Distress Ink for Spotlighting by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. Today I want to share a card that uses Distress Inks as a background/spotlight for my die cut cake. I really wanted to highlight the cake on the card, so I added a yellow/orange circle of color behind the die cut.

To make the card, I die cut some white cardstock with the Fringed Scalloped Frame die and then added three colors of Distress Ink to the bottom right of the card:

Usually when I sponge Distress Inks onto cardstock, I start off of the paper and then lightly sponge my way towards the center. When you use that technique, you are less likely to get a blob of color onto your cardstock. The ink is much smoother. However, since I wanted a circle, I used my darkest color in the center and lightly sponged color outward. I did wipe off some of the ink before I started, but I figured that my die cut would be covering the center and it wouldn't really matter if the center had some splotches from the sponge.

Next, I misted the color with some water to give the circle a bit of a mottled look:

When I cut out my cake pieces, I used white cardstock and then colored the pieces with Copic markers. I decided I only wanted to die cut the cake once. If you don't like to color, you could also die cut the various pieces out of different colors of cardstock.

To color the cake, I used three pinks- RV000, RV10 and RV55

For the confetti and flags, I used BG45, BG49, V17, YG05 and YG25.

I shaded under the cake using C1 and C3 markers (I colored directly over the Distress Ink).

To finish the card, I stamped my sentiment in black Versafine ink and added some colored rhinestones:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Supplies

 

94862 Birthday Party Cake

94842 Fringed Scalloped Frame Set

cl5288 Birthday Chic clear stamp set

sh44008 Deep Turquoise Paper Pack

jwl002 Pastel Jewels

Spotlight Color by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. Today I wanted to share a card I made using the Breezy Bouquet embossing folder. I wanted to add a spotlight of color, so I also paired it with the Breezy Bouquet stencil. The stencil itself is a layering stencil and comes with all the instructions of how to order your stencils. It also has pictures in color so that you can envision what you are coloring:

I decided I just wanted color one of the flowers instead of doing the whole pattern. I chose three shades of purple dye-based ink I had that matched the lavender cardstock I wanted to use:

Next, I cut out my flower using the die that comes with the embossing folder:

I then placed the cut out flower face down onto the debossed side of my embossing folder:

Before I ran folder through the machine, I checked the other side to make sure my flower was lined up correctly:

To finish the card, I made a floral background using a piece of white cardstock and the embossing folder. Don't forget to spritz your paper slightly with water so that it doesn't crack in the machine.  I then layered my flower on top of the background and added my birthday tab sentiment:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Supplies

 

ef1024 Breezy Bouquet 3D Embossing Folder and Die

88618 Breezy Bouquet Stencil Set

st007 Happy Birthday Foil Greetings Black Tabs

sh44013 Lavender Bloom Paper Pack

Using Paper Scraps by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. Memory Box has a new birthday release, and I would like to show you a background using one of the new dies as well as strips of paper scraps.

First, I cut out the Bubble Dot Plate using white cardstock. This is what it looks like:

Next, I cut out 1/4" strips of paper out of my leftover paper scraps. I then adhered them to the back of the dot background die:

When I finished adding all of my strips, the cardstock looked like this:

When I glued the strips down, they weren't quite straight. However, with the dot design on the front, you don't notice that the strips are a bit crooked. The technique is very forgiving.

To finish the card, I cut out my scalloped background, birthday sentiment and little bird. Of course, I had to give the little bird a birthday hat!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Let me know if you have a favorite way of using up your paper scraps. I would love to hear your suggestions.

 

 

Supplies

 

94858 Bubble Dots Plate

94870 Happy Birthday Marker Script

94864 Bird Blossoms

94842 Fringed Scalloped Frame Set

94852 Birthday Party Hats

sh44005 Key Lime Paper Pack

sh44006 Leaf Sprout Paper Pack

sh44007 Cilantro Paper Pack

sh44008 Deep Turquoise Paper Pack

sh44009 Pool Party Paper Pack

sh44010 Fresh Aqua Paper Pack

sh44011 Powder Blue Paper Pack

sh44012 Blueberry Mist Paper Pack

sh44013 Lavender Bloom Paper Pack

Using Rub-Ons as Backgrounds by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. You may have noticed that the challenge theme this month is "Birthdays." I wanted to appreciate everyone out there with a winter birthday. I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I happen to be a winter birthday girl myself.

