More Swallowtail Cards

I really like this image but I promise to put it away after these cards.

The first card is again in my favorite color combination - blue and green!  The swallowtail was stamped in black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I colored the image with sponge using Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade inks.

The card base is Lucky Limeade.  I embossed the Island Indigo cardstock with the Swirly embossing folder, my very first embossing folder by Cuttlebug.  The sentiment was stamped in white pigment ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder then punched with the Petite Curly Label punch from Stampin'Up.  Love how this turned out.  The ribbon is 1/4" satin in Island Indigo.

The colors I used on this card are Raspberry Ripple and Summer Starfruit.  The image was also stamped in black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I used a blender pen to apply color to the image.  The ribbon is 3/8" stitched satin ribbon in Summer Starfruit.  The sentiment was stamped in black pigment ink.

Okay, that's all the swallowtail cards for now.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Cheers!!!

irene



All supplies used were from Stampin'Up except the embossing folder.

Thank You Treat with Mini Note Card

I made this treat bag for my son's tutor.  She's so sweet and patient with him I wanted to give her a note of appreciation and a small treat.  Her favorite color is green, so the set was made in different shades of green.

The purse was made with Stampin' Up's Petite Purse Bigz L die.  I did the faux leather technique on the flap.  After it was die cut, I rubbed just the top part with Versamark ink and applied clear embossing powder.  Then I drew the lines with a toothpick before heat setting the powder.

Instead of the die cut handle, I used a black chain attached with black brads.  I used designer brads for the accent "medallion".  Isn't this the cutest thing?

I stamped the sentiment on strips of card stock and wrapped those around the nugget chocolate and placed them inside the mini purse.  I also made a small 3" x 3" note card.

I put the bag and note card in a clear cello and tied a ribbon.  I wanted to do a tag to hang on the ribbon but I was out of time.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Until next time......... Cheers!!!

irene



All supplies used were from Stampin;Up except the black chain.

Swallowtail - Triple Time Stamping Part 2

I'm still playing with the Swallowtail stamp.  This time I got the standard measurements for the different panels.  It's fun picking color combinations to make the butterfly "flutter" on paper.

The picture instructions and measurements for this technique are towards the end of the post.  I'll start with the samples which were all stamped with black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

The first card is one of my favorite color combinations - navy blue and bright green.  In Stampin'Up world those colors are called Night of Navy and Lucky Limeade.  The image was colored with Lucky Limeade, Marina Mist and Midnight Muse inks.  The background was sponged with Lucky Limeade and the background images were stamped in Marina Mist ink.  The sentiment was heat embossed in white embossing powder on Lucky Limeade card stock.

For the next card I used Rich Razzleberry card stock and Pool Party ink.  On this card, I sponged Pool Party ink all over the panels.  Easy peasy!  I stamped the sentiment with Rich Razzleberry ink and hand cut just the word Love.  It's hard to see on the picture but I also stamped hearts on the background using Pool Party ink.  I love these two color together.

And the last card was made with Cajun Craze card stock.  I colored the image with Daffodil Delight and Cajun Craze inks.  I stamped hearts and the word Love on the background with Daffodil Delight ink.

Now onto the instructions.  You will need three panels cut from light colored cardstock, white or ivory are ideal.  You will also need a base card and two mats cut from your choice of cardstock, pictured in green here.  My panel measurements are 5-1/4" x 4", 4-1/4" x 3" and 3-1/4" x 2".   My card is 11" x 4-1/4" folded in half.  The mat measurements are 4-1/2" x 3-1/4" and 3-1/2" x 2-1/4".  If your card is a different size, adjust your panel and mat measurements accordingly

Apply removable tape to the back of your panels and stack them evenly like the picture below.

Stamp your image or images onto the stacked panels.  Don't worry about the "break" between the panels, the mats will cover those.  Color your image, if needed, while the panels are still glued together.

Separate the panels and attached each panel to the base card and mats.  

Make sure your matted panels are oriented properly when you assemble them.  Your image or images should match seamlessly.

This was a fun and easy technique to do.  I'm glad I finally got around to trying it.

Hope my instructions are clear and you won't have trouble making your own card using this technique.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Cheers!!!

irene



All supplies used are from Stampin'Up.

Swallowtail Card - Triple Time Stamping Technique

I went through a phase where everything I made had butterflies on them.  As a result, I have all kinds of butterfly stamps, dies and punches.  I actually haven't touch any of them in like a year or so.  And then Stampin'Up came up with the Swallowtail stamp in their Spring catalog and I'm hooked all over again.

