Rainbow Fish

As you may have noticed I have not used the fish image in the By the Tide stamps set yet.
I left this for later as I really intended to play with different finishes.

I remember when I was little and my dad took me fishing it was my job to help clean the fish we caught. Growing up in BC this consisted of many salmon. I remember being rather fascinated by the pearlescent rainbow colours of the salmon scales.

I think I achieved a rather lovely shimmering finish on these little fish, although be it they are not salmon and I did take some rather large liberties with these rainbow colours.

The background was created by sponging the cardstock using light blue ink. I then stamped the "bubbles" with a matching darker shade and SU Gorgeous Grunge stamp and the sandy ground in Sahara Dessert using a stamp from Timeless textures. Next I stamped the coral using Calypso Coral and the grass using Old Olive and Mossy Meadows ink. I repeated the same to create the card interior.

 Next I the jelly fish (up-side-down) on the card front only using Versamark and white embossing powder.

The fish were stamped on a separate piece of white cardstock in black ink and coloured using alcohol markers. I then went over them with my Versamark pen and embossed with SU's Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I hand cut the fish from the cardstock, shaped them from the back using a stylus and attached to the card front using foam tape.
it is rather difficult to catch the shimmer on photos, but here is a close up so you can see it a little better.

The card front was trimmed to 3.75" x 5" and double matted on dark teal and sand coloured cardstock. A off white piece of twine was tied along the right edge and then the card front was attached to a white card front (A2 size) with foam tape.

The envelope flap was stamped to match the scene on the card front; sand, bubbles and coral using the same ink colours.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white and sand, Bazzill teal
Stamps: By the Tide, From Land to Sea, Gorgeous Grunge, Timeless Texture,
              Remebering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand, Mossy Meadow, Olive Green - SU
        Tuxedo Black - Memento, Versamark,
Alcohol markers: BG10, BG13, BG15, BG18, BG70, BG72, G00, G02, R11, R22 - All Copic
Misc.: hite embossing powder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Versamarker, foam tape/mounting squares, twine

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Seahorses and Seashells

Keeping to the sea life theme I have created a third card, this time focusing on the By the Tide stamp set. This one features the seashells and adorable little seahorses. I changed the colour up a little and used more warm greens and orange hues vs the cool aqua and turquoise shades in my two previous cards.

I again made the background paper using inks applied directly to a clear stamping block; spritzed with a bit of water and then stamped off onto white cardstock. Any bare spots were filled in with lighter shades of ink using a sponge. Note I made two background pieces 9 approx. 4" x 5" in size so the inside can be finished to match the card front.

Next I stamped the coral in Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. To highlight the embossed area I added a little Brown Sugar to the centers of each coral with a sponge. I then stamped the two seahorses towards the right of the card directly onto the background and coloured them using Copic markers. I added shadow shading to create a little depth and white gel pen highlights for added definition.

I didn't plan the layout of the card ahead of time, so when I decided I needed a third seahorse to the left, on top of the coral, I opted to stamp this on a scrap piece of cardstock, along with the seashells. Once these were coloured they were cut out/fussy cut. The sea horse was glued directly onto the card front where as the seashells were formed using a stylus on the back and then attached with a bit of foam tape to keep the 3D effect in tact.

The card front was trimmed to 4.75" x 5" and attached with foam tape onto a coral coloured mat measuring 4" x 5.25". My card base is ivory this time, not bright white. Finishing touches consist of several randomly placed pearls and little bit of twine tide to the right side of the card.

The inside was finished to match with a personalized message using several different sentiment stamps, choosing only the words I needed.

I had a strip of leftover background paper which I attached to the envelope flap for a cohesive finish.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections ivory and white, Bazzill peach/coral
Stamps: By the Tide, Handbill Headlines, Edgy Eloquence, feeling Sentimental - all SU
Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Mint Macaron, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake,
        Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango - all SU, Versamark, Memento - Tuxedo Black
Alcohol markers: YR04, YR02, YR24 (sea horses), YR000, YR00, YR02, BG10, BG13 (seashells)
                             C1, C3, C5, C7 (shadows) - All Copic
Misc.: white embossing powder, twine, various sizes of pearls 1/16", 1/8", 3/48"),
           foam mounting tape, sponge, water spritzer

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Under the Sea Shaker Card

If you recall, the card I shared in my previous post was finish on the inside to match the front of the card. In order to create the writable white/negative space I masked my cardstock when I created the background. Well the mask turned out rather lovely and would have been a great waste to throw away. I decided to use it for the background of a seaside shaker card instead.