I also wanted to share how wonderful backgrounds can be when they are created with rub-ons. I often use rub-ons on top of acetate, vellum, or other tricky surfaces. However, they also look great on top of cardstock. I love that you get a strong opaque look with crisp details when using the rub-ons. I struggle to get the same look with white ink and I often get stray powder marks when embossing. Here is a close up of the Snowflake Rub-Ons by Memory Box on top of Deep Turquoise cardstock:

Of course, I also needed something to fill in the bottom of the card. I cut out the A-Frame House using paper from the Anemone Plaid 6" x 6" paper pack. I thought those plaids worked well with the deep turquoise backdrop.

For accents, I used some dark green pine trees and a black happy birthday tab. To decorate the house, I used the wreath that comes in the A-Frame die set and added white rhinestones fit more with a winter theme than a Christmas theme. As a final step, I added some Faux Snow by Art Glitter at the base of the house.

Happy birthday to all of the other winter birthdays, and I hope everyone will join us in this month's birthday challenge.

 

Supplies

 

RUB105 Snowflake Rub On

94820 A Frame House

94796 Slender Pine Trees

st007 Happy Birthday Foil Greetings Black Tabs

pp1025 Anemone Plaid 6x6 pack

sh44008 Deep Turquoise Paper Pack

Happy New Year! by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. Can you believe 2024 is over? I wanted to make a card for this last day of the year that wished everyone well in the new year.  I also had it in my head that I wanted a snowflake card for winter that didn't necessarily use traditional "cool" colors.

To make this card, I got out my PanPastel chalks to create a background.

I started by sponging my white cardstock with various colors of chalk:

Next, I stamped my Memory Box snowflake background on top using Versamark ink. If you aren't familiar with Versamark, it is a clear ink that gives you a watermarked look to your stamping. If you look closely, you can see my clear snowflakes stamped on top of the chalk:

Next, I sponged the same inks on top of the Versamark ink to make the snowflakes visible:

Tips with this technique- 1. You don't have to work fast. The Versamark ink won't dry very quickly. Take your time! 2. You don't have to worry about smudging your stamped image. Even though I rubbed my chalk onto my ink, it didn't blur any lines. You don't have to be delicate with the chalks.

Here is a close up of the card:

To finish the card, I cut my background at an angle (I chose my favorite section of the paper) and then layered it onto some Deep Turquoise cardstock. I then added my die cut sentiment using some foam tape and a few clear rhinestones for extra bling.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2025.

 

 

Supplies

 

cs2083 Aurora Snowflake Cling Stamp

sh44008 Deep Turquoise Paper Pack

cl5286D Holiday Wishes clear stamp and die set

Merry Christmas! by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. A very Merry Christmas to you all! I thought I would share a card today that features a Christmas theme to help celebrate the day. My card involves an embossed background, die cut/distressed wood planks and a Copic colored bird as the focal piece.

To make the card, I started with some of the Memory Box kraft woodgrain paper and rubbed some Tea Dye and Bundled Sage Distress Ink on top to make the ridges of the paper pop a bit more:

It added just a touch of extra color to the kraft paper.

Next, I cut out the wood planks from the distressed kraft cardstock:

I thought the planks needed more color, so I added some Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress ink to my planks:

I then cut out some holly using Cilantro and Cherry Red cardstock. I added a bit more ink to the leaves to make them pop. (Pine Needles Distress Ink).

To finish the card, I embossed more of the kraft woodgrain paper using the Pinecones and Berries embossing folder. I cut out the bird using white cardstock and then colored him with B21, V22 and V25 Copic markers. I added a Santa Hat from one of the goose die sets and then colored it with R22, R27 and R46 Copic markers.

