Monday, August 31, 2020

Video- See Through Cards With Acetate and Frosted Binding Cover


I recently saw a gorgeous see through card by Karen Aiken and I was totally inspired to try some acetate cards. I also found some frosted binding cover and created cards with that and shared them all in my new video here. Because these cards are see through, they are difficult to photograph, but are very lovely IRL as you can see better in the video. 


This is the first acetate card I made after being inspired by Karen's card. I started with a piece of thick acetate scored to create an A2 card. I die cut a Gina Marie Designs background floral die and embossed it with a Stampin' up embossing folder. I cut three crosshatch rectangles with a die from Karen Burniston and attached one to the front with a "With Sympathy" sentiment cut with a beautiful new die from Karen Burniston. The other two rectangles were attached in the same position as the front one for a message and to cover up the adhesive. 

I found that working with frosting binding cover which is still see through, but easier to open to see the inside as I show in the video.
I cut a piece of frosted binding cover 11 x 4 1/4" and scored it in half to form an A2 card. I die cut and attached Altenew's Layered Floral Cover Die A with Sticky Specks. I also die cut 3 crosshatch rectangles with a Karen Burniston die and attached one to the front. As on the first card, I brushed on grey ink to the new KB "with sympathy" die and attached. 

Once again it is hard to photo, but the other two crosshatch rectangles were attached to the inside of the card and the back to cover the adhesive. On the video, you can see how beautiful each of these cards are. 

I also show in the video how I made this card. I found that scored acetate does not open and close as easily as I would like so I created this card with two separate pieces of acetate held together with a center piece of cardstock. I die cut 4 large butterflies with a die from Stampendous and brushed on blue ink through a Brutus Monroe stencil on two of them. The beautiful sentiment is a stamp from Dina Kowal. I also attached an acetate butterfly from Art Acetate by Stamp On It to the front of the see through card. 

Each of the four die cut butterflies are attached in the same place and the adhesive is covered up with another butterfly. 

I am loving how each of these see through cards turned out and show these and many others in the new video. 

I am entering the third card in the Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Friday, August 28, 2020

Celebrating with New Dies



Playing with new dies and cardmaking products makes me happy and that is needed these days. I am loving the rainbows of color created when using Tonic Studios iridescent mirror card and they look even more beautiful when embossed. Some backgrounds cut a pattern into the cardstock rather than cut a shape and that is the case with the new Hero Arts background die I used on this card. I also added some twisted crepe banners cut with a new die from The Greetery and added a cheerful "celebrate" cut with a die from Karen Burniston.

I am entering this card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Three More Stenciled Slimline Cards From My Newest Video


Another fun and easy stencil idea that I share in this card for my newest video is to double stencil. I created the balloon with a stencil from My Favorite Things and then stenciled the fun Boho Glam pattern with a 6  x 9 stencil from A Colorful Life Designs. As I have been sharing all week, the 6 x 9 stencils are a perfect size to use with slimline cards because they are big enough for the card front without trying to continue the pattern by moving and lining up the stencil again. But of course they are also perfect for a smaller area such as in the balloon stencil with a darker peach ink on this card. I repeated that idea on the inside of the card: 


Most of the sentiment dies on the front and inside of this card are from Karen Burniston. The happy "balloon string" on the front is from Poppystamps and the balloons on the inside were cut with a die from Die-namics. 



I am loving the new Iridescent Mirror Card from Tonic Studios because of the gorgeous rainbow of color it creates in light! I stenciled black Staz-on ink through a stencil from A Colorful Life Designs called 50 Shades and die cut the card front with a slimline die from Gina Marie Designs. Hello is a die from Tonic Studios and "beautiful" was cut with a new die from The Greetery. I also created this slimline easel card with 4 shades of Iridescent Mirror Card from Tonic Studios:


Another technique you can do with stencils is to emboss with them as I did on this card front after attaching the 4 colors of iridescent mirror card together and cutting the piece with slimline border dies from Pinkfresh Studios. Thank You is a die from Karen Burniston and the stamped sentiment on the popped up strip holding the easel up is from Repeat Impressions. 

I had so much fun creating the eight stenciled slimline cards I share in the new video and hope my cards have inspired you to try some yourself! 

I am entering the 2nd card in the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Stenciled Slimline Halloween and Fall Cards From My Newest Video


It's time to start making our fall and Halloween cards and I created this tri-window shaker card with a 6 x 9 branches stencil from A Colorful Life Designs and a slimline die from Whimsy Stamps for my newest video here. I stenciled with black ink on a piece of kraft cardstock and then cut the die, placing the cut out stitched shapes back inside each of the three openings. I added acetate to the center window and used a fun "Going Batty" mix from Kat Scrappiness for shaker elements. The Halloween dies are from Impression Obsession, Karen Burniston and Tonic Studios. 



