Faux Leather Guy's Card on Crackerbox Palace Friday

It's Crackerbox Palace Friday and today I am sharing a card I made with Crackerbox Palace’s awesome stamps and a favorite new technique called Faux Leather. Here is a link to the video where I learned how to do it. Following Sheena’s instructions, I started with a thick piece of kraft cardstock, spritzed with glycerin and water mixed, wrinkled up and repeated several times. Then I did direct to paper with Ranger’s Vintage Photo Distress Ink and embossed with a Darice embossing folder while still wet. I dried it with a heat gun and sponged on Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink. Then I stamped with Crackerbox Palace’s beautiful horse, “dream” and Bear Paw. This technique and CBP’s stamps makes a great guy’s card.  

**As a present to you from Crackerbox Palace, all the CBP stamps  on these cards will be 20% OFF for one week! What a deal!**

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Simon Says Stamp and 613 Avenue Create.

Playing with new DP

If you follow my blog, you know I do not incorporate designer paper in my cards very often. I like it and have a bunch, but rarely use it when making cards. I did order a sample pack of all the new dps at Stampin' Up and I decided to use them for a sketch challenge at my local stamp club. I cut strips of all the colors of the words dp in the new SU catalog and then cut a pop up flower out of some of the floral dp with a new die from Spellbinders I found at a rummage sale. I added some colored gems and "love" cut out with a die from Kaisercraft. The white background seemed too plain, so I sprinkled on a few gold splots with a small paintbrush and some Heidi Swapp gold spray.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Simon Says Stamp and Through the Craft Room Door.

Anything Goes at Repeat Impressions!

When there are 5 Wednesdays in a month, the fifth What If? Wednesday challenge at Repeat Impression's blog is Anything Goes! So you could enter any card or project in our challenge for a chance to win awesome RI Rubber! I have been experimenting with the Mixed Media look in my cards and this is what I came up with for this challenge. I started with a piece of watercolor paper that I embossed Repeat Impression's fireworks stamps on with clear embossing powder as a resist. Then I sprinkled on aqua, orange and ostwalt blue Brusho Coloured Crystals and spritzed with Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist for a colorful sparkly background. I stamped randomly with a script stamp from Repeat Impressions and splattered on some black dots made with black Bister powders and water. I stamped a couple RI butterflies on another Brusho piece, cut out and attached with mounting tape to raise. I added a couple pearls on each butterfly.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Love to Scrap! and Crafting From the Heart.

Don't forget you can get 10% off any size order at Repeat Impressions by making a note of my discount code and clicking on the picture on the side of my blog!

Playing with Brushos and Bleach and Cheery Lynn

I love this new die from Cheery Lynn - he just makes me happy! I cut him out twice and inlaid the white pieces back in the black elephant so the words really stand out. I added some white lacquer to his toes and eye so they really stand out too. The background was created with my favorite color of Brusho Coloured Crystals, Ostwalt Blue, which is a cool combo of purple and blue. I dripped some bleach on the Brusho piece and when it dried, it had taken a bit too much of the color off, so I added some turquoise Brushos back on in the white spots, and spritzed. Then I liked the background and used it for this fun Happy Elephant Birthday card.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Cheery Lynn Designs and the Anything Inky challenge at Love to Create.

Project of the Week - Piano Card with MISTI

It is my turn to share a Project of the Week at Repeat Impression's blog and I am sharing a piano card I made with Repeat Impression's stamps and a great new stamping tool I recently purchased. Over the years I have admired and pinned many piano cards but when I went to try to CASE them, there were no instructions. So I recently made this one and will share all the dimensions and details so you can make your own if you wish. I decided on the measurements of this larger card after creating the keyboard section with black and white keys to look like a piano. The nine white keys are 1/2" by 2 1/4". The six black keys are 1/2" by 1 1/2". The black card base is 9 3/4" wide by 7" tall and folded in half. I hand drew a template on cardboard to look like the top of a grand piano and my template looks like this:

I traced the template on the back of the black card base front and cut it out. I attached the white keys with just a little black showing in between each one and then attached the black keys with mounting tape to raise them. I stamped the "For Someone Special" sentiment on a 3/4" x 5" piece and attached it just above the keys, then trimmed. I added a few black gems to complete the front.

