Nestabilities Pendant and Border dies - Chocolate Baroque Doodle Stamps

Monday does seem to come round quicklythese days!  Today for my tutorial I thought I would show you another of my DT cards, this time using one of the new Doodle stamps......

Materials used:
A4 sage green card, extra sage green, dark green and white card, decorative paper
Nestabilies Pendant and Border die: Spades
Nestabilies: Classic Squares, and Oval
CB: Doodle Rose
Creative Expression Mask : Ivy
Distress inks, Marvy la Plume pens, ribbon

Method:  Centre score and fold A4  sage green card.
With large square die emboss onto the card using the sandwich I gave you a couple of weeks ago.  - you will the recipe on my embossing page.   Or you could use a magnetic mat - you will find info and examples on how to do this in the label section on my sidebar under Magnetic mats.
Cut the second smaller coloured square and emboss with a mask or folder.
Cut and emboss the Pendant die from decorative paper.
Cut and emboss the border from the same card as the base card. (I left the cutouts in place and secured with tape).
Cut an oval from white card - colour the stamp with Marvy la Plume pens and then stamp - emboss with the mask and colour with DI's.
Assemble, threading the ribbon through the pendant and fix on the back of the square.

Hope you're still with me this take some explaining!   And,  that you are tempted to try the embossing - yet another way of using your dies -  and all your dies can be used this way!  It may sound difficult but it's really easy - trust me I'm a Cuttlebug crafter (lol).

Less is more challenge - Week 4 - Squares

I have just had a lovely, but very busy three days with my daughter and two granddaughters.  Caitlin and Megan just love getting their hands on my crafting stamps and inks, so no crafting for me!  Hence, a little later than usual for the LIM challenge which this week asks for 3 squares.    Now squares are a fav of mine, but just what to do with them????  Looking for something a bit different I decided to do this.....

I've used a technique called masking to create an illusion of depth and inked straight onto my card. 

 

First fold a sheet of A4 copypaper into 4, then cut with a Nestie Square size 3 (l being the smallest) to make a template.

   

You can play with the cutout shapes to decide on the best pattern

Leave the first cutout in place

Cover with the template and slide the sticky edge of a post-it under each side lining up to the square

When you remove the template you have your square ready to colour.  I used distress inks starting with dark at the bottom and working lighter.

When the first square is completed, cover with one of the square cutouts and repeat the process to complete squares 2 and 3.

    

 I used one of the stamps from the Elusive Image theme plate called Essennce of Nature (UA4SP0339.

By varing the shades of ink you can see all three squares -

masking the ikki way - easy, effective, and perhaps worth a try?

Later today I will show you some other examples of this technique.

Favourite techniques of 2010 - Stamping, Masking and Distress Inks

At the start of a new year I look back at what I have been doing to see if I'm getting in a rut, and if so where can I go?!??!?to keep my crafting fresh.

At the beginning of 2010,  I found that by looking at a few challenge blogs for ideas, I would like to try my hand at stamping, masking and colouring with Distress Inks.

This was one of my first attempts in January (inspired by the talented Barbard Grey from Clarity Stamps)and I was well chuffed to received a prize!

With my prize.....

the result remains in my card box - at the time I couldn't decide what to do it - now I don't want to do anything with other than look!

Later in the year, after visiting the NEC and buying a set of stamps from Elusive Images, this is card appeared in the Cupboard....

I did do something with this one, I submitted it along with a few others to EI when they were looking for new members to their DT. 

I feel now that I have improved my technique using make-up sponges, cut'n'dry and a blending tools, that brayering would be the next move, but this seems a bit too difficult so I'm going  to try using brushes???? Now waiting for arrival of my parcel....watch this space to see if I can incorporate this technique  with cuttling!?!??!?!?

Elusive Images Stamps and Nestabilities - Create-a-flake

Elusive Images recently released their Family Christmas theme stamps. The DT had the opportunity to work with these stamps and you now can view their artwork in the gallery at EI. and Graphicus If you follow the Christmas link it will take you to lots of ideas that will inspire you in your crafting.  Also, you will now find projects in the gallery and this is why today instead of my usual tutorial  if you follow the above links you will find instructions on how to make this card ...... 

