderful stamps that I am excited to introduce you to.  This card uses the Free Flight stamp set by Penny Black.  The butterfly that is trapped under the acetate "inside" the cage is attached to a sliding piece of acetate that sets a butterfly free when you pull on the ribbon.

Floral Frenzy - Dreamy

I finally finished all of my projects for the Floral Frenzy card class coming up on June 23rd.  All of the cards in this class feature stamps by Penny Black.

This card features:
Dreamy

Letter Background

and Delicate Pattern (one of my all time favorites!)

I don't think they could have picked a more appropriate name for this stamp.  I really is dreamy...and lovely...and whispy...and beautiful...

Floral Frenzy Classes

Here is a little sneak peek at a project from the first class in the Floral Frenzy series, featuring floral images by Penny Black.

Penny Black has so many wonderful floral images...some that have been around for awhile, and some that are brand new...and I am sooo excited to bring this series of classes to Stampin' Cat Studio.

This card features some really wonderful stamps that I was so excited to introduce to my inkpads:
Awakening

Circle Pattern

Puzzle Parts

The sentiment is from the Sentimental Banners set by Layers of Color.

Spellbinders dies:

Labels Four

Ribbon Banners

Inks by Ranger.

Penny Black - and - Vintage Sweetness!

In honor of the wonderful news here, that my talented friend Laura's designs will soon be available at Penny Black, I decided to post a new creation using some of my favorite Penny Black stamps.

The background image is Delicate Pattern, which is one of my favorite backgrounds of all time.  It is a really great one for resist techniques because the pattern isn't really solid.  It's made of lots of tiny little lines, like the threads in a tapestry.  Anyway, for this card I simply stamped it with Chrome Yellow Archival Ink.

The main image is Flamboyant.  I just got this one, so this is it's inaugural project. :)

The lace that I put down the side was cut from an old dresser scarf that my aunt gave me.  I stained it with Antique Linen Distress Stain to give it even more of a distressed feel.

I wish you could see this in person so that you could see the fabulous, shimmery look of the Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles that I added over the stamped image.  I just wasn't able to capture it with my camera.  It's really pretty in real life though...guess you'll have to take my word for it.  :)

So now...I'm waiting in anticipation of the reveal of more fabulous stamps by Penny Black...

Product List:
Brown Card (5 1/2" x 4 1/4")
Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Nostalgic Collection (Core di'nations cardstock)
Cream Cardstock
Stamps: Delicate Pattern and Flamboyant (Penny Black)
Ink: Chrome Yellow and Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger Industries)
       Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo, and Rusty Hinge Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
       Antique Linen Distress Stain (Ranger Industries)
Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles (Ranger Industries)
Oriental Weave Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)
Sanding Block
Labels 3 Nestabilities Die (Spellbinders)
Flowers (Misc.)
Washers (Ranger Industries)
Twine

New Classes

New class boards are up at Stampin' Cat now.  The 10am class on March 17th is the Distress Markers class.
Love, love, love the new Distress Markers, they are so much fun to work with.  We are going to make a wonderful technique sample book, and also make a beautiful card to take home with you.

In the 1pm spot I have the Clean and Simple Cards class.  This class is focused on learning to utilize basic design principles in cardmaking.  We will make 5 cards, and discuss many different keys to good design.

 4pm...We end the day with the With One Fabulous Stamp class.  In this class we will explore 5 different ways to use the Tapestry Script  background stamp (which was created in a collaborative effort between Basic Grey and Hero Arts).  The stamp is included in the price of the class.

And now...a picture from the Reflections stamp class held on on Leap Day.  We had so much fun with this technique, I just had to let these ladies show you their beautiful work.

Card Patterns #113 and Layers of Color

This week Layers of Color is sponsoring a wonderful challenge blog called Card Patterns.  I had never heard of the Card Patterns blog until I saw it on the Layers of Color blog.  What a pleasant surprise.  They have wonderful sketches and a really great design team.  Here is the sketch for this week.

It's such a great sketch that I just had to participate in this challenge.

This is the card I made, you can click on the card to see the details a little better.  My fun little branch embellishment was created with twigs from my Nandina plant.  I added texture to some tissue paper using an embossing folder, then cut it into strips...wide ones and narrow ones.  I used the narrow ones to create the bow on top and the tiny little "flowers" on the branches, then I added a little bit of Vintage Glass Glitter to the tips of the branches for a little sparkle.  The texture on the paper in the background was created with a metal stencil.

Supplies:
White Card and Background: Ruche Cardstock - WorldWin
Wood Paper
Patterned Paper: Gabrielle 6x6 Paper Pad - BoBunny
Stamps: Acanthus Leaves and Sent With Love - Layers of Color
Ink: Pumice Stone Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Large Damask Metal Stencil - Dreamweaver
Oriental Weave Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug
Labels Four Nestabilities Dies - Spellbinders
Cuttlebug Machine- ProvoCraft

Antique Silver Vintage Glass Glitter - Art Glitter

Lavender Tissue Paper
Gold Thread
Twigs
Nailheads

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Valonda

Just a quick card to share...I realized I didn't have any congratulations cards in my stash right now so I figured it was time to make one.

