Two Card Designs - One Paper (Key and Bird Cards)

Hello everyone!  Best Wishes to Prince William and Princess Kate in England!

Today I thought that I would create two cards using one basic design and one set of papers.  My goal was to create different looks even though I was using the same papers and design.

Basic Design:

Card base of ivory
Matted Black card stock
One to two coordinating strips of paper
One Embellishment

First up:  Key Card

I used papers from the DCWV (Die Cuts With a View) Black Currant Collection. (When I had attended CHA this past January 2011, the DCWV team had made beautiful paper dresses from the different collections.  Black Currant was one of them.  They were gorgeous.  Click HERE to see the pictures I took.

I used a scroll punch from EK Success to punch a design on one of the strips.  It's a pretty little design and works quite well as an edging with smaller cards.  I added ribbon and a key that I cut from chipboard and to which I added gold foil.

I love foil so the pink paper with pink foil embossed flowers were really beautiful.  You can really see the punched design against the black background.

 The gold key looks a bit blotchy in this picture but it's actually very shiny!

Next: Bird Card

I really liked the pink foiled paper so I used more of it in this card.  I wanted to do a black on black punched border. When I put it together the punched design didnt show very well so I took some sandpaper and sanded it a little to give it a worn look.  This really made it pop!

You know those large bouquets that you can buy of paper flowers and such.  I cut the middle out of one and that is what you see on this card.  I really like the little bird.  To glue on the sticks I used a tacky glue.

 I hope you enjoyed today's cards!

Lis

Hello from Darkest Africa Card - with the Martha Stewart Scroll Heart Punch

Hi everyone and Happy Easter to you all.  I hope that you made plenty of Easter cards for your families.  I made about 20 cards for family and friends (most of them went to friends! I have only my dad and two sisters.)

I just bought the new 7 Gypsies paper tape and was really anxious to use some of it!  So, I started out adding some of the tape to a piece of herringbone card stock.  It really felt like "safari" to me.  So, I kept adding and when I matted it to the dark brown, I said "Aha! Africa".  My inspiration came from those old movies where the group is on safari and someone sends back a letter with all these odd cancellations on them.  (I hope you all don't think I'm crazy...LOL).

Enjoy the card.

 I think the gold paint pen edging really gives this whole card that little extra.  It works really well on the picture and blue backing.

Take care, Lis

Glitter Techniques...A Glitter-Painted Card!

I really like the option of using glitter glue.  It's not messy and usually comes in fine or ultra fine.  Sometimes though I don't have the color that I want to use.  No problem!  I just make my own.

For today's glitter project, I mixed the Elizabeth Craft Design Glitter Ritz microfine glitters with diamond glaze.  I used a small paint brush and painted the glitter accents onto my stamped card. The micro fine glitter is so tiny that when I mix it with Diamond Glaze I get a glittery paint. I used my brush and painted each glitter “color” onto my card. I even mixed a couple of colors together to get a brown-green to create a “shadow” on the pumpkins

Notes:

1. Diamond glaze dries clear and dries fairly quickly.  You have enough time to paint what you want but don't mix all the colors at once.  Do them one at a time as you use them.
2. Use a plastic or foam plate (white is best so you can see your colors).  You can throw it away when you are done.
3. Keep a cup of water and a towel nearby so that you can clean your brush after each color.

Here you can see my stamped image (I used plain cardstock) and the Glitter Ritz glitter colors.

I made the mistake of using a plastic watercolor palette.  This was not a good idea because the diamond glaze dried hard as rock.  I had to throw it away.  Use a plastic plate! 



Here is my finished card.  It is very pretty and really sparkles!





Note: I didn’t have any micro fine orange glitter so I used ultra fine glitter that I had from Martha Stewart. When you look at the card, look at the pumpkins, which were colored with that ultra-fine glitter, you can see through the glitter to the stamped image. With the micro fine glitter you cannot. The difference is really significant.

This was a fun card to make.  I especially liked mixing my own glitter colors. I felt like a mad scientist!




If you would like to look for Elizabeth Craft Design Glitter Ritz, go to http://www.franticstamper.com/

Glitter Embellishments....Glittered Houses!

Hi everyone!  Having a great week?  I am. I love glitter!  With Easter right around the corner, glitter is a great decoration for eggs!