The inside of the card features Repeat Impression's large musical background stamp on a white piece of cardstock which is 4 1/2" by 6 1/2". When stamping a large background stamp that needs to be placed perfectly on the card stock, I highly recommend a new tool I recently purchased called MISTI (Most Incredible Stamp Tool Invented.) It was designed by and is available on line at My Sweet Petunia.  I just got mine and find myself reaching for it very often to help getting a perfect stamped image every time- and if you don't, you can stamp it again and again in the exact same position. How many times have you almost completed a card and then you go to add one more stamped image or sentiment and it doesn't stamp well and the card is ruined or it has be salvaged some way? If you were using a MISTI, that would not happen. Here are some pictures I took showing the MISTI tool with the musical background large stamp lined up and then stamped repeatedly if need be:

(I "index" my Repeat Impressions stamps with black Stazon when I mount them on cushion and in this case, I drew the arrow to help me remember which side is up on the musical notes background.) I stamped the musical notes background several times using the MISTI and it turned out perfect.

I love how this card turned out and will be sharing it with my in home classes in the next month. I hope the tutorial I shared helps if you want to make one yourself.

Believe Mixed Media Christmas Card

This mixed media card is one of three cards I am teaching in August to my students in my home class. I started with two pieces of watercolor paper, sprinkled on Ostwalt Blue and Purple Brushos and Violet Color Burst and spritzed with Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Spray. IRL the background is very sparkly. On the smaller piece (after it dried) I applied Gold Metallic Creative Media from Imagine Crafts through a poinsettia brass stencil from Dreamweaver and let it dry. On the larger piece, I stamped a Hero Arts Merry Music background stamp randomly. Then I put some Rose 3D stamp paint from Viva on my craft mat and created circles with that and various sizes of bottle caps and covers. I mixed black distress ink from Ranger with Heidi Swapp gold spray on my kraft mat, picked it up and spattered it on the background with an old small paint brush. I attached the smaller panel to the larger one, and added a "believe" die cut from Tim Holtz for Sizzix and some pearls.

I am entering this card in the Sparkle and Shine challenge at Simon Says Stamp and the Anything Goes challenges at Brown Sugar and Crafting with Friends.

Christmas in July at Send a Smile 4 Kids

It’s Saturday and time for another fun challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids! This time our challenge is Christmas in July 4 Kids!  Create and link any holiday card for a child, and you could win one of our great prizes.

We have three very generous sponsors for this challenge: Dollar Graphics Depot is giving their winner a $15 gift certificate!  A Day for Daisies is giving their randomly picked winner a $12 gift certificate!  And Fred She Said’s winner gets a $10 gift certificate! TEAM S.A.S will also be choosing their favorite cards for our top three and the winners will receive a blog badge and an opportunity to be a guest design team member on a future challenge.

My first card above features a sweet Kitty for Christmas digital stamp from A Day for Daisies. I started the card by folding down the right corner of the green card base front at 3 3/4" down on the right and top of the card. Then I embossed the whole card with a Christmas words embossing folder from Cuttlebug. I attached a piece of white cardstock to the inside of the card. I printed ADFD's sweet Christmas Kitty on grey cardstock, on green polka-dotted and on red patterned paper. I paper pieced the stocking and ribbon onto the grey kitty. I used my scor-bug, my scor-buddy and a thin black marker to create a stitched look border and attached the kitty to the stitched square. I layered onto a red square and then onto a green square to frame the kitty square. 

My second Christmas card features a colored digital file from Dollar Graphics Depot called Beary Merry Christmas. I simply printed the sweet teddy bear in his stocking on white cardstock and cut it out with a rectangle stitched die. I printed the sentiment from the same set and cut it out with an oval stitched die. I sponged the edges of the oval with red ink and attached to the card.

