Round Bells On A Square Card!

I really have had a hard time keeping embossed corners, etc. off my mind lately. I did the corners of this card using this stencil:
that I purchased Here. This time I made sure the link works!

Cardfront Base:

1. I cut a piece of Neenah Solar White 5"X5". Next I taped the first corner using removeable tape to attach the stencil.

2. I cut a square piece of Matt board to match the corner stencil. It was easier to handle than cutting just the angle you see out of the board.

3. I used the Cuttlebug with the following layers:

• A Plate


• B plate


• stencil


• Wizard embossing mat or a piece of gasket mat (from Lowes or Home Depot) I place it so one of its corners was exactly even with the corner of the stencil.


• I placed the piece of square matt board so it was squared and exactly even with the embossing mat.


• I put it through holding the matt board and as it started through to stabilize it.

I repeated these steps on all four corners.

4. I cut out the selected areas with an X-acto Knife with a really sharp blade. When it dulls, I sharpen it with my knife sharpening steel. I have shown you a picture of one. I use it to sharpen my scissors too. Very old fashioned. I saw my dad use it.

5. I cut a piece of Neenah Solar White 5"X5.25. I scored the 5.25 length at the 5.0" mark with my Scor-Pal, folded it, and then straighted it out. I taped the .25 piece. Next I placed the embossed and cut front over the taped portion. Next I cut out the extra parts show through with my X-acto Knife.

Image:

1. The image was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's Garnet, MOss Green, Sweet Alfalfa, Olive Vine and Solar Gold.

2. It was put through the Cuttlebug using the next to largest Splellbinders Large Scalloped Circle die and then embossed too.

3. I stamped duplicate bells and used the left one to mount as shown. I mounted the left bell and the ringing parts for both bells with 3D pop dots.

4. I mounted 2mm Pearls and Ruby rhinestones with Glossy Accents as shown.

5. A bow was tied using Bow-Easy and done. A card for any Winter occasion.

Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts Wreath With Bells on Cling

Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's Garnet, Olive Vine, Sweet Alfalfa, Moss Green, and Solar Gold

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

Accessories: Niji Waterbrush, Mark Richards 2mm pearls and 2mm Ruby rhinestone stickers, Spellbinders Large Circles Scalloped Dies, Michael's Ribbon, Bow-Easy

Thank for stopping by to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

The Shaker Card Challenge Is On

It's late and I just am so glad I finished!!! It's IO's Challenge Thursday and this week it's shaker cards. Above is mine.

Image:
The image was stamped on Neenah Natural with VersaFine Vintage Sepia. It was painted with Cherry Sorbet, Icicles, Solar Gold, and Olive Vine. Highlights of Stickles Gold and Liquid Pearls White Opal were added. I trimmed around it with scissors.

2 pieces of Neenah Solar White cardstock were embossed with the Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder. One for behind the image and one for the background. The image was mounted to one pieced. Various beads were added to the center and the Shake-It Pouch was added over that. I trimmed around the edge of the cardstock.

A Spellbinders next to largest Large Circle Scallops die was used on the In The Pink Bazzill cardstock. A 3" center was cut out with a Fiskars stencil. It was then applied over the top. of the shaker.

Background:
A 4.0X5.25 piece of Neenah Natural was mounted to a piece of 4.25X5.5 In The Pink Bazzill cardstock. The other piece of the Victoria embossed cardstock was cut to 3.75X5.0 and mounted to that.

The image was backed with 3D Pop Dots and mounted to the left. The May Arts Ribbon was mounted as shown. A double bow was tied with the Bow-Easy. An extra tail was added by pulling a piece of ribbon through the back and then the ends were taped to the back of the cardfront. Mark Richard's Pearls were added as shown.

If you would like to see some really pretty cards you can by visiting the other DT Members sites below. You can also keep an eye out to see who joins in the challenge by going to the main IO site HERE. It's open to everyone.

• Deborah March
• Dina Kowal
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Kathy Menzies
• Kelli Richardson
• Laura Fulcher
• Shirley Ross

Supplies:
Stamp - Impression-Obsession Alesa Baker Small Ornament Trio

Inks - VersaFine Vintage Sepia, Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet, Icicles, Solar Gold and Olive Vine

Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and Natural, Bazzill Bling In The Pink
Accessories - Niji Waterbrush, Mark Richards 5mm pearls, Cuttlebug Victoria Embossing Folder, Bow-Easy, IO Shake-It Large Circle Pouch , Spellbinders Large Scallop Circle Dies, May Arts Ribbon.
Thanks for stopping by to look and share!

