March Class Cards - How to Add Foil Without any Machines AND TWO GIVEAWAYS!

The theme of my March classes at Harts n Scraps in Rothschild, WI was how to use foil without a laminator or MINC and we had fun making the following cards:

Many thanks to A Colorful Life Designs for the donated layered camo stencil and Therm O Web for the donated Duo Gel! 

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN WIN A PRESENT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS! #1 WATCH THIS VIDEO AND COMMENT PER INSTRUCTIONS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TWO SPELLBINDERS PRESS PLATES AND SEVERAL HANDMADE CARDS.    

#2 COMMENT ON THIS POST ON MY INSTAGRAM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A BEAUTIFUL FOIL PLATE FROM PINKFRESH STUDIOS AND SEVERAL ON MY CARDS. 

FOR BOTH GIVEAWAYS YOU WILL NEED A USA MAILING ADDRESS AND TO  COMMENT PER INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE 4/1/24. I WILL NOTIFY THE WINNERS BY REPLYING TO THEIR COMMENTS SO BE SURE TO CHECK BACK. 

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

Windmill and Corn Scenery Cards from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps & A BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!

I have the great honor of being a guest designer this month for Blue Knight Rubber Stamps and this week we are all featuring the new Windmill and Corn. Scenery stamps work great on beautiful designer paper like the ones on both cards also from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps. Here is another view of this tri-fold card:

The windmill in this set can be made to turn as with the wind by attaching it with a brad on a spacer. Here is another picture showing the windmill spun to the right:

The sentiment strips in both cards are from an amazing set from Blue Rubber Knight Stamps called "Did You Know." 

I want to thank Blue Knight Rubber Stamps for letting me play with their wonderful stamps this month and join  the design team as a guest designer. 

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

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN WIN A PRESENT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS! #1 WATCH THIS VIDEO AND COMMENT PER INSTRUCTIONS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TWO SPELLBINDERS PRESS PLATES AND SEVERAL HANDMADE CARDS.    

#2 COMMENT ON THIS POST ON MY INSTAGRAM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A BEAUTIFUL FOIL PLATE FROM PINKFRESH STUDIOS AND SEVERAL ON MY CARDS. 

FOR BOTH GIVEAWAYS YOU WILL NEED A USA MAILING ADDRESS AND TO  COMMENT PER INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE 4/1/24. I WILL NOTIFY THE WINNERS BY REPLYING TO THEIR COMMENTS SO BE SURE TO CHECK BACK. 

So Many Crafty Companies Jumping On the Press Plate Bandwagon!

In my new video here I share many cards made with press plates from many different companies such as Pinkfresh Studios and Altenew as seen above. I loved the Fairytale Frame Press Plate from Pinkfresh Studios and the Beautiful Butterfly Press Plate with matching dies and stencils from Altenew. Here is a card with the same butterfly with stenciled color and a classic frame press plate from LDRS Creative.

Here is another way to created with a press plate:

You can emboss with a press plate just like you can with a die using a rubber mat in the sandwich recommended by the manufacturer of your machine. Watch the video here for many more ideas with press plates and visit my Instagram here for a chance to win a giveaway! (Look for the two prize packages pictures and comment accordingly.)

Foolproof Press Plate Frame and Background Techniques

Press plates for the Spellbinders BetterPress System are popping up all over the place from many different companies. The selection is amazing! In my newest video here I share many cards made with press plates from many different companies such as Pinkfresh Studios shown above. I show how to make the background with two layers of the Breezy Blossoms Press Plate and the cover plate technique. The Heart Rays cover plate is from Kat Scrappiness. Here is a look at the inside of this card I made in the video with more pretty pretty press plates from Pinkfresh Studios:

I show how to make a double plaid background with the fun Stippled Plaid Press Plate from Pinkfresh Studios. The heart was created with a Kirigami Heart Die from Anna Griffin and here is a look when the cord is pulled up showing the layered "forever" sentiment from Gina K Designs:

I also shared a couple other cards with these same techniques and press plates:

The flowers on the Pinkfresh Studios Breezy Blossoms Press Plate colored with layered stencils which are very easy to color with as I show in the video here. I am giving away a Pinkfresh Studios Hot Foil plate which will work in your BetterPress system or in any hot foil machine on my Instagram account here. Just comment on the picture of the prize before 4/1/24 and you could win!

Many More Gorgeous BetterPress Plates Cards and a Chance to Win Some!

In my newest video I share many lovely cards I made with new BetterPress Press Plates I received from Spellbinders. You could win three of the cards I show PLUS two BetterPress Plates valued at $33! Watch the video here to find out how you could win by commenting on the video before 3/31/24. 

The card above was created with Yana Smakula's Floral Celebration with matching layered stencils to color. Here is another card I made with another new Press Plate from Yana and Spellbinders:

I also received the new Mirrored Arch Nested Sprigs and Mirrored Arch Blooms Press Plates and here are two cards I created with them:

If you are on the fence on whether to purchase the Spellbinders BetterPress System, here is a real advantage of these BetterPress plates - they can all be used in the hot foil systems too! The hot foil plates CANNOT be used in the Betterpress system, but the BetterPress plates can be used beautifully in the hot foil systems. In the box with the BetterPress system is everything you need to get started: ink, cotton paper, tape and a beautiful rose and sentiment press plate I used to easily make these cards:

I always need to have sympathy cards on hand and I easily made these cards on the paper they recommend and on mirror card and on kraft cardstock. I am sold and will be playing with many more press plates from other companies and different inks and papers and share soon here and on my YouTube channel.