I am entering these cards in the Anything Goes challenges at 613 Avenue Create and Aud Sentiments.

Repeat Impressions New Flip Die Sets Blog Hop

Are you ready for some Flip'n Fun?!? I am soooo excited to share with you that Repeat Impressions has released two new Flip Die Sets that coordinate with the Flip Stamp Sets they are so famous for! Now it will be easier than ever to cut all the pieces you need to make a fabulous unique flip (or waterfall) card! The Rock Stars on the Repeat Impression's design team are hosting a blog hop so you can see a bunch of cards we have designed using the two new die sets. I am featuring the scalloped edge die set (called Flip Fancy Die Set) and there is a fabulous Flip Stitch Die set too. Both of the new die sets can be found here on the Repeat Impressions website. Pair these die sets up with the flip spines from Repeat Impressions and one (or more) of the flip stamp sets and you have a fabulous interactive card that anyone would love to receive. 

Would you like to win one of the new flip die sets? Of course you would! It is so easy to qualify to win one of the die sets. There will be two winners. All you need to do is comment on at least one of our blogs. One comment on my blog or any of the blogs earns you one chance to win. If you visit and comment on all the blogs as well as the RI blog, you will get NINE chances to win! You must complete your comments by 5 p.m. Sunday July 26th and the winners will be announced Monday July 27th on the RI blog and Facebook page.

Here is the list of the blogs on the blog hop:

Kathy... https://craftynurse4u.wordpress.com/ 

Cheri... http://stampnboomer.blogspot.com 
Patti... http://cherisheachpreciousday.blogspot.com/ 
Deonna... http://ialwayslovetomakecards.blogspot.com/ 
Heather... http://www.wirewrapture.blogspot.com 
Melissa... http://www.inkclinations.blogspot.com 
Karen... http://karenskreativekards.blogspot.com  (you are here)
Joy... http://www.piecesofjoyhadden.blogspot.com/ 
RI blog... http://www.thehousethatstampsbuilt.com 

I used Repeat Impression's Daily Red flip stamp set to make my first flip card featuring the new Fancy scalloped edge die set. The die set cuts the three layers of each square as well as the piece that goes across the front of the card. I always use Repeat Impression's pre-cut and scored paper flip spines. But you can make your own by following Wendy's instructions here.  I think any of my wine loving friends would love this card!

Of course I was having way too much fun with my new flip dies to stop at one card! I decided on this card to use just one of the scalloped squares in the flip pieces and did some embossing of the card base and scalloped yellow piece that holds the flip spine and pieces in place. I folded a yellow square made with the smaller scalloped square die in half and inserted an eyelet to hold the pull ribbon for this flip card.The Happy Bird-day flip set from Repeat Impressions is one of my favorites.

On the inside of this card I am giving you a sneak peak into one of 4 new sets of stamps coming very soon from Repeat Impressions. I love love love these stamp sets and we will be debuting them in the near future.

Now go and see all the awesome flip cards and comment as much as you can to maybe win one of these awesome die sets!

Sketch Challenge at Repeat Impressions

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's time for another fun sketch challenge at The House that Stamps Built and we are challenging you to make a card using the sketch below and link it up for a chance at some great Repeat Impressions rubber! For all the details on what you can win and to see the other Rock Stars cards using this sketch, please visit our blog.

I love the color combo of yellow, black and white and decided to feature RI’s cute bees and perfect bee sentiments on square and circle pieces I cut out with stitched dies. I simply stamped and colored the bees and layered on a cardbase of yellow with a black half.  CAS and fun – think I will donate this one to my kids at Send a Smile 4 Kids.

Here is the sketch for you to follow when you create a card for our challenge. You do not need to use Repeat Impressions stamps to enter our challenges, but you get an extra chance to win if you do!

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Through the Craft Room Door and Craft Your Passion.

