Big Foot Big Love Valentines

I have known for a long time that the best place for an awesome selection of dots and shaker bits was This Calls For Confetti, but now I found out they have way more than just confetti! I fell in love with the new Love Big Foot die with his matching sentiment stamps and dies and just had to have them all. I have two grandsons I like to make Valentines for but of course romantic images will not do for them. Here is the first card I made with Big Foot Love and Gen Xer Dazzle Dots as well as a Pink & Main Shaker cover:

I show in my newest video how fun the interactive shaking of this card is and also what happens when this card is opened:

I used the negative image of the die cut Big Foot to create a stencil for the "big feet" and look what happens when the card is opened:

Big Foot pops up and so does the funny punch line and Valentine's sentiment. I used Karen Burniston's Flip Frame die set to create the pop up apparatus and the "love you" is her die as well. You will want to watch the video here to see the amazing pop up motion and how it was made. I used the Love, Bigfoot die, stamp set and matching dies from This Calls for Confetti on this card and also on this one I made in the video:

I didn't have any more of the forest scene designer paper I used in the first card so I made my own with the 4 part Forest Landscape stencil set from This Calls for Confetti. I made this one for my husband so I chose a different sentiment from the Love, Bigfoot Sentiments. 

Playing With Parchment Paper Backgrounds And New Dies

Last fall I explored a new technique with parchment paper and glue and needed some more samples for a class I am teaching so I played some more with the technique. Here is a link to the blogpost with a video on how to do the technique. Basically you wrinkle up a piece of parchment paper and attach with white glue to a piece of cardstock. But the card above shows what happens when the white parchment paper is inked with a blue ink and a blending brush. I die cut the leafy circle with a new die from Paper Rose.

I added some red ink to this parchment paper background simply by dragging the ink pad direct to paper. I bought Brutus Monroe's Sketchy die and stamp set because it reminded me of the Etch A Sketch from my youth and I used it on both of these cards and the inside:

I don't bake so I didn't know parchment paper also came Unbleached, but I bought some and it makes another unique look especially over dark cardstock as I did here.

Need Sentiments? Like Sparkle? Two Ways to Shine!

Are you like me - rarely stamping sentiments anymore when there are so many easier ways to add sentiments to our cards? In my new video I share several ways to make sparkly fun sentiments so easily for our handmade cards. This is the card I make step by step in the video after showing how easy it is to foil sentiments both with toner sheets and hot foiling. The background on this card was created with an Altenew Baroque Elegance Press Plate and rainbow foil. The sentiments are from Altenew and Taylored Expressions and made with my MINC and toner foil.

Karen Burniston's Photo Fan Pop Up die creates the perfect way to showcase foiled sentiments and foiled moths. The smaller moths and sentiment pieces were created with Foil Its from Taylored Expressions. Here is another card I created with more foiling and pop up fun in the inside:

The front of this card was created with Altenew's Modern Leaf Background and Floral Moths Hot Foil Plate with matching dies. Of course I added some more foiled sentiments to both the front and inside of this card. 

I really liked the Modern Leaf Press plate from Altenew and also the matching stencil set which made it very easy to add color as I did on both of these cards. I added another hot foil moth from Altenew and a toner moth from Taylored Expressions and a couple more foiled sentiments.

I found this storage bin on Amazon from ArtBin which allowed me to customize the size of each compartment so now I have my foiled sentiments all organized and ready for many cards to come. 

I hope my cards encourage you to give some of these ideas and products a try and you will send some sparkly joy our into our world. 

My First Waffle Sneak Peak Club Cards

I decided to give myself a Christmas present of a surprise every month filled with Waffle Flower goodies so I joined the Waffle Flower Sneak Peak Club. I researched many monthly clubs before deciding on this one. The price is very reasonable- $29.99 per month with shipping included. 

