Shadow Stencilling by Trina Pham

Happy weekend everyone.  I’m popping in quickly today with an all-occasion masculine card.  I used the Leafy Rows stencil from the 2020 Spring collection and the shadow stencilling technique for my card.

Using a mini blending tool, white pigment ink was applied to the leafy stencil over a piece of Kraft cardstock.  Because it is a pigment ink, I pounced on the ink rather than blending in circles to avoid having the ink seep underneath.  Used a heat tool to dry it.

Next, placed the stencil back over the images, then shifted it slightly up and to the left before inking it with Walnut Stain distress oxide ink.. and voila!

For some shine and still keep it masculine, the B-E-S-T Vintage Varsity letters were die cut from black foil paper while the Wishes Jotted Script sentiment was die cut from gold foil paper.  They were mounted onto a vellum circle.

The gold got a bit lost against the Kraft, so a dark brown shadow was added behind to help it stand out better.

And that’s it from me.  Thank you for visiting.  Stay home and craft on. 

 

Supplies

 

88615 Leafy Rows Stencil

94122 Wishes Jotted Script

94341 Vintage Varsity Alphabet

30087 Circle Basics Set

Using Old Favorites In New Ways by Vicki Finger

Hello everyone!  Vicki here with you today.  I have a new project using some of my "old" favorites from Memory Box and a stamp set from Poppy Stamps as well.  I love being able to use supplies in my "collection" to pull a completely different style of card together.  

You might remember this card from last fall that I created using the Grateful Autumn Stamp Set from Memory Box.  I used Metallic Watercolors on Stonehenge Black Watercolor Paper from Legion (who also makes Yupo Paper).  

Just because it has Autumn in the name doesn't mean it can't be used for any of the other seasons that have leaves on the trees.  Lots of folks north of Texas live in states where it is still snowing this week and they don't even have the first little buds of leaves out on their trees.  Here in North Texas, Our Redbuds are just budding out this week and in a week or so, we'll have lots of small green leaves popping out everywhere.  The Bradford Pears have also begun blooming.  In Texas, we have Live Oak Trees, and they stay green year-round.  There are many such trees in Texas and I remember being fascinated by them when we first moved to Texas in the late 1990's.  Being a midwestern girl, the only kind of evergreen trees I had ever seen were the Cedar and Evergreen varieties that remind you of Christmas Trees.  There is a huge, ancient, Live Oak Tree on the grounds of the Alamo.  Its limbs have grown so heavy that many are now supported by giant cables and many are literally laying on the ground, but still growing.  

Today I wanted to use this same stamp set to create a pretty Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Background with a lot of visual interest.   Using the large image from the set, I heat embossed it onto a 5 x 7 panel of Watercolor Paper.  Next, I wet the entire panel using a #10 Escoda Versatil Paint Brush. These brushes are hand made in Barcelona Spain and have a Triple Crimp Ferrule and they don't shed!

Next, I added Diopside Genuine in a pretty concentrated mix of paint and water.  I sort of dabbed at the area of the leaves but didn't stay within the lines.  I let that dry and then repeated the process with Ultramarine Turquoise, making sure to extend the paint and water to the entire panel, letting it move freely as I turned the paper.  When it was not quite dry, I went in with a watery layer of Iridescent Gold Watercolor on the top and turning the paper, again let it move around the entire panel of watercolor paper.  As this dries, the gold settles into the texture of the paper making it very visible.  

I die cut the panel with a Rectangle Basics Die and then used the leftover piece to heat emboss my sentiment onto. The sentiment is from Poppy Stamps Butterfly Greetings Stamp Set and I love this font!  Using a smaller Rectangle Basics Die I die cut the sentiment out and then used the next size up to cut a mat from Gold Foiled Cardstock. I popped the sentiment up on some foam tape.  I also had an already cut piece of cardstock sitting there that I had previously cut for another project and then didn't use, so it was perfect for this.  

