Category Archives: Tutorials

CAS Embossed Birthday Wishes – 4 variations

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Tutorials by

CAS Embossed Birthday Wishes – 4 variations

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I have so many embossing folders and rarely think to use them.  And if I do, I find myself using the same few.  I chose one I had not yet used (the Cuttlebug “Happy Birthday” folder by Provocraft) and thought I’d play around with some different techniques I have been wanting to try.

Double Embossing

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It’s hard to see the shimmer in the photo above, but for this first one, the background was heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope embossing powder as well as dry embossed.  I used a brayer to apply versamark ink to the front side of the embossing folder, inserted white card stock in the folder, and ran it through my Cuttlebug.  I then covered the panel with the embossing powder and heated it.

This angle shows the sparkle a little better:

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The greeting was cut with dies from the Spellbinders “Birthday Wishes” set (#661868) and Gina K Passionate Pink card stock.  (I saw this technique HERE on YouTube.)

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Partial Embossing

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This partially embossed sample is similar to my “Scripty Balloon Birthday Card” which I made earlier this year.  I used my score board to separate my greeting from the embossed side of the panel.  (HERE is a video showing how to do this technique.)

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Inlay Technique

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Inlay is a technique where one “inserts pieces of contrasting, often coloured materials into depressions in a base object to form ornament or pictures,” (from Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts).  For this sample, I used small embossed panels in the openings of a die cut frame.  The frame die was unmarked.  The greeting stamp was from the “Massive Messages” set by Gina K Designs and was stamped with GK Passionate Pink ink.  I embossed the background panel with the embossing folder as well.

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Faux Pressed Flower Technique

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The layout of this fourth one is similar to that of the first sample, but the technique used is different.  For this one, I did the “Faux Pressed Flower” technique I saw on YouTube.  Basically, you adhere your die cut (usually a flower; I used a greeting) to a piece of card stock.  Then, you place it in an embossing folder and run it through your die cutting/embossing machine.  It creates cool texture on the die cut and makes it look like it is part of the card stock it is stuck to.  I used the “Retro Triangles” embossing folder by mpress.  (Any embossing folder with a small, detailed pattern will work for this technique.)  After my greeting panel was embossed, I cut it to size with a die from the Spellbinders “ATC” set (#S3-208).

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After my aunt passed away a year and a half ago, I was fortunate enough to receive all of the stuff from her “Cuttlebug Station” from her craft room.  The “Birthday Wishes” die set and “Happy Birthday” embossing folder were hers, and I really enjoyed using tools that she had also used.  Recently, I spent a fun afternoon searching online for the names of all the unmarked dies and embossing folders from her stash which led me to tons of card samples and tutorials that I am anxious to try.  She continues to inspire me even though she is no longer here!

Thanks for checking out my card projects!

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Fall Leaves Center Easel Card (and a word on Movers & Shapers Dies)

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Tools & Products I like, Tutorials by

Fall Leaves Center Easel Card (and a word on Movers & Shapers Dies)

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I had shared a center easel card (along with a template for how to create one) a while back.  I decided to try another one with fall themed paper and embellishments.

The patterned paper is called “Fall Leaves” (#676908) from the Paper Studio.  Heavy weight ivory and kraft card stock was also used.

To create the leaf embellishments for the center of the card, I used my Uchida Corru-Gator paper crimper to add some texture to the leaf cut from the kraft card stock, some American Crafts paper backed burlap for additional texture, a piece of ivory ribbon, and a piece of gold cord.  Since I was cutting burlap (in addition to the plain card stock), I thought I’d get a cleaner cut using a steel rule die instead of a wafer thin die so I used one of the Sizzix “Movers & Shapers Mini Tattered Leaves” dies by Tim Holtz.