**Don’t Forget: for a 10% discount on any size order at Repeat Impressions, make a note of my discount code (rr10kh), click on the blog badge on the side of my blog and go to the website here to shop and save!**

Christmas in July Card

Never too early to start holiday cards so we are not stressed when they need to be done, right? I made this CAS embossed card recently and like how it turned out. I punched some hexagon shapes with a new punch from Fiskars and attached them to a white A2 cardbase before embossing with a pretty new embossing folder from Sizzix. Then I simply added a diecut "believe" from a holiday words set by Tim Holtz for Sizzix.

I am entering this card in the Christmas in July challenge at My Time to Craft and the Anything Goes challenge at Simply Papercraft.

Masked Friend Card

I am in the middle of a very busy few weeks here so that is why you are not seeing a new card every day here on my blog. Having lots of fun but it will be nice too when it is not so busy and my travels are done. I decided to sneak the time to post a card for the masking challenge at Love Love Cards this month. I masked the front of this card leaving only the strip on the left exposed, then stamped and sponged the strip with peach distress ink. I removed the mask and stamped the beautiful sentiment from Rubbernecker. (The floral swirl stamp is from Rubbernecker too.) I punched a couple butterflies out of a Brusho Goosebumps piece and added a trail of gems before attaching to a black cardbase.

I am also entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at 613 Avenue Create.

Zentangled Coffee Card on Crackerbox Palace Friday

It's Crackerbox Palace Friday and today I am sharing a card I made with Crackerbox Palace’s awesome stamps and a couple new ideas I wanted to try: flipping a stamp and Zentangling. I had read on line how to flip a stamp by using a clear stamp that was larger than the one you want to flip. Apply the larger stamp to an acrylic block with the image side down so the top is flat. Stamp your desired image on the clear stamp back with an ink like Stazon or an archival black ink, and then onto your paper. I tried this with the coffee pot from Crackerbox Palace, but was unable to get a clear image. The stamp I was trying to flip was a rubber stamp mounted on mounting cushion. So I tried stamping on an extra piece of mounting cushion and then onto paper, and I had a flipped coffee pot image. Here is a picture of what I am talking about:  

After stamping both coffee pots and the coffee cup, I drew lines dividing the open areas in the stamped images and doodled Zentangle patterns in each area with a fine line marker (I like .01 Micron.) Free Zentangle patterns are all over the internet and Pinterest land. It is easy and relaxing, although time consuming. I cut the pieces out, mounted onto a black card base. I completed the card with a perfect sentiment over a coffee stain stamp and some pearls.

**As a present to you from Crackerbox Palace, all the CBP stamps  on these cards will be 20% OFF for one week! What a deal!**

Photo Inspiration Challenge at Repeat Impressions

On the third Wednesday of every month at Repeat Impression’s blog, The House that Stamps Built, the challenge is going to be an Inspiration Photo challenge. The Rock Stars vote on their favorite photo each month for our inspiration and this month there was a tie. Here are the two photos you can use for your inspiration when you make a card for this challenge:

Will you be inspired by the colors or the objects or shapes in the photos? It is up to you to pick out what inspires you and make a card, then enter it for a chance to win some great Repeat Impressions rubber. Be sure to check out the RI blog for the inspiration based cards by the other Rock Stars. I have seen them and you do not want to miss them!

I love RI’s hot air balloons and it would have been easy to make a patriotic card with them. But I decided to challenge myself and use the fancy fingernails photo for my inspiration. I started with a fingernail polish cutting file from The Cutting Café. I cut red stripes in different widths and applied them for a flag look. I stamped Repeat Impression’s stars with Versamark on the blue fingernail polish cover and heat embossed them with a sparkly white embossing powder. I stamped “Goddess in Training” and cut it out with a star die cut.

 I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Crafting from the Heart and Through the Craft Room Door. 

In Loving Memory Card

I recently used some NBUS stamps to make a sympathy card - something we all need to have on hand unfortunately. I stamped the gorgeous scene (stamp from Local King Rubber Stamp) on watercolor paper, sprinkled on some blue and green Brusho Crystal Colours and spritzed with water. I created a stitched oval frame with a die from My Creative Time and stamped the lovely sentiment from Rubbernecker.