I die cut the Drifting Side Butterfly from the center of that panel, which is a very economical way to use your gold cardstock and although I don't often do it that way, I should!  I don't sit and plan out a card from beginning to end with what I'm going to do.  I'm definitely a "fly by the seat of your pants" cardmaker.  I get an idea of what stamp set I want to use and what technique, but that's as far as the planning goes until I actually sit down to put the card together.  So usually, I'm too far into the process when I think about using the gold foiled cardstock that way. 

I love all the shimmer and shine on this card and that perfect final touch was the sequins and gems I added.  These particular sequins are iridescent teal and they matched so well.  I've had them for years and I don't know where they came from.  I will be really sad when I run out as they are so pretty.  Then as I often do, I added a little gem in the center of the sequin which really makes everything sparkle and shine.  

I did play around with adding colored cardstock or shimmer cardstock for the butterfly's body behind the gold frame, but I didn't care for any of the colors I tried over just using the gold outline, which allowed the watercolor to be seen through the wings. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my project today and that you might be inspired to see what you can do with a stamp set you may already have.  I have an extended post over on my blog today as I go into some detail about my watercolor palettes that I've made recently.  I'll hope you'll pop over there if your interested in that sort of thing. 

 

 

Supplies

 

99900 Drifting Side Butterfly craft die

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

CL5243 Grateful Autumn clear stamp set

CL481 Butterfly Greetings clear stamp set

Sparkly Stain Glass Butterfly by Trina Pham

Helloooo there!  It’s been a while since I last posted, so I’m happy to be here today to share a clean and simple (CAS) card inspired by this month’s Glitter Paper or Glue challenge.

The Sparkly Stained Glass technique involves Glossy Accents and glitter, but I thought the gorgeous glitter glue from the Spring release would be a great substitute for them.  I started by die cutting the large outline butterfly from Gloriosa Butterfly Duo Outlines from silver foil paper and the matching background butterfly from acetate.  Adhered them together, then flipped over to the back side.  In the open areas, Topaz Gleam and Tropical Glimmer glitter glue were added then set aside to dry overnight.  

And this is what resulted.  A little confession.  Even though a generous amount of glue was used, there were still some areas (mainly along the edges) that were missed.  Rather than adding more glitter glue, I used a closely matched Copic marker to colour in the areas on the back on the acetate.  Could you tell? 😂

The background was created on an A2 size piece of Bristol paper.  Using 1” painter’s tape, the four sides were masked off, leaving the center.  Blueprint Sketch distress ink was then blended on with a blender brush.  Flicked on some water and dabbed off with a paper towel to give it some texture.  The card would have been done had there not been a smear. <grrr>  To fix that, I added the frame, made with the Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out and Rectangle Basics dies.  To finish, the Seaside Hello sentiment was die cut three times and stacked for dimension.  Twice from white and once from silver foil.

That’s it from me today.  Hope you and your family are all keeping safe and healthy. Wishing you all a wonderful crafty weekend.

 

Supplies

 

94383 Gloriosa Butterfly Duo Outlines

94387 Gloriosa Butterfly Duo Background

94444 Seaside Hello

94360 Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

40119 Topaz Gleam glitter glue

40120 Tropical Glimmer glitter glue

Classic Rose Frame Card by Vicki Finger

Hi there and thanks for stopping by!  It's Vicki here today.  I wanted to work with some products from the most recent Memory Box Spring 2020 Collection so I pulled some papers and dies together to see what I could come up with for today's post.

I've been taking a Watercolor for Paper Crafters Class so I've been spending a lot of time practicing.  I am so excited to be getting better and even finally put my paints into a palette!  For me, that is a commitment - so I'm all in now.  However, since I did a watercolor project for the previous two Fridays, I wanted to do something different for you today.   

In the most recent release, there were several paper collections released in addition to stamps and dies.  There's a beautiful patterned paper pad called "Springtime Bouquet" and as usual, while all the papers are beautiful, there's a certain one that tugs at my heart!  Of course, it is this pink bloomed print that I just love.  This particular paper pad has mostly softer, pastel colors and each sheet is double-sided with a different print on the reverse side.  I really hate it when there's an especially loved print on both sides because then I have to choose.  Haha! 

