Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog hop

 

It's that time of year again and I've been storing up ideas for this Blog Hop. Check out my instagram page for all the cards I'll be making.

Spring/Summer coffee Lovers Hop

It's that time of year again!!! The Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Hop. I've been waiting for the official posting which came out yesterday to this excellent event. I can't wait to see all the wonderful themed cards and show my own in this bi annual blog hop.

White heat embossed Flowers

To make the following two cards, I suggest you use flowers that have a die if not then you'll be fussy cutting them out because the scan n cut can not tell the difference between the white heat embossed edge of the flower. In the first picture shown below you see all the materials of the two cards that I made. The regular embossed yellow card blanks, the yellow patterned paper the purple and pink card stock as well as the heat embossed flowers and sentiments. I've also included the embossed leaves and finally the card bases.

In this image which was borrowed from papercraft inspirations issue 199, you can see that I've attached the embossed yellow card using crickets Swiss dots embossing folder to the pink and purple card stock. I've used the polka dot yellow paper with a boarder piece of purple card stock and attached these to the card bases. On the side you still see the flowers, purple embossed leaves and the sentiment strips.

Here you can see in the finished cards that I've added the heat embossed flowers, the embossed leaves and the sentiment strips, making both cards with the same elements look slightly different due to placement.

Reverse images

I do not have the best of luck with this technique. I've watched YouTube videos but I do not have a gel plate or another stamp that can cover the surface area I wanted for this particular stamp. After many trials and errors I decided to stamp the polar bear image onto some clear acetate using StazOn jet Black ink. I then hand cut out the image and reversed it onto the bottom of the card I also stamped out the image onto some white card along with the snowy ice flow.

Starting from the center of the card i used Broken China, tumbled glass and blueprint sketch to make a reflection like look on the card. I then attached the ice flow and top bear onto the card but it didn't look quite right because the bottom bear was all shiny. I decided to cut another piece of acetate to the same height of the ice flow. I then cut out a boarder using neutral cardstock and attached to a white card blank.

Ink blending and white heat embossing

This next card was just a fun way to pass the time and lighten my mood from the dreary winter cold outside. I've watched you tube videos with white heat embossed images come to life with some ink blending on top of the stamped image. For this card. I white heat embossed a flower design 5 times and then went to one of my favorite color blending trios of Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmon and Candied Apple Distress Oxide inks. I love how the images really pop once the ink is added. After wiping away any excess ink with a dry rag I mounted the image onto yellow card and then a white card blank.

Chill out- Northern lights scene

I was experimenting with making a northern lights background for some winter scene cards I was making. I got the inspiration from the Creative Stamping Issue 78 magazine. I wanted it also to appear as if it was snowing in the background, so I got out my card blanks and started with some color blending. In the card below I used Peeled paint, Fired Brick and Dusty Concord Distress Oxide inks. I then sprayed it with a mini mister that contained a mixture of perfect pearls and water to give it that snowy background look.

I added a watery snow drift and a seal that I had cut out with my scan n cut that I colored in with copic markers and attached to the drift with 3D foam squares. I trimmed off the edges and backed onto beige card, then mounted onto a neutral colored card and finally attached to a beige card blank

I added a small "Chill out" sentiment also blended with Dusty concord Distress Oxide ink and stamped the sentiment with Memento Tuxedo Black ink to the top left hand side of the card, again with 3D foam squares.

Using a template for Co workers Christmas cards

I have about 14 people in my team so when i make cards for them I like them to be the same image but just a little different. I normally hand out cards to my team around special occasions with little chocolates or candies.

This year I used a template for my cards and cut around that rather than having a regular card base. I decided on the shape of a stocking, again the inspiration came from a crafting magazine as well as the template I was using.

The first problem I encountered was the template did not fit on a normal 8" x 11" sheet of paper so I had to use 12"x 12" white scrapbooking paper for these cards.