To recap, the background was crated by using plain white cardstock and 5 ink pads in teal and turquoise shades. I inked up my largest clear stamping block. Applying the ink pads direct to the stamping block. I then gave it a little spritz with a little water mister and then randomly stamped onto my white cardstock until no ink remained on the block. The areas not fully filled in where finished by sponging with a little of the two lightest ink colours.

Next I stamped the coral image in Cajun Craze and embossed using iridescent ice embossing powder. using Versamark I stamped the jellyfish (upside down) and embossed with white embossing powder.

On a scrap of white card I stamped the turtle image and coloured it using Copic alcohol markers. The image was then fussy cut and attached to the background with foam mounting tape.
I then cut clear plastic to slightly larger than my background. Next I cut 4 strips of 1/4" thick foam mounting squares from a full sheet to create the edging on the shaker. II added my filler and attached the clear plastic to seal in the contents.

Using Cajun Craze I stamped a textured image all over brown cardstock and then cut an opening slightly smaller than my shake in the center to create a frame. the frame was trimmed to 4" x 5.25" size and adhered over top of the shaker, which was then glued to the card front.

I had a little piece of coral (tree die cut) left over from the last project so decided to add it to the card front along (and inside) with a few randomly placed pearls.

I finished the inside to match the theme, by sponging the edges of my white cardstock in the teal/turquoise colours, adding a second frame and another piece of coral.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill coral
Stamps: From Land to Sea, By the Tide, Timeless Textures, Remembering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Tuxedo black - Memento, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon, Island indigo,
       Tempting turquoise (all for the for background), Cajun Craze - SU, Versamark
Alcohol markers: Old olive, light and medium - SU Blendabilities,
                             YG25, Y21, Y32, Y35, YR24, 100 - Copic
Die: Beautiful Branches Thinlits - SU
Shaker filler: peal blue, pearlescent pink and pearl sequins, clear micro beads, pale blue sea glass
Misc.: white embossing power, iridescent ice (SU) embossing powder,clear plastic sheet, foam mounting tape, 1/4" foam squares, water spritzer, sponges

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Under the Sea

Do you ever have buyers remorse when it comes to stamping supplies? I don't often because I generally procrastinate quite a long time before committing to buy. And honestly I haven't bought many supplies that I regretted buying later on. what I am referring to is more the kind of guilt you develop over buying stamps and then having them sit on a shelf for a very long time without ever seeing ink. The kind I had an abundance of this weekend.

I am lucky enough to have a a great husband who fully supports my creative en devours. So much so he gave me card Blanche this past week to spend whatever I thought was sufficient on SU supplies for my birthday. After placing my order I went to my craft room and started tidying so I could have a clean work surface for when my new treasures arrive.

To my utter dismay I discovered quite  a few stamps sets from my last order, about 4-5 month ago, that haven't been touched. So in order to rectify this situation I have challenged myself to use each and every one of these sets before I can touch my birthday order.

This lovely under water card and matching envelope is the first creation of this self-challenge.

I started by creating the water background using plain white cardstock. I gathered 5 ink pads in teal and turquoise shades. Using my largest clear stamping block as my canvas I randomly stamped each color directly onto the block and then gave it a little spritz with a little water mister. I randomly stamped onto my white cardstock until no ink remained on the block. The areas not fully filled in where finished by sponging with a little of the two lightest ink colours.

I repeated this on a second piece of cardstock to create my envelop liner and also masked a 1" wide strip on the flap of my envelop to create a matching border.

Next I stamped the jelly fish image (upside down to mimick plant life) several times using Veramark and white embossing powder. I then added the coral image once for a bit of texture. The turtles were stamped three times onto a scrap piece of white card and coloured using Copic alcohol markers. All three turtles were fussy cut. Two turtles were shaped a little from the back using a stylus and then attached to the card front with foam tape. I cut 2 trees with the die from coral coloured card and trimmed them to fit into the comers of the card front, reserving the scraps. Note for added dimension the coral was attached by trimming foam tape into very thin strips

Using the same technique as for the background I coloured another piece of cardstock 5.25"x4" in size , masking the center area (approx. 4.5" x 3") to keep it white for a personal greeting. I then attached the third turtle and left over scrap of coral and stamped the birthday greeting in black.