I also used a sheet of the Glitter Paper from the Delicate Pastels Glitter Paper Pad.  It is a very soft pink so to brighten it up, I used the chisel tip of a Copic Marker to add color to it.  This works great and is easy to do.  I really never use the chisel tip end for anything except this type of thing.  You can also use that end if you want to quickly color in a white Prima Flower or other types of paper flowers to get an exact match.  I did the same thing on a scrap of the same glitter paper to get the behind layer for the Flitter Side Butterfly.  Like the Classic Rose Frame, I cut the butterfly from Gold Foiled Cardstock. 

The classic Rose Frame has two thin frames and the smaller one has the rose as part of the die.  There is also a coordinating die to cut the full rose shape out from a different cardstock. You could also die cut a second one and do die cut inlay.  The paper I used for this was a scrap of leftover paper from one of my watercolor projects and it was just big enough to cut the shape from.  I had used some light pink watercolor paint with some iridescent gold paint to create a wash, so that's why you see that little bit of shimmer on the rose. 

For the Sentiment, I used one from Poppy Stamps (another Memory Box Company) called Greeting Basics along with a set of die, Colwell Label Set that works with the sentiments in this set.  I was able to layer the dies which is super cool.  I stamped on a piece of white cardstock, die-cut it and then cut the mat from a piece of glitter paper in the Twinkling Jewel Paper Pack.

I just love the font used for these sentiments so I asked Dave (our owner) if it was okay to use the sentiments from Poppy Stamps, one of our Sister Companies.   

You could add more dimension to this style of a card by using foam tape or fun foam between each layer.  Because I mail most of my cards, I try to keep the dimension to a postal "acceptable" level.  The ones I don't mail, go to my sisters-in-law for their Holiday Goodie Bags and they mail them.  For the butterfly, since it was on the label that I had popped up on fun foam, I did a double thickness of foam behind the wing to make it look right. 

I added the base panel with the glitter mat and the Classic Rose Frame die-cut to a white, top folding card base and then added the other elements.  I used my Rectangle Basics Dies to cut the background panels.  Hint:  When adding color to the glitter paper, there's no need to do the whole panel.  I just went around about a half-inch all the way around the edge which was enough to cover up the rest of what I didn't color in.  

 

Supplies

 

94002 Flitter Side Butterfly craft die

94414 Classic Rose Frame craft die

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

CL490 Greeting Basics

Gloriosa Butterflies, Double Stitch Square Cut Out and Cottage Meadow 6x6 Prints by Jean Okimoto

 

A glittered Gloriosa Butterfly, Cottage Meadow 6x6 print and Double Stitch Square Cut Outs are a great combination for spring cards.  We're loving Cottage Meadow's "corner prints" as much as we love the overall florals of this great new set.  This is a beautiful, versatile set!

Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a very pink design today - hope it inspires you to add some prettiness to the world.  We certainly need it right now!

Cut the Cottage Meadow dark floral corner print with the largest Double Stitch Square Cut Out die.  We're using just the inside square.  Cut the square with the second-largest die - leave the frame and square in the die.  Attach double-stick tape to the diecuts - place the tape so it forms a "bridge" between the frame and the square.

Score, cut and fold a pink 5-½" square card.  Square cards require extra handling and postage but I hope this card helps someone get thru a rough time. Attach the frame and square to the card.

Cut the big Gloriosa Butterfly Background from the dusty pink dotted Cottage Stripes and Dots print.  Cut the big detailed Gloriosa Butterfly Outline from the pink Delicate Pastel Glitter cardstock.  Cut the butterfly center from matte gold cardstock.

Stamp the greeting - from the new Poppystamps Greeting Basics Clear Stamps - on white cardstock with Rocket Red Gold Brilliance.

Attach the butterfly and greeting to the card - use foam dots for the greetings.  Color the white/orange-speckled Delicate Pastel glitter cardstock with a peachy Copic or Sharpie marker.  Punch ¼" dots and add them to the card.  Love  to create glittery custom-colored accents with the Memory Box glitter cardstock

Thanks for visiting...hope you'll be inspired to continue creating your beautiful cards for everyone we can't spend time with right now.  