I used the template for the stocking itself, for the top of the stockings and for the toe and heels and cut these out of a variety of Christmas themed papers, which came with the magazine. I then glued them all together. I went to my scan n cut and cut out the "Merry Christmas" sentiment and glued those to the stocking toppers. I finished the cards by adding a sentiment inside.

While these cards were cute and fun themed they lacked a certain finished or polished look that my other cards possess. I found cutting from a template challenging, so I'll have to re think how to do that in the future.

Family Christmas cards

These cards are a little more detailed in the making but if I can do it so can you. I chose the images I wanted first and came up with these adorable little kitties from a crafters magazine. I just stamped all the images cut them out with my scan n cut and then colored them in using copic markers. I wanted to have the base of the card red so I knew i had to make these little critters stand out. I cut out a bunch of scalloped circles and using my cuttlebug and the Swiss dots embossing folder got to work on embossing the circles.

Next was how was I going to place them on my card. After seeing a beautiful plaid paper at the craft store I had to pick up some and use that as a stripe along the left hand side of the card. I then found a sentiment stamp set and decided to heat emboss that onto the same colour red card I was using in the background and gold really matched the stripe in the plaid paper.

I taped down the sentiment onto the stripe, taped the stripe onto the card and then layered the white embossed circles on the right and popped up the kitties up with 3D foam squares. I then attached that to white card blanks and embossed another sentiment inside the card. You can see below that I made a bunch of these cards to hand out and mail to family members.

snowflakes that actually cut out!

I seem to have trouble with cutting out my snowflakes on my scan n cut machine. I don't know what it is but they don't want to cut out nicely for me but this year I found 3 snowflakes that cut out beautifully.

I started out by stamping out the snowflakes in various shades of blue and cut them out with my scan n cut, when that was successful I made even more :)

I usually make a variety of Christmas cards, some for friends, family and co worker's, This card is an easy make.

After I had cut out my snowflakes and had three distinct piles I went to my blue background paper. I embossed it with the Swiss dots embossing folder for my cricket cuttlebug. All I had to do next was heat emboss my sentiment in silver on some white card and trim that down. I glued the snowflakes onto the embossed paper added it to white card blanks and finish with the sentiment.

Almost Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

I was patiently waiting for the fall/winter edition of the coffee lovers Blog hop and decided to get a head start by making a few trial cards. I wanted to incorporate the fall leaf colors in my blended backgrounds and i find that squeezed lemonade, carved pumpkin and fired brick  Distress oxide inks go really well together. I blended together some backgrounds and made some cups of coffee and tea from my small stash of stamps. I cup the images out with my scan n cut and colored them in with Chameleon markers. You can see that I had decided to add a fabric doily to one of the cards while the other card was the cups stacked. I got preoccupied with another task and never came back to these starter cards to finish them off. In fact I cleaned up my craft room and misplaced these cards until it was too late. I missed the coffee lovers Blog Hop for the fall winter session but I do plan on entering again for the spring/summer hop

You are Magical

My next card is a little different from my usual. I was really into ink blending but wanted to highlight the silhouette on this card. I tried a variety of backgrounds as I'd already chosen my stamp.

 Finally after several trials and errors I came up with this combination (which unfortunately i can't recall). Apart from the ink blending this card is again a very simple one. You blend the ink until you have a highlighted area and go darker from there on out. I then stamped the image of the fairy on a swing and used a white gel pen to fill in the light on her lantern. I heat embossed the sentiment once the ink was completely dry and layered that onto pink card and then attached onto a white card base.

Happy Thanksgiving

Like a lot of families we get together to have a large family Thanksgiving, so I need to make cards for my relatives that I can make easily and quickly. I decided on using the leaf builder stencil on beige card blanks colored in with squeezed lemonade, carved pumpkin and red brick Distress oxides I used my Tim Holtz ink blenders because I wanted the bold color of the leaves to really shine through.

I made several of these and thought they looked simple but elegant especially after adding a popped up sentiment in heat embossed gold. I layered the cards onto a neutral card and then onto a white card blank.

