Dashing Through the Snow Easel Card - Tim Holtz Stamp and Coordinating die release

Hello! I've got another project to share today using the new Christmas stamp sets from Tim Holtz paired with the Simon Says Stamp coordinating dies that are available for PRE-ORDER. This is one of my favorite cards I created with this release! I used to make Easel cards fairly frequently, and since it had been a long time, this set just seemed PERFECT for that particular card style!

I started off by stamping and heat embossing that adorable truck on watercolor paper, then smooshing distress inks on my glass mat to use to watercolor the image. I used Candied Apple, Fired Brick, Tumbled Glass, and Black Soot for the image, then die cut with the coordinating die. I stamped and heat embossed the tree from the Wondernment set on Green Apple cardstock with white pigment ink and Wow Sparkling Snow embossing powder, die cut that, then blended over the top with some Peeled Paint distress ink for some shading. I used a score board to add an extra fold to my cardbase, then folded on that line and ink blended with some Mermaid Lagoon ink to create a background. I added some White Splatter for snow as well. I adhered the truck with sturdy adhesive tape only below the line, so it would fold up and sit free. I layered over lots of pieces of vellum with a torn edge to add a snowy effect, and added a sentiment on the front, and tied a sheer ribbon bow around the front of the card. To create the easel for the inside, I tore a couple strips of white glitter cardstock, then added a secondary sentiment from Tiny Text Christmas, trimming one side off of one of the banner dies to create a one sided banner. Here are more photos showing it standing up and folded up to fit in a card:

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50th Anniversary Card

Whew!!! This took most of the morning to make - but I am so excited at how it came out! One of my husbands co-workers requested a card for his parents 50th Anniversary using a wedding picture and a recent picture. The pictures were a challenge to use, because they were pictures taken by a cell phone of the orginal pictures in their frame. The second picture in particular had a lot of glare, and a perfect reflection of the person taking the picture! So I did some playing and editing in Adobe Photoshop, then printed them on vellum - I think it helped a LOT in the final quality.

And I had planned on entering this in the sketch challenge over at My Mind's Eye - but just realized I was a day late!!! Oh well!

I cut frames for the pictures from Elegant Edges, added some white ink, then glossy accents and Martha Stewart glitter around the edges, and finished them off with a couple of stick on pearls. They are also pop-dotted from the background. The doilies are inked with Tim Holtz distress ink. There is some black lace along the bottom, inking and machine stitching along the outside edges, and a lot of bling that I added with my Jolee's heat set tool.

The bow is made from a scrap of black ribbon, some crinkle ribbon, a bit of floss, and a button punched out with a Martha Stewart button punch. The button was then inked, covered with Glossy Accents, and some more Martha Stewart glitter. The "Happy Anniversary" sentiment is from a clear stamp set in my stash - I think by Fiskars, and the inside sentiment is from 40:31 Creations.

The easel card if held up by a border cut with a Fiskar's border punch which is pop-dotted from the base card. Thanks so much for looking - have  great day!!!

No Cricut...but I am learning to LOVE clear stamps!

I used to hate stamps. I mean, really HATE stamps! Could never figure out what to do with them! And then they came out with the new clear stamps, so that you can actually see what you are doing, and where you are putting them! I tried them, and now I am hooked! Got these yesterday at JoAnns, and had to try them out. They are from Fiskars, and they work SO well, and leave such a great impression! Definately have to get more of those!

Hap-Bee Birthday!

This is another easel card I made last weekend! I picked the little bee from the Pooh and Friends cartridge to cut with my Cricut, then added Glossy Accents over the whole thing. Just couldn't resist, so I added a wiggly eye to him too! The yellow flower is one from my stash I got a while ago in a big pack in the dollor section at Michael's, the white one is a Prima Flower. Added some faux stitching, some ribbon, a few brads I had hiding in my stash, and a computer generated sentiment for the inside.

Little girl sewing

I love this cut from Nursery Rhyme! This was another simple easel card that I made over the weekend. The centers of the flowers on the paper inspired the little button decorations on the inside. I just cut a small square of brown paper, folded all four corners to the center, and secured it with a brad. I kind of like the effect! Added some ribbon underneath those, and a Martha Stewart edge punch to add a border under that, a stamped sentiment to the front, and finally, pop-dotted the main image and the sentiment from the background. Thanks for looking!



Liquid pearls

This card kind of came out a little different than any I've made before, but it was kind of fun nonetheless! I started off with the paper, and then found the flower that matched really well. I don't have any quilling tools, but decided to try out the idea just on my own, so I made the flower center and attached it with Glossy Accents. The pretty swirl was cut from Storybook cartridge, and then I wanted to try out my new liquid pearls, so I applied that over the entire piece and let it dry. Added a Martha Stewart border punch on the bottom, some sheer ribbon, some more dots of liquid pearls, and pop-dotted the swirl cut from the card.

Peachy Keen Faces...with a twist!

Hello! I had so much fun with the card!!! I cut out the little birds, and then realized that I only had the medium size critter faces, and all of them were MUCH too big for these little birds. So...I got a little creative! I used one of the bird faces, but only inked the beak and stamped that on each of them. Then I picked a face from the Princess faces assortment in the right size, and only inked the eyes and stamped them on! So...I kind of built my own face! Worked like a charm!