Lastly I trimmed the second piece of cardstock I had coloured to create the card liner and glue it into the envelope.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill coral
Stamps: From Land to Sea, By the Tide, Remembering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Tuxedo black - Memento, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon, Island indigo,
       Tempting turquoise (all for the for background), Calypso Coral - SU, Versamark
Alcohol markers: Old olive, light and medium - SU Blendabilities,
                             YG25, Y21, Y32, Y35, YR24, 100 - Copic
Die: Beautiful Branches Thinlits - SU
Misc.: white embossing power, foam mounting tape, water spritzer, sponges

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Fox Step Card

I had a request to make a nature themed card. it needed to be somewhat fancy and perfect for a lover of the outdoors. After some thought I cam up with a wonderful idea but needed to find the time to actually work on it.

Well, it took almost three hours but I did it. I finished this beautiful, woodsy fox last night.

I chose to do a center step card, with 3 small steps so that i could create a foreground, the fox in the middle of the woods and hen a background frames by trees on either side.

This is a standard A2, 5.5 x 4.25" horizontal card. The left and right panels are each 1" wide.

The center steps, form front to back are 1", 1.5" and 2" in height

I sponged the sky in Marina Mist, the ground in Mossy meadow and Baked brown Sugar.

Each center panel was sponged with the same ground colours as the front one.

To create the back panel I sponged both ground colours onto the bottom of the Woodlands embossing folder and then using a brayer added the blue for the sky and then embossed onto a white piece of card.

The trees framing the card on either side were embossed on white card and then cut out using an x-acto knife.

All the trees where finished by sponging with a touch of Sahara Sand and colouring in the texture with an Early Espresso marker.

The bushes (a total of 40 are the tree from lovely as a tree stamped in Always Artichoke and sponged in Mossy Meadow and Baked Brown Sugar and then hand trimmed from the cardstock.

I stamped the fox image using Memento ink and then coloured him with Copic markers - C7 around the ears and nose, Y35 and YR24 for the eyes, YR24, YR04 and R24 for the body. The grass is YG25 and the 2 lighter tones in SU's Olive Green Blendabilities.

The background images was trimmed to 4.25" in height and adhered to the back center panel 2 bushes and the fox to the middle center panel (the fox and froth bush using foam tape)

One bush was glued to the front right and then the tree panels are glued to either side panel. The last bush was attached using foam tape to the front left.

the greeting was mounted on skinny banners and attached to the back panel with foam. To match the colours perfectly I inked the matting banners in Baked brown Sugar and Mossy Meadow.

This card would also be perfect for Father's Day.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white

Stamps: The Wilderness Awaits, Lovely as a Tree, Remembering your Birthday - all SU

Ink: Mossy Meadows, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, Marina Mist - all SU, Tuxedo Black - Memento

Embossing folder: Woodland - SU

Punch: 1: square to cut banner tails

Markers: Y35, YR24, Y04, R24, YG25, C7 - Copic, Old Olive - SU Blendabilities

Misc.; foam squares/mounting tape

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Scenic meadow card

I've come across a few scenic cards created using the In the Meadow stamp set coloured in a somewhat monochromatic theme that I just loved.

I wanted to give this a try myself but couldn't find any instructions, therefore decided to wing it.

I opted for Copic markers as my colouring medium and as I do not own any real brown I chose warm tan and orange hues.

I started by stamping the images using Tuxedo Black. I coloured everything using alcohol markers and then added subtle highlights with a white gel pen.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections
Stamps: In the Meadow, Sheltering Tree - SU
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
Markers: E000, E11, E13, E31, Y23, YR24, W1, 0 - Copic, Skin tone collection - SU Blendabilities

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Wilderness Birthday

I made this card for my Dad's birthday. He now lives overseas and doesn't get much of a chance to go hunting anymore but he always enjoyed it when he lived here. He never did shoot anything, he left that up to his buddies.
I thought he'd enjoy this scene created with the Wilderness Awaits set and the woodlands embossing folder.