All that was left was to add my banner message and layer everything onto some Blueberry Mist cardstock.

Thank you so very much for stopping by today. I wish everyone peace and very happy holidays!

 

 

Supplies

 

94823 Narrow Woodgrain Planks

94838 Huddled Sparrow

94826 Classy Goose

ef1043 Pinecones and Berries 3D Embossing Folder

94801 Festive Holly

st014 Merry Christmas Foil Banners White Tabs

sh44003 Kraft Woodgrain Paper Pack

sh44012 Blueberry Mist Paper Pack

sh44007 Cilantro Paper Pack

sh44015 Cherry Red Paper Pack

Sequined Stocking by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. I am excited to share something other than a card today. I have been having a lot of fun making felt ornaments this year as gifts.  It might be too late to start making them this season, but I encourage anyone who makes homemade gifts to work on them throughout 2025 to be ready for next Christmas.

As you probably know, Memory Box has Stocking and Mitten dies that make wonderful ornament. I chose to work with the stocking today and pair it with a whole bunch of sequins and rhinestones. Sometimes you need a little glitz and glam!

To make the ornament, I cut out two red stockings out of 100% wool felt and then one white stocking toe and one white stocking cuff. I decided that I only needed to decorate the front with the white toe and cuff. The back of the stocking is solid red.

The Stitchable Stocking die comes with a lot of embellishments you can use:

 

It has different flowers (including a poinsettia) and even has some holly. I decided to use the holly dies and cut out some green leaves and red berries. However, for decorating, I went glam and pulled out all of my sequins:

Some of you are much handier than I am at sewing. I chose to take the front of my stocking and glue sequins and rhinestones on top using some fabric glue. you are welcome to sew the sequins on if you choose.If you can tell from the picture, I even stacked some gold sequins on top of the red ones for extra bling.

To assemble the stocking, I did sew the front of the stocking to the back using red thread. All of the stocking holes are already punched for you, so you don't have to guess where to place your stitches. I'm pretty sure that I used a whip stitch to attach the two pieces. In felt ornament videos, I saw a lot of people used a blanket stitch. I will have to learn to do that.

Before I finished sewing the front and back red pieces together, I added some stuffing and a ribbon to hang the ornament. I then finished sewing the two pieces together.

To finish the ornament, I sewed the white pieces onto the front of the stocking using white thread and then added my felt holly to the top.

I learned a lot through assembling the stocking ornament. I will have to try different colors of felt and sequins.

I know it is hard to tell sizes through a photo. the ornament is not huge. It measures about 4 1/8" x 3 1/4" in size. I hope that helps!

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

 

Supplies

 

94825 Stitchable Stocking

Mushroom Greetings by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends! Happy Halloween! I hope you will forgive me for not posting a Halloween card today, but you are probably done looking for Halloween inspiration this year. Instead, I am sharing a generic fall card.

I don't know if you have seen the new Nutmeg Forest paper pack, but it is so cute! It is a pack of paper that transitions from fall into winter. It has mushrooms and leaves with oranges, yellows and purples and moves into winter with pine trees and greens and reds. This is what it looks like:

There is also a Nutmeg plaid pack that coordinates:

I was inspired to use mushroom paper from the pack and pair it with a diecut from the Mysterious Mushrooms die set. I also chose inspiration from the paper itself and matched my coloring of the die with one of the mushrooms on the card.

To make my card, I layered mushroom patterned paper at the bottom of my gray notecard. I cut the paper at an angle and the added an orange strip of paper along the angle. Next, I die cut my berries, flowers and mushroom from some Copic white paper (XPressIt paper).

For the flower buds, I colored the stem with a dark green Copic marker (YG95) and colored the base of the flowers with two shades of yellow markers (Y32 and Y35).

Next, I colored the berry branches with a brown marker (E77) and colored the berries with a light red marker (R02).