For a special friend

One of my friends recently lost their job and they were having a hard time looking for a replacement position, so I decided to make them a card to let them know how special they were.

In this card I made a flower pot out of scrap patterned paper. I attached that to a faded blue sky made with distress oxide inks and my ink blending brushes. I stamped out three flowers in pigment inks and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. I stamped out some leaves using the same technique. I attached these to the card with 3D foam squares. I had an embellishment from last year that said wonderful and \i wanted to incorporate that into the sentiment. I added silver nuvo drops and layered onto pink card and attached that to a white card blank.

Birthday card for a sons friend

My son normally gives me a heads up when one of his friends is having a birthday so he can get a card and have all his buddies sign it. On this occasion he told me about an hour before his friends were to arrive for a gathering at our house to celebrate this boys 19th birthday. 19 is pretty big in Ontario Canada because it means that you are legally able to drink.

So up I head to my craft room with no idea in my head but to use the color orange because hes always wearing that color. The following card is what I came up with:

I took my card blank put it into my stamp positioner and picked out the Altenew circle background stamp. I inked that up well with the carved pumpkin distress oxide ink and laid it over the card. I inked it up again and stamped away. Now I had a background, what was I going to do to make this card special. I decided to add beer bottles so I quickly stamped them and cut them out with my scan n cut and painted them in with watercolors. I chose a neutral colored card and cut off a another piece for the sentiment. Laid the sentiment down on the lower portion of the card and popped up the now dry beer bottles that I attached with foam adhesives. I added bronze nuvo drops to the top right and bottom left of the card and attached onto a beige card blank.

The card was done just in time and my son liked the card I'd made on the fly for one of his friends.

Dahlia stencil

This has to be one of the easiest stencils that I've used with great results every time. All you have to do is pick two colors, one a shade darker than the other and off you go.  For these cards I used my new Altenew cube inks. I took my card base taped it with washi tape to my surface and blended in my first color. I then wiped it off, lined it up and went in with my darker color to get those darker tones. I used the Altenew family stamp set and made a sentiment, layered the card onto a grey colored card and then added onto the white card base. The results are beautiful no matter what colors I've used.

Magazine inspiration

I often purchase card making magazines and one card in particular caught my eye so I decided to put my own twist on it and made the following card:

 I fist cut out a flowerpot using patterned papers. I attached to a card front and then stamped out some foliage in two colors of pigment ink. I then took some flowers, stamped them out in pigment ink . I arranged the flowers on the planter in a pleasing design, over lapping them with foam squares.

 To finish off the card I added some clear nuvo drops to the centers of each flower and to the upper right hand side of the card. I added a sentiment to the bottom left. I then mounted onto green card and then attached onto a white card blank.

Fathers day

In honor of fathers day I made the following two cards:

I had these little tool stamps so I stamped them out on some while card, cut them with my scan n cut and colored them in. I then took the same stamps and lined them up on a stamping block and using a versamark watermark pad I watermarked the card front from top to bottom. I added a simple sentiment raised with foam pads and added the colored in tools with foam pads around the sentiment. I used bronze nuvo drops in the bottom left and top right of the card and attached to a black card blank.

 This card is very similar but I added the tools directly onto the watermark design that I had created with little foam squares from forever in time. I embellished with bronze nuvo drops in the top right and bottom left of the card , popped up the sentiment on foam pads backed with a beige card and layered that onto the white card base.

Patterned paper

I do not usually use patterned paper in my cards but this one seems to work out perfectly.

Its a simple card.  I took a stamped image, colored it in with copic markers and cut it down to a little shorter than a regular card front. I added a stamped sentiment directly below it and mounted it on patterned paper. I added clear nuvo drops to the top right and bottom left of the card and then attached to a peach colored card blank.

Cube builder stencil

I have to say first off this is one of my favorite stencils to use because I find it so versatile. The following are two cards made with the same stencil but have completely different looks.