 I am entering this card in the all about stamping challenge at Virginia's View and the Anything Goes challenge at Lil Patch of Crafty Friends.

Celebrate Ombre Card

I have seen this sketch idea all over Pinterest land and at a local stamp shop and decided to make one using shades of green distress ink. I taped off the edges of the top piece with some temporary tape and started sponging with the lightest green on the bottom, then medium and then dark. I cut the sections apart with a die from Spellbinders, then stamped the sentiments from Stamplorations. I attached the three pieces with mounting tape to raise above the white card base, and added some leaf gems.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at 613 Avenue Create and Crafty Friends, and the masking challenge at Live Love Cards.

July/August Issue of Through the Craftroom Door Available Now!

The new July/August 2015 issue of Through The Craft Room Door magazine is available for your viewing pleasure in the "Subscribers Only Area" of the TTCRD website.  It is loaded with over 180 pages of paper craft tutorials, tons of inspiration and projects you can create.  Plus free digis, and two articles by me – one comparing Bisters, Brusho and Color Burst powders and one about Send a Smile 4 Kids. Come check it out! If you do not currently subscribe to the magazine you will need to go to the top of the page and click on the Subscription/Renewals tab. I highly recommend everyone get a subscription to this great on line magazine!

In my article comparing the three colored powders, I included sample cards featuring each of the colored crystals. The card above is one of the cards shown in the article. It features Brusho Coloured Crystals and some beautiful stamps by Designs by Ryn.

I am entering this card in the July Customer Creation Challenge at Designs by Ryn and the Anything Goes challenge at Simply Papercraft.

Bright Colors 4 Kids at SAS4Kids

It’s Saturday and time for another fun challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids! This time our challenge is Bright Colors 4 Kids!  Create and link any brightly colored card for a child, and you could win one of our great prizes.

We have three very generous sponsors for this challenge: The Cutting Café is giving their winner 3 sets of digis or cutting files of their choice!  Sassy Studios is giving their randomly picked winner 4 digis!  And Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet’s winner gets a $10 gift certificate! TEAM S.A.S will also be choosing their favorite cards for our top three and the winners will receive a blog badge and an opportunity to be a guest design team member on a future challenge.

My first card above features a Cartoon Dog Playing Football from Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet. I live in Wisconsin and two of our children's hospitals are in Wisconsin so of course the bright colors I chose for my football dog were green and gold for our Packers. I printed the Packer pup on kraft paper and also on green and paper pieced his shirt and shoes. I printed the helmet on gold paper and added a couple personalized G stamps for our Green Bay Packers. I added a couple sticker GO's and attached all to a bright green patterned card base.

My second card was made with a Sailboat cutting file from The Cutting Cafe'. I cut out the base in kraft and the sails, flag and boat shape in brightly colored papers. I added a bright sentiment strip with a perfect sentiment from Joy's Life.

I am entering the first card in the sports challenge at Crafts 4 Eternity, the challenge at Aud Sentiments for animals with a sentiment, and the furry friends challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Sunshine and Flip Flops for a DCC Challenge

It’s another Designer’s Choice Challenge at The House that Stamps Built, Repeat Impression’s blog. It is Patti’s turn and she is challenging the team and you to create a card with white and one other color.  Why don’t you join us in this challenge and enter your project for a chance to win some awesome Repeat Impressions rubber? Please visit the blog for all the details and to see the other Rock Star's projects for this DCC challenge. I have seen them and you do not want to miss them!

I decided to use yellow as my one other color for this sunny bright card. I stenciled a little sunshine in the background. Then I simply stamped the sunny quartet with yellow ink, cut out and attached. I love flip flops and sunshine- who doesn’t?

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at TTCRD and 613 Avenue Create.

And don’t forget: For a 10% discount on any size order at Repeat Impressions, just make a note of my discount code (rr10kh), click on the blog badge on the side of my blog and go to the website here to shop and save!