 A robin, holly and snowflakes....this was one of those cards that just made itself!  You can well image how chuffed I was to find my work on show in both the EI and Graphicus galleries. 

Thanks for dropping by, hope you are well and keeping warm in this cold spell.  

Hi my friends, I send you all greetings and my very best wishes on this World Kindness Day!

A day to say thank you for the kindness you have shown in caring and thinking about Dave and myself over the last two months when life was painfull, and difficult.  Your kindness in sending messages from all over the world has been a great comform and very much appreciated by us both.  I hope on this day that life is well with you and yours and that kindness surrounds you.  There is a saying "little things mean a lot!" - how true we have found this to be!! 

It seems that I have not been posting a great deal of crafting or tutorials of  late.  One reason, although being on the EIDT is a fab experience and I'm enjoying the challenge, it is time consuming and because we are producing samples of new stamps I'm not able at the time to share them with you.  So, I was very excited to learn that the new Family Christmas stamps are being released soon and you will be able to visit the gallery and see what we have all been up to!?!?!?

In the meantime I thought you might like to see one of my Christmas cards made with EI stamps 

I have used 2 sizes of  mega rectangle dies - one larger stamped, coloured with distress inks and Promarkers and then triple embossed.  The smaller embossed with the Swiss Dots folder.  The circle is another Spellbinder die stamped, coloured and guess what?  Yes, triple embossed.  Although these dies may have been about for a long time, they are still useful aids to crafting, and by combining different dies you can certainly make interesting cards!  Have you looked at your old dies recently?  Have you tried combining different shapes?  Have you any interesting examples to show me?  Would love to hear from you! 

Thanks for dropping by, kind regards, 

 

Marianne Butterfly Die

Hi, Sunday morning and where is the sun?  I'm off playing bowls today in a County Match at Halesowen and so this is a very quick post but I wanted to show you what I did with my failed aperture card. 

The cut-out became a stencil!  With the help of 3 colours of distress ink and a scrap piece of card......

this is the result. A good start for something??!?!?!??

Back tomorrow, win or lose, have a good day!

                                                                        

Cuttlebug Cupboard - Spellbinder Mega Rectangles

Today's tutorial is based on the Spellbinder's Mega Rectangles,  I actually did this way back in January, and somehow forgot to post it!  But, better later than never.

As with all the label dies, the difference between the sizes means that layering is more difficult.  If you like wide borders, you are okay - but what if you like to have narrow borders?  My friend, Andrea explained this to me, but it was only by playing that I cottoned on.   Cool Andrea! This is how you do it.

With the same die, cut 2 shapes  The die-cut with the image is then embossed.  You can use the TAN mat or an embossing tool to run round the edge whilst the die-cut in still in the die.   Following the line of the embossing, cut off the embossing.

and when fixed together.....you have a narrow border!  An alternative way would be to cut and emboss round the image as usual, then draw round the die and cut with scissors.  I have tried both ways and found that by cutting the edge off of the inner shape it was less noticeable if the cut was not exact! 

The next part of my card was to cut another die-cut - this time I used a border from the Joy Crafts range. These dies are smaller than the Spellbinders, but have their uses in your craft box.  Having cut the die, I inked and dusted with Metallic Perfect Pearls which is perfect for a grunge look!

Next some simple matting and layering, which I actually find not so simple to get square!

and my finished card......

The image is a digital download from Sketching Stamper which I love!  It's big and bold and beautiful!!

Hope you like this idea and will find a use for it in your crafting.  Thanks Andrea for your help.

Spellbinders Impressabilities - and finally

Hi, hope you are still with me and have enjoyed looking at my adventures with the Impressabilitie die.

Today I want to show you these......

embellishments made by embossing and debossing the stencil into card coloured with distress inks and coated with embossing powder. 

 

This was embossed, then inked, then embossed with 2 coats of clear embossing powder.

These were coloured with distress inks, then triple embossed, THEN debossed into the triple embossing. 

The effects to me are stunning, but I admit to being a bit of a nut case when it comes to distress inks, triple embossing and the Bug!  You can start off with something like this...

a piece of scrap card coloured with ink and spray with water, and  finished up with

this! 

  There's always that element of excitement every time because every piece is different and until the colours come to life with the embossing powder you never know what you will end up with! 