Supplies:
Hero Arts Stamps -
Scattered Leaves Clear Stamp Set
Chinese Dolls Clear Stamp Set
Wallpaper Background
Woodgrain Pattern
Cardstock: Black, Orange, Aqua, Yellow, and Grey
VersaMark Ink
Charcoal Zing Embossing Powder (American Crafts)
Sunflower Die and Flower Bouquet Miniabilities Dies (Spellbinders)
Flower Punch (EK Success)
Everyday Greetings Die (ProvoCraft)
Black Pearls (KaiserCraft)
Matte Accents (Ranger Industries)

Hero Arts Woodgrain Stamp

I've been playing with the new Woodgrain Pattern stamp by Hero Arts...SO FUN! Here I used Distress Inks to create this great "wood panel". I was very impressed with how realistic this looked.

The additional elements were both die cut out of Core'dinations Cardstock with Spellbinders dies.

This post is going to be short and sweet (as most of mine are) because I have a ton of things to do today, but I just wanted to share this with you.

Nestabilities Jewelry

I've been loving making jewelry lately. This is one of several items that I made for a class coming up soon at Stampin' Cat in Salem. This bracelet is made with Shrink Plastic. I used the Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders to create the ovals. I love it as a bracelet, but have already decided that I am going to make a necklace that is just the same.

On a more personal note, illness has his our household again. It is really crazy. We are generally a pretty healthy family, so this winter has been really unusual for us. It seems like someone has been sick almost constantly. And I have definately had more than my fair share. It is making me really ready for some sunshine...I would LOVE to lay in the sun and soak up some rays.

More Scripture Essentials

I have several friends and family members who are anticipating big changes in their lives right now or very soon, so I am not sure which friend this first notebook is going to. I'll just have to make some more. Besides I want one for myself.

The notebook is 5" square, and is filled with plain white paper. The design and sentiment were embossed with Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder. I stamped with VersaMark Ink rather than the Distress Embossing Ink because I didn't want to be able to rub off any of the release crystals, I just wanted the rough texture that this embossing powder provides.

When I finished making this I was trying to decide whether it needed anything else or not, and I decided, no, I like the simplicity. It allows the simple truth of the verse to be the focus. Thank God for that truth!

Supplies:
Paper Products: Heavy Black Chipboard, Gulf Cardstock (Bazzill), and White text weight paper
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1 (Cornish Heritage Farms) , Botanicals (Hot Off the Press)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Bind-It-All Machine (Zutter)
Other: Distress Embossing Powder (Ranger), Labels Two Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders), Black 3/4" Binding Wire (Zutter)

Scripture Essentials

I finally have in my hand the new stamp set that I have been most anticipating, the Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms.

And guess what, notice the "1" at the end of that title. I'm assuming that means there will be more scripture sets coming, yeah!

Anyway, the yellow paper was created by stamping the Canvas Backgrounder (CHF) with Lemonade Pigment Ink (Ranger), then adding Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger). I finished it off by spraying it with a mixture of Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls and water, although shimmer doesn't really show in the picture.

Supplies:
Cardstock: MatteKote (Judikins) and Black
Ink: Jet Black Archival, Lemonade Pigment Ink, and Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger)
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1, Silhouette Blooms 1, and Canvas Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Dies: Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Other: White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger), White Tulle, Self-Adhesive Pearl (K&Co.), Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls (Ranger)

Vintage Collage Card

It's so interesting how the mind works. For example, the creative process of this card. Can you guess where this card started?

Believe it or not, it all started with the striped piece of cardstock that I had die cut a month ago to use on a project and then didn't end up using. I have a drawer that I put things in that have been stamped, die cut, inked, etc. then not used, or projects that I just couldn't finish to my satisfaction, so they got put away for a later time. Anyway, this was in my drawer, and I love it, so I decided I'd better put it to use. This paper is "Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) from My Mind's Eye. I absolutely LOVE their Wild Asparagus papers...love, love, love. Anyway...

My next step was to choose color that went with it, then go through all of my embellishments, stamps, and other items to find things that fit the mood I was going for with this card. I just pull a bunch of stuff out, then as the idea starts to form, things that don't fit get put back away and pared down until I like what I've got left.

This card, however, didn't really start to come together until I started looking through my collage images. The flower image on the side is what made it all start to turn into something in my mind. The collage images are from the Vintage School Days Collage Pack by Tweety Jill. This was my first time using them, and they are great. Really nice, useable images.