Last summer a technique called triple time stamping was so popular everyone was doing it.  I wanted to try it but the holidays rolled in so fast I never got around to doing one.  When I saw the Spring catalog preview, I knew the Swallowtail stamp is perfect for this technique (at least for me).

Once I started playing with it I couldn't stop.  These are the two samples I have for today.

The first one is a simple black and white with a pop of red.  I added a gray ribbon, too,

The second one is the triple time stamping technique.  I cut my card stock from memory and it turned out I was way off.  I did mine in a quarter inch increment and it should have been an inch increment.  But it's a "happy" mistake because I was able to highlight a bigger image of the swallowtail.

I stamped the Swallowtail in black craft ink and heat embossed using clear embossing powder.  Then I sponged Summer Starfruit all over the image and border.  Next I sponged Primrose Petal in areas where I want some pink to stand out and blended the two colors together.  Some of the blended colors came out orangy.  The base card and mats are Old Olive card stock.

I will include a more detailed instructions on my next post which will feature more cards using the same technique.

Stay tuned for more Swallowtail and Triple Time Stamping technique.

Cheers!!!

irene




All supplies used were from Stampin'Up.

Stamps: Swallowtail, Vintage Verses, Perfectly Penned
Card stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Red Glimmer Paper, Old Olive
Ink:  Black Craft Ink, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petal
Embellishments:  Ribbon, rhinestones

Swap Card - Faux Chalk Art

For my January 19th group meeting I decided to swap a card using the faux chalk art technique.  I love how my first chalkboard card turned out, posted HERE, that's why I wanted to try it again.

First step is deciding which stamp set to use.  I had a pretty good idea of the design and I need stamps that will work together and will fit in the layout.  With clear stamps, I was able to place all the stamps at once on a clear block.  This enabled me to stamp all the images at the same time.  I used images from five different stamp sets, that's a lot.

Another thing I did was cut the stamps to make them fit the design.  For example, the top stamp was originally "YOU'RE SUCH AN AMAZING" I cut out "SUCH AN" because I only need "YOU'RE AMAZING" for this card.  Same thing with the brackets, they're originally about an inch apart and I cut them in half so I can use them separately.

I used Versamark and white embossing powder to heat emboss all images.  Here is my starting point.

I added borders and lines using a white pencil.  I played with colored pencils for highlight but I wasn't getting the "pop" I had in mind.  In the end, I went with tiny punch flowers in rose red to match my card base.  I sponged white ink on the flowers to tone down the color a little bit.  TIP:  Sponge the cardstock with white ink before punching your flowers to save time instead of sponging punched tiny flowers one by one.

Final step is to sponge white ink all over the card to simulate chalk dust.  If you sponge the ink before adding the lines or any other doodle with the pencil, the sponged ink slightly resist the pencil and your lines or doodles are muted.  I personally like the lines sharp and crisp to begin with and then muted with sponging.

Here's the completed card.  I'm glad I was able to meet the 10-minute or less criteria.

UPDATE:  I changed my mind on the design and didn't swap this card, instead I swapped THIS

Here's what I played with before I got to the final card above.

Now I just need to do twenty five more and I'll be all set for the meeting.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Cheers!!!

irene

Supplies used were all from Stampin'Up including stamps, inks, card stock and punches.

Stamp Sets:  Amazing Family, Make A Wish and Ciao Baby from the 2013 Spring Catalog

                    Vintage Verses and Pretty Petites from the 2013 Sale-A-Bration Catalog

Valentine Square Collage

The Valentine Square Collage Swaps are due soon.  I already have a couple of layouts in my head, it's just a matter of putting them on paper to see which one works.  I got all the elements ready and tried a few layouts.    

Love was heat embossed with white embossing powder on real read card stock.  Then punched with the new Stampin'Up Petite Curly Label, this is one of the free items in the upcoming Sale-A-Bration starting on January 22nd.  I also punched a bunch of tiny hearts from white card stock and red glimmer paper.  The base is crumb cake cardstock punched with a 1-3/8" square punch.  The main requirement for these collage swaps is the size, 1-3/8" no more no less.  People submit odd sizes anyway, go figure!

These are the layouts I have so far:

This is the one I decided to send off.  I like the black contrast.

Just need to complete the 22 swaps and head off to the post office.  They're not due until the 15th but I'd like to get them out of the way to focus on Valentines projects.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep warm and stay safe.

Cheers............

irene

All supplies used are from Stampin'Up.

Faux Chalk Art

Happy New Year everyone!  I have been playing with faux chalkboard art in preparation for an upcoming swap.  I quickly put this panel together to express my new year.greetings.  I think it turned out really good.