It's funny how I always think I have a sufficient amount of Copic markers for the time being and then proceed to colour something new only to realize I was wrong. This happened again while working on this card. Believe it or not the only actual brown shades I currently own are the skin tone Blendabailities from SU. They are a little on the dark side and did not make the colouring very easy. Nonetheless it turned out ok.

The card was created with the same technique of stamping the inside of the embossing folder, embossing the cardstock and then colouring the images. Instructions can be found here

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill and Recollections
Stamps: The Wilderness Awaits, In the Meadow, Morning Meadow, all SU
Embossing folder: Woodlands - SU
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Early Easpresso - SU, Tuxedo Black - Memento
Markers: Early Espresso, Old Olive - SU
Alcohol markers: C1, C3, W1, E11, 0 - Copic, Skin Tone Blendabilities - SU
Misc.: 3 x 1/8" antique brads, brown butcher's twine
Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Burnished Gold Blossom

As I did finish colouring this image, despite the gold embossing, I thought I'd share it as well.
As noted in my last post, I don't recommend anyone else trying this unless you have a very steady hand and are willing to risk your marker tip.
Instead I would recommend investing in some good quality metallic ink (now definitely on my wish list) and then clear embossing to get a similar finished look.

I really love the colours in this one as I tend  to lean more towards warm tones. This has a definite fall feeling to me.

I started by stamping both the leafy image and the lotus blossom onto scraps of white cardstock. Heat embossed the images in powder gold and then coloured with Copic markers. Both images were fussy cut and then glued to the brown die cut shape which was trimmed at the top to fit the card front.

The green mat was dry embossed with diagonal stripes and cut the width of my card base. The sentiment was stamped towards the right side in dark brown. The card background mat consists of a very golden pattern paper that was inked in brown along the edges. For finishing touches a gold organza ribbon bow and a few gold rhinestones were added.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill brown and green

Patterned paper: MME "Reunion" 6 x 6 " paper pad

Stamp: Remarkable You, Tin of Cards - both SU

Ink: Versamark, Early Espresso - SU

Alcohol markers: YR04, YR24, YR32, YR35, YG03, YG25, 0 - blender pen - Copis, Olive Green 

                             (lightest) - SU Blendabilities, 

Die: Apothecary Accents - SU

Embossing folder: Stylish Stripes - SU

Misc.: Gold organza ribbon, Gold rhinestones - both Crafts by Dollarama, powder gold embossing powder - the Stampers Edge

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Silver Blossoms

Still being very new to colouring with Copics I thought I'd try embossing my line image in gold and silver before colouring, after all I have successfully coloured my images after clear embossing.
Those of you well familiar with Copics are probably cringing as you read this as you know better.

I had no idea that the embossing powder, despite having been heat set, would dissolve when coming into contact with Copics.  I noticed this immediately when I started colouring and quickly did a Google search only to find this is a big no-no.
I did persist though and managed to finish colouring my image by being very, very careful not to touch the tip of my marker to the embossed edges. The finished image looks beautiful but I don't recommend anyone else trying this unless you have a very steady hand and are willing to risk your marker tip. I would recommend investing in some good quality metallic ink (now definitely on my wish list) and then clear embossing to get a similar finished look.

The Lotus was stamped on a scrap piece of cardstock, coloured with Copic markers and then fuzzy cut. The leaves  and sentiment were stamped onto a separate piece of card trimmed to approx. 3 x 4.25 ".

The lotus flower was attached with a bit of foam tape for some added depth. The panel was then mounted on a bit of pink patterned paper.

The last mat is mint cardstock embossed with a frame texture. before attaching this mat it was sponged with a little ink and wrapped with the ribbon. 

The pink pattern paper was used as the card front and a white doily added to fill in the space. Lastly for the finishing touches the bow as added as well as a few rhinestones in the right corners.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill green

Patterned paper: Karen Foster

Ink: Versamark, Garden green - SU

Alcohol markers: Copic: G02, G05, RV10,RV21, RV34, blender pen

Embossing folder: Framed Tulips - SU

Misc.: 5/8" pink organza ribbon, 4.5" white paper doily, rhinestones, foam tape/mounting squares

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Remarkable Hello

Have I mentioned that I have one of the best SU demos around? A few weeks ago I had a surprise in my mail box, a pack of melon mambo Blendabilities. Knowing I am really getting into alcohol markers, and that I missed out on several colour packs of the Blendabilities before they were pulled she gifted me this set. I love the vibrancy of this colour pack and thought flowers were the perfect canvas.