 

 Shirley

 

Getting Ready

For Christmas. I chose Leigh Hannan's Ice Skate Stockings from Impression-Obsession for my main image. I say main because I used Cover-a-Card™ stamps CC002 - Swirls and CC008 - Thick and Thin to create my background.

1. The skates were stamped with StazOn Jet Black on Neenah cardstock. They were painted with Twinkling H2O's Garnet+Rubilite, Olive Vine, Sweet Alfalfa, Moss Green, Royal Satin, and Solar Gold. For the tops of the stockings I used White Fun Flock on the left and Shimmerz Blingz Gold glimmer. I cut the image out to mount.
2. I ran largest Labels 4 die through my Cuttlebug, and then embossed with the Heart Dotted Swiss from Cuttlebug Love Language set. Then I embossed the edges with the die. The edge was painted with Twinks Solar Gold. The bow is a triple bow done with the Bow-Easy.
3. The background was created with IO's Mega Mount™, and Cover-a-Card™ CC002 - Swirls and CC008 - Thick and Thin. The Swirls stamp was inked with VersaMark, stamped on Neenah cardstock, Clear Embossing Powder was applied, and it was heated with a heat gun. Then the Thick and Thin stamp was inked with Classic Old Olive and stamped over the Swirls. (*TIP - A Kleenex was used to blot he plastic embossing that couldn't absorb the ink.) It was trimmed to 4.25"X5.5". (If you want to see how the Mega Mount is used, take a look HERE.)
4. I save pieces left from die cuts that I think would make great frames. The one you see above is a leftover from the Spellbinders Frameabilities Scalloped Frames. I really like the way it looks. It was mounted on top of the background. For the stitches I used a new stencil Doodle Dots from The Crafters Workshop and an SU Old Olive marker. I found the greatest selection and prices for the stencil HERE. I've done business with her before. I was enabled after seeing another one of Sue's gorgeous cards, at Sue's Stamping World, HERE. Her latest card is just so elegant too.
5. The image was mounted on the white die cut using 3D pop dots. That was mounted on the background.
Supplies:

• Stamps - IO - Ice Skate Stockings and IO Cover-a-Cards™ - CC002 - Swirls and CC008 - Thick and Thin
• Inks - StazOn Jet Black, VersaMark, SU Old Olive or Adirondack Pesto, Twinkling H2O's Garnet+Rubilite, Olive Vine, Sweet Alfalfa, Moss Green, Royal Satin, Solar Gold and Shimmerz Blingz Gold Glimmer
• Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Accessories - Mega Mount™, Clear Embossing Powder, Niji Waterbrush, White Fun Flock, Mark Richards 2 and 3mm pearls and 2mm clear rhinestone stickers, Glossy Accents, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four, Remnant from Spellbinders Frameabilities Scalloped Frames, Crafter's Workshop Doodle Dots Stencil, Michael's Ribbon, Bow-Easy, Jolee's Snowflakes - Dimensional Stickers

Thanks for stopping by to look and share. Off to finish some cards!!!
LOLOL

 

 Shirley

 

Me And My Mega Mount

I was showing my Mega Mount™ to a friend and she immediately said, "How do you hold it?"  I showed her and of course she was sold.  So I thought maybe I should do a mini tutorial on how I use mine.
I did the background below using 2 Cover-a-Card™ stamps and the Mega Mount™.  Below is a quick pictorial of how I use my Mount and how I did it.

Supplies:

• Mega Mount™
• Cover-a-Card™:  CC002 - Swirls and CC008 - Thick and Thin
• VersaMark Pad
• Clear Embossing Powder and Heat Gun
• Ink Pad Color of your choice - Adirondack Pesto is shown
• 8.5"X11" piece of cardstock

Click on the photo and take a look at how I mounted it.  It is actually sitting on the handle in the photo.   All of IO's Cover-a-Card™ stamps are 5.75"C5.75".  As you can see the sides on the left and right have a little more acrylic block showing.  That comes in really handy when you are lining up with the bottom of your cardstock.  There is a tad on the top and the bottom and that really helped me line up the left edge.