Used my Cuttlebug on the background, a stack of Prima Flowers, buttons and ribbons, some little jewels set on with my Jolee's heat set tool, and finished off with a sentiment from My Pink Stamper's Tweety Hoo Puns stamp set. Pop-dotted the birds, and the background for lots of texture.

Have a tweet day!

Vintage Style Easel Card

The new challenge this week on the Cricut Circle Blog is to make something vintage inspired. This is kind of a different stretch for me, so I figured I would tackle it right away before I lost my nerve! I am really happy with how this turned out, even though it scared me to begin with!

Used A Child's Year for the black cutouts, Cuttlebug on the blue background piece, some ribbon, Prima Flowers, buttons, string pearls, and some heart shaped brads that I snapped the back off of and glued to the buttons. Also added a computer printed sentiment. Turns out Glossy Accents works great as a glue for sticking on pearls and buttons too!

 Thanks for looking!

3 Cards for Challenges

Last night I was busy trying to keep up with some cards for some challenges I wanted to enter. I love challenges, because it makes me stretch out of my box, and make something completely different, or gives me inspiration when I don't know WHAT to do!

The first one was a color challenge - had to use burgundy, red, and rose. I just had to add a touch of brown! Used the cartridge From My Kitchen for the apron, a stamped sentiment, some ribbon, and lots of inking. It is a little hard to see, but I pop-dotted the apron from the background as well.

On the next one, the challenge was to use metallics. This was DEFINATELY a challenge for me, as that is something I don't use very often! I had the little stamped tree laying around that I had made in a moment of boredom sometime earlier and never used, and it had copper stickles on it, so when I found the papers, it kind of fell together. Also a little hard to see, but the brown paper is actually glitter cardstock.

The challenge on the last one was to make a thank you card! I couldn't resist making at least one easel card! I cut this mushroom from the Smiley Cards cartridge, and used my Gypsy's hide contour feature to hide the face. Then I placed a couple of circles on it to make cutouts through the top layer to let the bottom peak out. Love how that turned out, and love that I discovered another way to use this cartridge! The flowers for the inside are cut from Walk in my Garden, and layered with buttons for the center. This card also has a lot of inking, a stamped sentiment, and glossy accents on the outside edge of the circle as well as on the mushroom.

I really LOVE this one!

Okay, I don't know what it is about this card, maybe the paper and the colors, but I really LOVE this card! The cute little girl holding the presents is from Winter Frolic - I love all the things that you can do with this cartridge, that aren't necessarily Christmas-y. It is a very versatile cartridge. Anyway, added a face from my Peachy Keen Princess faces stamps, some ribbon and faux stitching, a stamp with some pop-dotting and some Prima Flowers to hold it up. The first picture shows the whole card, including the inside, and the second picture shows it when it is actually set up properly.Thanks for looking!

Wish on a Star

Last night I took some time to clean up and organize my scrap table - it was getting to be a disaster!!! Found this paper, and had a challenge I wanted to participate on that I needed to use stars on - perfect!!! Since I am still loving the easel cards, this is what I came up with. Used Wall Decor and More for the "star" and "wish", some glossy accents on both those blue parts of the cuts, some buttons and ribbons, pop-dotted the sentiment, and the inside part to hold it open, and added some bling with my Jolee's heat set tool.

Party like a Rockstar!

One last easel card for a while (at least, I think so!) This was for my sister-in-law's 15th birthday! Used Hannah Montana cartridge for the musical notes, then a Martha Stewart button punch, added some glossy accents to the buttons and notes, a sentiment from my Pink by Design stamps, ribbon, and faux stitching around the outside. Also pop-dotted the notes and buttons to add dimension. Thanks for looking!

Smiley Cards - Emoticons!

Needed to make a birthday card for my brother-in-law who is turning 12 (I think that's right!). Decided to try out one of the emoticons from the Smiley Cards cartridge on my Gypsy. I think it turned out pretty well! Having so much fun with the Easel Cards, that I, of course, had to make it into one of those! Used buttons and ribbon along the bottom of the inside, and some pen doodling around the edges.



First Easel Cards!!!

I can't believe that I put off making an Easel Card for SOOO long! For some reason, they just looked difficult, and I was intimidated by them. This afternoon, I saw a tutorial for them, and thought I would give it a try on one of them. I ended up making THREE - they were so easy, and look so neat when they are finished! Here they are:

This first one, I used the cartridge From My Kitchen for the toaster, stuck all the parts together, then coated it with Glossy Accents! Makes it look even more cool and retro! Added a button, some ribbon, and some fake stitching with my Sakura glaze pen...

The next one is a great "guy" card! Those are usually SOOO hard, so I was really excited about this one! Used Just Because Cards for the car, and like the toaster, stuck it all together, and topped it with Glossy Accents. Punched the "button" with the Martha Stewart button punch, and also applied Glossy Accents. A little scribbling, ribbon, and a stamp sentiment finished it off.

The last one, used Create a Critter for the bee, a Peachy Keen stamp for the face, Walk in My Garden for the daisy, Martha Stewart branch punch, some ribbon, and a stamped sentiment. (I couldn't believe that with all my stamps, I didn't have a single "Hap-bee birthday" stamp! So I had to settle for this...)