Another fun technique to do with 6 x 9 stencils from A Colorful Life Designs is to apply Therm O Web Transfer Gel Duo through a fun stencil and when it has dried, apply foil and run the piece through either a die cutting machine or laminator. The Duo Gel does not need heat to attach the foil! I used scraps of orange, red and gold foil then die cut and punched out many leaves for this fall themed card. "Blessings" was cut with a die from Tonic Studios and the layered stitched slimline dies are from Kat Scrappiness and Pink Fresh Studios. I think the stitching makes the layers so much more interesting and note even the vellum for the strip of leaves is stitched. 

I had so much fun creating stenciled slimline cards for my newest video, I didn't stop until I had eight unique cards, so be sure to watch the video here and come back Thursday for three more new cards.

I am entering the first cute spooky card in the Oh So Cute! challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Video - Eight Unique Ways to Use Stencils on Slimline Cards

I love to create slimline cards and I also love using stencils on my cards and in my newest video, I combine those two loves and show many stenciled slimline cards I created. All of the cards in the video feature 6 x 9 stencils from A Colorful Life Designs as they are a perfect size for slimline cards and there is a huge selection to choose from. 


In the video, I show how I made this slimline bridge card with a floating sentiment. I was inspired by a card I saw on Facebook but don't have a link or a tutorial to link to here to credit it. I was able to figure out easily how to make the card as I show in the video. All the dandelion dies shown are part of a beautiful set of dies from Dies....To Die For. The sentiment was attached to acetate which stretches across the bridge so the words appear to be floating in air. The double stenciling on the back of the card was created with a stencil from A Colorful Life Designs called Flowing Drops.

This stenciled slimline card is perfect for a teen with its bright colors and iphone die (also from Dies...To Die For.) One of my favorite techniques with stencils currently is Rina K's reverse stencil technique and I used bright inks and a stencil from A Colorful Life Designs called Texture to create this card. The stitched slimline die is from Kat Scrappiness. 

This is another of my favorites from the eight stenciled slimline cards I created for this video. The Swirl Grid stencil from A Colorful Life Designs was lightly brushed across the card front and also on the large fern die from Bright Rosa. That same die set cuts the fern shaped border on the side. 

I added some stenciled leaves and a beautiful sentiment die cut with a new "Beautiful Day" die from The Greetery on the inside of the card.

I had so much fun creating stenciled slimline cards with new 6 x 9 stencils from A Colorful Life Designs for this video I didn't stop until I had eight new cards! I show them all in the new video here and hope you will click to visit my YouTube channel and watch the new video there.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

More Bitty Ball Pop-Up Animals From My Newest Video


Here is the front of another Karen Burniston Double Bitty Ball Pop Up card from my newest video with cute giraffe from the new Wild Animals die set and a question that will be answered when the belly band is slid off to reveal: 


 I created this cute giraffe with two of the new bitty balls and a bottom piece so the giraffe is taller looking. I embossed the body with a Design Objectives embossing folder and stenciled on some spots with a Concord & 9th stencil. I think it I were going to make this giraffe again, I would add the embossing and spots to the extra pieces of the body to strengthen the giraffe. Here is the punch line of the joke which I think my grandson will love:


The new Bitty Ball and Animal Add-on dies from Karen Burniston make these cards so easy and fun to make. But of course you can make these cards with other punches and dies as I show here: 

 Isn't this puppy adorable? I created his features with a template I purchased from Lynn Pratt here. I had made one similar for a video I did earlier with Karen's Surprise Ball Pop-up dies but decided to make a new card with the smaller size Bitty Ball which is so much easier to fit into a card and then into an envelope. I used a new Paw-some stencil from CAS-ual Fridays to create the front of this card:



The alphabet dies for this message and the front are from Karen Burniston and Woof is a Kat Scrappiness die. I had so much fun creating a zoo full of animals with the new dies for my new video and hope my cards inspire you to give some a try! 

Monday, August 17, 2020

Video - Two Times The Bitty Ball Fun With Karen Burniston's Animal Dies

I had so much fun creating animals with Karen Burniston's new Bitty Ball and Animal Add-on dies that I created a whole zoo full for my newest video here. My favorite of the animals I created is the elephant that I show how to make in the video- isn't he adorable? 
 I show in the video how easy it is to create the super cute pop up elephant and also how I created the card to mail him in. When the recipient opens the card, this adorable elephant pops up to surprise and delight him or her! I made the elephant with the new Karen Burniston Bitty Ball Pop-Up Die Set which is just a little smaller than the Surprise Ball Pop-Up, and the new Animal Add-ons.