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A word on Movers & Shapers dies:  The small insert dies (like these leaves) can not be used by themselves in a standard die cutting machine with standard plates.  They were designed to cut shapes from the larger Movers & Shapers base dies (steel rule dies), and as a result, are not the proper thickness to be used alone.  If you don’t have a base die that accommodates the insert die, they now sell a Movers & Shapers Shuttle which is a 6 inch wide magnetic plate that is the correct thickness for these Mover’s & Shapers dies.  (This shuttle was designed to be used specifically with these insert dies and in the Sizzix Big Kick machine; I am not sure if it fits in other machines, like the Cuttlebug, because I do not own one of these plates.  I used one of my base dies to cut the leaves for this project.)

Below is a photo of one of the base dies called Postage Stamp Frame.  It could be used alone to cut the postage stamp shape.  (The little magnetic square in the center is removable and does not actually cut anything but is used to make it easier to release the die cut from the die after cutting.  Don’t throw it away; it is not trash!  It keeps the paper a little higher than the die itself, and without it, the die cut may get wedged inside the die and is hard to get out.)

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In this next photo, I replaced the little square with one of the magnetic leaf insert dies.  Now, the leaf is cut along with the postage stamp frame.

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So, in order to use these insert dies, you either need one of the available base dies  or the shuttle adapter.  Personally, it makes more sense to me to purchase a base die because then you have an additional die in your collection.  The shuttle adapter has no other use than to be a carrier for the small insert dies.  Plus, if you choose a base die that is narrow enough, you can use other die cutting machines.  The die above, for example, fits in the Cuttlebug.  Just a thought….

Thanks for checking out my card project!

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Goose Scene with Multi-Layer Stamping

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Father's Day, Get Well/Sympathy, Tutorials by

Goose Scene with Multi-Layer Stamping

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I’ve done multi-layer stamping before, but it has always been with three panels layered (and centered) one on top of the other.  I thought I’d try a more horizontal “scene” approach with this one.  (My scene layout was inspired by this card.)

HERE’S one I had done before…

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To do multi-layered stamping:

1.  Cut the panels you plan to layer and on which you plan to stamp.  (The sizes don’t matter; make them fit your design!)

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2.   Layer and temporarily adhere the panels as desired.  (Use removable adhesive behind the panels so it does not interfere with your stamping.)  For the goose sample above, I used two white rectangles – one positioned horizontally and the other smaller one positioned vertically and centered on the first.  (For the older sample, I used three white rectangles layered and centered from smallest to largest.)  Do not add the mats at this point; you are just layering the panels on which you will be stamping.

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3.   Simply stamp your images onto the layered panels making sure that some of the image(s) go over the border(s) so parts of the image(s) are on two (or more of the layers).  You may notice that the images don’t stamp really close to the borders of the overlapping card stock and leave a little gap.  That’s because the thickness of the card stock is preventing the stamp from making contact with the neighboring card stock.  That’s fine; these “gaps” will be covered with the mats.

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(At this point, add color if desired.  You want the color to flow across the panels just as the stamping does.  I did not add any color here in this quick tutorial but did in my finished card project.)

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4.   Once all the stamping (and coloring/inking/shading if desired) is complete, separate the stamped panels, mat each one, and re-attach them by layering them the same way they were originally stamped.  Make sure to line up the images as best you can so it looks like they continue past the mats.

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Play around with different sizes and positions for your layered panels for a variety of card layouts!

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To add the color to my images, I loosely sponged ink over and around the areas with a foam blending tool.  I just wanted a hint of color and was not going for a neatly colored scene.

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I used Recollections white, black and kraft card stock along with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo distress ink and Memento Tuxedo Black, Desert Sand, Bamboo Leaves, and Summer Sky inks.  I spritzed ink over the panels with a Walnut Stain distress marker and a Tim Holtz marker spritzer tool.  The embossing folder is Multi Stripes by Darice.  Stamps were from the Stampin’ Up “Wetlands” set (retired?).

Thanks for checking out my card project!

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Paper Pieced Baby Card

Posted in Baby, Cards, Tutorials by

Paper Pieced Baby Card

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Here’s one more baby card (along with a quick “paper piecing” tutorial) I made while playing with the papers and supplies I had pulled out for the cards in my last post…..