I  used a stamp set from Stampin'Up called Happy Hour and added my own doodles.  The cocktails and greetings were heat embossed using white embossing powder.  I sponged white ink around the edges to simulate chalk dust on blackboards.  I added my doodles using white gel pen.

Here's to a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year.  Be safe.  Cheers!!!

irene

Christmas/Holiday Cards #19 - Ornaments

I just had to include these cards featuring the Ornament Keepsakes in this series.  I won this bundle of stamp sets and coordinating dies from a raffle held at one of our stamping group meetings.

All the ornaments were heat embossed with white embossing powder on cherry cobbler card stocks.   I wanted to use the same elements and create three distinctly different cards.

The first card came together pretty quickly until I got to the sentiment.  I tried different placements and punches but ultimately decided to add another ornament with the "merry" adhered in the middle.

The next card layout came to me the first time I saw this particular stamp.   Somehow it reminded me of those sparkly bead "curtains" from the sixties.  I thought the embossed double lines added just the right touch of texture.  This is my favorite out of the three cards.

With the last card, I tried to create a non-holiday card using holiday elements.  I made a "flower" with the ornaments and used a vague sentiment.

Here's the side view.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time .............. Cheers!!!

All supplies used were from Stampin' Up

Christmas/Holiday Card #17 - White Christmas

It's a cold and rainy day today here in Berkeley, California.  The weather inspired my card today.  I'm a summer, heat wave kinda person but I wouldn't mind a white Christmas.  I would never live in snow country but a Christmas vacation in the snow appeals to me.

I used white embossing powder for the "snow" effect.  After I masked the bottom of the main panel to create the snow bank, I rubbed the Versamark ink pad directly on the card stock and covered the area with embossing powder.  After the snow bank was heat set, I stamped the tree with Versamark, covered it with embossing powder, then heat set.  I added dazzling diamond on the tree and the snow bank to make the snow glisten.

I don't know what made me reach for that sentiment.  After the card was finished I realized it's not the right sentiment.  Later I'll cover it with a more appropriate one.

Hope you like this one.  It's fairly quick and easy to put together.

Thanks for stopping by.  See you soon............. Cheers!!!

Christmas/Holiday Card #8 - Bethlehem

I love these images and have used them a few times over the years.  I wanted a calm, peaceful scene so I decided to use soft colors.  But combined with the white embossing, this was not easy to photograph.

The background was sponged with Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake inks.  The Holy Family and sentiment were stamped with Early Espresso ink.  The frame was made with Labels Collection Framelits die.  The Bethlehem scene was heat embossed with white embossing powder.

TIP:  To make sure your image is centered when your frame opening is off centered, die cut your frame first then place on top of the base card and use it as a guide to stamp your image in the center.

It's almost too plain but I like it.

I'll try other color combination and will post later.  Until then ................. Cheers!!!

Christmas/Holiday Card #7 - Snowflakes (again!)

Just one more snowflakes, I promise!  I wanted a dark blue snowflake card so had to do one more.

I dry embossed the front of the card with Snowflakes embossing folder.  I've seen other crafters rub ink on their dry embossed images and I've never done it so perfect time to try it out.  I used a new ink from Stampin'Up called Illuminate Glimmer Watermark ink.  It gave the image a subtle glimmer but I'm going for an all out glittery image so had to do more.

Since it's a watermark ink I thought it would work for heat embossing like Versamark.  So I poured Iridescent Ice embossing powder all over the front of the card.  Heat set and voila!  A really glittery card!

I added the die cut snowflake in brushed silver, layered a punched circle from red glimmer paper and another punched circle in brushed silver with the sentiment stamped in Midnight Muse ink.  Final touch is the gray taffeta ribbon.

It's so sparkly I couldn't get a clear shot of the sentiment.  What do you think?

Those are the same cards.  My photo taking skills are not the best so I ended up with two shades of blue.

Till next time....  thanks for stopping by.  Cheers!!!


All supplies used were from Stampin'Up except for the embossing folder which is by Sizzix.

My family has always been into crafting.  We always say " I/We can do that."  But the single event that turned me into the crafter that I am today happened over fifteen years ago.  One evening as I was channel surfing, I came across QVC where they were presenting a heat embossing tool.  I watched the whole presentation and bought my first crafting tool!  I thought it was the coolest thing and actually used it to create heat embossed items for many years.  I still love heat embossed technique and often used it on my cards.

Love how this card came together.  The black heat embossed main image really pops out.  The card fold is called center step card.