 

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94383 Gloriosa Butterfly Duo Outlines

94387 Gloriosa Butterfly Duo Background

94362 Double Stitch Square Cut Out

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

PP1003 Cottage Meadow 6x6 pack

PP1004 Cottage Stripes and Dots 6x6 pack

CL490 Greeting Basics

Copic Coloring on Glitter Paper by Michelle Bala

                                                                                             Michelle here! Hope you're all feeling well and taking care of yourselves! Did you catch Dave's video on how he colored the new glitter cardstock with Copic Markers? I did and gave it a try...and loved it!!! Watch it when you can!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I used the Fractal Diamond Stencil and distress oxide inks in shades tumbled glass, mermaid lagoon, and chipped sapphire. Than I splattered some white and gold paint. Set aside to dry. I die cut the Splendid Poppy Stems from the Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad and used some Copic Markers to add color. I can't believe how much it sparkles!!! I used B63, B94 and G29. I added some white dots with a gel pen. I separated the poppy stems and tied them together with bakers twine. I embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder. The sentiment is from the stamp set Birthday Rose Corner clear stamp. For a finishing touch I added some sequins.

                                                                                              For this next card I followed the same technique with the stencil as my background. I used the Tulip Oval Collage to die cut from the same Pastel Glitter Pad. I colored the tulips and stems with Copic Markers in shades B63, B94 and G14. I trimmed the glitter cardstock to 5 x 5. I stamped and trimmed the sentiments from the set Big and Little Spring clear stamp. For a finishing touch I added some squins.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Supplies

 

94442 Splendid Poppy Stems craft die

94454 Tulip Oval Collage craft die

88616 Fractal Diamond Stencil

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

CL5254 Big and Little Spring clear stamp set

CL5251 Birthday Rose Corner clear stamp set

Snow Bunny, Springtime Bouquet, Twinkling Jewel and Poppystamps Brilliant Rings by Jean Okimoto

Want to add some sunshine to your life?  I hope the lovable Snow Bunny and pretty Springtime Bouquet prints will brighten your day!  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with my favorite bunny and some fresh spring colors. I've used many more colors and pieces than usual - but I think we could use some sunshine and a reason to smile today.  Hope you agree!

Attach label paper or a sticker sheet to white felt and diecut the Snow Bunny pieces. The paper backing stabilizes the felt and keeps adhesives from saturating the fabric.  Cut the eyes (black), nose (pink) and one paw pad (gray) from cardstock.  Cut the tummy and ear sections from the lavender Springtime Bouquet 6x6 prints.  Assemble the bunny.

Snow Bunny was introduced in 2017 and is one of my favorite Memory Box sets.  It's from the Deep Edge dies collection that's also perfect for cutting multiple layers for fabric arts projects. We love him at Impress, and at Stamps and Memories in Hawaii.  Ask your Retailer to order him for you soon...we don't know when he might decide to retire.  He's very versatile and can be used to create puppies, bears, koalas and pandas too. Please scroll thru my Instagram for a few examples.  

Cut the new Poppystamps Brilliant Rings from the yellow Twinkling Jewel 6x6 glitter cardstock.  

Cut the Springtime Bouquet floral print with the 2-¾" x 4" Rectangle Basics die.  Stamp the greeting - from the new Sunflower Wreath Clear Stamps Set - on yellow cardstock.

Score, fold and cut a green A-6 card (4-½" x 6-¼").  Attach the diecuts - don't use any adhesive behind his poufy cheeks.  Attach the greeting with foam dots near the right side.

Have fun creating some extra Snow Bunnies from the pretty prints in the new Cottage Meadow and Springtime Bouquet 6x6 sets.  Add glittery accents from the Twinkling Jewel and Delicate Pastel Glitter Packs too.  They'll be perfect for Easter, baby cards and little birthday celebrations.

Thanks for visiting!