I took inspiration from the red mushroom on the patterned paper and selected colors that I thought matched. I colored my mushroom die with R02, R05, R17 and R39 markers for the cap. for the underneath of the mushroom cap, I used E17, E18 and E33. The mushroom stem used W1 and W3 markers. I spent more time with the mushroom colors because it was the focal point on my card.

To make the dots on the mushroom cap, I colored tiny little circles using a white Prismacolor pencil. It gave a soft white look to the dots. Next, I added some white gel pen dots to the centers of my pencil coloring to add a bit more of a vibrant/opaque white. I also added a few tiny white gel dots here and there on the mushroom cap. Here is a close up:

The close up shows the two colors of white on the mushroom cap better.

To finish the card, I added a warm wishes black tab under my orange strip.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a Happy Halloween and everyone stays safe!

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94818 Mysterious Mushrooms

94830 Brilliant Berries

94843 Small Anemone Bud Duo

pp1034 Nutmeg Forest 6x6 pack

st019 Holiday Wishes Foil Greetings Black Tabs

Acetate and Rub-On Snowglobe by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. I was inspired by Memory Box's new Snowflake rub-ons, and thought they would pair really well with the Holiday Snowglobe die. Let me walk you through the steps I used for the card.

First, I rubbed the rub-ons onto a piece of acetate. I placed the circle die on top so that I could get an idea of how big of an area I needed to transfer the snowflakes onto the acetate:

Next, I removed the rub-on backing and die-cut a circle out of my snowflake acetate using the die from the snowglobe set:

I cut out a blue circle with the same die and then added my birdhouse and bird to the blue circle. I sponged a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink onto the side of the birdhouse for a bit of dimension:

Anyone who has ever worked with acetate knows that you often worry about how to adhere the acetate to cardstock without seeing the tape of glue To adhere my snowflake circle over the blue circle, I put one dot of glue form a glue pen at the center of each of the snowflakes and then placed the acetate on top of my birdhouse scene.  I was pleasantly surprised that the glue blended really well and that I didn't need to add a ton of glue to stick the two pieces together:

All that was left was to add my base and some holly from the same die set. I did cut out holly berries using a standard hole punch. As a finishing touch, I added one of the new holiday tabs to the base of the snowglobe with my message.

It is hard to tell from the final photo, but I layered the snowglobe onto some cream woodgrain paper. I liked the extra texture for the background.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Supplies

 

94808 Holiday Snowglobe

94810 Snowy Birdhouse

94811 Little Bird Bunch

rub105 Snowflake Rub On

st014 Merry Christmas Foil Banners White Tabs

sh44002 Cream Woodgrain Paper Pack

sh44011 Powder Blue Paper Pack

sh44007 Cilantro Paper Pack

sh44014 Cranberry Paper Pack

Using Watercolor Scraps by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends. Today I want to talk about something I do when I work with watercolor paint. When I watercolor something, I keep blank pieces of watercolor paper next to me that I use to help clean my brushes. I don't think about what colors are used or how the finished piece will look. I am often really structured in how I do things (items placed straight and in the center for example). Doing this method allows me to end up with truly abstract pieces of color that look something like this:

Sometimes I really hate the finished piece. Sometimes I end up with pieces that are great for diecutting the "good" sections. With this piece, I thought there was enough "good" parts that I could trim it down and use it as a background layer for the card. I then chose some of the new Memory Box papers that matched.

When I die cut my three trees, I cut them out of the Memory Box Leaf Sprout paper and then edged the left sides of the trees with Distress Oxide Lucky Clover and Peeled Paint ink. I wish I had added a lot more ink because as the ink dried, the shading wasn't as noticeable. To finish the card, I added an assortment of jewels and a Memory Box Christmas banner:

What about you? In your crafting, do you purposely create your own scraps?

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94796 Slender Pine Trees

94842 Fringed Scalloped Frame Set

st017 Merry and Bright Foil Banners Black Tabs

sh44006 Leaf Sprout Paper Pack

sh44014 Cranberry Paper Pack

jwl005 Christmas Fairy Jewels