As I had not made use of the third flower in the Remrakable You set i decided a bright and happy bouquet created form this image woudl be perfect.

There was a lot o fuzzy cutting involved in getting this to look just right. The leafy stems consist of two images cut apart to frame my little bouquet.

I chose to match the flower colours in my pretty striped ribbon, so opted for purple, pink and fuchsia tones. I also coloured my die cut sentiment to match.

The leafy greens were glues straight onto the card front, where as the flowers were all popped using a bit of foam tape for some added dimension.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill green

Patterned paper: source know (old piece I had in my stash with no printed info on the back

Stamps: Remarkable You - SU

Die: Hello Thinlits - SU

Ink: Tuxedo Black - Memento

Alcohol markers: Melon mambo Blendabilities - SU, RV01, RV21, RV34, V04, V06, V09, G02, G05, G09 - Copic

Misc.: striped ribbon (1 1/4" wide), foam mounting tape/squares

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Copic Cardinal

Today I am sharing my second creation using SU's Joyful Season stamp set. This time I chose to colour the cardinal using alcohol markers. This created a more solid, saturated colour image.

I kept the card very clean and simple which resulted in my cardinal being the main focus of the card without any competing backgrounds.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white
Stamps: Joyful Season - SU
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Alcohol markers: Blendabilities Skin Tone - SU, Y35, R24, R29, R89 - Copic,
Embossing folder: Softly Falling - SU
Die: Labels Framelits - SU
Misc.: Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Ribbon - SU, various sizes of pearls, foam tape/mounting squares

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Woodlands in Autumn

It's been a busy last few weeks and I haven't had as much time to play as I had hoped. I did get my SU order unpacked, cataloged and organized. And this past week I managed to squeeze in a few moments to play with the Woodlands embossing folder.

I created 2 fall inspired cards,, the first is A2 (4.25 x 5.5") in size:

I inked up the embossing folder with Mossy meadow for a rich green woodsy background colour and then proceeded to emboss my white paper.
My bird was coloured with alcohol markers and placed on the large branch in the front f the scene.
I also added some leaves and a silhouette bird behind my greeting. The veining on the leaves was created with a spider web embossing folder.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: white Recollections, scraps of brown and orange Bazzill
Stamps: Language of Friendship - SU, Morning Meadow - SU
Die; Autumn Accents Bigz - SU
Embossing folder: Woodland - SU, Spiderweb - SU
Ink: Mossy meadow - SU, Cajun Craze - SU, Basic Black - SU, Tuxedo black - Memento
Alcohol markers: Cherry Cobbler, Smokey Slate, Skintone - SU Blendabilities, Copic Y35
Misc.: Early Espresso stitched ribbon - SU, black marker, foam tape


my second creation with this great embossing folder is a 5.5 x 5.5" square card (love that this embossing folder accommodates larger cards):

In case you are wondering, I use a Cuttlebug and yes, these large square SU embossing folders will fit!
I sued the same technique, ink pad to embossing folder, to create the night sky background. I then added some green and brown with sponges to the lower area of the folder to create the illusion of soil and bushes. I did not (at least not yet) purchase the matching stamp set to this embossing folder. So I looked through my assortment of stamps and  found the Take Three set. I used the small birch leave and my tiny PB birch punch (not a perfect match but close enough).

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, dark brown
Stamps: Take Three - SU
Embossing folder: Woodland - SU
Punches: Deco Label - SU, Mega oval (70 mm) - PB
Ink: Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Hello Honey, Pimpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Mossy Meadow, Night of Navy - all SU
Markers: Basic black, Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey, Cherry Cobbler - all SU
Misc.: 1" wide dark brown satin ribbon, foam mounting tape

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Embroidered Autumn cards

If you are anything like me, you have many wonderful tools in your stash that you just had to have when you saw them only you bring them home and not get around to using.
Today I am sharing a set of cards I made with just such a tool.