 You get another really good idea from looking at the back too.  Now for how easy it is to ink up the stamp.

• For me it's easiest to let it sit on the handle.
• I put my left hand through the handle to keep it in one place and then I ink the top portion first moving from right to left, etc. 
• Then I switch ends to ink the bottom that will now the top.  Topsy Turvy!!  It is so easy.

• Next I lay the 8.5"X11" piece of cardstock in front of me.
• I line up my stamp with the left and bottom sides of the cardstock.  It's like a right angle.  When I have done that:

• I put it down on the cardstock and simply roll it forward.  (When I first started doing this I thought, "It can't be that easy.  I am going to rock it back and forth a little. I wonder if I will mess up the image."  I have to honestly say I have not had a bad image yet.  If your ink pad is dry, don't expect a good solid image. This applies to any stamp with any mount.
• I also find it is a lot easier to clean the stamp by sitting it on the back of the handle, holding it in place with my left hand and cleaning it with my wipee.  I use the alcohol free type and have for years.
• I always replace my backing on the stamp.  It helps it keep its cling for the next time I use it.

Background Instructions:

1.  I inked CC002 - Swirls with VersaMark ink and stamped it on the lower left-hand corner of an 8.5"X11" Neenah Solar White piece of cardstock.  I applied Clear Embossing Powder and heated it with my heat gun.  I do not trim my cardstock yet.
2.  CC008 - Thick and Thin was inked with an Olive Green ink and stamped over the first image.  I gently took a piece of tissue ( I use Kleenex), and blotted the top.  Ink will lay on the embossed swirls because they are plastic and can't absorb it.
3.  You will probably notice that I was a little off on each stamp.  It really doesn't matter.  I picked the lines I liked and trimmed around it.  I trimmed the 4.25 piece first and the other side.  I save these for stamping images, punching borders, or for dies.
Time to finish my card with my new background and then get on to my shaker for the challenge coming up.  If you have more questions about the Mega Mount™, please ask by posting here and I will answer here so others can see too.  If I don't have the answer I will, of course ask the designer of the Mega Mount™ and owner of Impression Obsession Inc., Mitra Friant!!!

Thanks for stopping by to look and share!

When It Rains

Plant flowers! So here is my card for today. The image is another one from Hero Arts. It is called Thank You and comes as a cling stamp.

1. It was stamped with Brillance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Solar White. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's Dreamsicle and Olive Vine. I layered the flowers by stamping just the areas I wanted and then cutting and mounting. The buds on top look like Dew Drops, but are really tiny glass vase gems. You get a huge bag of clear ones for $3-$4. Like the ones HERE. You can used them over color, like I did here, or your can painted them with Sharpies or Alcohol Inks. The bottom left hand buds are Glossy Accents. The middle of the flowers are Mark Richards Pearls.


2. The next layer down was done using a Neenah Solar White 4.25"X5.5". The left- and right-hand top corners were embossed in the Cuttlebug using Anja Corner Template FE 6124. An Xact0-Knife was used to cut out the areas as shown. Next the bottom was punched using Fiskars All-A-Fleur Border Punch. It embosses a little area above the punched image.


3. Between the corners and the bottom I used the Dotted Swiss tiny folder from Cuttlebug's Just My Type. It was just a perfect fit as you can see. It was then mounted on SU Almost Apricot I think.


4. The front was mounted on that and then on a folded piece of Neenah Solar White. The ribbon is from Michael's and tied with the Bow-Easy.

Supplies:

• Stamp - Hero Arts Thank You - CG115
• Inks - Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's Dreamsicle and Olive Vine
• Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and SU Almost Apricot
• Accessories - Niji Waterbrush, Mark Richards 2 and 5mm pearls, Mini Clear Glass Gems, Anja Corner Template FE 6124, Fiskars All-A-Fleur Border Punch, Michaels Ribbon, Cuttlebug Just My Type Embossing Folders, Bow-Easy

Thanks for stamping by to look and share! I've been out of town and checking to make sure things post on the dates I chose. It's been a little tricky. LOLOL

 

 Shirley

 

It's The IO Wreath Card Challenge!