For my second glitter card, I glittered some little die cut houses and added them to my card as an embellishment. Simple, you say? You bet!

I am IN LOVE! I didn’t think that glitters could get much better than the ultra fine but I was wrong. WOW! You should see these glitters. They are called Elizabeth Craft Design Glitter Ritz and are MICRO FINE. The sparkle that this glitter lets off is incredible. The pictures don’t do it justice. The micro fine glitter has a velvety feel to it. It is incredibly fine and adds no bulk to whatever you are glittering. This glitter comes in a fabulous selection of colors. (My favorite today is coppery rose.) Click HERE to go to Frantic Stamper to see these glitters!

I started by die cutting the houses from the Heritage cartridge by Cricut. For those of you who like vintage and who have a Cricut, I recommend this cartridge. It not only has the little houses and a great font but it also has some beautiful cameos. After cutting the houses, I brushed on a thin but even coat of tacky glue over the die cuts and then dipped them into glitter to coat them.

Here is a close up.  The picture doesn't do them justice.  The micro fine glitter is very very tiny and gives off a velvety sparkle.  It's very unique. The little white dots on the glitter are actually sparkle.

And here is my collage card.

Glitter Card Techniques!

Hi everyone! I hope that you are having a fabulous week! How would you like to add some fabulous bling to your next project? Well, I have just the thing… GLITTER! Glitter is a wonderful addition to any crafter’s toolbox. Today I would like to share three techniques for getting more out of my favorite glitters, all available at FranticStamper.com.

I was attending the Carson show for scrapbooking and card making and came across a booth that was teaching a wonderful technique with glitter and lace (alas I didn’t think of it!).

This technique requires shipping labels available at office supply stores like Staples. You can use any size, but I used pieces cut to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

To keep my workspace organized and glitter-free I used Martha Stewart Glitter trays; a package comes with a few trays and a brush. Each tray is made of a thick cardboard-like material and has a funnel at one end. The glitter doesn’t seem to cling from static when using this tray. If you choose not to use the trays, be sure to have plenty of space to work and cover your work surface with paper. It is also probably a good idea to wipe your surface with an anti-static bag or dryer sheet before you start.

Peel the backing off of a label and place the label into the tray so that the sticky side is facing up. Choose a piece of pretty lace large enough to cover the label. The lace that will work best will have a larger design and some areas with large spaces.

Put the lace onto the label side and press it down to adhere. Now – sprinkle your first color of glitter all over the lace. Remove the excess glitter and return it to the bottle using the built-in funnel. Take a damp paper towel and wipe the inside of the tray to remove any stray glitter.  This can be a lighter color like silver, white or clear. Turn the glittered lace/labe upside down and rub the backside to press the glitter into the adhesive.

Remove the lace.

Now sprinkle on a second, darker glitter color. Repeat the step of pressing the glitter into the adhesive by rubbing the back of the label, and then remove excess glitter. Once the extra glitter is off, you can see the lace pattern in glitter!

And here is my glitter lace card!

Stay tuned for two more glitter cards this week!

Cameo Cards - A Modern Look -Day Two

Hi everyone!  Did you enjoy yesterday's card?  I had fun making it, that's for sure!

I really like the way that this card came out.  I started with a navy blue card base and added a blue scrapbook paper by K & Company, edging it in gold. It has a soft flower design in it.  I cut three wide strips of paper, used a scallop scissors for the bottom and edged all of it in gold.  I mounted them onto my card, added the ribbon and pearls. and finally added my cameo, a car! (Cameo die cuts are from the Cricut HERITAGE cartridge.)

I hope that you try a cameo card of your own!

Videos soon to come!

Hi everyone!  I made my first video today (yea!).  Unfortunately my computer is older than I thought it was.  Apparently it doesn't have a drive that will download my video to it.  So, I need to upgrade my PC to modern times (LOL).  Hopefully I will have this completed in the next few weeks. And then I will have a video for you all.  It's pretty exciting stuff for me!

I have to admit that I have not kept up with computer systems in the past few years the way I probably should have.  :-)   But I will be up to date in time...

I will keep you all updated with my exploits in becoming thoroughly modern!