Supplies

 

GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

30097 Snow Bunny

2328 Brilliant Rings

CL5253 Sunflower Wreath clear stamp set

Two More Ideas for Using Fairy Sugar Glitter Glues by Anne Thompson

I'm not usually a glitter person but I am becoming one thanks to Memory Box and the new glitter paper pads and the Fairy Sugar glitter glues.  I've been trying out lots of ways to combine some of the 2020 Spring Collection products with the Fairy Sugars.  Here are a couple of ideas I've been playing with this month.

One

I started with a Sweet Corn notecard and some orange dot/striped paper from the COTTAGE STRIPES AND DOTS 6X6 paper pad PP1004.  I cut the paper 4 X 5.25 and then cut it half, taping down the dots on the left and flipping the paper over and adding the stripes on the right. 

I die cut the PRETTY BLOSSOM STEM 94422  using green and yellow glitter papers from the TWINKLING JEWEL GLITTER PAD GP1003.  I snipped off the yellow blossoms and used Glue Dots to secure them on top of the green ones.  I used a glue pen to anchor the stem on the center line between the two papers.

Then I got out the Fairy Sugar in Sour Apple Sparkle 40121 and Goldfinch 40118.   I added a line of the Sour Apple Sparkle beneath the flower for the ground and to anchor it, and I put tiny drops of Goldfinch Fairy Sugar on top of some of the dots on the dotted paper as well as in the blossom centers.

Idea:  Try adding dots of Fairy Sugar on top of dots on any dotted paper for a little extra sparkle.  Practice drawing lines with the Fairy Sugars to add details to striped papers or for grass/ground under die cut flowers.  Add dots of Fairy Sugar to flower centers.

 

Two

I started with a Persimmon notecard and added a piece of paper cut 4 X 5.25 from the COTTAGE MEADOW 6X6 PAPER PAD PP1003 to the front.  I then added Fairy Sugar glitter glue to some of the flowers on the paper, smearing the drops with my finger to add sparkle to their centers.  I used Lemon Drop 40116 on the white flowers, Goldfinch 40118 on the orange ones, and Pansy 40114 on the pink ones.  I cut some blossoms from scrap pieces of orange and pink glitter papers using the Pretty Blossom Stem die.  I put the small one on top of the larger one using Glue Dots and then used foam dots to add them to the card front.  I added Fairy Sugar centers to them, Goldfinch on the orange one and Strawberry Ice 40109 on the two pink ones.

Inside I added double-sided bright orange paper from the Cottage Stripes and Dots paper pad, stripes side up on the left and dots side up on the right.  I had a strip of the flower paper left from the front which I placed on top of the dots and added more of the glitter glues to the flower centers.  When that was dry I attached a white cardstock square where I will write my message.  I cut out some CHERRY BLOSSOM BRANCHES 94434 from a glitter paper scrap, added Goldfinch Fairy Sugar centers, and put one of them on the message square.

Idea:  Try adding dots and dabs of Fairy Sugar to highlight images on printed papers.

I can't wait to see what you post on this month's Challenge.  I'm sure you have lots more ideas than I do for using these yummy Fairy Sugar glitter glues!

Happy Crafting!

Pretty Blossom Stem 94422

Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad GP1003

Sour Apple Sparkle 40121

Goldfinch 40118

Lemon Drop 40116

Cherry blossom Branches 94434

Cottage Stripes and Dots PP 1004

Cottage Meadow PP 1003

Pansy 40114

Strawberry Ice 40109

Wild Rose Stem Stamps & Dies by Vicki Finger

Welcome to the blog!  Vicki here with you today!  I am featuring the newly released Wild Rose Stem Stamps and Dies.  I love wild roses although, in reality, they are a pale pink or rose color.  The great thing about what we do is we can make them any color we want.  The beauty of Art - every kind of art.  

This color wasn't my intent when I started but it kind of snowballed into this.  My primary objective was just some pale pink.  I recently signed up for a watercolor class.  I haven't started my homework or classwork yet, but I've been "collecting" tubes of Daniel Smith Watercolors a couple at a time over the last year or so, and I have about 26 colors right now.  They have over 300 colors, so I am just getting some basics and some neutrals and will mix colors.  I have two or three of each color family plus a neutral, a neutral buff, and a couple of greys.  I'm also learning how to mix colors as part of a Facebook Group I'm in.  So this kind of started as one project and turned into class practice only a couple of layers of color into it. I switched from Watercolor Pencils to Daniel Smith Watercolors after that. 