Several years ago I saw a few scrapbook layouts online that where absolutely beautiful. One of the most striking things about them was these gorgeous embroidered borders. It took me a few days to figure out how they were created when I discovered Bazzill Basics Paper Embroidery templates.
I decided to purchase two sets, as well as a pack of needles. I was overly excited when I found them in the store and brought them home with glee. Unfortunately life got in the way and I didn't get the chance to try them out in the next few weeks. Then came along a few craft room reorganizations and these templates found a home on my wall rack between alphabet stickers and doily packs; where they were fast forgotten,

Last weekend I decided it was high time to give them a try. As I planned on making cards I chose the smaller swirls and leaves set versus the large 12" border set. I chose to go the CAS route as it really highlights the pretty designs.

I absolutely love how these turned out. So much so, I may not give them away as a gift as originally planned (or I may just have to make a second set for myself).

I am by no means talented at embroidery. In fact I haven't had a needle and floss in my hands sine grade school. But I have to say these were relatively fast and easy.

I used really only two types of stitches, the running stitch and the split stitch. I used dollar store embroidery floss at full thickness (5 threads).

The templates are transparent plastic with a black outline design printed on them and evenly spaces along the lines are small 1/8" holes. You place your cardstock on top of  a piercing mat, then place the template on your card where you like t and using a needle or piercing tool pierce along the designs where the holes are. Then follow the pierced design when you stitch. Really simple.

I think it would actually be rather simple to make these templates. Use some acetate, stamp a scroll, line or flourish design with black StazOn and then use a hand held 1/8" hole punch to evenly spaced punch holes along the design. I'm really itching to try this with the spider web from web wishes.

Here are close ups of my three cards.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Chocolate Chip - SU

Ink: Chocolate Chip - SU

Stamp: Express Yourself - SU

Misc.: Bazzill template, brown embroidery floss, small pearls, foam mounting squares 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Cajun Craze - SU

Ink: Tangerine Tango - SU

Stamp: Sincere Salutations - SU

Alcohol Marker: Copic YR04 blended with SU Blendabilities Skintone (light brown)

Misc.: Bazzill template, orange embroidery floss, small pearls, foam mounting squares 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzil Leapfrog

Ink: Wild Wasabi - SU

Stamp: Whimsical Words - SU

Alcohol Marker: SU Blendabilities Old Olive

Misc.: Bazzill template, green embroidery floss, small pearls, foam mounting squares 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Rose Shaker Tag Gift Bag

For this last shaker tag I decided to make a matching little gift bag.
I found this great pack of 25 simple white gift bags at my local Dollarama for $3. Can't beat that price and the basic white is just asking to be beautified.

I did learn the hard way that one should open the bag and place a solid surface inside before stamping or the design towards the bottom of the bag where the fold is, won't stamp too well. It still turned out quite pretty though and I do have 24 more bags to practice on.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill, Recollections
Stamps: Four Frames - SU, Sheltering Tree - SU, Cottage Rose - SU
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Mossy meadow - SU, Memento - Tuxedo Black
Markers:  Copic RV10, RV34, SU Blendabilities: Old Olive
Punch: Deco Label - SU
Die: Two Tags - SU, Bold Butterflies - SU
Misc.: acetate, clear micro beads, Rhinestones, Always Artichoke seam binding, White gift bag

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

More Shake Tags

I love how the same basic design of a project can turn out completely different just be changing the colours and embellishments.

These pretty shaker tag were create with the same basic supplies as my birthday tag form yesterday's post. I simple chose different colours, embellishments and one of the other Four Frame stamps.

This one uses the filigree frame. Which made me think of my grandmother. So I turned it into a bit of an antique design, choosing lace, flowers and soft cream/brown hues.