Lis

Cameo Cards - A Modern Look

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to do something more with cameo cards. I wanted to give my cards a modern touch.  You may remember that I made some traditional cameo cards (Click HERE to see them).

I used DCWV Four Seasons paper for this but you can use any strips of paper that you like.  The idea is to have a variety of widths and designs.  I punched a design in the bottom, layered it onto darker blue paper and added ribbons and pearls.  I attached my cameo directly onto the card. (Cameo die cuts are from the Cricut HERITAGE cartridge.)

Stay tuned for my second cameo card tomorrow!

Key to Time Card

I am fascinated with Time, clocks and gears.  I love the whole industrial look of them.  Today's card is done with that theme.

Most of what I used for this card is from Sizzix/Tim Holtz.  I used stardream gold paper and embossed the sun rays on it.  I die cut the clock dial and hands from this beautiful red card stock that is flocked with a damask pattern.  The gears are cut from a new Spellbinders die by Donna Salazar.  The brad is made using the i-Top tool by Imaginisce.

The keyhole on the bottom left was cut from gold mirror card. I also attached it with mounting tape.

I layered the gears onto the card using mounting tape. I used one layer for the second gear and two layers for the third and top gear.  I thought this looked more real and gave it some depth. 
I wanted to use something to attach the hands together that was the same theme and I came up with another clock picture that I cut from some paper I had. 

 I enjoyed making this card.  Cutting out the gears and putting it together was a lot of fun.  The red from the clock stands out and the flocked deisng gives it interest.

I hope that you enjoyed today's card!

Love Wish Dream Card

Hi everyone!  Hope that you are having a great day!

Today I want to share with you a 5 x 8 card.  It's a bit larger than what I usually make.  I had this die cut of a gate or fence and it just seemed like the headboard of a bed to me.  So, I made this card.

The card base is made from a beige frost card stock. The green patterned paper is from Graphic 45 I believe and the gate (or headboard) is cut from the Heritage Cricut cartridge on white frost card stock.

I really like the leaf ribbon. You can find it at http://www.franticstamper.com/ and it comes in gold, silver and a few other colors.  I like to wind it around my die cuts as I have done here. I trim off some of the leaves and add them to some projects also.  It's very versatile.

I stamped one of Tim Holtz' tags with LOVE WISH DREAM from one of his latest stamp collections (Stampers Anonymous).  I added an ivory silk bow and brass angel wings.  I attached it with mounting tape to give it some dimension.

I added white pearls to part of the top of the card and also to the centers of the swirls.

I hope that you liked this card today!



Asian Card - A Second Look

Sometimes I either redo a card or I modify the design.  I did this with my Asian card.  I like the results.  I hope you do too.

Probably the most remarkable thing I changed was the background color to a nontraditional pink.  I added Chinese coins also. I used a black card base instead of a green one.

As a reminder, this was the original card.

Which one do you like better?

Art is Joy and Joy is Art Book

You all know how much I love making books!  Well today I am going to share one of my favorite ones with you.  I call it my Art is Joy Book.

I started out by by die cutting the scalloped squares.  To do this I first covered chipboard with Basic Grey papers.  This way when I cut them I wouldn't have to trim them afterwards. It gives a clean and finished look.  You may not have dies to cut these but you may want to visit your local scrapbook store. They usually have dies like this that you can use.  The dimensions of my little book are 4 inches x 4 inches.

 After I cut out all the pages, I lined them up and put them together so that I would be working on the two facing pages at the same time.  This way I could coordinate the designs across both pages.  I love making shaker boxes.  The two on the left have seashells in them.

I like to add different media to my little books. On the pages below I added a pair of angel wings that I made from melted UTEE and a mould.

I used the same rubber stamp on both pages but I used different colored inks.  I really love this page because of the cut outs I added. Again these were just designs from a larger piece of scrapbook paper. I used design scissors to cut them out. I love the stamped edge one. I covered them in glue and added clear glass beads.  It's hard to see in this picture but they look like sugared fruit does.

On this page I made a buddha mould out of paper.  I added clear plastic squares on the right and a purple tassel.

On the back I have a ribbon with a brass ribbon slide.  I had a postcard and cut out the image and added the letters for ART to it.  I foiled the letters.

I punched holes in the left side with a Zutter binding machine and bound my book pages with o-wire.