Faux Leather Sympathy Card

I learned a new technique (to me) on how to make faux leather for cards and projects by watching this video by Sheena here.  She was making faux leather book covers out of kraft paper and it is really amazing IRL how much this paper looks and feels like leather. I suggest you check her video out if you want to learn how to do it, You need thick kraft paper (I used Stampin' Up), glycerin (found at drugstores) and distress inks. When the paper was still wet, I embossed it with an embossing folder from Cuttlebug. After it was dry, I sponged on Vintage Photo and a bit of Spiced Marmalade distress Ink. In yesterday's post, I shared a card I made with the negative of the feather die and today I am using the feather itself. I sponged the edges of the feather (die by QuicKutz, colors created with Brushos), and attached. I added a die cut "With Sympathy" from Cottage Cutz.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at Catch the Bug and Lil Patch of Crafty Friends.

Live Well Laugh Often Love Much

The sentiment on this card is one of my favorites of all time. I decided to frame the sentiment (stamp by Northwoods) with a feather opening created with a QuicKutz die. To see what I did with the feather I cut out, come back tomorrow. I started with a piece of watercolor paper that I sprinkled on sandstone and olive green Brusho Colour Crystals and spritzed with a gold spray from Heidi Swapp. Then I stamped the leaves from Designs by Ryn in black ink. I die cut the feather opening and stamped the "Live Well" in the feather frame. I added a couple gems to complete the card.

I am entering this card in the "Take a Stamp" challenge at Craft Stamper Magazine and the Anything Goes challenge at 613 Avenue Create.

Dotted Timeless Mixed Media Card

I am having more fun with new stencils and the mixed media look on my cards. The theme this week at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Going Dotty and this card certainly qualifies. I started with a piece of watercolor paper that I sprinkled on grey and orange Brusho Coloured Crystals and spritzed with a gold spray from Heidi Swapp. After it was dry, I applied blue 3D Stamp-Paint from Viva through a new stencil from Stencil Girl. Then I sponged black distress ink through a couple of other dotted stencils from The Crafter's Workshop. I die cut a scribble circle (from Papertrey) out of two sided tape from Sookang and removed the top cover and applied Cosmic Shimmer gilding flakes. I layered the scribble circle onto a black circle to complete my dotty card.

I am also entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simply Papercraft.

Bokeh Going Dotty Thank You Card

One of my favorite ways of going dotty on my cards is to create a colorful Brusho background on watercolor paper, then sponge white pigment ink through a stencil of different sized circles for a Bokeh look. After the pigment ink was dry, I stamped Designs By Ryn's water droplets all over the piece and highlighted them with white enamel accents. I layered the piece on a navy blue card and added a die cut "thank you" circle from Impression Obsession.

I am entering this card in the "Going Dotty" challenge at Simon Says Stamp and the July challenge at Designs by Ryn. I am also entering the card into the Take It Make It challenge for July at Craft Stamper Magazine.

Happy 4th of July Fireworks Card

I recently purchased Tim Holtz's flag die on sale and had to try it one time at least before our nation's birthday passed by. I created a background using red, blue and yellow Color Burst to look like fireworks. Then I simply die cut the flag and "forever" (also by Tim Holtz for Sizzix.) I added a punched star and layered it all on a blue card base. To my USA blogger friends- hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

I am entering this card in the Bright Colors challenge at Sweet Stamps and the Anything Goes challenge at Die Cuttin' Divas.

Red, White & Blue for Repeat Impression's Color Challenge

The first Wednesday of each month at Repeat Impression’s blog, The House that Stamps Built, is going to be a color challenge. We give you the color inspiration, and you can make a card using those colors to possibly win a great prize of Repeat Impressions rubber! Here is the color palette chosen this month:

Awesome colors for this holiday week, right? I decided that the Pinwheel Positive stamp would be perfect for this color combo and I used Versamark ink and glittery red and blue embossing powder on the pinwheel panels. I layered them on a red square card and completed the CAS card with a perfect sentiment stamped in white pigment ink.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenges at 613 Avenue Create and Through the Craft Room Door.