 By now you know that I mount my design onto different colored card before attaching to my card bases. In the top image I've stayed with a pink theme while the bottom |I was going for more masculine darker colors and used brown card.

Basically you pick two complementary colors and use the stencil with first one color, turn the stencil around and line it up and i=use your second color to build the cube effect.

I used Distress oxide inks with both cards. With the top one for just that added touch I heat embossed a banner with a sentiment and added clear nuvo drops to the top right and bottom left hand side of the card.
With the second card I cut a strip of card and stamped on the sentiment raised it up on foam pads and added clear nuvo drops to the top right and bottom left hand sides of the card.

Mothers Day

In honor of my Mom I made her the following card.

I stamped and cutout with my scan n cut some flowers of varying sizes. I colored them in using copic markers, then added rhinestones to the center of each flower. To make the sentiment really stand out I used a light green card blank and heat embossed "LOVE YA MOM" in silver, I then layered the flowers in a semi circle around the sentiment. I backed onto a piece of peach card and attached to a white card blank.

Carnations

Carnations were my grandmothers favorite flower so in honor of her on her memorial day I made a card with carnations on it.

The card is pretty simple. I took a blank white card base and blended some Distress Oxide inks to make a light background. Next I stamped out some Carnations and cut them with my scan n cut, then colored them in using copic markers. I added a banner sentiment of Happy birthday on black card using white heat embossing . Next I added some clear nuvo drops to the top right and bottom left hand side of the card, mounted on some light pink card and attached to a black card blank.

Altenew Leaf Burst Stencil

In this first photo you can see that I've prepared all my materials ahead of time. I have my Distress Oxides, my stencil, card blank, washi tape and blender brushes

 Here I've taped my stencil to my card and an beginning to blend in my inks.

 Once I've completed with blending my inks I remove the washi tape and clean  y stencil after removing my card.

 I've decided to use the stampendous sentiment stamps to add a sentiment using memento tuxedo black ink.

 I cut the sentiment down to fit into the bottom right corner and have decided to use a rhinestone for the center of my card.

 Here is the completed card layered onto a neutral piece of card and attached to a neutral card blank.

Sunbursts

Using Vicki Boutins stamps I inked up the sunburst with different colored pigment inks and then heat embossed them with clear heat embossing powder.

 I chose lighter colors but used the same technique as above. I added rhinestones to the center of each burst and the sentiment Happy Birthday and layered onto colored card before attaching to the card base

 These final cards I made using a different stamp from the same Vicki Boutin stamp collection but white heat embossed the stamp. I then used a variety of distress oxides to color the back grounds and added rhinestones and a heat embossed sentiment in silver. I backed the cards again with different colored card and attached onto card bases.

Masking

Now this is not my favorite type of card to do because it takes more time and precision than I normally have in my card marking time allotment but the results sure are pretty.

In this card I masked of the little bird and heart then masked off the top and bottom of the card so I'd have a clean line going across my card. I blended with Distress Oxide inks, pulled up my masking and colored in my bird and hear. I finished off with a well placed sentiment and backed it with a similar colored paper and attached to the card base.

Similar to the card above, I masked off the top and bottom of the card as well as the small image of birds. I again used Distress Oxide to color in the center. I then peeled the masked off areas away and colored my birds. To finish off I added a top sentiment and some nuvo drops to the opposite corners of the card, backed that onto a neutral coloured card and attached it all to a base card.

I like this card the best probably because the image is larger. I masked off the vase and flower and a bottom strip so I could place the sentiment. I then colored in the background with Distress oxide ink, removed the mask and colored in my objects. I added a sentiment to the bottom and heat embossed Happy birthday. I added nuvo drops to the top right corner and mounted on some neutral card before attaching to the card base.

It has been a while

It may have been almost a year since my last blog post but that doesn't mean I haven't been crafting up a storm. The following are just  few cards I've put together. It's amazing what a little bit of ribbon and some rhinestones or nuvo drops will do to up that wow factor.