I also like that we get new products a few weeks before they are released to everyone instead of the clubs were all the products are exclusive and only sold for that one month. I want to be able to use the products again and again and not worry that someone may want to get them but they are no longer available. I am a huge fan of Waffle Flower's Postage Collage dies, stencils and stamps and their designers so I know I am going to love what I receive. But I can sign up for a peak a bit early and skip a month or take a pause for any reason. 

The January Sneak Peak Club included a full size Butterfly Blossom Texture Die along with a set of 5 layering stencils to color the butterflies and flowers perfectly. We also received black sentiments strips perfect for this image. My first card above is an A2 card with spring colors on a black cardbase with a little bit of white spatters.  I chose a few different colors for my second card and attached the texture die onto a 5 x 7 navy cardbase:

There are so many things you can do with this beautiful Butterfly Blossom Texture Plate with the coloring stencils. I cut this one out of yellow textured cardstock and cut some of the flowers out before attaching them to a blue A2 cardbase. I added an extra stenciled butterfly and one more of the perfect sentiments we received in our kit. 

Once we are subscribers, we can join a Facebook group where many more ideas are shared. I want to try a tone on tone one next and maybe create the card base out of the shaped die. 

If you want to purchase these items, they will be available to the public on February 5th on the Waffle Flower website.

Cheers! Floating Drinks on Vertical Bandstand Cards in Two Sizes!

I love to find new fun folds to try and also to share new die sets like the Love On the Rocks from Spellbinders Happy Hour Collection. I came across a tutorial from Sue Stampfield on how to make this A2 sized Floating Vertical Bandstand Card. The strawberries from Spellbinders appear to be floating on the acetate strip and the inked embossing was made with a Spellbinders Feather Flourish 3D embossing  folder. I liked the A2 version but had some bigger drinks from Spellbinders I wanted to float, so I created a 5 x 7 vertical floating bandstand template and then made this card in my new video:

I knew I had to get the Love On The Rocks die set from Spellbinders because the drink can be made to look just like a Brandy Old Fashioned which is our family drink when we celebrate. I embossed the pieces on the band with any older embossing folder from Darice and added some hearts rainbow patterned paper on the back of the inside. The sentiments on the front and back were all foiled in my Glimmer Machine with a new BetterPress set with matching dies called Valentine Happy Hour Sentiments from Spellbinders. Here is a look at the back of this card which stands up for display and folds flat to mail in a 5 x 7 envelope:

Here is another 5 x 7 vertical floating bandstand card I made and this one features the Sunset In a Glass die set also from Spellbinders. I share all these cards in the new video and it is easier to see them in that but here is a side view of this card:

The drinks appear to be floating on the acetate strip. I love this new fun fold and here are pictures of my templates to make it easy if you want to try them:

I do walk through making the 5 x 7 version in the video step by step but these measurements might be something you can save if you want to try either size. 

49 & Market Card Kits and Stained Glass

I recently discovered 49 and Market has Card Kits that include gorgeous paper with matching envelopes along with rub on images and sentiments. I purchased the beautiful Alena Card Kit  from 49  and Market and used it as a starting point to make a gift set of cards. I also recently purchased a set of Stained Glass Effect Squares from Crafter's Companion and together they created easy lovely cards. 

Each one of the cards I created has a matching envelope. I put a sunflower transparency in a circle frame and on the second peach circle card, I simply added some rub on flowers. Each of these cards also has a rub on sentiment on the inside, but I didn't take pictures of those or this blog post would be very long.

On these cards I simply framed the stained glass image with dies and added a few more rub ons to the colorful cards from the kit.

After I finished all the cards in the kit, I decided I really couldn't throw away the matching and beautiful packaging so I cut a frame using a die from Hero Arts for my hummingbird stained glass picture. I added some rub on butterflies to the front and a sentiment to the piece in the center of this card. 

I think the person who receives this set of cards is going to be delighted and will spread the joy when she mails them out to loved ones. 