This cute baby image is a cling stamp from a set called “Baby” (#227909) by Recollections.  (I purchased this set at Michaels a while ago and can’t seem to find it in the store or online anymore.)

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I used the Darice “Quilt Blocks” embossing folder and a scrap of Core’dinations “Light Aqua Plaid” (#320009) card stock for my background along with a pierced circle (and plain circle) die cut to frame the stamped images.

The greeting is from the “Bundle of Love” stamp set from Gina K Designs (retired?) and was stamped with “Mint Macaron” ink from Stampin’ Up.  I’m not sure why my camera “sees” blues differently than I do; the ink and these papers match so much better in person than on the photo.  (The papers are more greenish, and the ink is more bluish in real life.)  Oh well!

I “paper pieced” scraps of card stock to my baby image to add the color.  I really like this technique because you can easily match whatever card stock you are using on your project.

HOW TO PAPER PIECE:

To do this technique, you stamp the image onto the panel you plan to use on your card.  (For my card, I wanted the baby and greeting to be on a white panel, so I stamped him on white making sure I had enough space around him to die cut the panel with the pierced circle die.)

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Next, decide what colors you want to “color in” the image and stamp the image on a scrap of each of those colors.  (I couldn’t decide if I wanted his pj’s to be solid or plaid, so I stamped it on a scrap of each.)

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With scissors, cut out the portions of the colored pieces you need to “fill in” your image.  I cut out the whole body from the peachy paper and just the pj’s from the aqua pieces.  Notice that I did not worry about cutting out the line for the baby’s hair on the peach piece.  (The hair is too thin to cut out and is not supposed to be peach; it is supposed to be black and is still on the image on the white panel.)

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The final step is to glue the layers on to the white panel.  Line up the black stamped portions when doing that.  You can see how the hair “reappears” in this step!  (I was still deciding what he should wear in the photos below.  Ultimately, I decided to use the solid piece and removed the plaid one.)

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Thanks for checking out my card project!

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Embossed Birds Sympathy Card

Posted in Cards, Get Well/Sympathy, Tutorials by

Embossed Birds Sympathy Card

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This card features the “Birds in Branches” embossing folder by Darice and a stamp from the “Timeless Textures” set by Stampin’ Up.

In order to make the stamped pattern appear behind the embossed birds and branches, you stamp the pattern onto the inside of the embossing folder before embossing.  Embossing folders with larger, solid portions (as opposed to thin lines/patterns) work best for this technique.  Open the embossing folder and stamp your image on the “front” side of the folder (with the indented images that will be embossed).  You want the ink/stamped images to go only on the flat part of the folder; avoid getting ink inside the “indented” birds and branches.  (In other words, press/stamp lightly; do not press so hard on your stamp that it squishes into the indented portions of the folder.)  You can use a large background stamp to ink up the folder or repeatedly stamp a smaller image (like I did here).  Keep in mind that whatever you stamp will transfer as a mirror image so text, music notes, etc. will appear backwards with this technique.

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Once the embossing folder is inked up, carefully place your card stock inside the folder (position paper on clean side and then close folder to avoid smudging stamped images), and run it through your die cutting machine as you normally would.  (You may want to use a card stock shim and run it through a few times to make sure all the ink transfers to the card stock.)    And don’t forget to wash your embossing folder when done in case there is any ink left behind!

After I embossed my panel, I lightly rubbed over the raised portions with ink and a Darice Foam Ink Pod.  Because these pods are kind of hard/firm (unlike a sponge), I find it easier to keep the ink only on the raised surfaces and not in the “nooks and crannies” around the embossed parts.  (These pods can be washed with soap and water and reused.)

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The embossing folder does all the work on this card!  I simply added some mats, a greeting stamped on a stitched rectangle die cut, and a ribbon embellishment to finish it off.

Thanks for checking out my card project!

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