For those who are interested, here is the complete list of
Supplies:
Labels One (Nestabilities Dies) Spellbinders
Vintage School Days Collage Pack (Tweety Jill)
"Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) My Mind's Eye
Cardstock: Gulf (Bazzill), Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents), Cocoa
Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Foliate Quad Cube (Stampendous),
Flourishes set and Card Sentiments set (Crafty Secrets)
Dark Brown Marvy Memories Marker
Self-Adhesive Paper Lace (Narratives by Karen Russell) Creative Imaginations
Antique Silver Paper Fastener (7 Gypsies)
Claudine Hellmuth Sticky-Back Canvas (Ranger)
Velvet Flower (Maya Road)
Antique Silver Brad

Butterfly Card

I recently came across this wonderful stuff, copper fabric. The coolest stuff ever. I had just purchased the Nesting Butterflies Die set by Spellbinders, and it looked like a match made in heaven. So I cut the copper fabric using the medium sized Nested butterfly, and then used the Floral Screen Cuttlebug Embossing Folder to add some texture to it. I love the airy, sort of ethereal, look it has. I used some thin copper wire to attach it to a piece of copper sheeting and turn it into a bookmark.

Some extra copper sheeting was used to create the “Flights of Fancy” embellishment using the top part of the Curved Rectangle die by Spellbinders. The wording is stamped with a saying from the Vintage Butterflies set by Cornish Heritage Farms, and is embossed with copper embossing powder.

I used the same "Flights of Fancy" sentiment as well as another stamp from the same set, "Effortless Beauty", to create the embossed background.

I cut out two Curved Rectangles and tore the top off of one of them to create a pocket for the bookmark to rest in...a card and a little gift all at the same time.

Supplies:
Spellbinders Dies: Curved Rectangles (Mega Nestabilities)
Nested Butterflies (Shapeabilities)
Cardstock: Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents)
Destination London (Bazzill)
white (unknown)
Copper Mesh Fabric - Amaco
copper wire
copper sheet metal
Antique Glass Beads - Mill Hill
Cuttlebug Folders - Floral Screen, Swiss Dots
Red Lace (Rusty Pickle)
Decorative Brad (JoAnns)
Stamps: Vintage Butterflies set (The Saturday Evening Post) - Cornish Heritage Farms
VersaMark Ink (Tsukineko)
Copper Detail Embossing Powder
Crop-a-Dile

Butterfly Mobile

As soon as I bought the Spellbinders Nested Butterfly die set, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was make a mobile for my daughter Hannah’s room. She is the ultimate girly girl, so I made her mobile very delicate, feminine and full of bling. The Spellbinders Scalloped Circles are cut out of transparency sheets, and the designs are stamped with The Essential Glue Pad and glittered with fine Vintage Glass Glitter. As they float around the sparkle coming off of them is just mesmerizing. It was hard to really capture the beauty in a picture though.
The main elements of the mobile are 16 acetate scalloped circles, 10 die cut butterflies, and a FUNdamental Swanky Frame by Technique Tuesday. I wrapped the Swanky Frame with tulle to soften the look, and added some butterflies and flowers.

The butterflies were made of a fine Thai Kozo paper, and sprayed with a mixture of Rangers' Adirondack Color Wash, Perfect Pearls, and water, before being stamped with VersaMark Ink to add a subtle design. I also sprayed sheer white ribbon to match the butterflies, and used it to tie the butterflies onto the mobile.I just love their little antennae...fishing line tipped with Glossy Accents and dipped in the Vintage Glass Glitter for just a bit of sparkle.

Hannah was so excited to hang it up in her room! “Mommy, it’s beautiful!” makes it so worth going over the top with all the sparkle and bling. Now the question is, will it help her sleep in on Saturday morning?

Another Mini

I'm loving the mini valentine cards right now. This card has many of my favorite companies represented.

Stamps:

Cherish sentiment - Faith Collection - Kodomo Inc.

Polka Dot background - Tiny Textures set - Tim Holtz Collection - Stampers Anonymous

Flourish (stamped on background and on the butterfly) - Reindeer Flight set - Tim Holtz Collection - Stampers Anonymous

Ink:
Alabaster Fluid Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Pearlescent Poppy Brilliance Ink - Tsukineko
Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries

Die:
small butterfly - Nested Butterfly set - Spellbinders

Embellishments:
Clear Jewel Trinket Pin and White Velvet Blossom - Maya Road
Rhinestones - Hero Arts

I might have to photograph this again tomorrow when there is light though. The colors are not true in this picture. I'll try to fix it, because you really need to see how beautiful that Pearlescent Poppy Brilliance ink is.

LOVE mini

This little mini valentine (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") was inspired by a design I saw on Debbie Olsons' blog:
The cute little floral image is from the Lotus Floral stamp set from the Amy Butler line by K&Co.
The designs in this set are all just wonderful. I can't wait to play with them some more.
I made the little corner accent by cutting a square with the Labels One Nestabilities die by Spellbinders, then cutting it into four pieces. I added some twine and a little metal Asian coin. I don't know what anyone else will think of this card, but frankly I don't care because I could look at it for hours. Every now and then I have a project like that, one I just love in spite of, or maybe because of its calming simplicity.