The embellishments are like glazed tiles, and difficult to photo to show them off

but here's a tag mounted onto an embossed card I showed you in an earlier post 

To summarise:  My thoughts on the Impressabilities dies have changed, I can now see that they are a useful piece of equipment to have in the Cupboard. 

If you have a Wizard or Big Shot, you'll not have had the problems that I've encountered, but the Bug is not as sturdy and adjustments are needed to get a good impression of a heavier weight card.    It seems from the comments I've received that various sandwiches work.  You need to try different ones until you get the clarity of embossing you are looking for as all machines are different.  Again the Golden Rule - never force or you'll break!

Impressabilites can be used for embossing and debossing die cuts for matting and layering. You can use techniques like letterpressing  or stenciling to colour them. You can use them in the whole.  Or like me - cut them up so you can embossed different  patterns straight onto your card base or make your own unique embellishments.  The only problem I've now got is.....where did I put that little butterfly?

Thanks for dropping by, hope you have found the week interesting and useful.

Nestabilities - Big Scallop Squares

Hi there, I thought I would show you my finished  Big Scallop Square card....

The colour has been changed with DI's  - the DP is Basic Grey -  the image an inchie from Inkadinkado that has been triple embossed.

Just a note to say......  

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy whatever you are doing!

Thoughts on Tuesday

Well I have had a lovely, relaxing start to my Tuesday.  I watched another of my favourite crafters, Sheena Douglass on TV, and as always she made me think and want to craft!?!?!!?  But, before I get out my various inks and play, I thought I'd share this very simple, but sweet ( tweet) card with you.

You can get this look with (or without) a magnetic mat and with any shape of die - I just like the simplicity of the square, which matches the stamped image.  The stamp is from Inkadinkado - the Butter & Birds Inchies Set.  I have coloured with DI and triple embossed.

Now to play.....see you soon - not sure what state my desk will be in tomorrow!

Cuttlebug, Nestabilities Squares Dies and Elusive Image Stamps

Hi, Hope you are having a good Easter Monday.  I started my day by watching a video of yesterday's C & C show with Barbara Grey.  She is such a talented lady!  I watched her demoing at the NEC - I would love to do with a stamp what she does!

Today I'm using the stamps of another of my favourite craftrers - Glenda from Elusive Images.  Sometimes you use a stamp and like, sometimes don't, and sometimes love - I have to say that these stamps I really, really love!

On a 6" x 6" card  - using a scoreboard - make a diamond pattern

On smooth white card, using Momento Ink, I stamped a butterfly image  and coloured with Promarkers and then with a square die cut and embossed the edges.  The black mat was made in the same way.   The shaded coloured background was made using three Distress Inks applied with Cut-n-Dry Foam.

To finish the card you need to make a mask of the butterfly, then using three stamps I built a design.  A script stamp from Creative Expressions, a sentiment stamp from Hobby Art, and the swirl corner stamp from the same set as the butterfly made the border.

The flower embellishment finished my card - for this I used various punches, flowers, wire and a pearl.

Have a creative day!

Clarity Stamps - Barbara Grey

For Barbara Grey fans - she's on C & C today  5 to 7 pm today

This is one of her stamps - simple, but classy. 

The image is stamped in black stazon and coloured with distress inks.  The two lines were done on a scoreboard.

If you continue the score lines across the whole card you can then use the small image stamp to decorate the inside and

the back.

Thoughts for Tuesday - Clarity Stamps

My thoughts today were - I need a crafting fix having been away from my desk for over a week!

Luckily on the way back from Edinburgh we called at a craft shop and I couldn't resist buying some Clarity Stamps.  Barbara Grey is one of my favourite crafters - I hope I've done her stamps justice.

Materials used:
White linen cardstock to make a 5.3/4" square card
Clarity Stamps
Distress inks
Triple embossing powder

This is the back of my card - I thought the images were too good to waste, what a nice finishing touch it makes!

Inside the card I used two more of the images and a PC generated message.

The main image is stamped in black ink and coloured with distress inks.  Triple embossing brought the image to life!  This is a technique I really enjoy - the colours just zing and the gloss enhances the picture.  I left the card plain apart from 2 sets of double lines done on a scoreboard - the sentiment is a black peel-off.

I'm going to entry this card in a challenge from ???? when I remember where I saw "what's your favourite technique" challenge.