Acorns and Quilt Autumn Birthday

This card features the “Oak Sprig” die from Tutti Designs and the “Quilt Block Die #1” from Gina Marie Designs. Both were cut from Cardstock Warehouse Copper card stock. The quilt block was cut again from sheets from the Gina K Designs “Give Thanks” and the “Casual Friday” patterned paper packs (no longer available).

The quilt was assembled on a panel of Recollections White Dove card stock that was embossed with a Stampin’ Up “Subtle” embossing folder (retired?).

The greeting was from the “MiniatureType” stamp set from Clearly Besotted and was heat embossed with Hero Arts Copper embossing powder.

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Embossing Folder with Powders

I came across THIS VIDEO by Jennifer McGuire where she used Lindy’s Magical Powders and embossing folders to create a bunch of background panels for cards. I did not have those powders, but I did have Bisters and Color Burst powders so I thought I’d give it a try.

A few tips/comments: When she says a little powder goes a long way, listen to her! (I think I used way too much powder!!) And when she shows the sandwich she used for her embossing, pay attention. (I kind of ignored that thinking I knew how to emboss, but the watercolor paper is so thick that I struggled to get the folder through with the regular embossing plate. It eventually squeezed through but shot out the other end when done and wet ink went everywhere!) And finally, the next time I work with these powders, I may seriously consider wearing gloves. (My hands were a mess, and I struggled to get the ink off!) It was fun to experiment with all the different methods she showed in the video, though.

The greenish samples were made with blue and green Bisters. For the sample above and this one (below), I put the powders directly on the folder, spritzed with water, and embossed a piece of watercolor paper:

For the next one, I sprayed the embossing folder (with the leftover ink) with water and pressed the watercolor paper down on it as if I were stamping the image (and then smooshed parts with ink on mat).

I had tons of ink/water on my mat so I smooshed watercolor panels through it to pick up the color.

The blue and purple samples were made with Color Burst. In her video, she shows how to add white pigment ink to the embossed surface (once dry) to bring out the pattern better. (You can see this on the second and third samples below.)

Once the panels were completely dry, I added greetings with either the “Make A Wish” die from Elizabeth Craft Designs or the “Happy Cutaways” die from Walter & Winnie (no longer available) and either a printable sentiment strip or one stamped from the “Label Me Bold” set from Stampin’ Up (retired). The embossing folder I used was the 5×7 “Leaf Floral” from CGull.

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Foiled Birthday Candles

It’s amazing how a new “toy” can spark creativity that has been lacking (since June!). For Christmas, I received the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System along with several plates and some glimmer foil. This simple card design was one of my first attempts using it.

I needed a few masculine cards, so I switched up the colors and came up with this kraft, black and copper version.

Hopefully, it will get easier with practice, but the one thing I was struggling with was image placement – even when using the grid lines on the heating platform. Once the metal plate was down and covered with the foil, I found it difficult to place the paper just right. And then, once I placed everything down, it all moved ever so slightly when the spacer pad and shim were added or when trying to remove the heating panel from the base. I’ll keep practicing, but for now, I found the easiest way to do it was to foil on a larger “scrap” and then cut the panel with a die (or trimmer) later (instead of starting with a pre-cut panel).

Along these lines, I also tried to add a greeting directly to an already foiled panel – Ughh!! (I even taped the greeting plate to the paper exactly where I wanted it, but it was still tough because the plate was upside down and the foil between them blocked my view.) After MANY attempts and A LOT of wasted time and foil, I came up with this panel. Good, but not sure it was worth the trouble!! For now, I’ll stick to die cutting greetings or greeting panels to add to the card!

For these cards, I used the Spellbinders Birthday Candle Background glimmer plate along with one of the plates from the Spellbinders Everyday Sentiments II set and silver and copper glimmer foil. I cut the foiled panels with a die from the Pinkfresh Studio Slim Diagonal Stitched Rectangles set. I used white and Sea Glass card stock (and silver cord) from Gina K Designs for my first card and Recollections kraft and black for the others. My finished cards measure 3 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ and fit in regular business size envelopes.

I found the Spellbinders Quick Trimmer Tool SUPER helpful with cutting pieces of foil off the rolls. So much easier than fighting with scissors!

Foiled cards have tremendous shine as the cards are moved around in the light. Below is a view of how they look when positioned with less light/shine…

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