Forest Animals - Fox Stamps Featured at Blue Knight Rubber Stamps

I have the great honor of being a guest designer this month for Blue Knight Rubber Stamps and this week we are all featuring the new Forest Animals - Fox stamp set. This card may look familiar to you as I previously blogged, taught and even got nationally published with a similar one I made with Stamp Through Stencil sets from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps. The bear stencil comes in two thicknesses- one to stamp on and a thicker one to add color with. I stamped several of the animals in this stamp set, embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder and then brushed on brown ink. The sentiment strips in both cards are from an amazing set called "Did You Know." 

This lovely scene card was so easy to make with the Forest Animals - Fox, Forest Friends Stamp and Die Set and a background called Deanna's Ink Inspirations all from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps. 

Be sure to check back each Thursday this month as I continue to share cards made with the gorgeous new stamps from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps.

Guest Designer At Home Card with Frantic Stamper

Once again I am honored to be the Guest DT member at Frantic Stamper as we continue to celebrate the new At Home die and stamp collection. This month I am sharing this new home card:

This fun scene features a pop out sofa, pets from the Pets Allowed set,  realistic looking floor created with the On the Floor set set, Houseplants dies and stamps from the House and Home stamp set all from Frantic Stamper.

I hope my cards encourage you to check out the whole At Home collection new here at Frantic Stamper!

Easy and Elegant BetterPress Letterpress Anyone Can Do PLUS A GIVEAWAY!

What is easier than hot foiling and stamping (even with a MISTI!) and results in gorgeous letter pressed images and sentiments? The Spellbinders BetterPress Letterpress System, and in my newest video here I share many cards I made in just minutes but look like they were made with a professional letterpress. I just received my BetterPress and many of the new BetterPress plates from Spellbinders, but this system is fool-proof and you would think I had been using it for years! 

GIVEAWAY ALERT - Watch the video to find out out how you can win TWO BetterPress Plates valued at $33 and several of the cards I share in the video. You need a USA mailing address and to comment on the video per instructions before 3/31/24 at midnight CDT. Comments here are appreciated but do not qualify for the giveaway. 

This is one of the cards I show how to make in the new video. It features the gorgeous Peony Background Press Plate from Yana Smakula's new collection at Spellbinders and the elegant Copperplate Congratulations Press Plate from Paul Antonio. I pressed the s Copperplate sentiment onto vellum before layering over the bright Peony Background I inked with Distress Oxide ink. I also added some punched flowers and gems to highlight that gorgeous sentiment. Here is another card I made with two colors of the Peony Background and some sentiments from the A Little Message Sentiments Press Plate Set also from Spellbinders.

I also show in the new video how quick and easy it is to press an elegant Happy Birthday onto a stenciled background. It really is easier than stamping or hot foiling in my opinion. The whole set of Copperplate Sentiments from Paul Antonio are beautiful and here are a couple more cards I made with them:

My nephew is getting married this year and I volunteered to make the wedding thank you notes. I think the Thank You Betterpress plate would be perfect and I did one with a stenciled background and one on iridescent mirror card. 

On this card I combined the Copperplate Hello with the Mirror Arch Blooms Press Plates and inked with different colors of BetterPress inks. I had so much fun creating easy elegant cards with all the new Betterpress plates in the March release and you can see many more and how to win two by watching the new video here. 

The Pier Scenery Cards Guest DT For Blue Knight Rubber Stamps

I have the great honor of being a guest designer this month for Blue Knight Rubber Stamps and this week we are all featuring the new The Pier stamp set. The stamp includes great wood texture and the background scene and all I did was stamp it, cut it out and add some birds (from the Seagull and Pier stamp set) and a ink blended sunset.  The sentiment strips on both cards are from a beautiful stamp set called Did You Know. 

I repeated those steps on this card and simply added the images to a lovely scenery patterned paper also from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps.

Be sure to check back each Thursday this month as I continue to share cards made with the gorgeous new stamps from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps.

What's Popping Up and New from Karen Burniston?

I have made many pop up animals with the amazing Ball Pop-ups and Add On Animal dies from Karen Burniston, and in this release she has added Set 6 that makes adorable bunnies and chicks! This is a card for one of my grandsons, and here is a pix of the front of the card which features the new Easter Borders and layered Happy Easter die sets:

I also made the chick for my other grandson and here is where he will find that:

My kids and grandkids are coming here for Easter to celebrate that and another special day, so Grandma is planning an Easter egg and basket hunt. The best place to see all the fun pop up action and details of these projects is in my newest video here, but here is a mini video of them too:

(If you are a subscriber and reading this in your email, the mini videos do not show up with my subscription service, so just click on the title and go to the actual blogpost itself.)

This card features 3 more of the new die sets in this release including the Lorna Label Pop Up that makes it so easy to create a pop up scene like this one:

 

I used the new Beach Elements and Tiny Accessories 4 die set as well as older animal sets from Karen Burniston on this fun card.