The little flowers were stamped in black ink and then I sponged them with a little brown and dark red. I shape the petals a little and twisted 2 into smaller buds. Each has a rhinestone centre that was coloured with alcohol markers.
The ruler/yard stick at the bottom was a scrap of a self adhesive border.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections - ivory, rest is old Bazzill
Ink: Colorbox Chalk ink - Chestnut Roan, Memento - Tuxedo Black, Cherry Cobbler & Early Espresso - SU
Stamps: Four Frames - SU, Petite Petals - SU
Punches: Deco Frame - SU, Petite Petals - SU
Die: Two Tags - SU
Misc.: foam tape, acetate, rhinestones (1 for each flower center), 5/8" taupe lace ribbon, clear micro beads, yard stick border - K & Company -  Julianne

The little bird frame inspired autumn.  I coloured the bird with alcohol markers to resemble a robin. Going with the fall theme I coloured the flowers yellow and brown. I kept the front of the tag rather simple and now wonder if maybe stamping it with a darker red or brown using a background stamp such as a wood texture would maybe enhance the autumn feeling a little.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Early Espresso & Mossy Meadow - SU
Markers: SU Blendabilities - Daffodile Delight, Old Olive, Skintone, Cherry Cobbler
Stamps: Four Frames - SU, Petite Petals - SU
Punches: Deco Frame - SU, Petite Petals - SU
Die: Two Tags - SU
Misc.: foam tape, acetate, Always Asparagus seam binding, clear micro beads,

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Simple Shaker Card

I remember shakers being all the rage about 15 years ago. I made them filled with metallic confetti, seed beads, punch outs, shrinky dink creations ... you name it I tried it.
Then they got old and I put away my confetti and such to never give them a second thought again.

Well recently I've been seeing more and more shakers on cards so I thought I'd incorporate them into mine once again.

I was puzzling over what to fill it with though. I tried sequins (which seems to be the go-to-filler these days), but found it was getting stuck to the foam tape edges and didn't look very nice.
I have to note here that I currently only have 1/16" foam tape and for a proper shaker needed to layer it. This is not the best idea. As hard as I tried there were sticky edges in the layers.
Of course I had the same results with the metallic confetti (and I still have a ton of this in various themes (wedding, fall, baby....).

I must have pulled apart my card 3 or more times to change out the content and wasn't happy with any of it.  I then decided to look through my abundant stash of embellishments. And what do you know, I came across a large jar of those tiny clear micro beads (no holes). I've had these for more than 12 years, gathering dust. I used to stamp images and then cover it with the beads for a unique glass effect. But the results were rather heavy, so I haven't used them in forever.

I decided to use a small scoop of these, and guess what, I love how this turned out and I love how the beads roll inside the shaker. I doubt I am the first to use them for this purposes but to me it is a new and versatile solutions for these old micro beads. And to top it off, they are clear so the image I stamped inside the shaker can still be seen no matter where the beads are. Win, win if you ask me. You can bet I will be making more shakers filled with these beads.

So without any further ado here is the card I made.

I kept it somewhat simple so the focus is on my shaker, which contains the greeting.
Now although the shaker is shaped, my "box" is a simple square behind the cut out.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill colours
Stamps: You're Lovely - SU, Kinda Eclectic - SU
Die: Deco sables Framelits - SU
Punches: banner punch - SU, 1 1/4" square - SU (for large banner tails)
Embossing folder: Cloudy Day - SU
Alcohol markers: Copic: Y21, Y23, YR02, Blendabilities by SU- Skintone and Old Olive
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky, Tangelo Twist, So Safron, Old Olive - SU
Misc.: Acetate, Foam mounting tape, clear micro beads

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CAS Best Thoughts

Here is one more card created with SU's Best Thoughts stamp set. This time I decided to go the CAS (clean-and-simple) route. I always find it amazing how versatile one image can be.
Just looking at the three cards I made with this set, a simple change in style can makes this image look so very different.

I kept my background very simple - white, but textured by use of embossing folder.
I coloured my flowers with lighter colours, which seem to give the card a spring like feeling.
I also speckled my mat by flicking my marker pens above the paper.

I couldn't quite resist adding a few little pearls that I coloured using Copics to match the colour of the flowers and a very sheer organza bow. The flower image was die cut and adhered with a little bit of foam tape (very shallow, only about 1/16" thick).

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections
Stamps: Best Thoughts - SU
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
Alcohol markers: Copic -R11, R22, R24, YG03, YG25, W1, W3, W5, Blendabilities by SU - Lightest of Olive Green
Misc.: foam tape, little self adhesive pearls (Recollections), 5/8" peach organza ribbon

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.