I used a little Sap Green on the leaves but my focus today was on the petals and getting a much better look than I have previously.  I'm very happy with this first attempt although I can see many things I will do differently next time.  This is a great image for practice as the petals are large and you can create your custom color and add depth to bring the image to life with depth.  Each time is a little bit of a learning experience and things to do differently next time, like adding deeper shadow layers on my next try.  There's also a lot to be said for walking away to let that layer fully dry because it does look so different after it dries.  I used Quinacridone Purple and Quinacridone Pink for the petals.  Today's focus for me was learning to scrub out a little color and add depth a little bit at a time with a complimentary or neutral color.  I could have increased the depth!

I love the look of watercolor and I really want to get better at it doing it so, I've been "collecting" information, thoughts, and experiences of friends who are successful in this endeavor.  This is my first try at this particular method and I am so excited to do more.  For the little stamen on the wild roses, I used Plum Shimmer Fairy Sugar (a new product) to make the deep purple dots.

After I watercolored the blooms, I die cut it with the coordinating die and grabbed the new Springtime Bouquet Patterned Paper Pad to decide which paper I wanted to use to put my card together.  I'm a sucker for stripes, especially this more narrow version, and the lovely pastel colors make me think of Spring which is hopefully right around the corner here in North Texas.  I used a piece of Winter Wisteria Cardstock to die cut one of the Matinee Rectangles to use as a label.  I also really love the font and style of this Poppy Stamps Sentiment Stamps Set called "Springtime Fun".  Poppy Stamps is also a Memory Box Company.  I love elegant and this font suits me to a "T"!

As usual, I heat embossed my image and my sentiment with Versamark and Antique Gold Embossing Powder from Simon Says Stamp.  Using a blending brush, I went all around the outside edges with the matching ink to darken the edges.  I just love how this card turned out and how much my watercolor improved. 

I still enjoy learning and trying new techniques to share with you all as much as possible. If you are interested in the class, there's a link over at my blog.  

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94438 Matinee Rectangle Layers craft die

CL5258 Wild Rose Stem clear stamp set

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out, Double Stitch Square Cut Out and Cottage Meadow 6x6 Pack by Jean Okimoto

 

 

Hearts aren't just for Valentines and weddings...use them throughout the year for friendship, encouragement and thank you cards too.  Add Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Outs to a flowery Cottage Meadow 6x6 Pack background and tell someone how great she is.  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a design that works for anyone, anytime.

Cut the pale blue Cottage Meadow print with the largest Double Stitch Square Cut Out die.  Trim a bit of the edges.  Pressure-emboss it with the second-largest Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out die.

Cut the pale peach-speckled Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad sheet with the same heart die.  Save the offcut for another special project.  Cut it with the second-smallest heart die.  Cut the allover floral print (from the reverse side of the blue Cottage Meadow print) with the second-smallest heart die.

Cut the peach glittered cardstock with Cherry Blossom Elements and snip off four flowers.  Attach one to the heart and scatter the others on the background.  

Stamp the greeting - from the Birch Press Design You Are Awesome Clear Stamps Set - on white cardstock with Rocket Red Gold Brilliance.  

Attach the diecuts to a white 5-½" square card.  Attach the greeting with foamtape.  Accent the flower centers with Open Studio Buttercup Glow Fairy Sugar Glitter Glue and set the card aside to dry the glitter glue.

Love adding sparkly highlights with glitter cardstock and glitter glue?  Be sure to enter the March Challenge for a chance to win a great prize from our Spring 2020 Collection.  Good luck!

Thanks for visiting...see you again on Thursday -

Supplies

 

94362 Double Stitch Square Cut Out

94361 Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out

94431 Cherry Blossom Elements

PP1003 Cottage Meadow 6x6 pack

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

40101 Buttercup Glow glitter glue