Here's my interpretation of a wreath card. I used Alesa Baker's Let It Snow (Snowflake) to make the wreath. I stamped it several times with Brilliance Gold Galaxy and then painted them with Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet and Olive Vine. 2mm pearls and Stickles Diamonds glitter glue were added for highlights. And yes, I cut them out. It really didn't take long. They were mounted using Glue Dots on a circle die, using Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock and a Spellbinders Classic Large Circles die. The words 'Make Merry', from Alesa Bakers's Swirl Tree set, were stamped with SU Old Olive. Stickles Diamonds glitter glue was used to randomly highlight areas around the words.

Behind the wreath is a piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White carstock embossed with the Cuttlebug and their Swiss Dots folder. Behind that is another piece of Solar White stamped using IO's Mega Mount and their Cover-a-Card Circles inked with SU Old Olive Classic ink.

The Circles were mounted on a Solar White piece. The wreath was mounted onto the Swiss Dots and then the Circles. The ribbon is from a huge roll of ribbon I bought eons ago from Michael's and the Bow-Easy used for the double bow.

Supplies:

• Stamps - Impression-Obsession Let It Snow and Swirl Tree Clear Stamp Sets, Cover-A-Card Circles
• Inks - Brilliance Galaxy Gold, SU Old Olive, Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet and Olive Vine
• Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock
• Accessories - IO Mega Mount, Spellbinders Classic Large Circles, Mark Richards 2 and 5mm pearls, Michaels Ribbon

Check out the Design Team members blogs listed below for some real treats and at the main IO site HERE you can follow other bloggers joining in the challenge too:

• Daniela Dobson
• Laura Fulcher
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Dina Kowal
• Deborah March
• Kathy Menzies
• Jeanne Streiff

If your want to participate check HERE to see how. Thanks for stopping by to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

After All Else Fails

Scan the **&&(%R(%*& thing!!! I tried for hours to get a good photo of this card. The flowers looked like they were a neon color when, in fact, they matched the cardstock. Finally I said see what a scan can do. LOLOLOL Much better.

I found my image by visiting Sue's site. The image is called Floating Flowers and I love it. It measures 4.5"X5.75.

1. I stamped it on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White with Brilliance Galaxy Gold. (I got my very first bad stamp from Hero Arts in 10 years. I emailed them and they had a new one in the mail the next business day.) The flowers were painted with Twinks Mediterranean Blue. The stems are Medori Melon. When dry I went over the stems with a VersaMarker and embossed with Clear EP. I was so surprised. The VersaMarker didn't pick up any of the watercolor. Wonderful!!! A button was placed in the center of the large flower and then Glossy Accents and Gold Micro beads with glitter were applied. The closest thing I could find to it now is Gala Glitz by Art Institute Glitter.

2. Cut the image to 3.75"X5.0" and mounted to some deep aqua colored cardstock matching the watercolor.

3. I applied Brilliance Galaxy Gold to the portion of the background stamp I wanted to use for my flowers and heated to speed dry it. The flowers and stems were painted like before and then trimmed around with a pair of scissors. They were mounted as shown with 3D pop dots.

4. I ran the same deep aqua cardstock through the Cuttlebug using the smaller frame from Spellbinders Frameabilities Scalloped Frame set. I painted the bigger circles with the Midori Melon and then used the VersaMarker and embossed with CP. The smaller circles were done with Liquid Pearls White Opal. It was mounted to another scrap piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White. The words are from Impression-Obsession's Anytime Sentiments Clear Set, stamped with Brilliance Gamma Green and then the VersaMarker applied with Clear EP.

5. The frame and words were mounted in the center of the background and then I mounted the flower with 3D pop dots.

6. 4 pieces of white ribbon were cut for each end. One piece was used to tie a knot in the center of each left over ribbon. Those were placed on opposite ends and mounted to the back as shown. A bow was tied with the Bow-Easy and mounted as shown.

Supplies:
Image: Hero Arts - Floating Flowers and Impression-Obsession Anytime Sentiments

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and a Deep Aqua cardstock

Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold and Gamma Green; Twinkling H2O's Mediterranean Blue and Medori Melon

Accessories: VersaMarker, 1 Small 4 hole button, Glossy Accents, Gold Glitter + Micro beads, Spellbinders Frameabilities Scalloped Frames, Liquid Pearls White Opal, Michael's White Picot Ribbon, Bow-Easy

Don't forget the challenge at IO on Thursday. It's a Wreath Card Challenge. Thanks for stopping by to look and share.

 

 Shirley