Fabulous Foiled Fun Folds Featuring Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe

In my new video I show many cards I made after playing with all the fabulous new foils and Toner Card Fronts from Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe. I show how to do first, second and third generation foiling with no waste of any of the amazing foil. One of my favorites of the new foils from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil is Gold Star and here is a telescoping circle card I made with that foil as well as some Red Static foil also from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil:

The foiled stars on this card seem to move and the circle on the top (cut with a Kat Scrappiness die) is a 3rd generation of foiling as I show in the video. Here is how this card looks open:

The sentiments were created with the new Lots of Love Toner Sentiments. Here is another card I created with the new products:

Another of the new colors of foil from Brutus Monroe and Deco Foil is called Pewter Lane and is perfect for a masculine love card like this one for my husband. I did a 2nd generation of foiling with a black toner sheet and then added strips of Berry Crush, Gold Star and Indigo Dreams for a fun color change on the pewter strip. 

Another favorite of the new transfer foils from Deco Foil is called Candy Heart, and has tiny hearts that sparkle and move when the card is opened. I show in the video how to foil the Heartstrings Toner Card Front and then create a 2nd piece as we don't want to waste any of that gorgeous foil. But I didn't want the hearts and flowers to be black so I used a white Poly Glaze sheet from Gina K Designs instead of a Black Toner sheet and here is a look at that second piece up close:

This card is a Peek A Boo Tri-Fold Card that I closed with a brad and some gold string. Each of the cards I shared in the video have several layers to showcase all that sparkly foil in different ways. I hope my cards inspire you to give some of the ideas and products a try and then send some sparkle and love out into our world. 

Layers and Layers of Foiled Love

If you are like me and love the sparkle of foil on your cards especially the foils with amazing movement, you are going to love the newest foils just released by Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe! Deco Foil and Therm O Web also just released 3 new Toner Card Fronts and several more new foils perfect for love cards and Valentines. My favorite of the new foils is Disco and here is the card I made with a Love All Ways Toner Card Front and the silver sparkly Disco Foil:

This is a double heart easel card created with heart dies from Crealies and several generations of foiling. I never want to waste any of the gorgeous foil and I show in my new video several ways to get 2nd and 3rd generation foiling for many different looks. Another fun way to display several layers of foiled beauty is a telescoping card and I show how to make one in my new video. Here are two telescoping cards I made with Spellbinders Mirrored Arches dies:

The cards close like this to mail and then open to show all three layers of foiled love:

I used the new Brutus Monroe Circus foil on the telescoping card on the left along with the beautiful Indigo Dreams from Deco Foil and Heartstrings Toner Card Fronts. I made the card on the right step by step in the video and it features Disco and Indigo Blue Foils and Love all Ways Toner Card Fronts.

To see many more cards made with the new foils and Toner Card Fronts from Therm O Web and Deco Foil, watch my new video here. Stop back Wednesday to see pictures of the rest of my love cards with layers and layers of sparkly foil. 

Here's to 2025 and a New Business Venture

The new year brings a new adventure for our daughter-in-law in Chicago as she becomes the owner and managing partner of the business she has been a part of for many years. She is an event planner and now owns the business along with another managing partner. We are very excited and happy for Kristy and this great opportunity! We celebrated last weekend and she loved the card I made from all of us. I created the front of the 5 x 7 card with various die cut sentiments and Concord & 9th Confetti Dots Turnabout Stencil. But the real fun part is when the card is opened:

I used Karen Burniston's Photo Fan Pop Up die set to pop up all the pictures of the employees and owners of the business, the name and an encouragement message. It really is so much more impressive when you see the card actually being opened and popping up, so here is a quick mini video of that action:

(To my subscribers- I love that you subscribe, but I don't think Blogger puts videos in the emails you receive, so to see this video, click on the title and go to my actual blog.)

The Photo Fan Pop Up is my favorite Karen Burniston pop up die and that is saying something as I have been huge fan for years and have them all! It is so easy to work with and the pop surprise is amazing!