On the front of the elephant card I used the new Fronds Pattern Plate and Go Wild sentiment as well as Karen's Crosshatch Rectangle dies. 

Here is another of the Bitty Ball animal cards I created for this new video:
The front is cute with a little hippo from the new Wild Animals set on Karen's Crosshatch Oval with a "Hip Hippo Hooray" using an Impression Obsession die on some embossed shiny Tonic Studios iridescent mirror card. But just wait until the card is opened:





 A super cute messy hippopotamus pops up with a corny hippo joke to make the recipient laugh out loud. These cards are even better when you see the pop up movement when the card is opened as you can see in the new video here. 

I show many more animals made with the new Bitty Ball Pop-up die in the video, so I hope you will check it out here. 

Saturday, August 15, 2020

New Dies, New Card Size and Just a Tinge of Color

I just found a new die company called "Dies... to Die For" which is perfect for die cut addicts like me. I have been looking for a dandelion die for a long time and found this set which I will use often for many types of cards. I needed to make an A6 sized sympathy card which is a size I had not made before. This card is 6 1/4" tall by 4 1/2" wide (when folded.) I love the look of white on white, but I did add just a tinge of green color to the Memory Box foliage die cut and a little grey on the Crafter's Companion sentiment. The frame was cut with a Hero Arts frame die and raised. I finished the card with some of my favorite clear gems from Gina Marie Designs.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

More Slimline Cards with Pop Up Dies From Karen Burniston And My Newest Video

I am loving the new iridescent colors of mirror card from Tonic Studios and how they shimmer like rainbows! I created the letters and streamers on the front of this card with 5 different colors. But as always when I make cards with Karen Burniston pop up dies, the real magic happens when the card is opened as I show in my newest video:
One of the new pop-up dies in the newest release is this Purse Pop-Up which easily creates this sweet little pop up purse. I created a side flap for a gift card or cash gift for the birthday girl. But this die can also be made into a suitcase or even a toolbox or medical bag so it is not just for birthday girls. 


I created the front of this slimline Christmas card with more of the Tonic Studios Iridescent Mirror Card. A magnet and cord holds the card closed, but when opened, look what pops up:

The pop up ornament was created with the new Bitty Ball Pop-Up Die from Karen Burniston. This Bitty Ball is a slightly smaller version of the hugely popular Surprise Ball Pop-Up and wait until you see all the animals that can be created with this die and Karen's Animal Add-On die sets (video with lots of super cute animals coming very shortly:) 

I shared this Halloween slimline card in the new video too with a simple card front. But of course you know what to expect when opened: 
More pop up surprises, this time created with Karen Burniston's new Flip Frame Pop-Up die set. I was inspired by a slimline double frame pop up card by Frances Byrne here. The witch's skirt die is from Cheery Lynn Designs, the "best witches" is a die from Tonic Studios and the rest are dies from Karen Burniston.

These pop up  cards are so much more fun when you see the pop up motion, so be sure to watch my newest video here for all the pop up fun. 

I am entering the first card in the Favorite Tools challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. My favorite tool is my Vagabond die cutting machine. 

Monday, August 10, 2020

Video - How To Make Slimline Cards with Surprise Pop-Ups Inside

I love to make interactive pop up cards especially with pop up dies from Karen Burniston! And my favorite style of cards right now is slimline, so I decided to combine those two ideas in all the cards I am sharing in my newest video.

I am starting to make my fall and Halloween cards and this is the front of the slimline card that is like the one I demo in the video featuring the brand new Pop n' Swap Die from Karen Burniston. To really see the movement when the card is opened, you are going to want to watch the video. But here is a couple still pictures showing the fun inside of this card: 



The ghost slides under and the Boo piece pops out! As I show in the video, the new Pop n Swap die is so easy to use to create this fun peek a boo look! Here is another card I made with this fun new die set from Karen Burniston:

I started with a 4 x 9 slimline card and cut off the top of the card front just like I did in the other card. The sign says: "there's GNOME one like you" and is a stamp from Lawn Fawn. The cloud stencil is from A Colorful Life Designs and the Lil' Gnome and mushroom stencil are from Simon Says Stamp. But as always with cards created with Karen Burniston's pop up dies, the real magic happens when the card is opened: 


The cute gnome (also a die from Karen Burniston) pops out of the bottom as the top hides behind the center piece. The sentiment die is from Sue Wilson. 

To see many more cards created with dies from the new Karen Burniston release, watch the new video here.

I am entering the first card in the Favorite Tools challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. My favorite tool is my Vagabond die cutting machine.